The Museum of Broadway’s next special exhibit will highlight the work of Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated designer David Korins. Presented in partnership with Korins Studio, “Stages of Imagination: The Iconic Broadway Designs of David Korins” will open on June 28 at the midtown Manhattan museum and run through Sept. 30.
The exhibit will offer attendees an immersive deep dive into the creative process behind five Broadway shows designed by Korins: “Beetlejuice,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Hamilton,” “Here Lies Love” and “The Who’s Tommy.” On display will be set models, original notes from “Hamilton,” Korins’ first sketch for “Dear Evan Hansen” and more. A full-size replica of the couch from “Beetlejuice” will serve as a photo opportunity for guests. Throughout the exhibit’s run, Korins will be joined by artistic collaborators for a series of panel discussions and special events, which will be announced.
“To have ‘Stages of Imagination’ presented at the Museum of Broadway is deeply meaningful, not just as a personal highlight, but as a tribute to the brilliant craftspeople, creatives and collaborators, including the remarkable team I work alongside every day in my studio who help bring theater to life,” Korins said in a statement. “Like the Museum of Broadway, an institution built to pull back the curtain on how shows are made, this exhibition shines a light on the often unseen process: the messy, magical journey that begins with a spark and comes to life through the collaboration of directors, designers, actors and the vibrant communities that support every production. I’m honored to share this work, if only briefly, in the heart of the theater capital of the world, in the city that continues to inspire us all.”
“The Museum of Broadway is proud to serve as the New York setting for this groundbreaking exhibition,” said museum executive producer and co-founder Julie Boardman. “The Museum was created to give visitors behind-the-curtain access, while educating and entertaining the next generation of theater creators. We are thankful to David for sharing this master class in set design with our community.”
Korins is a four-time Tony nominee for his work on “War Paint,” as well as the aforementioned “Hamilton,” “Beetlejuice” and “Here Lies Love,” the latter of which included an entire transformation of the Broadway Theatre’s interior. Korins’ additional Broadway credits include “Passing Strange,” “Chinglish,” “Godspell,” “Bring It On,” “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, “Bandstand” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.” For his work designing the set of “Grease: Live,” Korins was awarded the 2016 Emmy for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special.
“Stages of Imagination” was previously exhibited at the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures in Tucson, Arizona from September 2024 through May 2025.
Previous special exhibits at the Museum of Broadway include an exhibit exploring Disney’s 30 years on the Main Stem, as well as “¡Viva! Broadway: ayer, hoy y mañana,” “‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’ Spectacular Spectacular,” “SIX: The Royal Gallery,” “All That Jazz: The Legacy of ‘Chicago’ the Musical” and “The American Theatre as Seen by Hirschfeld.” The museum’s current exhibition, “Crafting Excellence: Black Storytellers of Broadway,” will conclude its extended run on June 19.
Co-founded by Boardman and Diane Nicoletti, the Museum of Broadway opened in November 2022.
