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Bullied At School, Samuel Marino Can Now Say He Has One Of The Rarest Voices In Opera

Mariño, a sopranist, once begged his mother to take him to the doctor to fix his voice. Now, he says before a residency in Australia, "I like to describe my voice as a light lyric soprano, with a bit of coloratura.” - The Guardian (UK)

Theatre Critic Misha Berson Of Seattle, And Much Farther Afield, Has Died

Berson was a theatre critic for the San Francisco Bay Guardian for a while, and then she spent 25 years at the Seattle Times, along with writing books and creating theatre discussions at both regional and national publications. Says an editor, “Her writing was clear, clean, and imaginative.” - Oregon ArtsWatch

Yes, Even Julianne Moore’s Book About Freckles Is Being Banned

Her children’s book is now banned at Department of Defense schools by order of the president. "I am truly saddened and never thought I would see this in a country where freedom of speech and expression is a constitutional right,” the actor said. - Variety

Wait, How Did Romance Get So Mainstream That Even The New Yorker Is Weighing In?

“I’m not the only one feeling it—romance is zeitgeisting. Over the past few years, authors and booksellers have noticed a change in the genre’s cultural perception.” - LitHub

Every Show Canceling, Or Being Actually Canceled, At The Kennedy Center

It’s not just artists canceling their shows: "A National Symphony Orchestra concert described as a ‘celebration of love, diversity, and the vibrant spirit of the LGBTQ+ community’ that was scheduled to take place during World Pride 2025, has been removed from the website.” - Washington Post

The Deeply Human Desire That Makes Social Media A Real Problem

Everyone, deep down, has “a desire for recognition to be seen as human by other humans. This is a driving, animating desire. Attention is like right next to it, and so it tastes enough like it to keep you going for it without ever delivering the thing you want.” - Slate

All The BAFTA Updates You Could Ever Want

Who’s wearing what, who’s winning what, who says what in acceptance speeches - updated as it happens. - The Guardian (UK)

How Severance Shows Off The Linguistics Behind The Special Language Of Work

“This unifying means of speaking is as likely to create division between insiders and outsiders as it is to foster workplace cohesion.”  - Salon

Leonard Cohen’s Estate Sues Former Attorneys For Fraud And Forgery

Millions of dollars were - and perhaps are - at stake. “The dispute highlights allegations of the vulnerabilities that artists face when they entrust their business affairs to managers and others.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

As The Breakfast Club Turns Forty, Its Status As Teen Movie Blueprint Remains

“Hughes’ unvarnished take on youth culture, replete with joints and F-bombs, arrived in 1985 to fill a vacuum of movies about young people in which they could see lifelike facsimiles of themselves.” Of course, the movie's casual homophobia, sexism, and racism are still around too. - The Guardian (UK)

Lea Salonga Says She’ll Never Tire Of Sondheim

Salonga, longtime Broadway star, is pleased with her newest role. “I’m getting the chance to sing some of the most incredible lyrics ever written. I’m getting to dip, not just a toe, but my entire body, into this incredible work.” - The New York Times

Lorne Michaels Thinks He Knows A Thing Or Two About Managing Creative People

Fifty years of Saturday Night Live will do that to a person. "Writers don’t just conceive and pen sketches—they also produce and direct them, getting a huge say in everything from set decoration to costumes.” - Fast Company

Sing Sing Star Colman Domingo Found Himself In Theatre

As a 19-year-old at Temple University, Domingo says, “just taking an acting class as an elective, it gave me a voice. ... And it gave me some purpose. You’re creating a community, and you’re doing something and building together.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

The Martha Graham Dance Company Is Moving To Times Square And Getting A Lot More Space

"The company announced on Friday that it would leave its offices in the West Village of Manhattan and relocate to a 30,000-square-foot space in Times Square, more than doubling its footprint.” - The New York Times

Edith Mathis, Soprano Whose Recordings Show Absolute Service To The Text, Has Died At 86

“Edith Mathis a light-voiced Swiss soprano who sparkled in Bach, Mozart and Weber and was the agile-voiced favorite of several of the conducting giants who dominated mid-20th-century concert halls.” - The New York Times

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