Merry Wanderer of the Night [Search results for theatre] 

Knidos, believed to be the hometown of Eudoxus, a Greek astronomer, mathematician and student of Plato; Greek physician Euryphon; Greek vase painter Polygnotos and Greek architect and engineer Sostratos, is located at the crossroads of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas.

Research reveals that a physician and his students had established the second largest medical school of its time in Knidos. One of the most important discoveries of its time, the gnomon, first developed by Eudoxus, can still be found in the ancient city.

The head of the Knidos excavations, Selçuk University academic Professor Ertekin Doksanaltı, said the city’s excavations restarted in 2013 after many years of waiting.

He also said the Southern Aegean Development Agency (GEKA) provided 705,000 Turkish Liras of financial support for the Knidos’ restoration and environmental project in 2013, adding that the total budget of the project was 941,000 liras.

He said the team had accelerated its work over the past two years in order to more quickly revive the ancient city, which is very important for the future of Datça district. The excavations of the church (known as “Church D”) and theater will be completed and their structures restored this year, he said.

Doksanaltı said detailed aerial photos of the ancient city were taken from 90 and 120 degree angles.
The ancient city of Knidos was a coastal town, he said, adding that they had searched underwater for the existence of other cultural artifacts around the city.

“Church D, unearthed during the excavations, will be partly restored this season. The building survey, restitution and restoration projects of the structure have already been done,” he said.

Doksanaltı also said the same projects for the small theater would be finished this year. The theater, located on the southern side of the city, was first excavated in the 1970s.

Doksanaltı said Knidos was still magnificent. “Its famous ports that have survived with their round and square towers are still functional. The city, located on two hills that face each other, rises via terraces built on rocky land. The connection between the terraces is provided via stair streets,” he said.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [April 02, 2015]

America: Our Better History is showing this weekend at the E.C. Mabie Theatre in the University of Iowa theatre building. If you haven't seen the posters around campus then become informed.

It all starts on election night in the not so distant past. Six gay men in Minnesota are watching President Barack Obama become elected. There is Martin (Kjai Block) who is hosting the party but is constantly in and out fighting with his former Iraqi soldier boyfriend Aden (David Hoffman). While Aden was in Iraq Martin had an affair with his Obama campaign partner (Chase Bottorff) which he thinks is hidden from Aden, but it turns out he has known all along. Inside is Scott (David Wheeler), the youngest gay man of the group, Harold (Andrew Clancey), and Harold's life partner Charles (Soren Olsen). Harold and Charles are a middle aged gay couple that act as the "teachers" of the group, although their attempts are often ignored. While they feel they know more because they survived events such as Stonewall and Harvey Milk, Scott disagrees and says that his generation is dealing with the same hatred every day.

The play mostly functions around the love triangle of Martin, Aden, and Robert. Aden feels that he is excluded from the group because he went to Iraq, something Martin's liberal gay friends cannot understand. He spends the majority of his time outside listening to the birds and feeding ducks until Scott shoots himself in the arm by accident and needs Aden's help. In the same scene Charles get a concussion from a fall (he is a afraid of blood) and Aden punches Martin during a fight. As Charles says, "It's a real hate crime."

The second half of the play takes place during the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Scott and Robert are fighting and Harold and Charles are trying to convince Robert to get over Martin, while Scott is trying to convince Martin to share his true feelings with Aden. There are several references to Aretha Franklin's unforgettable hat which calm the scene as Aden and Martin are fighting to save their relationship. Then Martin discovers that Aden has been reactivated and has known for three weeks. Aden says he has been trying to push Martin away so that it would be easier when he dies at war.

An amazing portrayal of an unforgettable night, one that was specifically important to the gay community. They succeeded in electing a black Democrat into office, but as we all remember (and if we don't I will remind you) that at the same time Prop 8 passed and gay marriage was banned in three states. The characters were balanced and I felt that each was truly contributing something to the plot. It was dark at times and humorous, but very real.

Written by Justin Dewey and directed by Tony Meneses.
E.C. Mabie Theatre October 30-31 8 p.m. November 1 2 p.m.
$5 or FREE with a University of Iowa student ID
Running Time: 2 hrs.

VIA Rachel McAdams joins 2010 best

According to Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister Yiannis Maniatis, the budget for the project amounts to 5,650,000 euros. The purpose of the initiative is to make improvements to the landscape surrounding this important archaeological site, including the addition of a herb garden with healing plants, new pathways for tourists, kiosks that will provide information about the history of medicine and promote local agricultural products with healing properties, etc.

Located in a small valley in the Peloponnesus, the shrine of Asclepius, comprises of three principal monuments, the temple of Asclepius, the Tholos and the Theatre – considered one of the purest masterpieces of Greek architecture – that date from the 4th century.

The vast site, with its temples and hospital buildings devoted to its healing gods, is a precious testimony to the practice of medicine in antiquity.

Source: Protothema [December 18, 2014]

Nearly 100,000 people have signed an online petition attacking the idea. Authorities insist the project poses no risk to the monument, said Joaquin Paredes, the creator of the petition. “How can it be that the transfer and installation of courts and bleachers as well as allowing access to thousands of people won’t have any effect on a monument that’s more than 2,000 years old?”

Local groups have also taken aim. Cavex, the umbrella group of neighbours associations in Extremadura, conveyed its “absolute rejection” of the idea in a statement. “It’s a total lack of respect for one of our most emblematic monuments,” the group said. “Mérida has much more appropriate spaces for padel tennis.”

Others have backed the idea, arguing that Mérida is far from pioneering the use of ruins to host large events. As Damián Beneyto, a politician representing regional political parties, pointed out on Twitter: “The bullring in Nimes is a roman coliseum and its conservation hasn’t been compromised.”

Despite the outcry, the People’s party politician who heads Extremadura has held firm to the idea. On Monday, José Antonio Monago told journalists that if there had been any concerns about risk to the monument, city officials would have never allowed the proposal to go forward.

He pointed to Verona, home to one of the world’s largest Roman amphitheatres – which has at times been converted into an ice rink. Mérida itself stages a large theatre festival each year in the amphitheatre, he added. “At one time they put cranes and vehicles in the Roman theatre. Nobody gathered signatures or spoke out.”

Author: Ashifa Kassam | Source: The Guardian [March 27, 2015]

In the biggest shake-up of arts and culture of modern times, Matteo Renzi, the Prime Minister, has announced that the Government is to run advertisements in the Economist on January 9 to recruit new administrators "because we want to have the best directors in the world".

The leadership changes are part of a dramatic shake-up of the arts spearheaded by Dario Franceschini, the Culture Minister, in an attempt to make the country's galleries, museums and historic sites more profit-driven. Italy boasts nearly 3000 cultural sites that attract 77 million visitors a year.

The Colosseum alone draws 5.5 million of those.

Among the other "super museums" Franceschini wants to develop are the Borghese Gallery and National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Under a government decree, Franceschini hopes to generate earnings of more than 2 billion ($3.16 billion) in 2017, with further growth in the years to come. Italy's museums, galleries and archeological sites generated only 380 million in revenue in 2013, according to La Repubblica newspaper, and cost 350 million to operate.

The minister's office declined to comment on the new plans. But, according to La Repubblica, Franceschini wants to model Italian museums on the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and add more restaurants, gift shops, guides and accessories that will attract more visitors and ultimately more profits.

He also wants to create 18 new regional offices with responsibility for the country's biggest artistic sites and grant more power to individual directors who run them. Italian media also said he was expected to appoint 12 new directors-general within his ministry who would manage specific sectors such as tourism, cinema and live theatre.

Franceschini has openly favoured other measures to increase tourism by "adding value" to the country's heritage and strongly supports corporate sponsorship.

He recently backed a move to bring live cultural events and concerts to ancient monuments such as the Colosseum because he said they needed to be "brought alive" for visitors from around the world.

In June, he launched a $50 million appeal to preserve the vast Domus Aurea palace built by Emperor Nero beside the Colosseum.

The Domus Aurea, loosely translated as the Golden House, is a sprawling complex of interconnecting dining halls, frescoed reception rooms and vaulted hallways on the hill opposite the ancient amphitheatre.

"The state has very limited resources unfortunately," said Franceschini at the time.

"This is an opportunity for a big company to sponsor an extraordinary project, which will capture the world's attention. It would be scandalous if no one comes forward."

Source: The New Zealand Herald [December 26, 2014]

VIA An Evening with Amon Amarth in Times Square

Criteria include recognition of the sites as outstanding examples representing major stages of the world’s history or as masterpieces of human creative genius and, with that criteria in mind, the archaeological site of Philippi undoubtedly deserves a place in that list.

The candidacy of the ancient site for UNESCO’s World Heritage List was revealed by the Theocharakis Foundation in Athens on Monday. The well-known list already includes 17 Greek sites, with the last Greece-based entry being the Old Town of Corfu.

“The area of Philippi hosts a series of archaeological monuments, witnesses to a long historical path during which civilizations intersected and developed,” writes UNESCO’s official site for this amazing ancient city located in eastern Macedonia.

Philippi was established by the king of Macedon, Philip II in 356 BC. This ancient city, most important archaeological site in the eastern Macedonia region of northern Greece, had walled fortifications, a theatre, several public buildings and private houses.

The milestone battle of Philippi, which took place outside the western city walls in 42 BC, was a turning point in the area’s history. The site was conquered by Octavian and, as a Roman colony, developed into a financial, administrative, and artistic centre.

Another important event that marked the city’s history was the foundation of the first Christian Church on European soil by the Apostle Paul in 49/50 AD.

Source: Protothema [March 04, 2015]

I just saw Reefer Madness The Musical for the first time tonight. I'm not going to go into a big review on it, but if you're in Iowa City and you haven't seen it yet it's playing at the E.C. Mabie Theatre through Saturday. The cast is really great and the set design at University of Iowa programs is always at the top of its game. This production is no exception. (I hope if you do go you don't have annoying people behind you though.

Have you ever felt like no one liked you but you were obviously right about everything? Yeah, I think we've all been there. Ban Tanaka, the main character of Adrian Tomine's Shortcomings seems to be a little stuck in his beliefs. This short graphic novel chronicles his life through three, or possibly two and a half, relationships. First, his girlfriend Miko, an intelligent Japanese woman with a great interest in film. Miko feels a little competitive though when the young Autumn starts working at the movie theatre that Ben manages. She is young, white, and punk, which is apparently Ben's type. She takes the opportunity to leave California where she and Ben live and take an internship in New York. The two have been fighting a lot and the leave on bad terms. While Ben is lonely in California he has a few failed romances and crushes, even though he and Miko are technically still dating.

The best character in the novel, however, is Ben's best lesbian friend Alice Kim. Alice is a grad student for life who is basically just staying in school for all the hot young girls. From week to week she bounces around from girl to girl, and maybe gets some homework done in between. All the while she is pretending to still be straight (at 29) so her religious Korean family will remain mildly calm. Ben and Alice's relationship is what Will and Grace could have been. They eat at a diner while Ben gripes about his girl problems and Alice pokes fun at him, but her jokes always say a lot more about Ben than he says about himself.

The story moves quickly, but is so believable. I have never seen drawing like this before. The frames are so lifelike I felt like I was watching a movie. The dialogue is also beautiful, saying more in what isn't said than what is written. It's amazing how simple black and white drawing with speech bubbles can say so much about race, love, heartache, egotism, and friendship. And those are just the things that come off the top of my head. Ben's character is similar to what you might find in a Nick Hornby novel (which is a compliment). He is annoying and self obsessive, but you kind of love him because you know you are the exact same way. The storyline is simple, but that is what makes this graphic novel work. This is definitely a must read in my opinion.

This graphic novel earned an A.

Sidenote: This novel appears to have been published with different colors of covers. The image I have is brown, but my actual copy is green. I think I have also seen a lavender one?

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Everyone is buzzing about tomorrow's readathon, myself included. In case you're a Readathon virgin you can check out the Dewey's Readathon Website for more info. This will be my second and a half readathon. I say second and a half because the Dewey's Readathon last October was a surprise for me and I had only been blogging for a few days when it happened. I was at home and when I got on Twitter I saw that everyone was talking about some readathon, so I decided to join in! I didn't do that much reading really, but I enjoyed the taste I got so much that I decided to join in on Dreadlock Girl's readathon in December. I made it 20 hours and read for a total of 14 of those 20 hours, check out my wrap-up post to see how coherent I was.

Tomorrow I'm starting at 7 AM and I will be reading until 5:30 because then I have to go to the Englert theatre in downtown Iowa City to volunteer for the Indian Student Alliance. I'm planning on taking a graphic novel with me for any spare time I have while I'm there. Then I'll be back around eleven to keep the reading going, I'm excited to see how long I can make it this time! I might not make it as long as I originally planned though, because I seem to have a cold right now.

I have a stack of fairly short books to read for tomorrow, and most of them are for the Shelf Discovery Challenge which is over this month and I need to finish. Those are really my priority. I have a few other books on the pile though.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fifteen by Beverly Cleary
Go Ask Alice by "Anonymous"
Blubber by Judy Blume
Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi
Wild Ducks Flying Backward by Tom Robbins

Later today I go shopping for some snacks! I'm thinking crackers, veggies, fruit, peanut butter, and chocolate. All the essentials of course. I hope you'll join in on the Readathon if you can- I know you'll have fun!

Thanks to everyone who joined in on my meme, I saw some great quotes up there! I was hoping I would be done with Jane and the Unpleasantness of Scargrave Manor by now, but I've got about forty-five pages left. After this I'm going to read Shirley Volume One by Karou Mori, which is a graphic novel about young maids in Victorian England. I wanted to read more of Emma by Karou Mori, which also takes place in Victorian England, but I only have volume three and I haven't read volume two yet. I'm kicking myself for that one, but maybe I'll be able to snatch it next week.

Here is my Chick Loves Lit meme: I am mostly reading in my bed today, although when I was at work I was sitting at the front desk.

Name of the book you're currently reading: Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor.

Wanting Most: A cleaner desk.

Something you like to do besides read: Watch Friends Season Dvds.

Fact about yourself: I love going to Iowa's theatre productions and I keep all of the programs.

Activity you would be doing today if it weren't for the read-a-thon: Writing papers and doing homework.

Updated Stats:
Books Read: Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor and Are You There God? It's Me Margaret
Pages Read: 85
Total Books Finished: 1
Total Pages Read: 392
Total Time Spent Reading: 10 hours
Memes Completed: I Heart Monster's Compliments
and Reads4Pleasure's Hero/Heroine Vs. Dick Dastard and my own meme, Favorite Classics.

I'm going to be gone for the next 5ish hours because I'm volunteering at the Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City. I will be with you all in spirit! Before I leave I'll give a quick update of my stats:

Title of book(s) read since last update: Fifteen by Beverly Clearly and Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Number of books read since you started: Almost 3
Pages read since last update: 346
Running total of pages read since you started: 525
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 4.5
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 7
Mini-challenges completed: Miss Remmers' Kick-off Challenge, I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read's Soundtrack Challenge, and 'Til We Read Again's And The Nominees Are challenge.

Happy reading everyone!

Considered the cornerstone of modern democracy, liberty, justice and the rule of law, the 1215 English charter forms the basis for legal systems around the world, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the US Constitution.

About 1,200 people, drawn from a ballot, have won the chance to see the unification event at the British Library, which brings together its two originals with those of Lincoln and Salisbury cathedrals.

The four parchments will then be on private display in the UK parliament, marking the start of a year of celebrations for a document that still has resonance eight centuries later.

"No free man shall be taken or imprisoned or disseized or outlawed or exiled or in any way ruined, nor will we go and send against him except by the lawful judgement of his peers by the law of the land," the document states in Latin.

"To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice."

Charter made after rebel barons challenged king

In June 1215, the wayward King John agreed to the demands of rebellious barons to curb his powers and sealed the charter at Runnymede, a meadow by the River Thames west of London.

Although nearly a third of the text was dropped or substantially rewritten within 10 years and almost all the 63 clauses have been repealed, Magna Carta principles have become "a potent, international rallying cry against the arbitrary use of power", the British Library said.

One of Britain's Supreme Court judges, Anthony Clarke, said it was still important for governments seeking a balance between issues of security, individual rights, the rule of law and the "principles of justice that lie at the foundation of society".

He said the principles that justice should be available to all, the law applies to all equally and leaders can only exercise power in accordance with the law continue to be fought for in many parts of the world.

Magna Carta Trust, which looks after the memorial site in Runnymede, said the charter's importance was growing.

"800 years on, Magna Carta's best days lie ahead," it said.

"As an idea of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, it is lapping against the shores of despotism.

"The principles set out in Magna Carta have driven the Arab Spring and the continuing protests against despotism around the world."

Magna Carta 'linked to prosperity'

The principles of the Magna Carta extend well beyond the world's common law jurisdictions such as the United States, India and Australia which inherited England's legal system.

Lawyer David Wootton, a former lord mayor of London, said English law was the "common currency" of global business deals precisely due to the protections derived from Magna Carta.

"Investors regard their money as safe here (in London) because of the protections in the legal system," he said.

"There is a close relationship between economic development, societal development and the quality of a country's legal system."

Events are being staged across Britain throughout 2015 to mark the anniversary, including a major international commemoration event at Runnymede on June 15.

Exhibitions, debates, conferences, church services, lectures, charity dinners, theatre performances, tourist trails, village fetes, and even a national peal of bells are being staged.

There will also be a mock trial of the barons who forced the creation of the charter in parliament's Westminster Hall to debate whether they were guilty of treason.

Source: AFP [February 02, 2015]

Admittedly, the premise of this book is a little odd. Girl falls in love with her childhood imaginary friend. But, despite this, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a pretty fabulous book.
Jane is a lonely child that grows up to be a lonely woman. Her mother, head of a Broadway theatre company is oppressive and overbearing. Jane’s attempts to spread her wings and fly are repeatedly squashed. Then one day, she sees him, Michael, her childhood imaginary friend. The only person she could ever confide in. The only person that truly understood her. He shows her that she has the strength and ability to walk out from beneath her mother’s overbearing arms and become the woman she is meant to be. Aside from the odd premise, this is a wonderfully endearing love story, based on something Patterson’s son said to him---“'Love means you never have to be apart.” I haven’t had the chance to read any of Patterson’s other “romance” novels but I certainly look forward to starting them after reading this one.