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Shakespeare’s Environmentalism

It would, of course, be an anachronism to dub Shakespeare an environmentalist. But he was acutely aware of what we would term the environmental issues of his era. - The Conversation

The Culture Around Cancel Culture

Cancelling is a colloquial term applied to anything from discussion about an author with a critical tone to internet pile-ons or campaigns to deplatform individuals after that person does something their audience perceives as wrong. There is much debate. - The Conversation

Afghanistan Archaeological Treasures In Peril

“Given the focus of most current donors on humanitarian needs, cultural heritage is inevitably regarded as marginal, despite the fact that conservation generates significant employment.” - The Art Newspaper

The Science Of Punctuation In Languages

Punctuation can be a nuisance; it is often simply neglected. Wrong! The most recent statistical analyses paint a different picture: punctuation seems to "grow out" of the foundations shared by all the (examined) languages, and its features are far from trivial. - Phys

Somerset Maugham Said His Plays Were For Light Entertainment Only. Don’t Believe It.

"Maugham is a deeply deceptive dramatist. His plays look as if they are dated old crowdpleasers, yet often challenge conventional ideas. … This is the man who in For Services Rendered … wrote a blistering attack on the ruinous aftermath of the first world war and a society unfit for heroes." - The Guardian

Museums Are Reinventing How They Work

Museums are shifting gears — seeking artists of different backgrounds, arranging works in new thematic groupings, reinterpreting pieces they already own. - The New York Times

When Radio Was A Tool For Long-Distance Education

"Today's Tedium tries its best to capture the excitement of educational radio in the 1920s and 1930s. … (It was) the first truly real-time technology for distributing education to many people. And there were lots of people who saw that as a truly groundbreaking thing — especially below the college level." - Tedium

Theatre MFA Degrees Are Becoming Endangered

The economic viability of graduate programs is becoming an increasingly complicated question. The majority of MFA theatre programs offer tuition remission, housing, and stipends, but with inflation ramping up, the cost of supporting students is rising. - American Theatre

ProPublica Investigates The Met Museum’s Holdings Of Native American Art

Over nearly five decades, Charles and Valerie Diker have amassed one of the country's biggest private collections of Native American art, and they've been lending or giving objects to the Met for30 years. But many of those items have little or no provenance history and could well be stolen. - ProPublica

Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Existential Threat

“There’s been a drag on finances for some time,” Muse said, noting the problems had not been addressed over a multi-year period. “There were mistakes that were made … It (the festival) was run as a mom-and-pop operation, and there’s nothing wrong with that when it works.” - Ashland News

Ronald Perelman Donates $25 Million For A New Arts District At Brown University

"The Perelman Family Foundation, headed by cosmetics mogul and art collector Ronald Perelman, has pledged $25 million to Brown University to build an arts district at the Providence, Rhode Island, Ivy League school. ... The district will include ... performance centers and teaching, gallery, rehearsal, and performance spaces." - ARTnews

A Post-COVID Surge In Welsh History

 “One factor is that there seems to be a renewed interest in Welsh history. And there was a big surge of new visitors coming to Wales as lockdown eased.” - The Guardian

A Cache Of Unknown Songs By Donizetti Has Been Discovered

Musicologist Roger Parker found the works — some of which were published in the 19th century and faded from view, others only in manuscript — in archives in Paris, Naples, Bergamo, and even a monastery in Austria. The songs will be performed and recorded over the next three years. - The Observer (UK)

Harry Belafonte, 96

"(He) was born to Jamaican immigrants, grew up in poverty in Depression-era Harlem and became a major Black crossover success in popular music. He went on to smash a series of barriers during five decades as a movie, TV and stage star." - MSN (The Washington Post)

San Francisco Ballet’s Executive Director Abruptly Resigns After One Year

"Neither Danielle St.Germain nor the Ballet gave any reason for the move. … If there's a sense of déjà vu about this, that's because the company went through a similar situation just two years ago. In June 2021, Executive Director Kelly Tweeddale resigned her position abruptly and without explanation." - San Francisco Chronicle

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