Category Archives: History

And now, the United States faces a pandemic that has disproportionately sickened and killed Americans of color, who are overrepresented in the essential work force yet less likely to have access to medical care. As federal and state governments manage the vaccine rollout, access to testing and treatment, and economic relief packages, its crucial to learn from the past and target policies specifically at reducing the racial and economic inequalities that made the pandemic so devastating in the first place.

If the effects of racism and effects of xenophobia were less systemic within our society, we would likely see fewer deaths as a result of Covid-19, Mr. White said. Bigotry is fundamentally bad for public health.

Even as pandemics have often re-entrenched old prejudices and forms of marginalization, theyve also often given rise to something new, especially when it comes to art, culture and entertainment.

Ancient Rome, for example, was tormented by epidemics, with one occurring every 15 to 20 years for portions of the fourth, third and second centuries B.C., said Caroline Wazer, a writer and editor who completed a dissertation on Roman public health. At the time, the primary public-health response was a religious one, with Romans experimenting with new rites and even new gods in an attempt to stop the spread of illness. In one case, Ms. Wazer said, with an epidemic dragging on for three years and the public increasingly agitated, the Senate adopted a strange, new ritual from northern Italy: they bring in actors to perform onstage. According to the Roman historian Livy, this is how the Romans get theater, Ms. Wazer said, though that fact has been debated.

A spiritual response to disease brought cultural change to 14th-century England, too. Recalling the mass graves of the Black Death, Britons feared dying without a Christian burial and spending eternity in purgatory, Mr. Bailey said. So they began to form guilds, small religious groups that essentially functioned as burial insurance clubs, raising money to give members the proper treatment after death.

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What the History of Pandemics Can Teach Us About Resilience - The New York Times

Welcome to the latest installment of Voxs Ask a Book Critic, in which I, Vox book critic Constance Grady, provide book recommendations to suit your very specific mood: either how youre feeling right now or how youd like to be feeling instead.

If you prefer your recommendations in audio form, you can listen to Ask a Book Critic, part of Vox Quick Hits. Hear a new episode of Ask a Book Critic always under 10 minutes long every two weeks wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

Now lets get started.

I am a sucker for every Hallmark movie. Big-city character moves to a small town, adapts to a new place, budding romances, finding oneself, and usually a dog. I think, especially during these times of immense uncertainty, I take comfort from stories where everything is packaged up nicely and everyone drives off into the sunset, happily ever after. I also love great narratives and storytelling, and while I love my cheesy Hallmark movies, the storytelling can sometimes leave something to be desired.

So, do you have any feel-good warm and fuzzy romance books that include some fantastic storytelling?

Try Beach Read by Emily Henry. Its about a womens fiction writer who gets into a contest with a literary fiction novelist where they each agree to switch genres for the summer. Hijinks and romance ensue, and its all extremely fun to read.

I love a sprawling nonfiction book that tells me all about a city. Think Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The last book that has come close for me is Boom Town by Sam Anderson, writing about Oklahoma City. Im sure there are others, but I am in a dry spell.

The two authors I think you should check out are Erik Larson and Thomas Dyja. Larsons Devil in the White City, about a serial killer in Chicago during the Worlds Fair, is kind of a gimme, so its most likely already on your list. But if its not, check it out! Its good! Larson is great at recreating the compulsive pacing of a thriller within the dense historical detail of nonfiction.

Less of a gimme: Dyja is an urbanist who writes histories of cities. His last book, The Third Coast, was about Chicago, and this year he published New York, New York, New York, about the citys transition from its chaotic state of nature in 1978 to the rampant inequality it faces today. A fun bonus here is that Dyja capitalizes all the nouns he thinks are important, like hes writing from the 18th century, which adds an interesting flavor to the reading experience.

Bonus recommendations: Golden Gates by Conor Dougherty uses San Franciscos housing crisis to delve into the problem of income inequality more generally. For more of a philosophical examination of the power of cities, check out N.K. Jemisins science fiction series The City We Became, which we read in the Vox Book Club.

Was wondering if you have any recommendations for a very particular 202021 book mood at the intersection of post-apocalyptic and alternate history fiction: in-depth histories of the end of the world. Think the alternate timeline part of 11/22/63, the book-within-a-book from 1984, lots of World War Z, or the first couple chapters of lots of post-apocalyptic fiction (The Stand does it decently if anecdotally, Station Eleven was mostly unsatisfying in this regard). Basically, Im looking for something that does a deep dive into this world-building (world-destroying?) as an end in itself, rather than a convenient device to either resolve a plot point or set the stage for the A-plot. The more gratuitous political and social detail, the better!

Im going to direct you to Ada Palmer, a history professor at the University of Chicago whose far-future books have really intensive and careful world-building with a lot of information about how the politics of the world are organized. Also check out Parable of the Sower, an Octavia Butler classic that moves through the apocalypse with intense detail, and A Canticle for Leibowitz, in which a Catholic monastery attempts to preserve 20th-century scientific knowledge after a devastating nuclear war.

Im a 68-year-old grandmother, retired, disabled with a wonky back. Besides the Mrs. Pollifax books, are there any reads about senior women having creative, life-altering adventures that dont heavily involve matriarchal family stuff?

I am going to assume you are already aware of Agatha Christies Miss Marple books, but if not, they are classics for a reason. (Charming old lady becomes an amateur detective, solves crimes.) Otherwise, I would recommend Ann Patchetts State of Wonder, which is about two women scientists trying to develop fertility drugs in the Amazon basin the point-of-view character is 42, but her research partner is older and the most compelling figure in the book, really. Also try Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon, about a woman in her 70s living on a space colony who decides to stay behind by herself after the rest of the colony is shut down.

I was wondering if you could recommend some fiction books to me based on this specific problem I have been experiencing for some time now. I have found that for the past year or so, I have enjoyed reading nonfiction books more than fiction reads (and I am definitely more of a fiction person).

Some of the nonfiction books I have loved in recent times are: Cant Even by Anne Helen Petersen, Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, and Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow.

Are there any fiction books which you think might mirror the nonfiction ones I have liked?

It sounds like you are in a place for books that spend a lot of time thinking about how media is shaping the way we think. Luckily, theres actually a ton of ambitious fiction coming out right now about just that!

I have three recommendations for you. First, Self Care by Leigh Stein is a dark satire about two women working for a pop-feminist wellness company. It starts with one of the protagonists drinking wine from a mug that says male tears and lying on one of the offices lavender velvet chaise lounges, compulsively hate-reading her mentions after she tweeted something mean at Ivanka Trump, and then it just goes on from there.

Second, Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler is about a woman who learns her boyfriend is an infamous Instagram conspiracy theorist. It starts off in January 2017, right as Donald Trump is taking office and the polite, progressive New York media is aghast at the online disinformation mill, and the narrator finds herself caught between enjoying condemning her boyfriend, whom shes been thinking about dumping anyway, and relationship inertia. Oyler is an extremely talented and insightful literary critic (way meaner than I am, if you want to expand your critical reading list), and a lot of this book is a critique of both contemporary literary fiction and of the way were taught to think and speak by the larger media ecosystem.

Finally, No One Is Talking About This, by the poet Patricia Lockwood, aims to be a stream-of-communal-consciousness novel in which the consciousness is Twitter. The plot is hard to describe because so much of the experience of this book is about the language, but know that it is astonishingly good and beautiful and overwhelming, and it resolves into this very lovely, very tender place at the end.

If youd like me to recommend a book for you, email me at constance.grady@vox.com with the subject line Ask a Book Critic. The more specific your mood, the better!

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Ask a book critic: The history of the end of the world - Vox.com

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 2, 2021) On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order that established the Peace Corps as a volunteer agency in the U.S Department of State. Sixty years later, as the agency celebrates its diamond anniversary, University of Kentucky Libraries Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History is continuing its work with local and national partners to preserve many of the stories and experiences of the more than 241,000 Americans who have served in the Peace Corps.

From stories of volunteers evacuated from their host countries at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to accounts from some of the first groups to volunteer with the agency, the Nunn Center has helped the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) collect and preserve a wide array of interviews with former volunteers from 1993 to the present.

The Peace Corps interviews document individual stories, but they also record incredible details about countries and cultures around the world during the time of service, Nunn Center Director Doug Boyd said. The RPCVs are not only talking about their own personal experiences and lives, but providing rich details about the communities where they lived and the people with whom they collaborated.

The Nunn Center launched its first partnership associated with the Peace Corps in 2004, collaborating with Angene Wilson, emeritus professor of education, and her husband, Jack, who conducted nearly 100 interviews with RPCVs with connections to Kentucky.

Because of the Nunn Centers work with this project, Boyd was contacted in 2020 by the national Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Archives Project, a project, conducted by former Peace Corps volunteers, that was looking for a new partner to continue preserving the Peace Corps experience through in-depth interviews. The new partnership kicked off in June 2020 and has since spawned nearly 200 interviews in just the first nine months.

The national project launched just as we were pivoting to remote interviews due to COVID-19, Boyd said. It was a major pivot, implementing a new remote interviewing platform called TheirStory and we moved all our workflows and forms to online formats.

The Nunn Center held webinar-style trainings to teach the new platform andworkflows to volunteer interviewers, who then began conducting remote interviews with RPCVs from across the country.

The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Archives Project has benefited tremendously from our partnership with the Nunn Center, coordinator Evelyn Ganzglass said. With their help, we are upping our game in terms of the training and support of interviewers.

Users can find interviews (2020-present) from the ongoing Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project through the Nunn Centers digital repository.

For interviews conducted by the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Archives Project between 2001 and 2019, visit the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

In addition to conducting over 150 interviews with RPCVs from across the country as part of the national project, the partnership also generated a special project in 2020 to document the stories of volunteers evacuated from their host countries at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Known as the Evacuated Peace Corps Volunteers Oral History Project, the initiative garnered 58 interviews, 50 of which have been indexed by the Nunn Center and volunteer RPCVs using the Nunn Centers groundbreaking OHMS (Oral History Metadata Synchronizer) technology.

As part of the partnership, the National Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Archives Project and the Nunn Center also collaborated on the Many Faces of Peace Corps initiative, which seeks to shed light on the experiences of RPCVs who identify as members of a non-majority group in the United States.

In 2011, Angene and Jack Wilson published Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers based on their interviews housed in the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (Kentucky) Oral History Project. The University Press of Kentucky is releasingthe book in paperback in July with a new foreword by the current president and CEO of the National Peace Corps Association Glenn Blumhorst and a new series foreword by Boyd.

The Nunn Center for Oral History atUK Libraries'Special Collections Research Centeris recognized around the world as a leader and innovator in the collection and preservation of oral histories. The center is home to over 14,500 oral history interviews that provide a unique look into Kentucky and American history and represent an irreplaceable resource for researchers today and generations from now.The Nunn Centers collections focus on 20th century Kentucky history, Appalachia, Kentucky writers, agriculture, Black history, the history of education, politics and public policy, the civil rights movement, veterans, the university, health care, as well asthe coal, equine and Kentucky bourbon industries.

The Special Collections Research Center at UK Libraries sustains the Commonwealths memory and serves as the essential bridge between past, present and future. By preserving materials documenting the social, cultural, economic and political history of Kentucky, the center provides rich opportunities for students to expand their worldview and enhance their critical thinking skills. Special Collections Research Center materials are used by scholars worldwide to advance original research and pioneer creative approaches to scholarship. UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is the Archives, the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, the King Library Press, the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center, the Bert T. Combs Appalachian Collection, the John G. Heyburn Initiative and ExploreUK.

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60 Years of Peace Corps History Preserved Through New, Continuing Partnerships With UK Libraries' Nunn Center - UKNow

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Effective April 1, 2021, Philadelphia's Fair Criminal RecordScreening Standards Ordinance (FCRSS) will protect not only jobapplicants but also current employees, independent contractors andgig workers.

The FCRSS prohibits employers from inquiring into acandidate's criminal history until after a conditionalemployment decision has been made. Under the amended FCRSS,employers cannot automatically exclude applicants orcurrent employees, independent contractors and gig workers withcriminal conviction records from a job or class of jobs. Instead,employers must make an individualized assessment of therelationship between the conviction and the particular position,based upon six factors listed in the ordinance. If an employerrejects an applicant or current employee based on his or hercriminal record, the employer is required to notify the candidatein writing and provide the basis for its decision as well as a copyof the criminal history report.

Previously, the FCRSS only applied to job applicants. Under theamendments, employers cannot consider an applicant orcurrent employee's criminal history during the "employmentprocess," which includes reemployment or continued employment,such as a promotion, raise or termination. After making theconditional employment decision (whether that be a job offer,promotion, raise or termination), employers can consider acandidate's criminal history in accordance with theindividualized assessment and notice requirements in theordinance.

The amendments provide that employers are permitted to inquireand require employees to respond to inquiries aboutpending criminal charges when certain conditions are metand to require employees to report pending criminalcharges provided that the employer does so pursuant to a writtenpolicy detailing what offenses are reportable. While the amendmentsdescribe the circumstances under which an employer may take adverseaction against an employee based on a pending criminal charge, inlight of the restrictions under Pennsylvania's Criminal HistoryRecord Information Act (CHRIA) relative to applicants, employersshould focus on the conduct giving rise to the arrest and not thearrest itself to minimize (not eliminate) risk.

The amendments also extend protections to independentcontractors, transportation network company drivers, ride-hailingapp drivers and other gig economy workers. Covered employers nowinclude third parties or entities that facilitate the relationshipof work between two other parties as full- or part-time employeesor as independent contractors.

Previously, the FCRSS provided punitive damages not to exceed$2,000 per violation. Under the amendments, a complainant canrecover liquidated damages equal to the payment of the maximumallowable salary for the job subject to the complaint for a periodof one month, not to exceed a total of $5,000.

Note that the requirements under the city's FCRSS are inaddition to the restrictions under CHRIA and the federal FairCredit Reporting Act (FCRA). For example, the FCRA requires (1)written authorization from the applicant or employee, (2) apre-adverse action notice and (3) a post-adverse action notice. TheFCRSS requires an additional step, namely the employer must providethe applicant or employee with a copy of the criminal historyreport and 10 business days to provide evidence of the inaccuracyof the information or provide an explanation.

Effective March 21, 2021, the amendments to Philadelphia'scredit screening ordinance, which prohibits employers from askingfor or using an applicant or employee's credit history inconnection with employment decisions, update the statute'sprocedural requirements and expanded restrictions to lawenforcement and financial institutions.

Under the amendments, employers are required to follow theprocesses in the federal FCRA and, before taking adverse action,provide the individual with a written copy of the informationrelied upon and the right to dispute such information.

Previously, the city's credit screening ordinance exemptedlaw enforcement agencies and financial institutions. Under theamendments, law enforcement agencies and financial institutions canconduct credit screenings only if another exception under theordinance applies. For example, employers may conduct creditscreenings "pursuant to state or federal law" or if"the job requires an employee to be bonded under City, state,or federal law."

Note that the requirements under the city's ordinance are inaddition to the requirements under the FCRA.

Philadelphia, like many other jurisdictions, continues torestrict the use of criminal history in employment decisions. Inlight of the amended FCRSS, Philadelphia employers should assesswhether and under what circumstances to inquire about an applicantor employee's criminal background. Employers also should reviewtheir hiring and employment practices to ensure compliancewith the FCRSS as well as Pennsylvania's CHRIA, including withrespect to gig workers and contractors. In doing so, employers helpensure that they are complying with existing FCRSS website postingrequirements.

Employers should also be mindful that the U.S. Equal EmploymentOpportunity Commission (EEOC) and other government agenciesencourage case-by-case evaluation of an applicant's criminalconviction history as a means of combatting unlawfuldiscrimination. For example, in its 2012 Enforcement Guidance on the consideration of criminal recordsin employment decisions, the EEOC stated that the disqualificationof applicants based on criminal records may have a disparate impacton certain racial and ethnic groups. The EEOC Enforcement Guidancerecommends that employers conduct individualized assessments using,as a starting point, the "green" factors, which are: (1)the nature and gravity of the offense or conduct; (2) the time thathas passed since the offense, conduct and/or completion of thesentence; and (3) the nature of the job. Under Philadelphia'sFCRSS, employers must consider additional factors, including anyevidence of rehabilitation. Further, employers operating outside ofPennsylvania must be mindful that states such as California, Illinois and New York impose additional requirements and/orrestrictions, such as with respect to notices to applicants andemployees, convictions that can and cannot be considered andfactors that must be applied when making employment decisions.

Additionally, all Philadelphia employers, including lawenforcement and financial institutions, should reevaluate theircredit screening processes in light of Philadelphia's creditscreening ordinance, in addition to compliance with the federalFCRA.

For More Information

If you have any questions about this Alert, pleasecontact Jonathan A. Segal,Jonathan D.Wetchler, Elisabeth Bassani,any of the attorneys in our Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group orthe attorney in the firm with whom you are regularly incontact.

Disclaimer: This Alert has beenprepared and published for informational purposes only and is notoffered, nor should be construed, as legal advice. For moreinformation, please see the firm's full disclaimer.

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Philadelphia Expands Criminal History And Credit Screening Ordinances, Further Restricting Employment Decisions - Employment and HR - United States -...

At first glance, Deliveroos stock market debut should have been a runaway success. The food delivery startup was a darling of the UK tech scene, and growing fast thanks to surging demand during the pandemic. Amazon recently bought 16% of the company in a major vote of confidence.

But Londons biggest IPO since 2011 was an unmitigated disaster. The stock plunged when trading started on Wednesday, and the shares eventually closed 26% below their listing price, wiping almost 2 billion ($2.8 billion) off Deliveroos initial market capitalization. The stock lost another 1.9% on Thursday.

The opening day performance marks the worst London debut for a major IPO in at least two decades, according to data provider Dealogic. One of the companys bankers told the Financial Times that it was the worst IPO in Londons history.

Why did investors shun Deliveroo when they couldnt get enough of rivals including DoorDash, which soared 85% in its Wall Street debut last year? A host of factors were behind the flop, experts say, including pricing, timing, uncertain business prospects, concerns over how the company treats workers and increased regulatory risks facing gig economy companies.

The initial price was just incorrect, said Alasdair Haynes, the CEO of Aquis Exchange, an upstart rival to the London Stock Exchange and the CBOE. The people with egg on the face here are the advisers, he added.

JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs were the lead investment banking advisers on the IPO. JPMorgan declined to comment. Goldman Sachs did not respond to a request for comment.

Citing volatile global market conditions, Deliveroo had set the IPO price at the very bottom of the range it was targeting, despite insisting that it had very significant demand from institutions across the globe. But even that was way too high for investors to stomach.

While recent stock market jitters didnt help, concerns about regulatory changes that could affect how gig economy companies pay their workers were a much bigger factor, said Sophie Lund-Yates, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.

Several large institutional investors, including Aberdeen Standard Investments and BMO Global Asset Management, pointed to regulatory risk and the limited rights given to Deliveroo workers when they announced days before the IPO that they would not apply for shares.

Deliveroos listing came just two weeks after Uber decided to reclassify all its drivers but not its food delivery couriers as workers, a move that could force other gig economy companies to rethink how they operate.

The decision followed a UK Supreme Court ruling that Uber drivers should be classified as workers, and not independent contractors, entitling them to minimum wage, paid vacation time and a pension.

In light of the Uber ruling, Deliveroos practice of hiring riders as independent contractors with limited rights is a significant financial risk for shareholders, James Bevan, chief investment officer at CCLA, an asset manager for charities and religious organizations, said in a video commentary ahead of the listing.

Forced pension contributions would compress Deliveroos already thin margins, added Lund-Yates.

Deliveroo has yet to turn a profit, despite conditions being as good as they have ever been for a food delivery service, and it is losing money on most if not all deliveries, she added. If you add that on top of the regulatory risk theres a huge question over how margins get off the ground.

Investors also expressed concerns about future growth, especially as the United Kingdom exits lockdown and customers return to dining out in restaurants. Deliveroo also faces stiff competition from rivals Uber Eats and Just Eat Takeaway.

We find it very difficult to understand how we can value a company that has yet to turn a profit and yet where the forward looking perspective for the business opportunity is quite so uncertain, said Bevan.

Deliveroo founder and CEO Will Shu was upbeat about the companys prospects on Wednesday, pointing to plans to invest in delivery-only kitchens and provide customers with more choice. Our aim is to build the definitive online food company and were very excited about the future ahead, he said in a statement.

Deliveroos ownership structure may also have played a role in its icy stock market reception. It has two classes of shares, allowing its founder to retain control of the company following an IPO, which may have been on the minds of some of the institutional investors, according to Lund-Yates.

Dual class shares are allowed on the London Stock Exchange but not for its premium segment, which provides the pool of blue-chip companies that make up indexes such as the FTSE 100. The UK government is considering removing that restriction, despite opposition from major institutional investors.

We have strong reservations about allowing dual class share structures into the premium segment, head of UK equities at Aberdeen Standard Investments, Andrew Millington, said in a statement shared with CNN Business. We believe that the high standards of the premium listing segment are important to provide protection and reassurance to the many millions of individuals who have their savings invested in these companies, he added.

But theres more to the Deliveroo story. After all, many tech companies use the same structure. Brent Hoberman, the co-founder of Founders Factory, an accelerator that helps startups to grow, pointed to e-commerce company The Hut Group, whose shares soared in their London IPO last September, as an example.

Dual class shares are also common in the United States and allowed on stock exchanges in Hong Kong, Singapore and China. They are also permitted in Amsterdam, which has overtaken London as Europes top share trading center following Brexit.

The Deliveroo disaster could deal another blow to London, and its renewed efforts to attract more tech company listings.

Brexit has forced banks to relocate some activity away from London, putting its undisputed position as the regions top financial capital at risk.

Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, who earlier hailed Deliveroo as a true British tech success story, was forced to defend the companys stock market performance on Wednesday during an interview with broadcaster ITV.

Share prices go up, share prices go down Its important businesses like that feel that they can stay in the UK to raise capital, he said.

Thats likely to be of little consolation to the 70,000 retail investors who took part in the IPO buying shares worth 50 million ($68.9 million). Thats the biggest participation by small investors in a London listing in years, and the flop could deter them from taking part in future deals.

Hoberman is still optimistic about the outlook for tech company IPOs in London.

This means that some of the frothier IPOs may get pulled but it wont affect high quality companies, he said. And theres still another tech company on the [London Stock Exchange] worth over 5 billion ($6.9 billion), he added.

Thats Deliveroo, despite its dismal debut.

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London needed a win. Instead it got its worst IPO in history - KTVZ

By Staff | on April 02, 2021

It was just 104 years ago today, April 2, 1917, when President Wilson, the man who had run on avoiding the war in Europe, asked Congress to declare war on Germany. And Congress granted the declaration. Societal upheavals change with the tide of the mob, and in this instance, when the loudest voices declared peace and isolationism, they then started to call for war. The popular song of the day was I Didnt Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier, it was then replaced with Over There. And thus we did, the American Soldier has never been ordinary, but extraordinary. Not to insult any allies, but the Americans won the day, but at a terrible cost, and the war that was meant to end all wars, only created more troubles, more wars, and arguably still today, many of our 21st century problems. General Sherman once was quoted for saying War is Hell, but another quote follows, that War is the legitimate object of Peace. Leadership demands that one should know the difference between the two.

The rest is here:

This Day In History, April 2nd, 2021 - "The Great War" - Signals AZ

INDIO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 12: Singer Rose of BLACKPINK performs onstage during the 2019 Coachella ... [+] Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 12, 2019 in Indio, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella)

Ros enjoyed a massive week on charts all around the world last week, especially in the U.S., where her one debut on the Hot 100 made waves, and history, in multiple fashions. In fact, with just a single...single...Ros managed feats no other musician from her home country ever had, and she mixed up a number of longstanding all-time rankings among South Korean stars.

Heres a look at the history Ros made on the Hot 100 last week when her song On The Ground made its triumphant debut.

Third South Korean Musician To Chart Solo And With A Group

Thanks in large part to her years with Blackpink, arguably the biggest girl group in K-pop and one of the most successful all-female vocal acts in the business right now, Ros had a built-in fan base ready to support her as she ventured out on her own. All those devoted listeners helped her become the third South Korean musician to hit the Hot 100 both on her own and with the group that turned her into a star.

Blackpink has now accrued seven Hot 100 placements, and Ros now claims one. She joins J-Hope and Suga (operating as Agust D) in this feat, as those two BTS members have also found their way to the chart solo and with their band.

Second South Korean Female Soloist

Tough as it may be to believe at this point, Ros is just the second solo female musician from South Korea to make it to the Hot 100 in the charts decades-long history. She follows in the footsteps of CL, who managed to place a pair of tracks with her name attached on to the tally several years ago.

Fifth South Korean Soloist

Including CL, Ros is now just the fifth South Korean solo artist to land on the Hot 100 at any point, with any kind of song. Psy leads the charge with the most hits on the all-encompassing tally, as hes now scored four smashes, including one with CL. Two members of the seven members of BTS, J-Hope and Agust D (or Suga when hes working with his bandmates) have also appeared on the list with their solo work.

Highest-Charting Song By A South Korean Female Soloist

Only three songs by South Korean female soloists have ever planted themselves on the Hot 100, and Ross On The Ground now stands as the highest-charting of the bunch. CLs collaboration with Psy, Daddy, peaked at No. 97 on the chart, while her own Lifted only rose a few spots higher, settling at No. 94 a year later.

Ross No. 70 placement is obviously a much better showing, and for now, its the biggest success of the trio.

Fourth-Highest-Charting Song By A South Korean Soloist

Looking at all songs pushed to the Hot 100 by South Korean solo musicians, Ross On The Ground is not the highest-charting release, but it does rank inside the top five.

Three of Psys singles, Gangnam Style, Gentleman and Hangover with Snoop Dogg, still hold as the best-performing tracks by solo stars from South Korea. Those titles peaked at Nos. 2, 5 and 26, respectively. On The Ground comes in at No. 4 on this specific ranking, replacing Agust Ds "Daechwita," which now has to settle for being the fifth-highest-charting in this specific group.

Excerpt from:

All The Ways Blackpinks Ros Made Hot 100 History With On The Ground - Forbes

INDIANAPOLIS The weight of the line, not the lure, unspools the reel. The timing, the rhythm whisk the fly back and forth before it lands in the desired spot.

The physical act takes a mental approach, of knowing the type of hatch for the season, the riffles where the fish like to feed.

Mark Few understood none of this when he first picked up a pole. His idea of fishing back then was to attach a blob of Magic Bait and drop it beneath a bobber.

In the years since, Few has transformed himself into a skilled fly fisherman through wits and will.

Hes molded Gonzaga basketball in a similar manner, amalgamating mind and body into an offensive juggernaut.

Theyre both kind of an artform, former Gonzaga and current Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said. Hes a very accomplished fly fisherman, but he didnt start out that way. And this whole program, his offense, everything has been an evolution of 20 years, kind of brick-by-brick building.

Gonzaga enters the final weekend of the college basketball season on the cusp of history. The Bulldogs are two wins from becoming Division Is first undefeated team since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers.

Theyve gotten here with an offense thats evolved into a hardwood orchestra through years of honing, talented parts fusing to make beautiful basketball music.

Gonzagas offense has been unlike anything college basketball has seen in decades, maybe ever. The Zags (30-0) led the nation in scoring by more than six points per game and have yet to be tested, winning a Division I-record 27 straight games by double figures.

Theyve mauled four straight opponents in the NCAA Tournament to reach the Final Four for the second time in five years. Beat UCLA on Saturday and theyll play for a national championship and a chance at history.

Its so cool to see it go from ground zero all the way up to where it is, Few said.

Few has been the engineer, turning a small Jesuit school in eastern Washington into a national powerhouse by thinking big and refusing to shrink from his convictions.

When Few joined Dan Fitzgeralds staff as a graduate assistant in 1990, Gonzaga basketball was an afterthought in the regional scene, much less nationally. The Zags had struggled for so long, Fitzgerald used to joke with his assistants that they were wasting their time and the schools money.

Few wasnt buying it. He had a more ambitious future in mind.

Even after the program reached the regional final in 1999, Monson didnt see continued success as being feasible at such a small school. Other West Coast teams like Santa Clara, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount had faded after making March magic, so Monson figured the Zags were headed for a similar fall.

You saw it happen with other schools, so it just didnt seem sustainable, Monson said. Mark has always been convinced we could do it.

Few began building well before he was named head coach after Monson left for Minnesota in 1999.

As an assistant under Fitzgerald, Few used his own money to upgrade to nicer rental cars so recruits didnt think the school had no money. No need to mention he and Monson slept on peoples floors because they couldnt afford hotel rooms, either.

Few recruited above the programs status at the time, refusing to accept that players being courted by Pac-10 schools would never choose Gonzaga. When Fitzgerald told his assistants it was a waste of time to recruit those kids, it only fortified Fews resolve.

It just irritated Mark that it got to the point he would only recruit guys that would be recruited by the Pac-10, Monson said. He really started changing the thinking of the program. We dont have to take a back seat to any of these schools.

And theres almost no sense arguing once Few has locked onto something.

Few knows basketball. Hes proven that. Hes also well-rounded and firm opinions come with the territory. Even when friends say, Mark, youre wrong, they know to expect a rebuttal, backed up by facts.

Losing an argument, like losing on the basketball court, is not an option.

Hes very stubborn, hes very competitive and hes going to come across like hes doing you the favor, Monson said. Hell make you feel like this is the wrong idea, like you dont know what youre doing. He wont tell you that, but youll walk away feeling that way.

Thing is, hes usually right. On a basketball court, theres no doubting it.

Few has built a national powerhouse on conviction.

Those early recruits who believed him set the foundation. Higher-rated recruits followed from success, propelling the program farther.

Few got his players to believe in their abilities, make smart decisions, accept criticism and praise equally.

His system, adapted over the years to the game and the players, became the standard of offensive basketball in the college game.

Theres not a lot of sugar coating, but theres never any demeaning, said Tommy Lloyd, Fews assistant the past 20 years. I think the guys get pretty comfortable when he tells them something, hes thought it through, he thinks its important and he means it.

Few also was right about another thing: Gonzaga can play for national championships.

When its over, win or lose, hell be back on the water, chasing his other favorite mind-and-body pursuit.

Read more:

Few puts Gonzaga on cusp of history - The Columbian

EDINBURG, Texas (KVEO) The Old Hidalgo County Jail in Edinburg was built in 1910. It is a historical landmark with Rio Grande Valley history locked in its cells.

Designed in a Spanish Mission Revival Style, it was one of the first buildingsintown after the county seat moved to Edinburgin1908.

The 1910 jail was also used as a community center andinthe 1930s it was turnedinto the Edinburg Fire Station and City Hall.

The secrets it holds remain unknown, as several volunteer firemen bunking on the second-floor claim hearing things throughout the night.

Theres a number of stories here, said Francisco Guajardo, Chief Executive Officer of The Museum of South Texas History. Theres no question the Rio Grande Valley is richinhistory.

Shackledbeneath the original walls, still standing, is the story of prisoners, jailers, and everything in between.

More than 110 years later, the original Hidalgo County Jail has been restored and has reopened its doors, but this time to the public.

Inmany ways, South Texas is shaped by the stories here at the museum, said Guajardo who started a campaign to restore the historic jail to its original roots.

To fully renovate and restore, the museum raised $3 million inprivate funding to bring these walls and their stories back to life.

In January, they completed the restoration and have officially re-opened the exhibit to anyone looking to catch a glimpse of the past.

Detailed exhibits, featuring real life items from the jail and its inmates are on display.

Everything from shackles of the era, to guns and even the original jail logs are inside the jail.

You can see howin1911, according to thejail docket, it would show the offenses, this is the actual record sheet, murder, robbery, this one says theft of sheep and goats, so thats why someone was broughtin, said Guajardo.

It is not just records still in the jail, but the tales of people that lived and worked there. Some may have never left.

This is a cool story here, this was the jailer and his wife, explained Guajardo with photos of the couple. The jailer was Nemesio Cortina and his wife, Marcela, he was working for John Closner at his plantation, John Closner was the Hidalgo County Sheriff at the time, so he brought him to work here at the jail and so he brought this wife and they worked here.

He diedinthe jail and when he died, she assumed the responsibilities of jailer.

The same steps the jailer fell to death are still there.

Nemesios death was far from the only one at the old county jail.

There was also a Lopez Brother who committed suicideinthis jail and one day after he killed himself, he was actually ruled not guilty, said Guajardo.

The story of the Lopez Brothers goes, that on July 9, 1910, near Mercedes, two brothers, Jose and Bartolo, were arrested for the murder of farmer Fred Luschen.

Police officers arrived in time before Luschens workers were set to hang the two brothers themselves for the murder.

Police took the two brothers to the Old Hidalgo County Jail, where one pled guilty and the other, not guilty.

After being found guilty of first-degree murder, the court set their date for execution by hanging on December 28, 1910, but before that, one of the Lopez brothers took his own life inside the holding cell.

Then, there is the story of Abram Ortiz.

Abram Ortiz was hanged. It was done officially, right hereinthis room, said Guajardo as he stands inside the Hanging Room.

But in 1913 a murderer lurkedinthe shadows.

At a ranch, there was a couple coming back from Reynosa. They came across the river and Abram Ortiz and this other man lurkedinthe brush and waited for this couple to come and they killed theman and took the woman, said Guajardo. They raped the woman and eventually she escaped. She went to the authorities. The authorities apprehended Abram Ortiz and the other man ran back toMexico and they never found him.

The Abram Ortiz story was far from over.

Abram Ortiz was found guilty of murder, but it was not clear if he was the killer.

On May 1, 1913, Abram Ortiz was brought into the Death Watch Cell at the Old Hidalgo County Jail.

The next day he was hanged on the gallows, and spectators throughout the region went to see.

The day he was hanged became a public spectacle because it wasinall the newspapers and people from all over South Texas to witness the hanging of Abram Ortiz, said Guajardo.

The court transcript and police records from Abrams arrest are on display throughout the cell he was originally held in.

However, murder and hangings are not the only things hidden between the cells.

It is also the founding leaders of the Rio Grande Valley.

We have Faces De La Frontera so we feature four people, Silvestra Pea Perez of Starr County, Juan Alamia of Edinburg, Nathaniel Jackson of Pharr, and Emilia Schunior-Ramirez of Edinburg.

Emilia Schunior-Ramirez is one of the very first graduates of Edinburg High School.

She would go on to earn her Masters degree at the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg.

Schunior-Ramirezwould go on to teach at multiple school districtsinthe RGV.

Ramirez now has several schools and even university dormitories named after her.

Emilias son, Alfonso Ramirez, endedupbecoming the first Hispanic mayor of Edinburginthe 1950s.

We also feature Nathaniel Jackson who was from the Jackson Family RanchinPharr and that was historical because it was part of the underground railroad, where he and his family helped runaway slaves cross the river and into freedom,said Guajardo.

Whether it is the roots of historical pioneers of the Rio Grande Valley or the hanging of an Edinburg man, one thing is certain, the Museum of South TexasHistoryholds secrets and mysteries of Hidalgo County.

My favorite thing is what we dont know about it. If you walk through the jail, youll see theres a lot of questions that leave to the imagination and curiosity, the next step is to go find out what happened to that trial of Abram Ortiz, what happened to the Lopez brothers as well, or Chapin? The citywas named about him, then he killed someone, and it had to be renamed Edinburg, theres just so much mystery there are so many things we dont know, said Guajardo.

The Old Hidalgo County Jail is now open for visitors fromTuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For the month of April, the museum will have free admission.

Visitors must reserve a timed ticket by visiting their website or calling at(956) 383-6911. All museum visitors are required to wear a mask and social distance.

Go here to see the original:

LOCKED UP IN HISTORY: A look inside the original Old Hidalgo County Jail - KGBT-TV

Monday, March 22, was Stephen Sondheims birthday, his 91st, and it came and went without one of the star-packed concert extravaganzas that marked previous milestones in the composers life, musical celebrations that were staged at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center and are still racking up views on YouTube.

Even last year, as Covid-19 was in its first months of devastating New York City and had already scotched the planned opening night of the 50th anniversary Broadway production of Company an opening night that also would have marked the composers 90th birthday the theater community came together, virtually and a month after the fact, to sing the great mans songs in a remarkable, precedent-setting Zoom-style benefit event. Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Celebration was livestreamed on April 26 as a sort of pandemic rain date for Companys stolen night.

None of which is to say that Sondheims most recent birthday passed without commemoration: In perhaps the strongest public pledge yet that Broadways revival of Company headlined by Katrina Lenk and Patti LuPone would be back, producers of the Marianne Elliott-directed production tweeted a short video clip of Lenk, in character as Bobbie, plugging an electrical cord into a socket and lighting up a big neon Company sign. Coming back to Broadway. Tickets on sale soon, the promo promises, listing the names of Lenk and LuPone to vanquish any doubt. Two of the tweets hashtags were #WaitForUs and #BroadwayWillBeBack.

Broadways Company One Year After Covid Shutdown: Patti LuPone, Katrina Lenk And A Dozen Co-Stars Chronicle A 12-Month Pause In Being Alive An Oral History

As New York and its live venues begin the slow inching toward a vaccinated reopening, Companys March 22 tweet was as solid a Broadway forecast as were likely to get before the citys weather turns steamy. Company producer Chris Harper tells Deadline that a marketing campaign and a ticket plan will kick into gear as soon as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo gives the all-clear signal, hopefully in April or May, with a target of returning to the stage this fall.

Broadways Company During The Covid Shutdown, Part 2 Of An Oral History: The Dark Summer

Even before the tweet, the Company principal cast shared with Deadline the hopes, dreams and trepidations for the coming year. In Part 1 and Part 2 of Deadlines Company pandemic-year oral history, the cast recalled a spring, summer, fall and winter in shutdown mode. Now, in Part 3, the company of Company LuPone, Lenk, Bobby Conte Thornton, Matt Doyle, Christopher Fitzgerald, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard, Terence Archie, Etai Benson, Nikki Rene Daniels, Claybourne Elder, Greg Hildreth, Kyle Dean Massey and Rashidra Scott look ahead, pondering both the rewards to come and the tolls to be paid.

All interviews were conducted separately, and in several instances via email, and have been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Patti LuPone as Joanne

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Katrina Lenk as Bobbie

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Terence Archie, Patti LuPone, Katrina Lenk, 'Company'

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(L-R) Rashidra Scott as Susan, Katrina Lenk as Bobbie, and Greg Hildreth as Peter

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(L-R) Katrina Lenk as Bobbie, Claybourne Elder as Andy, Kyle Dean Massey as Theo, and Bobby Conte Thornton as P.J.

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(L-R) Katrina Lenk as Bobbie, Christopher Fitzgerald as David, and Nikki Rene Daniels as Jenny

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(L-R) Katrina Lenk as Bobbie and Matt Doyle as Jamie

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(L-R) Etai Benson as Paul and Matt Doyle as Jamie

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(L-R) Christopher Sieber as Harry, Jennifer Simard as Sarah, Katrina Lenk as Bobbie, and Patti LuPone as Joanne

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Claybourne Elder (Andy, originally April) Actors are not nurses. Were not saving lives. If anybody can stay home, we can, and that is nothing against my community. I think most of us feel that way. We absolutely should have stopped exactly when we did and we should not come back until its entirely safe.

But what Im worried about the most, frankly, is not for me, whos at mid-career. Im going to be fine, Patti LuPone is going to be fine. Its the kids that just showed up and who were just barely going to make it that I worry about, especially young people of color. I was never a trust fund kid but I was fine and I had people to support me. When I showed up in New York and was taking that huge risk because I hadnt graduated from a fancy school, I knew that the worst case scenario was that I could go back and live at my parents house and they would take care of me. That is not the case for most people, and the chance to do this dream is completely crushed for a large group who are now back in their hometowns working at Applebees because they have student loans to pay. Theres no miracle chance that theyre going to book a Broadway show. Theres no chance to even be in New York working at a restaurant and making good tip money. Those kids are gone, and what is Broadway going to do in several years when we need them? Are only the really lucky and the really privileged going to come back?

I know that there are a lot of organizations that have gathered around this topic about helping the next generation, helping kids get paid internships, getting them in the door, but when were talking about bail-outs or funding or backing or whatever you want to call it, it shouldnt be just about helping people like me pay their mortgages. It has to help those 19-year-old kids who blew their shot and were living in New York for six months trying to go to auditions and waking up at 5 in the morning to wait in lines and then had to leave the city. How can we help a person like that?

Nikki Rene Daniels (Jenny) At the risk of sounding cheesy, I just love singing. Its the passion of my life, other than my family. Even when Im not working, Im always singing or practicing or learning, going back to my old opera aria books and trying to learn a song. But I miss being with a cast. The special thing about Broadway is that its different every night. Ive done a few little TV gigs and stuff since weve been off, and you feel like you dont have control over the final product of your own performance. Even with these virtual concerts Ive been doing, you tape a song four different times, and you dont know which one theyre going to use. Now, yes, it has been nice to not feel the pressure or the instant worry when you get a sniffle or a sore throat and you have eight shows to do and youre like oh, no, am I going to be out? But being on Broadway, every night the show is different, and alive, and you feel like your performance is your own. I did The Book of Mormon for four years and there was always an understudy or a new cast member or something that just kept it so fresh, and thats so specific to Broadway.

Christopher Fitzgerald (David) Its unbelievable what theater has survived. People doing plays in front of each other is the most elemental thing to our humanity. Its going to be unreal when people are back singing songs on stage. Its going to be overwhelming. I was thinking about something the other day. Years and years ago,I went to Belize with my wife, and we went caving in Mayan caves. We were deep in these caves for an hour or two, with this guy we didnt even know, some random guy who was showing us these caves, and it was really dark, and wet, and I was like, oh my god, if this guy passes out, well never get out of here.

Finally, he leads us back out, and I just remember how lush everything looked, and how overwhelmed I was by the colors, and the sounds, and the saturation of the world after leaving this dark, dark cave. I keep thinking about that, and about how its going to feel so colorful and beautiful when this pandemic is over, and were going to be hugged by music and by stories. Its going to be overwhelming, I think.

Terence Archie (Larry) Some things are always going to be essential in a more immediate sense. We need food and water, you know, but theres also that essential quality of connection. We go to the theater to connect. Thats why people dont mind when theyre sitting in those small seats in so many of these Broadway theaters where were right on top of each other. Were there not just because we want to be there, but because we need to be there, and we need to have our lives and our realities reflected back onto ourselves. Thats what the theater does. We can have catharsis. Food and drink dont necessarily do that. Im a fan of food and drink. I love food and drink, but they dont really feed my spirit, you know? The theater is essential. We need the culture of theater to keep us sane. I believe that.

Patti LuPone (Joanne) Even with the vaccine and even with this industry that needs to come back because of the amount of money it generates for New York City and the amount of businesses that depend on Broadway doesnt Broadway make more money than all the sports teams in New York combined? its not up to us. Its up to the audience. Right now I dont know who wants to sit in a theater with a mask on their face. Its already a pain in the ass to sit next to people in the theater.

Katrina Lenk(Bobbie, originally Robert) I try to make the best of the situation, working out and keeping physically fit as much as I can, singing and practicing every day, working on new music, working on my own music, and eating, and watching way too much television. Sometimes Ill play a game of What would my character Bobbie be doing right now? Whats Bobbie like with Covid? Hows she dealing with all of her anxiety? Would she have a Peloton? Probably not, so maybe she will run up and down the stairs in her apartment building, but then she would get freaked out that maybe she doesnt have symptoms but shes a Covid carrier and if she breathes too much in the stairwell the elderly lady down the hall will catch it when she throws out the garbage, and so no running up and down the stairs. Shes probably just wrecked with her anxiety, but also has the relief of, oh, I guess I dont have to worry about being in a relationship right now because how do you start a new relationship on Zoom? So the pressures not there but the clock is still ticking, and shes wrestling with loneliness and being an introvert. Maybe shell get a fish, but then what if she messes up and overfeeds the fish or doesnt clean the tank and the fish dies? So she wont get a fish.

Bobby Conte Thornton(PJ, originally Marta) If the final stage of grief is acceptance, I think our version of acceptance right now is just acknowledging that we dont know. You cant hold out for something that is very much not in your control. You have to sort of take stock of your new reality and try to find daily purpose and daily joy while understanding how fortunate we are to have this job waiting for us whenever theater can come back.

Greg Hildreth (Peter) Ive been teaching acting on Zoom, and I finally met my student yesterday in the park, outdoors, in person because I was like fuck this Zoom. So we met in Prospect Park for a little acting lesson. It felt kind of human.

Kyle Dean Massey (Theo, renamed from the original Kathy) I love doing the show and Ive really enjoyed the cast but Ive had to kind of just release it, you know? However its going to be its going to be. Performing is a really wonderful thing, but if youre going to do a Broadway show its kind of depressing if theres no one out there. I dont know that anybody wants to go back and do a show if people arent going to be able to come see it. Its hard to know, especially when you live on the other side of the country like I do. Am I going to pack up my bags and go there again in hopes that we have a run under us? I dont know. Ive kind of quit trying to speculate.

Claybourne Elder I think it is inevitable that it will come back. My mood today is one of a person who feels so optimistic because we have a new president and I feel like the sun just came out for the first time in a very long time.

Broadway will come back and people will be so hungry for live performance, to sit in a theater and see actual people that they will come in throngs. I think it will be stronger than ever. For all the shows that have unfortunately closed for good, my heart just aches, but we have to get something else going. We have to start up again. I hope that our show is back. I have every intention that I will be, and I believe that our producers are very confident that Company will be back, but anything is possible. I think if weve learned anything this year its that anything is possible.

Christopher Sieber (Harry) Our producers have pandemic insurance, so our show will come back. We do know that for certain, so I do have a job, we all have a job. Its just when will we go back to that job, thats the thing.

I was scrolling back to pictures from a year ago when we were still in rehearsals and I was looking at myself. Back then I was thinking that I was going to try to lose some weight. Now I look back at those pictures from a year ago and Im like, you know, I wasnt so bad.

Etai Benson (Paul) Our producers have given us confidence. Every time theyve touched base with us, theyve never revealed any sort of fear or insecurity that we would not come back. When Broadway comes back, we will be there, and I have every intention of staying with the show.

I love this show. I think the best art is always relevant during whatever time it plays in. A good play is always relevant, and I think Company will just resonate differently when we come back. This is a musical about self-isolation, and even the way our set works is that its often all of us crammed in a tiny box. I think thats going to read very differently to a post-pandemic audience. Bobbie sings alone is alone, not alive, and I think about all the people who have had to be alone during this time, or have lost people and are now alone, and what those words will mean and what those images of all of us crammed in a box will mean in a post-pandemic world. Its going to resonate so differently than it would have in March of 2020. Im looking forward to being a part of that.

Bobby Conte Thornton My character P.J., who in the original production was named Marta, sings Another Hundred People which is one of the greatest songs Stephen Sondheim has ever written, and its also one of the quintessential New York City songs ever written. The way we interpreted it back when we were doing the show in the Before Time was really so special. It had been portrayed in the London production as a Brit who had just immigrated to the States, so the song was not only sung as someone in awe of New York City but in awe of America, and it was staged in a very specific way. All of that was thrown out the window when it came to Broadway, so it felt like a real privilege and an honor to be given the responsibility of taking something from nothing and trying to find what it was.

I dont know whether the way Im going to interpret it will be different when we reopen, whether there will be more trepidation in the way of someone literally with more fear in his voice singing about another hundred people getting off of a train. This character, as described by George Furth, proclaims to be the soul of New York. Marianne Elliott described him to me as like a lightning bolt, a thunder clap, someone who takes this energy from the ground below him and puts it back out into the city, and towards this woman Bobbie that hes so infatuated with.

But I dont think I can live in that space. I need to live in a mindset of awe and curiosity and wonder and joy, while still conveying whats so great about this song. At one moment it can be about endless wonder, endless possibilities, endless opportunities for connection, but on the flipside, especially in our 2021 world, about the disposability of love, of saying, I feel this connection with someone but is that good enough? Because I could just go get on my phone

Patti LuPone My dilemma is, Will I have the energy to go back to work? Will I have the energy, especially, to go back on stage? You know, doing television or a film doesnt require the same physical energy that eight shows a week on stage requires. I mean, I have phenomenal energy. I am a descendent of Italian peasants, so I have phenomenal energy. But will I have stage fright? Will I be able to get back on the bike? I dont know that, and I also dont know if I even want to. Its been so long that Im questioning my desire to continue in this business.

Were told were going to go back, but I dont know. I dont know anything. Thats the worst part. And the longer we dont do it, the more I question my desire to do any of it. Everybody wants it to go back, but when that happens, it could be two years that I havent been on stage.

Vocally, Ive got cords of steel. Im doing a demo record for a friend of mine, and the guy thats working with me cant believe the shape of my voice, nor can I. It sounds like I made a pact with the devil because I havent lost any of my high notes, and Im singing better than Ive ever sung before. I havent belted Fs since Evita, and Im belting Fs. So the voice isnt an issue. And the body is much better than its been in a long time. Ive had an injury on my shoulder since Sweeney Todd, and I thought, well, this is the time to get a shoulder replacement. So now Ive had two hips and a shoulder replaced, and Im working out every day.

I suppose the reluctance Im feeling is because Im guarding against disappointment. Can you imagine being in a state of expectation for this long and then, all of a sudden, they go, Well, too bad. I mean, talk about going to the dark recesses of your mind. Im trying to keep myself open to the fact that we are coming back and that we are not coming back. Im trying to figure out how to find a neutral place to be happy, to be emotionally safe in this turbulent time where its all coming at me from every single angle.

I think Im trying to rationalize the possibility of it not coming back. If were all geared up to go back and then we dont, that is a bigger disappointment than saying, Well, I dont know if I want to go back. Oh, theyre not going back? Well then I made the right choice. You know what I mean? Its a lesser emotional letdown if you just sort of go, Yeah, maybe itll happen, maybe it wont.

Katrina Lenk Im really working on not planning things. Or only planning things very, very loosely. At the beginning of Covid I felt like I had to hold on to Company really tightly the story, the choreography, the music, the ideas, all of it. I had to make sure that it was really close and I could feel it in my hands. Now it sort of feels like a balloon on a string, and Im letting the string go farther and farther and farther. The balloon is up there, I can feel it if I tug, and when its time to reel it in, Ill reel it in.

Terence Archie With this ever-growing appreciation for having the ability to do what Ive been able to do, and how much the world really needs it, I feel like I have a renewed sense of purpose and responsibility that may not have even been achieved without this very humbling experience, you know? Yeah.

Matt Doyle (Jamie, originally Amy) The darkest was right before the election and right before the vaccines were announced, around September and October. Our industry and all of our producers were hoping that maybe the vaccines would be 70 percent effective, and then we got the announcement of being 95 percent effective. We cant really overstate how incredible that is.

Jennifer Simard (Sarah) I think psychologically there has been a real shift, where you feel, okay, I did it for ten months, I can do it for five more, six more, eight more. You know? Its like running a marathon and having someone hand you a Dixie cup of lemonade at the right moment.

Claybourne Elder I was really lucky to have a child through this time, especially a toddler because they require so much attention and they dont require you to be happy. I want him to be happy. The gift of the year was that I got to spend an entire year with my son before he becomes school age. I got to really know him in a way that I probably wouldnt have gotten to know him if I had been in a Broadway show, busy, busy, busy.

Another wonderful thing is our producers reached out to all of us early on and said this is an incredibly difficult time for everyones mental health and we would love to help you with some sessions with a therapist. They paid for anyone who wanted to go to therapy for a while. I took them up on it. I mean, I dont think there was a time in which I felt like something was taken away from me in an inappropriate way or in a way that was not justified, and there was so much else in the world to worry about, but having something so exciting with so much momentum taken away so quickly was incredibly sad, incredibly hard.

I dont have a wonderful metaphor prepared for all this so just go with me: Its like youre eating ice cream and the ice cream gets taken away. It was nourishing you in some way and you loved it, but crying about it doesnt make anybody feel bad for you because its ice cream. Its hard for anybody outside the theater like everyone who is in my family to understand what happened this year. To them its like, oh, you didnt get to do your recital. And, okay, it is a recital in a way, but youve worked your whole life to get to do this thing and youre really lucky when you get your few chances. Even if youre a very successful Broadway actor, even after you become famous, most of your life youre not on Broadway. Youre mostly not doing it except for that one year when it happens.

Matt Doyle Just the idea that well get to do it again is what gets me through. The very idea of going into rehearsals is so exciting because weve all just gotten so comfortably numb to the tragedy of it all. I just keep focusing on that. I think everyone in the industry right now is very, very hopeful for a 2021 return, but for the past year weve set the goal posts farther and farther along. So its a cautious optimism at this point.

Rashidra Scott (Susan) Going back to the show, thats the plan, absolutely. Im kind of in a good place because I recently had a Zoom meeting with a new agency. Im going to call them and accept. Thats kind of lit a fire and given me a little pep to my step. Im not just kind of floundering by myself. I also checked the mail today and got some money from a voiceover session that I did at the end of December. And in a few hours my husband and I are getting in the car and driving to see my mom in Virginia. Itll be my first time home in about two years. In this industry, I never get the chance to say Im coming home and I dont know for how long. The last few times have been 36 or 48 hour trips at most. So Im excited, just to have some time home with my mom and my family for a little bit, and for a change of scenery from this little apartment living.

Patti LuPone Let me tell you something else. Since 9/11, I have been afraid on stage because anybody can walk into a theater with a gun and shoot the player, shoot the messenger. Ive had crazy people in the audience. When I was doing Master Class, at the end of the first act I saw someone go up the aisle and leave while Im doing a speech. My head goes, Well, lost one.

But he went out and then came back into the house down the center aisle and screamed, This is shit! This is shit! Fuck Terrence McNally!, and my head went right to, Dont shoot the messenger, dont shoot the messenger. The audience didnt know whether it was part of the show or not.

So Im terrorized. Theyve won with me. They won with me after 9/11, and I am terrorized now with this homegrown terrorism. Not that a Proud Boy or a Boogaloo Boy is going to buy a ticket to Company just to shoot up my ass, but you dont know.I have been vocal about my hatred for Trump, so I dont know how safe I am on stage. I mean, when I said what I said on the red carpet at the Tony Awards three or four years ago, [I hate the motherfucker, 2017] the hate mail was insane. There was maybe one with a rational critique, but the rest of them were crazy, and I thought, well, now Im out there, and now, if I go on stage Im vulnerable.

Its equivalent to stage fright, in that you dont get stage fright every single night, but Ive been on stage and all of a sudden I have stage fright and I dont know why. It just comes over you, and you think, Oh, whats going on? Whats going on? Whats going on? Concentrate. Concentrate. Dont leave the world

I feel a sense of paralysis. I really do, and I think it has to do with all the misinformation that we were made to ingest during those four years with that clown in the White House. So now Im thinking about going back on Broadway, and its almost the last thing in my head. I said this to Marianne Elliott when I was in London in rehearsal for Company and I actually said out loud, I dont know what Im doing here. I think I began to offend her, so I said, no, no, no, this is about America. This is about Trump. I said, I feel superfluous. I feel being on stage doing a musical is superfluous in these times. And in a way, I feel that now. I know that theater is a relief for people in the audience, but what about the people who have to do it?

Jennifer Simard When Company comes back, the scene that I have with Christopher Sieber is quite physical and requires me to be in really good shape. So my next few months or however long it takes is about getting in shape. Its a pandemic, and were all just trying to survive, but I definitely gained the Covid 15.So I bless those pounds,I thank them for their service, and now its time to say goodbye to them. Its time to move on.

Nikki Rene Daniels Ive definitely had a lot of hope since Bidens inauguration, that a concrete plan is being implemented to get us back up and running as a society. I never really lost confidence in Broadway as an industry, because I know that they want us to be back as soon as safely possible, but hearing from our union, and seeing that shows are starting to advertise again is really thrilling.

Bobby Conte Thornton Its hard not to take potential return dates with a grain of salt. Part of me is just waiting for the inevitable delay again, as has happened over and over this past year. But as so many dear friends and colleagues are now getting vaccinated, Im feeling hopeful again. Which is terrifying, as it naturally leaves your heart open to hurt and betrayal. But in a year of continuously managing expectations and putting my own personal grief in perspective as hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives during this pandemic, hope is the feeling thats persevered. And must persevere.

Greg Hildreth January and February were bleak. But my mood is improving as it feels like the light at the end of the tunnel is becoming more realistic. Im a jilted lover and Ive been burned before so Ill remain simultaneously hopeful and cautious. Ill do my best to manage my longing until were really back. I cant wait to get back to work.

Jennifer Simard My mood is one of gratitude and pragmatism. None of this would be happening without science giving us a vaccine in record time, nor a roll out and aid in record time because elections matter. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Senate have helped us. It starts at the top and our city and industry are now able to help us because they are being helped.

Patti LuPone Im working in California [on the HBO Max pilot Ok Boomer], so Im feeling better because Im focused again and Im actually doing what I do, but as far as Broadway is concerned, Im cautious. Last year we were told by the powers that be that we would return in two weeks, then it was in June, then July, and it creates nothing but disappointment when we keep hearing this and it doesnt happen. We were sent an email from our general manager the other day saying we were going into rehearsal in September and then opening in October. And I thought, I dont think so. I dont think thats going to happen. I guess what Im saying is: Stop. Wait until we know were going to open before we keep getting these emails. Its depressing when it doesnt happen.

I personally dont think that Company should come back in the Fall. I think that we should let the big guns open and let them work out all the kinks. You know, Wicked, Hamilton, Lion King, the ones that have been running, that have paid off and are in larger houses and can afford to play to a quarter or half a house. Let them lead the charge, and then lets see what happens.

But I just dont know how I feel, quite frankly. I mean, I am fully vaccinated, and Im about to go onto the set in the studio, and last night we get a mass email saying somebody on our production has Covid. Contact tracing is in place, they are quarantining the people that have been around this person. But I said to my husband, Whoa, Im fully vaccinated and Im still scared! I dont trust anything. I am fully vaccinated and I dont trust anything. Youre talking to somebody who is so fucking gun shy at this point. I guess maybe I was born scared.

Christopher Fitzgerald I talk to my castmates from time to time, and one of our favorite things to talk about is, Whats it going to be like when we go back? Is it going to be hard? Is it going to be easy? Is it going to feel good? And I think Ive come to the conclusion that its going to be a combination of gratitude and sadness, at least for a while.

One of the moments we talk about a lot is the shows opening, probably the most dynamic moment in the show. Bobbie, the lead character, is coming home to an empty apartment, which is this small little box. The rest of us are all spreading across the stage, but throughout the opening number we all find our way inside that box, and then we all are moving around her, like this amoeba of her friends and her life. At one point in the music, we all snap our heads forward and start singing together, and as we sing together, the box starts to move downstage. The audience is unprepared for how close that box gets to them. They always cheer.

I just keep thinking about that moment. This idea that were all in this tiny little box as this company of actors, this company of Company. And were not going to have masks on, and were all going to be together, really close, singing about being a company, about friendship, all as we move forward, toward the audience.

Actors are survivors. We always have been. Were familiar with not working, and with not being sure where or what our next six months will be. But this year has been so profound, this triple whammy of Trump and Covid and unemployment, all at the same time. I think were all going to be crying in that moment, in that little box, and I dont think my tears are just going to be happy. I think theyre also going to be a release, you know? A release of this year.

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Broadways Company During The Covid Shutdown, Part 3 Of An Oral History: Being Alive Again - Deadline