Worth a Look

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time...

When the Arts Are Attacked, Democracy Is at Risk

Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council: I’m deeply concerned that our democracy is eroding—slowly, but deliberately—under the current federal administration. And if that’s true, we must ask ourselves: What are the warning signs we’ll wish we had paid more attention to? How many red flags will we overlook—or worse, comply with—before resistance is no longer possible?

 

Why Storytelling Is Key to Success in Musical Theater

Dance Magazine: A few decades ago, the choreography seen across Broadway stages looked remarkably similar. Dancers vying to be in musical theater studied the same movement techniques and perfected the same stylistic nuances—outstretched fingers, isolations, and clean, long lines. In recent years, the landscape has shifted and choreographers from all different genres of dance are bringing their unique styles to Broadway musicals and plays.

 

Television wasn’t the death knell for cinema – and that holds lessons for the creative industries and AI

theconversation.com: As television grew rapidly in popularity in the second half of the 20th century, many people assumed it would cause a knock-on crisis for the film industry. After all, it meant that viewers no longer had to leave their sofas to enjoy onscreen entertainment.

 

New App StagePlay Will Bring Live Performances to Mixed Reality Headsets

www.broadwayworld.com: A new app is coming to mixed reality headsets which will allow fans to be immersed into live stage performances. Scene Partners, an experiential entertainment venture builder, has announced StagePlay, a virtual platform and production process that will aim to extend the reach of live entertainment beyond physical venues, bringing performances to audiences worldwide. The app will launch with a performance from Blue Man Group.

 

To Kennedy Center or not to Kennedy Center? For DC audiences, that is now the question.

DC Theater Arts: Like many arts lovers in Washington, DC, I’ve been grappling with an existential question since February: Whether to attend the Kennedy Center or not. On February 12, just three weeks into his second term in office, Trump fired all 18 Democratic board appointees at the traditionally bipartisan institution and replaced them with his own political cronies, who immediately elected him chairman of the board. Because, as the new leader of the free world, a top item on his political agenda was deciding whether DC audiences will get to see Legally Blonde next year?

 

Worth a Look

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time...

Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai opens to the world

InPark Magazine: The first visitors to Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai arrived on the 155-hectare (383-acre) site on Yumeshima Island on the morning of April 13 following a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony. The opening of the World Expo marks the beginning of six months of global exchange and dialogue centered around the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.”

 

Federal Court Denies Preliminary Injunction Against NEA's Gender Ideology Funding Ban

www.broadwayworld.com: The U.S. District Court in Rhode Island has denied a motion for preliminary injunctive relief filed by arts organizations seeking National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) funding. The court ruled that the NEA’s February 6 decision to disqualify projects that “promote” what the government defines as “gender ideology” likely violated the First Amendment and exceeded its statutory authority.

 

Show Us How to Live

HowlRound Theatre Commons: Thank you for the introduction, legend Carmelita. Bold and fearless, in all the terror of a life in art making, Carmelita. I keep thinking about the last moment of your last show. The way you remembered those we have lost and their legacy. Thank you for your legacy. We just celebrated the legacy of Morgan Jenness and Philip Arnoult, who both tangibly and spiritually changed my life. We are breathing together here in Mark Russell’s legacy which will also be Meropi Peponides and Kaneza Schaal’s legacy.

 

Tariffs and Other Taxes in Broadway Shows

New York Theater: The president of the United States puts a fifty percent tariff on all imported cheese, which leads to war…with Switzerland. That’s the premise of “Strike Up the Band,” the first of a trio of Broadway musicals in the early 1930s with songs by George and Ira Gershwin that were intended as lighthearted political satires.

 

greenloop 2025: top speakers & hot topics

Blooloop: greenloop, the original sustainability conference focused on the global visitor attractions industry, has another fantastic line-up of speakers in 2025. Now in its fifth year, this is a must-attend event for anyone interested in visitor attraction sustainability.

 

Worth a Look

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time...

ACLU-Led Lawsuit for NEA Funding Relief Denied

AMERICAN THEATRE: Yesterday the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island denied a request for preliminary relief in the American Civil Liberties Union-led lawsuit challenging the National Endowment for the Arts’ funding restriction tied to “gender ideology.” The court maintained that the NEA’s decision on Feb. 6—to make any project that “promotes” what the government deems to be “gender ideology” ineligible for funds—likely violated the First Amendment and exceeded its statutory authority. But the court concluded that since the NEA is in the process of determining whether to reimpose that ban, the court could not get in the way of the agency’s decision-making.

 

Equity Report: More Contracts for People of Color, Less for Women

AMERICAN THEATRE: On April 9, Actors’ Equity Association published its fifth Hiring Bias and Wage Gap in Theatre Report, documenting employment opportunities and average salaries for actors and stage managers working on Equity contracts across the country in 2022 and 2023. As with previous years, the report found that the industry is making gradual progress towards diversity and equity in union jobs for stage managers and actors. It is available in standard and higher accessibility editions.

 

US Film Ban Among Tariff Responses Considered by China

www.thewrap.com: The global trade war sparked by Donald Trump’s tariffs may hit the box office soon, as two public figures in China released a list of countermeasures reportedly being measured by the country’s government that includes a possible ban on American-produced films.

 

SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike: Sides Far Apart, Union Says

www.hollywoodreporter.com: SAG-AFTRA has been on strike against major video game studios for more than seven months, and the two sides don’t seem to be particularly close to making a deal.

 

No More Midnight Sign-Ups: Equity Ends Unofficial Lists at Auditions

www.broadwayworld.com: For the uninitiated, before this week - non-union actors hoping to be seen at an Equity Principal Audition or Equity Chorus Call would have to make their way to Pearl Studios early enough to get their name on an unofficial list. Several actors told BroadwayWorld this would be posted on the door of the building, and it wouldn't be unusual to have people signing up at midnight. Many people would aim to get there at the crack of dawn for their chance to make the list.

 

Worth a Look

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time...

NOWIE’s new report sheds light on challenges faced by women working in events

Event Industry News: Established in 2013 and recently transitioned to a Community Interest Company, NOWIE exists to create better opportunities for women at all stages of their careers in events – through community, mentorship, networking and advocacy. The launch of the Big Survey marks a new phase in NOWIE’s work to drive structural change, steer future policies and industry-wide conversations.

 

OpenAI's Miyazaki Move Ushers In New Troubling Era for Hollywood

www.hollywoodreporter.com: At the start of Hayao Miyazaki’s modern classic Spirited Away, the young heroine Chihiro and her parents are exploring a seemingly abandoned theme park when a boy named Haku greets her with a warning: Chihiro must cross back over a dry riverbed and head home before sunset while she still can. She fails to do so, and soon finds the river swollen and her parents turned into pigs, stranded in a new world she doesn’t understand.

 

IATSE Urges Against Kennedy Center Cancellations, Citing Removal Of “Critical Opportunities” For Crew

www.yahoo.com/news: Amid a string of recent show cancellations at the Kennedy Center, the union that represents its crew is attempting to shine a light on the negative impact such moves can have on those behind-the-scenes workers.

 

Trump executive order to force changes at Smithsonian Institution, targeting funding for programs with ‘improper ideology

PBS News: President Donald Trump on Thursday revealed his intention to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution with an executive order that targets funding for programs that advance “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology,” the latest step in a broadside against culture he deems too liberal.

 

Many Gulf Powers Are Investing in Culture. Don’t View It as a Competition

news.artnet.com: The 16th Sharjah Biennial is curated by five women curators. I have worked with each of them individually in the past and know their strengths well. I wanted to bring them together to create something meaningful for Sharjah at this moment. It’s wonderful to see them unite diverse voices and perspectives in this edition. If you look at our history, we also have consistently collaborated with many women curators.