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How Disney Defines America Now

Just take a look at Moana and Encanto, and "the message seems fairly clear: America is broken (but don’t worry, all is not lost)." - The Atlantic

Perhaps We Never Will Learn Much From Studying The Past

Or at least, we'll learn that we repeat our mistakes. Take the pandemic, for instance. We need to study the now, one historian says - the problems of this pandemic "are 21st-century problems and demand 21st-century approaches." - Wired

Playwright And Essayist Paul Carter Harrison Shaped Black Theatre In The U.S.

Harrison, in his writings, "provided a theoretical structure for the Black performing arts, linking works by writers like August Wilson to a deeply rooted structure of African ritual and myth." - The New York Times

Ronnie Spector’s Spirit, And Sound, Echo Through Generations Of Music

Her fire and energy could not be contained. "Spector kept working and collaborating throughout her life ... but you get the feeling that, even if she’d spent the years slumped on a beanbag watching daytime soaps, her influence wouldn’t – couldn’t – have stopped spreading." - The Guardian (UK)

Being The Comedian On A Cruise Ship During COVID

Especially when you test positive before you can even perform - one time. - Los Angeles Times

The Value, And Persistence, Of Complaint

Sara Ahmed: "The work of revolution comes from what you learn by trying to build more just worlds alongside other people. ... It is a fundamentally life-affirming task to build institutions that are not dependent on the diminishment of the life-capacities of others." - The Paris Review

Greek Authorities Search For Activists Who Shot A Sex Scene On The Acropolis

"An anonymous activist group filmed a brief sex scene at Greece’s most visited historical site, the Acropolis, as a political statement on LGBTQIA+ rights—and the government is vowing to track them down ... for 'offending' the monument." - Vice

The Internet Is Weirdly Addicted To This Image Of A Private Library

The photo is a comforting image for booklovers - the shelves, the lights, the chairs - but why does it regularly, and randomly, trend on social media? Sadly, the library "doesn’t even exist anymore," at least not in the form of the image. But the picture will never die. - The New York Times

The Federal Theatre Project And The Civil Rights Movement Shaped Theatre In New York

To do what they wanted to do, to be what they wanted to see, Black theatre-makers in New York took inspiration from the then-recent past, and founded their own spaces. - American Theatre

Ricardo Bofill Gave 1960s Spain A Sci-Fi-Looking Makeover

Bofill has died at 82. The Catalan outsider architect "spent a lifetime conjuring otherworldly buildings, which now stand like monuments from some future-primitive sci-fi civilisation. Half a century after their construction, his fantastical creations have inspired a whole new generation." - The Guardian (UK)

A Rural Initiative In Japan Makes The Case That Art Is For Everyone

These arts projects are "collaborative endeavours without a single author. Many include pieces of public art or sculpture, but the 'project' is what happens around them: workshops and other initiatives that prioritise communication and engagement with communities." - The Economist

How Disney Came Up With Its Biggest Hit Since Frozen’s Let It Go

Don't talk about Bruno! But in reality: "Everyone is finding a different entry point, whether it’s a specific moment or character dynamic. There’s something in it for everybody and, honestly, it’s just delicious." - The New York Times

Streamers’ Successes (And Failures) Reignite Debate Over Who Reaps The Profits

At issue: Money, or at least how and when it's parceled out. Generally, it's better for actors if streamers pay talent up front, but "the rare phenomenon of a hit is the only downside." - Variety

The Entire World Owes A Debt To Sidney Poitier

Poitier "helped reshape that world to such a degree that we’ll never be able to reckon fully with his impact." He was "a man who, with the delivery of a single pointed line or even just a commanding glance, could shift your thinking in small ways or large ones." - Time Magazine

Inside Thomas Dausgaard’s Sudden Departure From The Seattle Symphony

Yes, music directors quit all the time, but virtually never in the middle of a season and, in the modern era, not effective immediately. - Post Alley

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