Women Underrepresented in Theater: New research published by the League of Professional Theater Women shows gender inequality in off-Broadway shows. Martha Wade Steketee and Judith Binus have collected research as part of an initiative called “Women Count,” aimed at examining the status of employment gender parity in the off-Broadway theater world. Their results indicate that (1) eleven out of thirteen positions studied are consistently dominated by men, (2) only six of 22 theaters in the study featured 50 percent or more plays by women, and (3) certain positions like set designers and lighting designers are overwhelmingly occupied by men. Ways to change the status quo are being debated, but in the meantime it is important that theaters simply be aware of these striking findings and be conscious of their role in furthering the underrepresentation of women in roles both on and off stage.
Dying Star Wars Fan Wish Granted: A terminally ill fan of the iconic series has been granted his
dying wish to see the highly anticipated Episode VII before its official release in December. Director JJ Abrams helped to arrange the pre-screening for Daniel Fleetwood, 31, who was given months to live as a result of an aggressive form of cancer. The hashtag #ForceForDaniel helped to raise awareness of Fleetwood’s dying wish, garnering support from the likes of Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca). Fleetwood saw an unfinished version of
Star Wars: The Force Awakens this past week, his wife reported on Facebook. Fleetwood’s request and Abrams’ generous act remind us how significant the emotional investment is among fans of the series and the major role that cultural products play in people’s lives.
Graffiti Artist Defends His Craft: Marcus Barnes, once arrested for encouraging street art,
tells his story in a special piece for The Guardian. Barnes, who used to be a train-tagger, was arrested in December of 2011 for “encouraging” crime through the production of a graffiti magazine called
Keeping the Faith. Barnes’ story illustrates the complex relationship between crime and art that graffiti artists must negotiate on a daily basis. A graffiti artist since the age of 11, Barnes argues that graffiti can be a positive force and calls for better communication between diehard taggers and police officers. His testimony will hopefully provide law enforcement agents with helpful insight into the perspective of graffiti artists and may help facilitate greater communication between the two sides, allowing for the continued flourishing of this unique art form.
Music as a Coping Mechanism: While many people turn to music to either boost their mood or wallow in sorrow, one scholar is
questioning the generalization that listening to music is always therapeutic. While music therapy is a sanctioned form of health care and many clinicians use it with patients suffering various ailments, PhD candidate Emily Carlson of the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland asks: is it possible that there are ways of listening to music that sabotage mental health? Her study of 123 adults found that people tend to use music to deal with negative music in three main ways: for diversion, for solace, and for discharge of feelings. Carlson and her colleagues found that the last method, discharge (namely, using music to express negative emotions) correlated with higher levels of anxiety and neuroticism, especially in men. There is debate about how precisely to interpret these results, but Carlson emphasizes a general takeaway message regarding the importance of individual differences in determining “your phenomenological response” to music. Her work may change the way we use music to deal with emotions and add an important nuance to the field of music therapy, showing limitations and possible dangers of music-as-therapy.
