I’m A Deaf Actor, And I Don’t Want It To Define The Roles I Play

Genevieve Barr: “It’s an incredibly limiting way to live and to work. And because I have a disability that I cannot hide (or fully disguise), that means I stay firmly in the bracket of ‘deaf actor’, rather than ‘actor’. In the rigidity of the casting process, that can mean fewer than 10 auditions per year. … I can lip-read and hear with the use of hearing aids. Not as clearly as you, mind, but unlike you, I can crank up the volume. If my back is turned and you’re talking to me, I am probably not deliberately ignoring you. If you call out ‘house lights going dark’ and forget to tell me, I may fall off the stage. Working with me doesn’t sound so terrible, does it?”

“I’m Done With Going To The Theatre To Watch Movies”

“As a baby boomer, I find that my days of settling in to a short subject, cartoon and B movie with a box of popcorn and some candy are way over. I want to focus on a well-made movie in silence. Instead, I have to endure a reserved seat where I am stuck, typically around people chomping on their popcorn, fidgeting with candy wrappers, talking and checking the latest text on their cellphones.”

Remember That Sweet Story About 2 Museum Directors On Opposite Coasts Falling In Love? Here’s More

The original story in the NYT detailed the love story. Here’s more background: Anne Radice was for a time head of the NEA. She was “criticized for appearing to save the NEA but effectively neutering it—for doing what her predecessor had been fired for not doing when he stood up for art on First Amendment grounds. In quick succession, Radice followed words with actions.”

Brian Eno Denies Permission For Israeli Dance Company To Use His Music

“Eno, a prominent supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign aimed at Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, wrote to the dance company last month to deny them permission to use his music. Eno is also one of 1,200 artists who have signed the Artists’ Pledge for Palestine, refusing funding from or cultural contacts with Israel’s government.”

If ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Premiered Today Instead Of 45 Years Ago, Would It Be Less Controversial Or More?

Producer Richard Jordan: “In 2016, we consider public opinions, attitudes and tolerance to be much broader. We even mock the once-absurd and prudish reactions and attitudes of past generations. … [But] I question whether the reaction towards it would actually be more extreme … today. Would it even make it to the stage at all?”

1,200-Year-Old Mosque Destroyed By Saudi Airstrike In Yemen

“The ninth-century mosque of the Prophet Shuaibi in the Bani Matar area of Sana’a, the capital city of Yemen, was destroyed by an air strike on 25 August. … The mosque, located on the Arabian Peninsula’s highest mountain, the Shu-aib Mountain, was known for the wooden carvings on its ceiling, according to UNESCO …, and was a holy place for pilgrims to the nearby tomb of the Prophet Shu-aib’.”