Stories

A Kentucky High School’s Production Of “Ragtime: Was Abruptly Cancelled. Then Broadway Spoke Up.

Last week the principal of Louisville’s performing arts high school told the cast and crew that the school district had cancelled their production due to community concerns about subject matter. The students posted a video online; it quickly tallied a million views — including by members of the current Broadway team. - Playbill

Georgia Ensemble Theatre In Metro Atlanta Quietly Shuts Down

“The company opened in 1992 at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center, served thousands of patrons over the years and collaborated with a ‘who’s who’ of area performers. On April 19 of this year, the Board of Trustees decided to close the company with no fanfare and no public statement.” - ArtsATL

Oxford University Press Staffers Strike Over Offshoring

“Oxford University Press plans to offshore its financial operations department to EXL Services, which will provide the service from the (Indian) subcontinent. More than 30 Unite the Union members walked out on Tuesday over the plans, with the industrial action set to last until 11 September.” - BBC (Yahoo!)

Should Marc Chagall’s Famous Painting Be Taken Off The Ceiling Of The Paris Opera?

Perhaps surprisingly, that is possible: in 1962, the untitled work’s 24 canvases were glued to a plastic shell. Then that was installed on the dome of the Palais Garnier’s ceiling over the original 1869-71 mural by Jules-Eugène Lenepveu — whose great-great-great-great-grandnephew is now campaigning to have his relative's work uncovered. - Artnet

After 205 Years, The Saturday Evening Post Will Discontinue Its Hard-Copy Version

“The magazine’s January issue will be its last in print, according to Joan SerVaas, the president and publisher. In a letter to The Post’s 50,000 subscribers ..., she attributed the decision to a combination of rising production costs, declining advertising revenue and shifting reader habits.’” - The New York Times

Gloria Steinem Dead At 92

A pioneering journalist who became the face of second-wave feminism, she first vaulted to public attention with an exposé for which she went undercover as a Playboy Bunny, then made history as co-founder and editor of Ms., arguably one of the most influential magazines of the 20th century. - The Guardian

What Do You Get When You Cross Indian Classical Dance With A 1980s Video Game?

You get semi-improvised Bharatanatyam — normally a highly codified form — by three dancers basing their moves on a game of Ms. Pac-Man which they’re playing live onstage. - BBC (MSN)

Are Classical Music And Heavy Metal Really Brothers?

Metal and classical: deeply different, or close companions? As a musician straddling both genres, I feel they have much more in common than they differ. - San Francisco Classical Voice

Thousands Of Japanese Are Moving A Historic Castle — Hauling It By Hand

In 2015, the fortified tower of Hirosaki Castle was moved, in one piece, about 260 feet from its old site to allow repairs to the compound’s outer walls. Now a horde of volunteers, working 80 at a time pulling ropes, are towing the tower back to its site, centimeter by centimeter. - AFP (Yahoo!)

Director Of The Art Gallery Of Ontario To Depart After 10 Years

Within the Canadian art scene, Stephen Jost’s leadership has been polarizing. He has drawn praise for making a significant investment in modern and contemporary art at the AGO. But Jost’s tenure was also marred by controversy over the past few years. - ARTnews

California Passes Bill To Employ More Local Journalists

Assembly Bill 2222, known as the Community Newsroom Employment and Workforce Sustainability Act, creates refundable tax credits for the state’s news outlets based on the number of journalists they employ. - NiemanLab

She Who Controls The Logistics…

From the battlefields of Europe to middle-class households and sex trafficking, women’s logistics has one thing in common: performing organisational and supply work for men who have capital, status and control. - Psyche

The Son Of 1960s America’s Most Notorious Leftist Revolutionaries Ended Up A Playwright And Northwestern Professor

Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, leaders of the Weather Underground, raised their kids while blowing up buildings and fleeing the FBI. Their older son, Zayd Ayers Dohrn, is ambivalent about his upbringing but says there was plenty of love. So how did he become an academic and a playwright? - WBEZ (Chicago)

Consider The Lowly Bollard

The posts come in many forms — retractable, rigid, ordinary, ornate, thick, thin. There are other objects that serve a similar purpose, including “sugar cube” barriers and hulking planters. At Lincoln Center, stylish, warped concrete blocks guard the square. - The New York Times

Could More Movie-Theatre Versions Of Broadway Shows Fix The Bottom Line?

While filmed Broadway shows have long been the province of PBS’ Great Performances, cinematic releases of stage shows is a growing trend. - Playbill

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