Very apropos of our current issue, the New York City Public Library for the Performing Arts is opening an exhibit next Monday titled, “Curtain Call: Celebrating a Century of Women Designing for Live Performance.”

Per the press release: “From the costume design for the 1897 production The Belle of New York to the set design for Broadway’s current hit In the Heights, this exhibition features works by 140 distinguished women who have designed scenery, costumes, lighting, props and projections for the stage.”

Some of the highlights will include Glinda’s blue dress from Wicked, Anna’s waltzing frock from the famous “Shall We Dance?” scene in The King and I and Richard Burton’s Hamlet duds. Sounds fun, no? If you’re in NYC during the next six months—the exhibit runs until May 2, 2009—I encourage you to make use of the wonderful resource that is the NY Public Library and check out this exhibit for some inspiration for your year-end shows. For more info, visit the library’s website at www.nypl.org/research/lpa/.