The news that Chicago is losing the American Theater Company–here’s the Chicago Tribune story–is stunning. Artistic Director Will Davis was let go, and the board has decided to fold the company. It’s the last paragraph that’s distressing. Under Davis, the theater took a more experimental turn, far from the pathway...
Another Giving Tuesday, another day spent deleting emails unread and maybe unsubscribing from the places that send more than two in a day. And I work in the arts. But every year, it’s the same thing. An avalanche of emails, often from theatres and organizations I haven’t heard from most...
This past weekend on NPR’s Weekend Edition, Scott Simon talked with David Marcus, a senior contributor to The Federalist and the artistic director of a theater company in New York City, about defunding the National Endowment for the Arts. Go ahead and listen. I’ll wait. And if you’re angry by...
After careful consideration and conversation, it’s time. The 2amt hashtag is shifting to #2thtr. This week’s events and hashtag fever have been catalysts, but we’ve been moving towards a second act for a while now. Some of those plans and ideas have been percolating for a while–stay tuned–and some spring...
About six and a half years ago, we started the #2amt hashtag on Twitter. If you’re on this site, you know it’s a conversation about theatre–performance, production, promotional ideas, outreach, what have you. It’s been a wonderful conversation and community–and continuously active on the hashtag–from day one. This week, it’s...
Let’s see if I have this straight. Women write about bias–unconscious or not–in an industry, they set up a group to support fellow women in said industry, men immediately comment on social media about how this isn’t really a problem, maybe these women are biased, because it damn well isn’t...
It’s been said that good design is 99% invisible. Heck, that’s the title of one of the best public radio shows/podcasts out there, if you’re curious. But just because it’s invisible doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Yesterday, the Tony Awards announced that they were going to drop the sound design...
I think I had Twitter open for all of ten seconds today when this story popped up: Chipotle cups will now feature stories by Jonathan Safran Foer, Toni Morrison, and other authors. I didn’t even have to click on the link, because I’ve been waiting for them to try this...
Asking and giving. Three videos and a question. First, Peter Sagal on letting people access the joy of giving. Next, Amanda Palmer on the art of asking. And finally, Adam Thurman on the gift of giving. If these ideas speak to you, and if you’re in the Chicago area this...
Heroes. They’re not just for comic books anymore. With the rise of more serious, “realistic” portrayals of comic book heroes has come a trend of real people making themselves into superheroes. This is not a joke, and it’s not the movie Kick-Ass, based on the comic book of the same...
