Too many of the undergrads taking the course I currently teach cannot read. They’re literate, of course, but unable to sit long enough to read a chapter from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden or an essay about an Australian ecofeminist nearly mauled to death by a crocodile. - AlJazeera
The initial production’s optimistic look at how ethical leaders harness power to forge better worlds seems hopelessly naive in this divided political environment. Or maybe not — maybe “Camelot” is just what we need. - Variety
When the piece premiered at Opera Theatre of St. Louis ten years ago, it had a small pit orchestra, a four-piece jazz combo, and a total cast of 18 (including chorus and dancers). Now the total cast numbers nearly 80. Here's a look at what Blanchard did and how. - AP
“False and potentially alarming information was shared with our musicians by our musical director, Raffaele Ponti. This false information continued to spread, which led to what we interpreted as a physical threat from him, resulting in the cancellation of our final mainstage concert of the season.” - Sarasota Herald Tribune
"On Monday April 3rd, I performed on stage for 2000 people while having a miscarriage. I knew it was happening. … If it had been our first loss, or even our second, I likely wouldn't have been able to go on." - Yahoo!
As Black and brown musicians, the question is not whether we can “solve” classical music’s issue with racism. Rather we wonder: Why do we try to change a world that isn’t ours? Under that: Can this be our world? And the trickier phrasing: Should it be? - Van
"(Juan de Pareja) remains an elusive figure within art history, with details of his life prone to myth, his paintings often misattributed and no more than two of his works ever exhibited in the same place." - CNN
Adam Platt: "As you move from one pleasantly distracting set piece to another, pondering when to ingest the lemon-flavored edible in your pocket, it feels like playing hooky — a reprieve from the hushed, ponderous solemnity of the Establishment museums and galleries." - New York Magazine
In 2021, psychologists found that forming parasocial bonds was strongly related to avoidant attachment. That is, people who tended to push others away in their day-to-day lives were more likely than others to relate to fictional characters, and especially to characters who are also emotionally avoidant. - The Atlantic
"The MIMA contemporary art museum in Molenbeek had planned to host a sparring session between around 20 amateur boxers from the Ixelles branch of the Brussels police and two local boxing clubs in an on-site boxing ring. But the museum canceled at the last minute, citing 'tensions on social media.'" - Politico
"Since its controversial inception in 2015, the Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion has received about 60,000 visitors a year. But Lima's ultra-conservative mayor has now presided over the museum's closure, (reflecting) a growing denial of the mass killings carried out by the armed forces in the conflict." - The Guardian
"The history of iterations of Shucked is an interesting one, since it bears almost no resemblance to the show that McAnally and Clark started working on. … That first conception of the production depended on existing IP, albeit in not much more than name: It was called Hee Haw: The Musical." - Variety
"The bill … would 'prohibit discrimination on the basis of a person's height or weight in opportunities of employment, housing, and public accommodation.' … If Bill INT 0209 passes, it would push producers to see a wider pool of applicants, and encourage them to cast outside of the stereotypical Broadway body." - Playbill
"Founded in Dublin in 1997 as a receptacle for 'all this great writing floating around,' The Stinging Fly has reached its 25th year as a launching pad for some of the country's most promising, and in time, some of its best known, poets and novelists." - The New York Times
