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Pay Equity Is Great, But Can Theater In America Afford It Without Shrinking?

Jesse Green surveys the unpaid and underpaid work that has always been part of making theater in the US, especially early in a career — and the likelihood that instituting fair pay practices could mean that the field contracts, with fewer jobs and fewer shows. - The New York Times

Why We Need To Cultivate Toleration

Toleration involves putting up with something that you would rather not be the case. This doesn’t have to involve moral disapproval: perhaps you just can’t stand your colleague’s taste in music. But toleration is likely to be especially hard when what you experience is moral disapproval. - Psyche

Sounds Like They’ve Finally Fixed The Acoustics At The Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall

Ever since the landmark building opened in 1973, its Concert Hall's acoustics have been notoriously bad — and resistant to improvement. Now, a 2½-year, A$150 million renovation has given the auditorium sound that is, says the Sydney Symphony's concertmaster, "better than anything we dared imagine." - The Guardian

A Second Staff Rebellion In Two Years At Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater

This round of upheaval, sparked by the unexplained placing of the artistic director "on leave," has seen the last candidate for executive director withdraw, the acting managing director and resident playwrights and stage directors resign, and remaining staff criticize the board on the company's Facebook page. - MSN (Chicago Tribune)

Whistleblower Group Calls For Detroit Institute Of Arts To Lose Accreditation

The founder of the organization Whistleblower Aid says that the museum has "broken IRS rules, Michigan state laws; they've broken their employment policies, their own board policies, their own conflict of interest policies, their own whistleblower policies" and should not have its 10-year American Alliance of Museums accreditation renewed. - Artnet

Librarians Get Trapped, And Even Targeted, In The Culture Wars

"Accustomed to being seen as dedicated public servants in their communities, (they) have found themselves … labeled pedophiles on social media, called out by local politicians and reported to law enforcement officials." - The New York Times

US Museum Attendance Hits A Post-Pandemic Plateau

"Recent data collected by Artnet from more than a dozen museums around the country suggests that attendance recovery has slowed, with some cultural institutions finding that audience levels have stagnated or dropped over the last year." - Artnet

Over 1,500 Edinburgh Fringe Participants Demand Reform

"Hundreds of artists, performers, venues and promoters say it is becoming 'increasingly difficult' to justify the expense of taking part in the event, which will mark its 75th anniversary next month. More than 1,500 of them have called for 'immediate, meaningful action' to address a host of concerns." - The Scotsman

In Response To Highland Park Shooting, Ravinia Festival Cancels This Week’s Concerts

The festival campus is just a couple of miles away from the site of the murders at Monday's Fourth of July parade. - MSN (Chicago Tribune)

Bumping Up On The Limits Of Wellness Culture

Experimental psychology and data science would be used to develop clearer (and sometimes counterintuitive) recommendations for improving users’ lives. Bestselling books were written in this genre. - Hedgehog Review

UK Schools Delete Irish Writers In Bid To Diversify Curriculum

Irish writers have been dropped from the exam curriculum in British schools in favour of writers from more diverse backgrounds. Poets Seamus Heaney and Eavan Boland and playwright Brian Friel have been removed from both the GCSE and A-levels curriculums. - Irish Times

How The Pyramid-Builders Lived

The portrait these documents convey is of resourceful workers who roamed from the country’s sacred core to some of its most remote precincts gathering the materials to create enduring monuments that furthered their leader’s ambitions and stand as a testament to their skill and dedication. - Archeology

How Social Media Platforms Decide Which Ideas Are Allowed

Platforms often claim that they are not in the business of creating the content that appears on their platforms, and that’s usually true. But it doesn’t mean they are neutral in public debate. Far from it. Instead of making arguments themselves, they rank, sort and order the ideas of others. - LitHub

The Remarkable Turnaround Of The Atlanta Symphony

The ASO has announced a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with its musicians, and its eighth consecutive year with a balanced budget. The orchestra exceeded its Annual Fund revenue goals, and the symphonic world is abuzz over the appointment of Nathalie Stutzmann as the ASO music director. - Arts ATL

The Peril Of Being Surrounded By Admirers

Admirers agree with you “even if you say something totally crazy.” And that’s bad: “You need people who can tell you what you don’t want to hear." Being admired for our accomplishments is pleasant, but it can also inflame our vanity and distort reality in ways that leave us worse off in the end. - The Atlantic

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