One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure: Nelson Molina, a recently retired New York City sanitation worker, has been collecting items from the trash he’s handled for over thirty years. Because the city does not allow sanitation workers to bring items home, Molina founded “The Treasures in the Trash Museum” in 1981, which now occupies one whole floor of a warehouse in East Harlem. Though the museum is not open for public tours, private visits can be scheduled to see the truly unique collection of typewriters, Furbies, action figures, vintage war uniforms, Christmas decorations, vintage portraits, and more. Molina has given new life to these forgotten objects; “These are amazing things that people throw out, that people just don’t want,” he explains. Molina’s museum is a beautiful way to honor and appreciate the “old” in a society that consistently worships the “new.”

Controversy over ‘Hamilton’ Casting Call: Having garnered widespread acclaim for its diverse cast, popular Broadway musical “Hamilton” is now under fire for supposed “reverse racism” in its casting call. The union that represents theater actors, Actors’ Equity, has criticized the casting call for the show for explicitly seeking “nonwhite men and women” for auditions. The criticism has sparked debate in the arts community and on social media, as many point to the fact that specifications of race, gender, and age for specific roles is common practice in the theater industry. Ultimately, the issue appears to be one of semantics, as casting calls can specify what races of performers are desired, but not those that are barred (signified by “non-“). Spokeswoman for Actors’ Equity Maria Somma argues: “We want to encourage that everyone has an equal opportunity to go in and audition for shows.” Producers of the show have agreed to change the posting, amending the language to welcome actors and actresses of all races to audition. With “Hamilton” sold out for the foreseeable future, one thing is certain: excitement for this ‘revolutionary’ hit won’t be waning anytime soon.

Tracing the Career of the First Woman Pritzker Prize Winner: Dame Zaha Hadid, an Iraqi-born British architect and the first woman architect to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize (2004) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) Gold Medal (2015), died this past week from a heart attack at the age of 65. To honor her legacy, The New York Times’ Daniel McDermon walks through the important moments of her career both in words and images. Hadid’s breakthrough work was the Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, Germany, built in 1993. She is perhaps best known for the enchanting Guangzhou Opera House built in China in 2010 and the London Aquatics Center built for the 2012 Summer Olympics. At the time of her death, Hadid and her firm had several projects in progress, including the Al Wakrah Stadium in Qatar, an Iraqi Parliament building, and a residential building in New York City. While the death of Dame Hadid marks an incredible loss for the architecture world, her works will live on as a reminder of her great talent and pioneering career.

Netflix for Theater Lovers?: BroadwayHD, an on-demand subscription streaming service for the stage, just added current Off Broadway show “Buried Child,” starring Ed Harris and Taissa Farmiga, to its collection. The service, which aims to be the “Netflix for Broadway,” launched last year and offers access to shows for a fraction of standard ticket prices (viewing the “Buried Child” live stream costs only $9.99). Co-founders Stewart F. Lane and Connie Comley, both stage producers, hope that “Buried Child” will be the first of many higher-profile shows to be added to the BroadwayHD collection this year. Audience favorites like “Wicked” and “The Lion King,” however, will not be included in the collection anytime soon, as negotiations with stage unions and rights holders will prevent entire performances from being available for live stream before the close of production, largely in order to protect ticket sales on Broadway and on tour. While many will no doubt be disappointed that they can’t stream “Hamilton” quite yet, BroadwayHD certainly has the potential to bring the stage into the homes of those who cannot attend (and perhaps cannot afford to attend) live performances and share the joy of theater with a wider audience.