“In 1991, there were 176 certified librarians in city schools. Now there are 11 – for 218 schools. Studies have shown that students who have access to a school library and librarian – particularly students who live in poverty and students of color – achieve more. Increasingly in Philadelphia, school libraries are regarded as a frill, and librarians even more so.”
Tag: 02.02.15
How To Be A Stoic
“As much as I love the Star Trek character of Mr. Spock (which Gene Roddenberry actually modeled after his – mistaken – understanding of Stoicism), those are two of a number of misconceptions about what it means to be a Stoic. In reality, practicing Stoicism is not really that different from, say, practicing Buddhism (or even certain forms of modern Christianity).”
Even With Tanks And Shelling, The Show Goes On At This Ukrainian Opera House
“In a city where armed men in camouflage ride down the main street in tanks, more than half of the residents have fled and most shops and restaurants are closed, opera should perhaps be the last thing on anyone’s mind. But remarkably, and against all the odds, [Donetsk’s] opera house has remained open, despite the fact that none of the troupe have been paid in months, all four conductors have left town and the singers take a risk every time they travel to work. It is a risk, however, that they say is worth it.”
Double Mastectomy Survivor Tells What It’s Like To Do Major Stand-Up Comedy Gig Topless
“But nothing could prepare the audience for set at New York City’s Town Hall last November, where [Tig Notaro] stunned attendees by removing her shirt and performing the rest of her set topless. … We asked her how she came up with the idea, how it felt to perform without a shirt on, and whether the venue had any idea what was coming.” (video)
A Window Into Jane Austen’s World, Through The Letters Of Her Mother’s Family
“The Huntington Library in California has acquired 52 unpublished letters, poems and other material from six generations of the Leigh family. Austen’s mother was Cassandra Leigh, and the novelist visited her Leigh family in Adlestrop several times, with some believing that the setting of Mansfield Park is partly drawn from the Gloucestershire village.”
San Francisco Symphony Musicians Have New Three-Year-Contract
“[The agreement comes] less than two years after a strike that led to the cancellation of several local concerts and a high-profile East Coast tour.” Said the chair of the musicians’ committee of that strike, “I think everybody was a little unnerved by what happened,” which made these negotiations smoother.
When Arts Organizations Get Distracted By Fundraising
“The constant pressure to increase support often generates an impulse to create something new in order to drive funding and public interest — a new fundraising event, a new educational program, a new artistic offering. This is entirely justifiable; funders tend to respond to new opportunities that broaden or deepen their philanthropic impacts. However, the impulse to create new fundraising “hooks” can also be a trap.”
Report: More New Work Than Revivals In UK Theatre In 2014
“It found that new work – including original plays, musicals, pantomime and opera – made up 59% of all productions, 66% of all performances, 63% of all seats sold and 66% of box office income.”
This Is Progress? Toronto Has Too Many International Theatre Festivals
Audience outreach will ultimately determine if Progress succeeds, because as it stands, Toronto likely has too few regular showgoers to sustain this boom in international theatre.
Studies: Americans Overestimate Class Mobility
Across four studies, Americans offered “substantial and consistent overestimates of class mobility, overestimating the amount of income mobility and educational access by a wide margin.”