“Reasoning that every lonely soul wandering through Walgreens has a story to tell, [Rachel Nalebuff] was inspired to assemble a collection of 92 short reflections by women on the subject of their first period.” The title: My Little Red Book.
Tag: 02.24.09
Mark Taper Forum Postpones Lieutenant Of Inishmore
“The economy has claimed another play: Center Theatre Group is postponing until next year Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore, part of its 2009 season at the Mark Taper Forum. Rather than name a show to take its place, the Taper will go dark after David Mamet’s Oleanna closes in July.”
Outrage In India Over Auction Of Gandhi’s Belongings
“The auction is a travesty for many Indians, for whom Gandhi is a godlike figure, and some in India’s Parliament have called for the government to either stop the auction or put in the highest bid to get back the nation’s iconic mementos.” Items include the Mahatma’s sandals, pocket watch, brass bowl and his trademark round spectacles.
Whatever Its Reservations, India Celebrates Slumdog‘s Oscars
“But on Monday, as India woke up to news of the spectacular wins by Slumdog Millionaire at the Academy Awards, this movie-mad country went ‘Jai Ho.'”
Honorary Golden Lions To John Baldessari And Yoko Ono
“Artists John Baldessari and Yoko Ono will be awarded Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement at this year’s Venice Biennale. Cited as ‘two of the most important artists of our time,’ they will be honored on June 6 at the opening of the 53rd edition of the international contemporary art exhibition in Italy.”
Pasadena Theatre Ends ‘Pay-What-You-Wish’ Experiment
For two years, at one matinee performance of each production, the Theatre @ Boston Court gave audience members “an envelope on the way in, to be returned after the show with whatever payment seemed a fair value for the experience.” But they started getting too many empty envelopes, so tickets to the matinee will now have an “economic stimulus” price of $5 each.
Good Earth Manuscript, Long Lost, To Go On View
“[F]our decades after its mysterious disappearance, and two years after it was recovered by the FBI, the original, hand-edited manuscript of The Good Earth is about to go on display in Bucks County. Tomorrow, executives at the author’s … foundation plan to announce an agreement that will let them show the typescript beginning next Tuesday.”
Courting Youth, Arts Groups Venture Into Social Media
“[T]he Pennsylvania Ballet is not alone in lusting after online social-network users. The Kimmel Center has a Flickr photostream. The Curtis Institute of Music is on LinkedIn. The Arden Theatre and the Franklin Institute use Twitter. The Philadelphia Orchestra has a MySpace page. … The Philadelphia fine-arts scene has gone viral, and no one is hiding the reason.” That reason, in a phrase? Young audiences.
Scientist: Social-Networking Sites Jeopardize Young Brains
“Social network sites risk infantilising the mid-21st century mind, leaving it characterised by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathise and a shaky sense of identity, according to a leading neuroscientist.” Oxford professor Lady Greenfield, director of the Royal Institution, “told the House of Lords that children’s experiences on social networking sites ‘are devoid of cohesive narrative and long-term significance.'”
For Best Results, Playing Should Be Part Of The Curriculum
“New research suggests that play and down time may be as important to a child’s academic experience as reading, science and math, and that regular recess, fitness or nature time can influence behavior, concentration and even grades. … Although disadvantaged children were more likely to be denied recess, the association between better behavior and recess time held up even after researchers controlled for a number of variables, including sex, ethnicity, public or private school and class size.”