The hours are good, the patrons can be terrible, the dreams live … for a while. “A lot of actors, directors and writers work front of house, with most of us spending our days auditioning, writing and on other creative endeavours. FOH is a stepping stone and it fits in with the hours, so we can go from the side of the stage selling ice creams or Aperol Spritzes to on stage performing. But many of us are struggling. We feel stuck.” – The Stage (UK)
Blog
Central Park Took Their Land, And Now, At Long Last, They’re Getting A Monument
The Lyons family of New York were a vital part of New York’s Seneca Village. They “were Seneca Village property owners, educators and dedicated abolitionists, running a boardinghouse for black sailors that doubled as a stop on the Underground Railroad.” – The New York Times
When Schools Utterly Fail At Sex Education, Fanfiction Fills In The Gaps
That’s right: Fanfiction, with its hookups of likely and unlikely characters, its absolute refusal to live by the rules of the world set by authors like J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins, educates the teens of the world about sex, friendship, and much more, especially for LGBT youth: “Where the education system failed us, our fellow horny teens stepped up.” – BuzzFeed
Abstract Expressionist Painter Ed Clark Has Died At 93
Clark was “an African-American expressionist painter who used a broom and bold colors to capture the natural world and to convey emotions about the racial injustice of the 1960s, earning him international acclaim.” Clark, who lived in Detroit, was known for his experimentation with shaped canvases, bold colors, and a seven-decade career. – The New York Times
On The Return Of Olive Kitteridge
Why did Elizabeth Strout return to her dour, challenging protagonist – and how the heck did Olive Kitteridge become such a cultural force to begin with, a bestselling book that turned into a fantastic HBO series? Strout: “She just showed up and I saw her nosing her car into the marina; and I thought: Oh man, she’s back.” – The Guardian (UK)
Teens Are Getting Famous Off Of TikTok, And High School Arts Teachers Learn To Adapt
Vine and Instagram did it first (and, let’s be honest, Vine was great, RIP Vine), and now TikTok is the new way for kids to become social media-famous. How the heck is a school supposed to deal with 20 or 30 famous 14-year-olds? Make “drama clubs for the digital age, but with the potential to reach huge audiences.” – The New York Times
Mark Morris: Without Bullies, How Would I Know I Was A Sissy?
The choreographer has a new memoir out. In an interview, he describes “the sissy tests” of middle school – and turning those humiliating, degrading moments into dance. – NPR
In Canada, It’s A Moment For Indigenous Art – But What About The Artists?
The vast majority of Inuit artists, even the celebrated ones, “eke out an existence.” Canada’s famed reconciliation isn’t touching their lives much. “Many support large extended families that depend on them for food — most of it flown in at exorbitant cost so that a single cucumber goes for $4.50.” – The New York Times
How To Go Offline (Briefly, For The Sake Of Getting Offline Things Accomplished)
Jia Tolentino, New Yorker writer and extremely online person, follows the advice of a computer scientist. First thing to do: Give up everything optional on your phone and computer for 30 days. “It just makes you bare to the fact of being alive and the sort of existential dread and wonder of it. It was a doozy.” – Slate
This Keith Haring Mural Was Cut Out Of A Stairwell, And Now Its Fate Is Uncertain
The three-story mural, created for the Catholic youth Grace House in New York, has been cut out and preserved for auction. The Haring Foundation is not thrilled by the idea of the auction. “This mural was not meant to be owned by a collector. … It was meant to brighten a room full of children.” – The New York Times