I have been told that staff, tasked to phone up lifelong supporters and subscribers who didn’t renew for the first time, had to be given counselling after hearing the harrowing explanations they were told for why. - The Stage
Six-thirty may not be a traditional starting time for theatre. But then in the 16th and early 17th-century, before the advent of the indoor playhouse, afternoon performances were the norm; in the interwar-period 8.30pm was common. - The Stage
Georgette Heyer's 1950 novel The Grand Sophy isn't exactly The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, but it definitely includes antisemitic language. That's been edited out in a new edition. Is that sensitivity to today's readers or bowdlerization? - The New York Times
The podcast market is increasingly interested only in those that take the listener on a journey from one episode to the next. Without a throughline, listeners stick with your documentary only if they’re already invested in the issue. - Current
"These AI ad-generation products are less visible to regular users than, for example, an Instagram bot pretending to be Tom Brady. ... But they’re also clearer in purpose and tell us a lot about what sorts of problems these companies think generative AI can solve — for them, anyway." - MSN (New York Magazine)
Acts of disengagement are routinely met with scepticism, judgment and pushback in public discourse. What if we were to treat them instead as opportunities for open enquiry and ask what is to be gained by them? - Aeon
That's the gambit being tried with a new adaptation, co-directed by Tony Goldwyn and Savion Glover, that's getting a five-day run in New York this week. (Another change: the addition of tap-dancing ancestral spirits called the Griots.) - The New York Times
Misinformation is most commonly defined as anything that is factually inaccurate, but not intended to deceive: in other words, people being wrong. However, it is often talked about in the same breath as disinformation — inaccurate information spread maliciously — and propaganda. - UnDark
"The story of the Bubon bronzes, though, is more than just a tale of looters’ remorse, investigative zeal, art market intrigue and antiquities repatriation. It’s also a lesson in history, one that presents a more nuanced view of ancient Rome than that popularized by Hollywood epics." - The New York Times
After a long and initially contentious process, a panel has selected a winner from the five finalist designs for a Tubman memorial to be installed near City Hall. (The mayor is one of many who think that the best option won.) - MSN (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
"Scientific research has begun to explore why music appears to have such a strong effect on health and wellness, particularly mental health, where sounds can serve as a conduit to lift someone’s mood, help them reflect and reduce stress, anxiety and depression." - The New York Times
The disgraced ex-prime minister has been hired as a presenter and commentator on the UK's right-leaning network GB News. "I’m going to be giving this remarkable new TV channel my unvarnished views on everything," he says, "… (and) why I believe our best days are yet to come." - Press Gazette (UK)
It all stems from a conflict between the now-former CEO, Janice Price, and now-former board chair Adam Waterous over her involvement in the choice of her successor — and in questions about how Waterous handled that conflict. - CBC
"It is one of the great classical repertory companies, but I would like to have a company that lives in the present and looks to the future. What is clear is that it has to be a glamorous company, that reflects its history and the city." - The New York Times
