Breaking Down Broadway By Escapist Versus Socially-Conscious Shows

“Just as it is inaccurate and unfair to dismiss all Broadway shows as escapist (as some serious theatremakers who don’t go to Broadway sometimes do), so there are no easy assumptions to make about plays versus musicals. Not all musicals are escapist fare; and not all escapist shows are musicals. Not all straight plays are socially engaged. Not all socially engaged shows are straight plays. It’s true that all four of the Best Play Tony nominees this year are socially conscious, but three of the four Best Musical nominees also have socially conscious elements.”

UM Ann Arbor’s “Musical Connector” Ken Fischer Retires

Ken Fischer is “one of the most generous individuals in the field and one of the individuals with the biggest hearts. Nothing makes him happier than connecting people, but more importantly, connecting young leaders in the field and encouraging and facilitating their growth. It doesn’t matter what point they are at in their career, he’ll always go out of the way to make sure young people are introduced to leaders in the industry and that he is endorsing them.”

How To Make Sure Going To The Museum Is Not ‘Like Going To The Dentist’

With panic about a large drop among museum-going among, especially, Millennials, it’s time to engage with technology. “Museums must find new ways to engage and excite visitors. The growing slew of digital entertainment options wrestling for our attention may be part of the problem for museums, but for many institutions, digital technology also offers a potential solution. Charged with the crucial task of preserving our past, museums must now navigate the future.”

Maybe Congress Spared The NEA Because Of Things Like Almost Half A Million In Grants For Veterans And The Arts

Some of the programs are for active military members and their families as well. “There’s the theater program geared to military families in North Carolina, art-making classes for veterans in Salt Lake City and Shakespeare productions staffed by veterans in Los Angeles — not to mention a beloved children’s theater program based in Missoula, Mont., that organizes productions at far-flung U.S. military installations around the world. These are just a few of the programs the NEA has helped fund.”

Stephen Fry Is Getting Investigated For ‘Blasphemy’ In Ireland For Comments From 2015

The person who made the complaint said, “I simply believed that the comments made by Fry on RTÉ were criminal blasphemy and that I was doing my civic duty by reporting a crime.” Turns out that “Under Ireland’s Defamation Act 2009 a person who publishes or utters blasphemous material ‘shall be guilty of an offence.’ A conviction can lead to a fine of up to €25,000.”