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This article traces the performance history of Shakespeare's Coriolanus in Iran, focusing on the most recent production of the play directed by Mostafa Koushki (b. 1984), performed between 2019 and 2020 in Tehran, Iran, and Kerala, India. Based on an original in-person interview with Koushki conducted by one of the authors in Tehran in July 2020, the article discusses how the production reflected and responded to the country's volatile political climate. The analysis considers how various elements, including the minimalist set and costumes as well as gender-neutral casting, work together to communicate the production's criticism of the current state of affairs in the Islamic Republic while staying within the boundaries imposed on theatre performances by the Iranian censorship regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Immersive In/Sights: Performing the Cancer Experience" is an article that discusses the immersive site-specific performance called "PasPort - A True Adventure" by Mikros Notos Theatre Group. The performance takes place in the Asylon Aniaton Hospice in Athens, Greece, and explores the experience of breast cancer through a blend of immersive theater and medical narratives. The audience is invited to explore different rooms symbolizing various stages of cancer, and the performance addresses topics such as breast reconstruction dilemmas, sexuality, and the pursuit of normalcy post-illness. While the article suggests that the performance could have been more impactful by maintaining a raw and unsettling tone, it acknowledges the importance of concluding on a reassuring note to provide hope for those facing cancer. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the practice of recasting legacy actors in the Superman movie franchise. Topics discussed include the casting of legacy actors in several types of roles, the importance of maintaining continuity in superhero meta-franchise, and how the 2013 film "Man of Steel" separated itself from the practice of commemorative legacy casting.

Combining the methods of traditional theater history with semiotics and digital cultural studies, this article focuses particularly on Simon Godwin's production of Antony and Cleopatra at the National Theatre (2018) and on the avowed inspiration of the Nigerian-Jewish-descended British actress Sophie Okonedo by the world-famous vocalist, digital producer, and media celebrity Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (usually known simply as Beyoncé). Godwin's production carefully used a multiethnic cast and placed particular emphasis upon the relationship between Cleopatra and other women, both allies and enemies, in part by strategically reassigning Dolabella's lines to Octavia and thus creating an encounter between Cleopatra and Octavia that never happens in the Folio text. The article speculates that using allusions to Beyoncé out of context (away from the rich intertext of the film Lemonade [2016], for example, and away from transnational Black feminist debate) and to a majority-white British audience membership risked diluting Beyoncé's nuanced and politicized commentary—and, perhaps, diminished the nuanced treatment of labor and gender in Shakespeare's play. The investigation concludes, however, with a reflection upon the pros and cons—for artists and for audiences—of foregrounding digital subcultures in this way on stage and in academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This wide-ranging interview with Lucie Tiberghien, Founding Artistic Director of Molière in the Park, covers topics including: Tiberghien's interest in Brooklyn as a site of production and performance for the theatre organization; strategies to overcome the challenges raised by the Covid-19 pandemic – particularly the move to an online platform – and how this shift to the digital led to new ways of thinking about theatre publics, performance, and the making of theatre; the question of representation in casting; and how Molière in the Park makes anti-racist and inclusive theatre with plays written during the early modern period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A milestone in Australian television history, the series about the adventures of the eponymous marsupial left a significant mark not only on the national imagination but also around the world. [...]

This essay examines the celebrity interview as a significant promotional paratext because it is through these that white, cisgender, heterosexual actors are asked to comment upon playing gay. We focus on paratexts around Scandal, Modern Family, Behind the Candelabra and Call Me By Your Name because they are important sources for shaping the ways audiences respond to media and are often re-circulated beyond their original context through social media. We highlight how white, heterosexual actors emphasize labor in order to insist on the paratextual distance between his veridical self and the role he has been employed to play. As a discursive strategy, this is accomplished by a recognized, seamlessly performed and strikingly blatant routine. Collectively, audiences, interviewers, and the actors themselves work to consistently demonstrate social, cultural, and industrial commitments to what we are calling a possessive investment in straightness, which we define, building on George Lipsitz's (2006) work, as concerned with not only the resources, power and opportunity white heterosexual actors have in taking on gay roles, but the social, cultural and industrial willingness to help these actors re-assert their claims to heterosexuality and normativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness and efficiency of two food grade multifunctional epoxies with low and high epoxy equivalent weights in chain extending/branching poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were studied in a torque rheometer. Processing PLA and chain extender (CE) at 200[degrees]C for 300 s not only chain-extended PLA effectively as indicated by a significant increase in the mixing torque as well as PLA's melt viscosity and molecular weight, but also branched it leading to its reduced crystallinity. Chain extension occurred through the ring opening reaction of epoxy groups in the CE with PLA's hydroxyl and/or carboxyl groups. CE with lower epoxy equivalent weight was more efficient due to its higher reactivity. Secondly, the processabilities of PLA films chain-extended and branched with various amounts of the most efficient CE were assessed. Like in torque rheometer, chain extension and branching also occurred during film production as indicated by PLA's increased molecular weight and decreased crystallinity when blended with CE. However, film manufacture was feasible only for blends with up to 0.5% CE, becoming unprocessable above this content due to chain entanglement leading to increased viscosity. Chain extension/branching of PLA was beneficial in overcoming film's brittleness since its impact strength increased almost linearly with the CE content., INTRODUCTION Over the past few years, environmental issues such as pollution, depletion of natural resources, and solid waste disposal have become major global concerns [1]. A specific concern is the [...]

The feature-length debut of director Em Baker, I Am No Bird (2019) is an observational documentary about what weddings mean to modern women. Taking its title from a passage in [...]

Coated polylactic acid (PLA) films consisting of crosslinked-chitosan/beeswax layer were prepared to improve barrier properties and abrasion resistance of the base substrate. The effect of crosslinking the chitosan layer on durability and barrier properties of the coatings was investigated. Crosslinked samples exhibited lower degree of swelling compared to uncrosslinked samples and 50% reduction in water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) compared to neat PLA films. The beeswax coating decreased the WVTR of chitosan-coated PLA films significantly (by 100%). However, it had a marginal effect on the oxygen transmission rate. Water vapor transmission was less affected by abrasion than oxygen transmission for both uncrosslinked and crosslinked samples. The WVTR of crosslinked samples were retained even after being subjected to abrasion, whereas WVTR of uncrosslinked samples dropped by 50%. Results obtained using the Taber test method also show that the weight loss of crosslinked coatings are about 75% less than that of uncrosslinked samples and can withstand a greater number of cycles before rupture. These translucent-coated films retained good barrier and mechanical properties along with providing improved abrasion resistance after crosslinking. This approach provides exciting new possibilities for expanding the use of biodegradable polymers in packaging applications., INTRODUCTION The accumulation of large amounts of plastic packaging waste in landfills and oceans is a major environmental concern and has led to increased interest in biodegradable packaging materials [1]. [...]

In the annals of Hollywood, 1939 was a year of spectacular achievement. A recent article in The Washington Post cites it as one of the seven candidates for 'the best [...]

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's award-winning 2014 film Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is many things: a realistic insight into the backstage machinations of a Broadway show; a raw and [...]

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. - [...]

This paper shows that the number of roles in theatre plays has decreased over time. Playwrights seem to internalize the costs of producing plays by downsizing the number of roles. This downsizing is not a recent phenomenon: it already started a long time ago. This is not surprising, since production costs increase over time and the Baumol cost disease is obviously one of the reasons, though one cannot exclude that fashion has changed given the time elapsed between William Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines casting Breakdowns (character descriptions used by actors, agents, and casting directors) as a central factor influencing Latina representation on scripted television shows. Through a textual analysis of the Breakdowns for the January 2017–August 2017 casting season, this study analyzed the Breakdowns of 3,714 characters in 269 SAG-AFTRA television shows across 21 broadcast, cable, and streaming networks. The research demonstrates intersectional discrimination of Latina actors in television. While the Breakdowns’ specification of race/ethnicity for characters would allow Latinas to be cast in 63.6% of female roles, in practice they are cast in 6.4% of female roles and 2.9% of all roles. Additional textual analysis of the Breakdowns’ descriptive language highlights ongoing Latina stereotyping in television depictions. This study furthers media representation research by exposing the Breakdown text as a fundamental element contributing to and maintaining stereotypical portrayals and discriminatory casting in television. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interview with "Drought" directors Megan Petersen and Hannah Black is presented. They talk about their background in filmmaking and their decision to enter a filmmaking competition in Wilmington, North Carolina. They explain the concept of their feature film. They discuss the ratifications for hiring local cast and crews in filmmaking.

The article discusses calling for cultural humility in ballet academies and companies that a complementary construct to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Topics include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) being the mandate for multiple facets of American society from corporate businesses to higher education, cosmetic and fashion industries; and performing arts communities fielding demands for diverse representation and inclusivity in hiring, casting, and content.

The article focuses on the popularity of Monsieur Gouffe as a Monkey Man. Topics include his performance that reflect agility and strength; that Gouffe has attracted greater appreciation than other performers for his exhibitions; and the development of similar impersonations acts in general for the audience.