The Thaumaturgy Department

historical-nonfiction: The story of Cinderella first appears in...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:55:07 -0400

The story of Cinderella first appears in a Chinese book written in the 850s. A version of the story appears in almost every culture, across the world. The Chinese version is called Ye Xian.

Whirling dervish joins the protests in Turkey, outfitted with...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:49:00 -0400

Whirling dervish joins the protests in Turkey, outfitted with the latest accessory. Maybe apropos, maybe not, but as striking as it gets.

Quoting from the article in which this appeared:

One of the most memorable moments of the Gezi Park visit for me was that of the Whirling Dervish wearing the tear gas mask. It was a haunting image bringing together what has always been linked: the mystical, the political, the performative, and The Now. It does what every great cutting edge art should do: jolt us from our state of comfort from where we are, and point us towards where we should be. - See more at: http://omidsafi.religionnews.com/2013/06/08/on-the-ground-at-gezi-park/#sthash.AwLPK0Gf.dpuf

injusticeworth: I’m glad that it’s correct and beautiful. I...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:16:54 -0400

injusticeworth:

I’m glad that it’s correct and beautiful. I just can’t quite get into the incorrect and crabbed.

[London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 13 Nov. 1735]

In honor of the current Everyman (Baltimore) production.

All possibility. Blank canvas. Imagination’s playground....

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:59:13 -0400

All possibility. Blank canvas. Imagination’s playground. Or neglected, abandoned toy-chest. What do you see?

Authenticity and ethnicity - the theatre casting debate - Mister Producer/The Stage

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:37:02 -0400

Authenticity and ethnicity - the theatre casting debate - Mister Producer/The Stage:

Authenticity and ethnicity – the theatre casting debate, by Richard Jordan (thestage.co.uk)

“What happens if, at the end of a search, the actor may authentically fit the role but not be the best actor….”

“If theatre marginalises or categorises its actors in roles because of race or gender, then in the same way we also risk carrying that negative attitude out into the audiences. The fight must be to continue taking progressives steps forward and Broadway’s statistics illustrate that there is still much work remaining for our industry’s future in successfully ensuring that we have equality in casting, balanced with talent and inclusion. For me, that is the ‘burden of proof’ that is a responsibility for all of us.”

jinfinity911: Just some #streetphotography #mural #baltimore

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:02:18 -0400

jinfinity911:

Just some #streetphotography #mural #baltimore

The Great Civil War Lie - NYTimes.com

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:15:57 -0400

The Great Civil War Lie - NYTimes.com:

Disunion blog entry tracing the nuances of geopolitics, trade, economics, and flat-out fiction surrounding Britain’s almost-siding with the Confederacy in the American Civil Wars.

Interracial Cheerios Ad: Black Dad, White Mom, Predictable Response

Fri, 31 May 2013 18:45:37 -0400

Interracial Cheerios Ad: Black Dad, White Mom, Predictable Response:

Apropos of centerstage’s Raisin Cycle, both Clybourne Park & Beneatha’s Place, comes this juicy bit of current events.

VOTE FOR HOWLROUND

Fri, 31 May 2013 09:34:32 -0400

rmgilby:

whatshouldwecallplaywrights:

For your newest article SURVIVING REJECTION SEASON by Alex Lewin

For the New Play Map.

For featuring a special Austin, TX series (hola holler!)

FOR ALL THINGS POLLY CARL.

WE VOTE FOR HOWLROUND’S Culture Coin.

Go now, ye playwrights.

Playwright, dramaturgs, theatre makers, theatre lovers, lovers of theatre makers, please go vote and support HowlRound! Today is the last day of voting! Help us create the Culture Coin and strengthen our network of theatre artists!

"Would you convey my compliments to the purist who reads your proofs and tell him or her that I write..."

Mon, 27 May 2013 00:51:45 -0400

“Would you convey my compliments to the purist who reads your proofs and tell him or her that I write in a sort of broken-down patois which is something like the way a Swiss waiter talks, and that when I split an infinitive, God damn it, I split it so it will stay split, and when I interrupt the velvety smoothness of my more or less literate syntax with a few sudden words of barroom vernacular, this is done with the eyes wide open and the mind relaxed but attentive.”

- Raymond Chandler vs. Atlantic proofreader (via explore-blog)

"In order to grow your audience, you must betray their expectations."

Mon, 27 May 2013 00:49:28 -0400

“In order to grow your audience, you must betray their expectations.”

- Hayao Miyazaki (via fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment)

[this, so many times. development, exploration doesn’t typically occur without a bit (or a lot) of upset and confusion. so if it feels right with you but doesn’t entirely match what is superficially called for? go with it. try it out. no need to splash around in the same puddle for so very long, ne?]
(via injusticeworth)

"What is death to a linguist? What is, so to speak, worth mourning? I know this: there are sixty-nine..."

Sat, 25 May 2013 23:53:07 -0400

“What is death to a linguist? What is, so to speak, worth mourning? I know this: there are sixty-nine hundred languages in the world. More than half are expected to die within the next century. In fact, it’s estimated that every two weeks, a language dies. I don’t know about you, but that statistic moves me far ore than any statistic about how many animals die or people die in a given time, in a given place. Because when we say language dies, we are talking about a whole world, a whole way of life. It is the death of imagination, of memory. It makes me much sadder than I could ever possibly express. Even with all my languages, there still aren’t the right words.”

- The Language Archive (via fuckyeahgreatplays)
A beautiful play indeed

baltiamore: Kanye to Project Videos Around the World (and...

Sat, 25 May 2013 19:55:55 -0400

baltiamore:

Kanye to Project Videos Around the World (and Baltimore) Again This Weekend. Here are the Baltimore locations (all on Sunday May 26th from 10pm):

Baltimore Museum of Art, Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD, United States

Walters Art Museum

Bromo Seltzer Tower, 312 W Lombard St

http://www.kanyewest.com/wp-content/themes/kanyewest/1/baltimore.html

Photo

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:12:56 -0400

thecivilwarparlor: Artificial Leg from Civil War Period-The...

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:44:01 -0400

thecivilwarparlor:

Artificial Leg from Civil War Period-The American Civil War Caused the Start of the American Prosthetics Field

For those who could pursue a prosthetic, in the North, the most popular artificial leg was a “Palmer” leg, named for Benjamin Franklin Palmer, who patented the design. A previous design by James Potts was made of wood, leather, and cat-gut tendons hinging the knee and ankle joints, and dubbed “The Clapper” for the clicking sound of its motion. Palmer improved upon this design with a heel spring in 1846, Palmer’s leg cost about $150.

In the South, North Carolina responded quickly to the needs of its citizens. It became the first of the former Confederate states to offer artificial limbs to amputees. The General Assembly passed a resolution in February 1866 to provide artificial legs, or an equivalent sum of money (seventy dollars) to amputees who could not use them. Because artificial arms were not considered very functional, the state did not offer them, or equivalent money (fifty dollars), until 1867. While North Carolina operated its artificial limbs program, 1,550 Confederate veterans contacted the government for help.

Source: http://ncpedia.org/history/cw-1900/amputations Source: http://www.ilsegnodeltempo.com/shop/a-rare-prosthesis-of-the-american-civil-war-una-rara-protesi-della-guerra-civile-americana/ Source: http://jordynredwood.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-civil-war-and-prosthetic-limbs-12.html

nevver: Christian Bök & Micah Lexier In honor of our...

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:44:33 -0400

nevver:

Christian Bök & Micah Lexier

In honor of our RAISIN CYCLE plays and the conversation they knit around the palimpsest of RAISIN IN THE SUN, check out this marvelous instance of textual “riffing.”

"Looking for a place to learn about the Civil War? Search info, see more Civil War photos and talk..."

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:01:08 -0400

“Looking for a place to learn about the Civil War? Search info, see more Civil War photos and talk with other Civil War buffs?

CivilWarTalk.com is a forum for students and fans of the American Civil War. Our online community of Historians, Skirmishers, Re-enactors, Educators, and Enthusiasts is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information related to the War Between the States. Our goal is to become the leading resource for every researcher seeking historical information and opinions relating to the American Civil War.

”

- (via thecivilwarparlor)

bobbycaputo: Discovering the Fascinating Story of a Mother’s...

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:32:00 -0400

bobbycaputo:

Discovering the Fascinating Story of a Mother’s Life in 1960s Nigeria

One of the voids left behind in the digital age of photography is the excitement and mystery of picking up developed prints from a roll of film.

Imagine the thrill Senongo Akpemfelt when he and his family discovered a trove of slide film taken by their mother, Emily, during her work as a missionary and nurse in Nigeria during the 1960s and ’70s.

“I had no idea most of this stuff was there,” Akpem said about the images. “We knew this stuff was around, but I had no idea of the depth of it.”

A family friend in Nigeria collected the film and had it developed in the United States. Since then, Akpem has started to edit the film, scanning images and uploading them to a website he started calledLost Nigeria.

The images tell the story of his mother’s journey to Nigeria in the early 1960s, when she left her home in California to work as a missionary nurse at the Benue Leprosy Settlement. While there, she fell in love with a Nigerian reverend doctor and had three children—two daughters and a son, Senongo, the youngest born in 1979. The family moved back to the United States soon thereafter and lived between Michigan, California and Nigeria over the next decade.

(Continue Reading)

Photo

Thu, 16 May 2013 03:25:27 -0400

tonytakitani: “The strength I’m looking for isn’t the kind...

Sat, 11 May 2013 21:25:32 -0400

tonytakitani:

“The strength I’m looking for isn’t the kind where you win or lose. I’m not after a wall that’ll repel power coming from outside. What I want is the kind of strength to be able to absorb that outside power, to stand up to it. The strength to quietly endure things- unfairness, misfortunes, sadness, mistakes, misunderstandings.”

Haruki Murakami, “Kafka on the Shore”