Showing Their PRIDE: In the wake of the Supreme Court decision this week, artists, writers, and cultural institutions around the US are
expressing support for gay marriage. Twitter has been flooded with celebratory messages and rainbow images from arts icons like Yoko Ono and authors like Joyce Carol Oates and J.K. Rowling. Arts institutions, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum, have joined in the celebrations as well. A mile-marker for social progress and the fostering of equality for all, the SCOTUS decision is truly cause for celebration!
Glastonbury Festival Turns 45: The five-day-long music festival hosted in a 1000 acre valley near Pilton, England is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. The founder of the festival, dairy farmer Michael Eavis, was initially inspired after attending the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music: “I had the land and I had the farm, and I thought it would be a wonderful idea.” Ranked by Spotify as the world’s most influential festival, Glastonbury boasts 78 percent streaming increases for its headliners post-performance. In its inaugural year, tickets cost 1 pound; this year they were 225 pounds (about $355) and sold out within 25 minutes of becoming available. Reminding us of what’s really important, Eavis donated around 2 million pounds of proceeds from last year’s festival to charity: “It’s corny, but I try to make a difference.” I’d say he’s succeeding.
Overwhelming Swan Song for Beloved Ballerina: After 29 years with the American Ballet Theater, Julie Kent gave
her final performance–Romeo and Juliet–a litter over a week ago at the Metropolitan Opera House. The 45-year-old dancer was showered with bouquets during a standing ovation lasting over 20 minutes. Kent was joined on stage by her husband and two children, while other ballet greats such as Alessandra Ferri and Irina Kolpakova supported her in the audience. Kent explained in an earlier interview that though her decision to leave was not an easy one, it was time to move forward: “You have to keep moving forward in life, because that’s what life is. It’s a forward progression.” Kent can surely move on knowing she will be dearly missed by the ballet world.
Breaking Out of Stereotypes: Nobody puts Mia Katigbak in a corner. The 61-year-old Asian-American actress (also co-founder and artistic producing director of the National Asian American Theater Company) makes a point of
finding non-traditional roles for herself and fellow Asian-Americans. Actors like C.S. Lee (
Dexter) and Joel de la Fuente (
Law & Order: SVU) sing her praises, as de la Fuente says, “Mia gave us a home to ply our trade. A place to practice. A place to aspire.” Previously relegated to playing maids and hookers, Katigbak is currently starring as a Jewish Mother in the Public Theater’s production of “Awake and Sing!” Asian-Americans are currently vastly underrepresented in Broadway roles (playing only 1 to 4 percent, while they make up nearly 12 percent of the NYC population). Though the recent revival of “The King and I” and the success of George Takei’s “Allegiance” offers the opportunity for hope, Katigbak still argues there is vast room for improvement. She is fighting bravely so that talent, not ethnicity, opens the doors to success.