Groundbreaking Oscar-Nominated Actress And Singer Diahann Carroll Has Died At 84

Carroll was the first Black woman to star in a non-servant role in a TV series in the U.S. “NBC executives were wary about putting Julia on the network during the racial unrest of the 1960s, but it was an immediate hit.” Carroll also won a Tony for No Strings and an Oscar nomination for Claudine. The director and producer Ava DuVernay wrote, “Diahann Carroll walked this earth for 84 years and broke ground with every footstep. An icon. One of the all-time greats. She blazed trails through dense forests and elegantly left diamonds along the path for the rest of us to follow.” – PBS Newshour (AP)

London’s National Theatre To End Funding From Shell

The National Theatre joins the Royal Shakespeare Company, which had been deliberating for quite some time before ending its longtime “relationship” with BP (formerly British Petroleum). Pressure from youth, climate activists, and even its own artists means that “the National Theatre has announced it will end Shell’s membership from next year, as the arts organisation accelerates plans to make itself carbon neutral in the face of the climate emergency.” – The Guardian (UK)

The Woman Who Changed Hawai’i – And International – Theatre Forever

Jane Campbell, who died in March at 87, served as the managing director of Honolulu Theatre for Youth for more than four decades. “At a time when theatre for children was seeking a place at the American professional theatre table, Jane quietly yet determinedly guided her company from a tiny community ensemble to a fully professional company with national and international recognition.” – American Theatre