The New York Public Library For The Performing Arts is well known to many in the theater industry, as well as the most devoted fans.

Located at Lincoln Center, the library houses a vast collection of performing arts videos and also the Theatre on Film And Tape Archive.

But not only the pros can learn and enjoy what the library has to offer, anyone can view recordings of many of theatre's most significant productions.

Since 1970, the archive has recorded Broadway, off-Broadway and some regional theater productions to preserve them. And those videos can be viewed at the library.

The library has now opened an exhibit about the archive's first 50 years. It was supposed to open in 2020, the actual 50th anniversary, but the pandemic forced a delay. The exhibit features selected video clips from the archive of a wide range of productions including musicals, plays, avant-garde and socially conscious works, according to curator Patrick Hoffman.

Focus Center Stage: 50 Years of the Theatre on Film And Tape Archive features photos, playbill covers, videos through the years.

"I really hope that people see what we have in regard to film. But also see the work that our staff is putting into this archive and the preservation of theatre history," says exhibit designer Caitlin Whittington.

The exhibit will be on view through February 2023 and is spread over two floors of the library.