A London play starring “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harrington will host two performances where only black audience members, or those identifying as black, will be permitted to view the play, “free from the white gaze.”
“Slave Play,” which received 12 Tony nominations in 2021, but won no awards, will run at the Noël Coward theater in London&#8217;s West End from June 29 to September 21 and feature performances on July 17 and September 17 with “Black Out nights.”
“Blackout nights are the purposeful creation of an environment in which an all-Black-identifying audience can experience and discuss an event in the performing arts, film, athletic and cultural spaces — free from the white gaze,” the theater noted.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68440104" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released a statement</a> saying, “The prime minister is a big supporter of the arts and he believes that the arts should be inclusive and open to everyone, particularly where those arts venues are in receipt of public funding. Restricting audiences on the basis of race would be wrong and divisive.”
“I understand the subject matter of the show may have particular resonance for some but would simply question the legality of this? In other circles it would be illegal and racial discrimination. I don&#8217;t understand why this isn&#8217;t,” one member of Parliament told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13130911/West-End-tells-white-theatregoers-arent-welcome-hosts-black-audience-nights-Kit-Harrington-play-protect-ticketholders-white-gaze.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Mail.</a>
The play’s producers told The BBC the “intent is to celebrate the play with the widest possible audience. We want to increase accessibility to theatre for everyone.&#8221;
&#8220;The Broadway production conceived of Black Out nights and we are carefully considering how to incorporate this endeavour as part of two performances in our 13-week run. We will release further details soon. To be absolutely clear, no-one will be prevented or precluded from attending any performance of Slave Play.&#8221;
Playwright Jeremy O. Harris told BBC Sounds:
<blockquote>One of the things we have to remember is that people have to be radically invited into a space to know that they belong there and in most places in the west, poor people and black people have been told that they do not belong inside the theatre&#8230; For me, as someone who wants and yearns for black and brown people to be in the theatre, who comes from a working class environment, who wants people who do not make six figures to feel like theatre is a place for them, it is a necessity to radically invite them in with initiatives that say “you&#8217;re invited.” Specifically you.</blockquote>
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“There are a litany of places in our country that are generally only inhabited by white people, and nobody is questioning that, and nobody is saying that by inviting black audiences here you are uninvited,” he continued. “The idea of a Black Out night is to say this is a night that we are specifically inviting black people to fill up the space, to feel safe with a lot of other black people in a place where they often do not feel safe.”
The play itself focuses on three modern-day interracial couples who attempt to mend tensions in their relationships by engaging in &#8220;antebellum sexual-performance therapy,&#8221; <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/09/25/jeremy-o-harris-before-and-after-slave-play">according</a> to The New Yorker. The black characters in the play no longer experience pleasure in their relationships with their white partners and attempt to recapture it through the racially-charged sexual roleplaying.

Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist – Season 31

‘Free From The White Gaze’: London Play Featuring ‘Game Of Thrones’ Star Invites Black-Only Audience

Game of Thrones

London

Racism

Theater

World

Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lauren-boebert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lauren Boebert</a> (R-CO) released a statement late this week apologizing for her actions that led to her being thrown out of a “Beetlejuice” musical last weekend.
Denver Arts &amp; Venues said in a statement that they received three different complaints that Boebert and her <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12513549/Lauren-Boebert-mystery-man-revealed-DEMOCRAT-bar-owner-Quinn-Gallagher-secretly-dating-month.html">new boyfriend</a> were “vaping, singing, causing a disturbance.”
The report said that the couple were repeatedly warned after Boebert was caught vaping and they &#8220;were causing a disturbance for the area with noise, singing, [and] using their cell phone.&#8221;
&#8220;The patrons were argumentative,&#8221; the statement said as officials warned them that if it continued, they would be kicked out. They were later told that they needed to leave and that if they did not, they were then trespassing and the police would be called.
A spokesperson for Boebert said that she was not vaping during the performance and that &#8220;heavy fog machines and electronic cigarettes were used during the show, so there might have been &#8216;a misunderstanding from someone sitting near her,'&#8221; The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/09/13/lauren-boebert-beetlejuice-musical-ejected/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Surveillance video from inside the Buell Theater obtained by local media, however, appears to show otherwise. Footage also appears to show the two groping each other.
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Newly released surveillance video from a Denver theater appears to show Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert vaping during a “Beetlejuice” musical play — the one thing she denied doing while acknowledging earlier this week that she had been kicked out for being disruptive. <a href="https://t.co/aQ01G230cT">pic.twitter.com/aQ01G230cT</a>
&mdash; The Associated Press (@AP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AP/status/1702832431361909111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
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NEW: GOP Rep Lauren Boebert denied vaping during a Denver Center for the Performing Arts musical before being kicked out Sunday. <a href="https://twitter.com/Marshall9News?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Marshall9News</a> got the video. Take a look. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/copolitics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#copolitics</a> <a href="https://t.co/VtT67Vn4L9">pic.twitter.com/VtT67Vn4L9</a>
&mdash; Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) <a href="https://twitter.com/KyleClark/status/1702498583755538598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Police were called to the theater and stayed present until Boebert left.
Boebert released a <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2023/09/15/lauren-boebert-apology-beetlejuice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on Friday night apologizing for her actions, saying that they &#8220;fell short of my values.&#8221;
&#8220;The past few days have been difficult and humbling, and I’m truly sorry for the unwanted attention my Sunday evening in Denver has brought to the community,&#8221; Boebert’s statement said. &#8220;While none of my actions or words as a private citizen that night were intended to be malicious or meant to cause harm, the reality is they did and I regret that.&#8221;
&#8220;There’s no perfect blueprint for going through a public and difficult divorce, which over the past few months has made for a challenging personal time for me and my entire family,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;I’ve tried to handle it with strength and grace as best I can, but I simply fell short of my values on Sunday. That’s unacceptable and I’m sorry.&#8221;

Capitol Hill

Boebert Apologizes For Getting Thrown Out Of ‘Beetlejuice’ Performance After Video Emerges

Boebert Apologizes For Getting Thrown Out Of 'Beetlejuice' Performance After Video Emerges

Colorado

Congress

Lauren Boebert

Politics

A former Tony Award nominee-turned presenter followed a hackneyed Broadway script Sunday night, likening White House hopeful and Florida Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ron-desantis-picks-up-first-presidential-endorsement-from-fellow-governor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron DeSantis</a> to a Ku Klux Klan leader in the annual theater smug-fest&#8217;s latest attack on conservatives.
Denée Benton, currently starring in HBO’s “Gilded Age” and who was nominated for a Tony back in 2016 for her performance as Natasha Rostova in the musical “Natasha, Pierre, &amp; The Great Comet of 1812,&#8221; lashed out at DeSantis at the Tony Awards on Sunday night.
“Earlier tonight, [Carnegie Mellon University] and the Tony Awards presented the 2023 Excellence in Theatre Education Award, and while I&#8217;m certain that the current grand wizard — I&#8217;m sorry, excuse me — governor of my home state of Florida, I am sure that he will be changing the name of this following town immediately,” she continued, as she mentioned the town of Plantation, where award-winner Jason Zembuch Young is a public school theatre director.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Denée Benton calls Governor Ron DeSantis the &quot;current grand wizard&quot; of Florida at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TonyAwards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TonyAwards</a> <a href="https://t.co/O2iEfbOvQO">pic.twitter.com/O2iEfbOvQO</a>
&mdash; The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) <a href="https://twitter.com/THR/status/1668072051473625088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The New York City audience laughed at Benton&#8217;s characterization of DeSantis, just as a similar Tony Awards crowd cheered in 2018, when actor Robert DeNiro strode to the microphone and declared, “I’m gonna say one thing. F*** Trump.”
“It’s no longer ‘Down with Trump,’” he yelled. “It’s f*** Trump,” eliciting another giant cheer.
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DeSantis has drawn criticism from the Left for opposing the teaching in public schools of Critical Race Theory, which among other things, holds that blacks are perpetual victims and whites are oppressors. In April 2022, the Florida Department of Education found 41% of math textbooks under consideration for schools included instruction on CRT, Social Emotional Learning, or other prohibited topics.
“We’re going to focus the education on the actual strong academic performance of the students; we don’t want things like math to have some of these other concepts introduced,&#8221; DeSantis said at the time. &#8220;It’s not been proven to be effective and quite frankly, it takes our eye off the ball.”
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In May, DeSantis signed three bills into law that placed further restrictions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as Florida was recently ranked as the <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education">top state</a> in the country for education.
The three bills that DeSantis signed were Senate Bill (SB) 266, which prohibits institutions from spending federal or state dollars on discriminatory “diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)” initiatives; House Bill (HB) 931, which prohibits Florida’s public institutions from requiring students, faculty, or staff to take political loyalty tests; and SB 240, which expands workforce education initiatives and increases access to career and technical education (CTE) programs, according to the <a href="https://www.flgov.com/2023/05/15/governor-ron-desantis-signs-legislation-to-strengthen-floridas-position-as-national-leader-in-higher-education/">governor&#8217;s office</a>.
SB 266 garnered the most news attention because it directly goes after woke ideologies in higher education by cutting off funding for &#8220;initiatives that promote dangerous political and social activism, such as DEI initiatives.&#8221; HB 931 prohibits schools from requiring &#8220;political statements and ideological attestations by faculty and students in hiring, promoting, and admissions.&#8221;
Ryan Saavedra contributed to this article.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-signs-bill-banning-woke-dei-initiatives-in-higher-education">DeSantis Signs Bill Banning Woke DEI Initiatives In Higher Education</a>

The 76th Annual Tony Awards – Show

Tony Award Presenter Calls DeSantis A KKK Leader. Lefty Theater Crowd Goes Wild.

Entertainment

Ron DeSantis

Tonys

U.S.

Members of the Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon” celebrated former cast member Dylan Mulvaney’s association with Bud Light in a viral video in which they brandished cans of the beer.
Mulvaney played Elder White in the Broadway musical after graduating from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 2019.
“Hi Dylan!” an actor from the show said gleefully. “Just wanted to let you know that your friends from &#8216;The Book of Mormon&#8217; love and support you, are SO proud of you.”
Turning to Anheuser-Busch, the actor declaimed, “And for Anheuser-Busch, we are really proud of YOU for making an American Superstar on your can! Love Ya!”
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🤦‍♂️🤣 <a href="https://t.co/DKErJDYjnU">pic.twitter.com/DKErJDYjnU</a>
&mdash; Clown World ™ 🤡 (@ClownWorld_) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClownWorld_/status/1654282210575552514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
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“I dedicated my life to becoming an actor, and I was at the submission of the industry as I tried to fit the mold and be masculine. I finally succeeded by landing a role in the musical Book of Mormon, but at the expense of finding my true gender identity,” Mulvaney wrote in <a href="https://www.elle.com/fashion/celebrity-style/a41298271/dylan-mulvaney-tiktok-fashion-tiffany-necklace/">Elle</a> in September 2022.
“As a kid, Breakfast at Tiffany’s was my favorite movie in the entire world,” Mulvaney continued. “At Catholic school, I would see all the girls get their Tiffany jewelry at Christmastime, and I’d be so jealous. But growing up as a boy, I couldn’t ask my parents for something from Tiffany’s; it didn’t make sense to fit the social norm. So this year, when I booked my first big hosting gig during Pride month, I told myself, I deserve that Tiffany necklace.”
&#8220;The Book of Mormon,&#8221; written by “South Park” creators Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and composer Robert Lopez, debuted on Broadway in 2011 and won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It tells the story of two Mormon missionaries who travel to Africa, where they attempt to convert the natives. The musical includes songs such as “Hasa Diga Eebowai,” (translated as “F*** you, God”) and a scene where one of the Mormon missionaries has The Book of Mormon removed from his rectum.
The backlash against Bud Light was catalyzed when the company sent Mulvaney a can of beer with Mulvaney’s face on it as part of an ad partnership. Mulvaney posted a TikTok video with that can of Bud Light, celebrating 365 days of “being a woman.” A subsequent video showed Mulvaney in a bikini while sitting in a bathtub drinking a Bud Light beer.

Mulvaney

‘American Superstar On Your Can’: Cast Of ‘The Book Of Mormon’ Salutes Mulvaney, Anheuser-Busch

Cast Of The Book Of Mormon Salutes Mulvaney, Anheuser-Busch

Broadway

Bud Light

Dylan Mulvaney

Readers of a certain age will remember the &#8220;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZxky51fxCg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Artful Dodger</a>&#8221; — the beloved pickpocketer from &#8220;Oliver Twist&#8221; with a penchant for making a pretty penny off unsuspecting passersby on the streets of London.
As his name suggests, he was rather clever as he evaded getting caught by his victims and the coppers.  Well, suffice it to say, modern America&#8217;s ruffians aren&#8217;t anything like that.  They are much more in your face without a care in the world if anybody sees them break the law. For example, consider the recent &#8220;flash mob&#8221; style ransacking of a seafood restaurant in Queens, New York.
Last Saturday night, a group of 20 suspected teenagers rampaged through the Fish Village restaurant in College Point, Queens, causing $20,000 in damages in under a minute. The harrowing scene can be witnessed below:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Wild video shows teens ransack Queens restaurant" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lj9i4R5M9O8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
As of press time, no arrests have been made in this case and police are looking for suspects.
Yet as highlighted by Fox 5 New York, &#8220;there are plenty within this community who are wondering, even when those who are responsible are found, what sort of consequences they will actually face?&#8221;
Indeed, thanks to a 2019 bail reform law, shoplifters and other ne&#8217;er-do-wells like the ones featured in the video often go unpunished or are given a slap on the wrist before returning to the streets. Now, even Democratic lawmakers are calling for changes to state law.
&#8220;It’s utterly ridiculous that a small subset of career criminals make up 30% of shoplifting arrests in 2022,” City Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) recently told the <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/01/09/lawmakers-express-outrage-over-nycs-revolving-door-shoplift-crisis-thats-killing-local-businesses/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a>. The paper noted that Holden cited statistics that the New York Police Department which showed &#8220;that 327 career crooks were busted a total of about 6,600 times.&#8221;
“We can’t have this revolving door of criminality in our state — it’s time to dust off the successful tactics from the ’90s in New York City, which actually worked to reduce crime,&#8221; he added.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) has been <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/nyc-mayor-says-shoppers-in-masks-are-hiding-from-cops-not-covid-and-should-be-barred-from-stores/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forced to request</a> that individuals take off their masks when entering establishments to help reduce crime — quite a contrast to the days of COVID.
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Assemblywoman Inez Dickens (D-Harlem) also expressed her dismay at the utter shamelessness of punks these days.
“You have to have some common sense reasoning. There need to be some changes,” she said.
&#8220;I went into a fish store the other day and someone just walked in and stole the biggest fish and walked out,&#8221; Dickens explained. &#8220;I thought it was terrible.&#8221;
It is unclear if Harlem&#8217;s Dickens is related to the late Charles Dickens, but suffice to say, he&#8217;d be mortified as well. Artful Dodgers these thieves are not — but when the police don&#8217;t care, why even bother going to that effort if you are hellbent on crime?
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

USA, New York State, New York City, Crime scene barrier tape

Young New York Rapscallions Get A Hankering For Seafood, Cause 20k In Damages In Less Than A Minute

Crime

Eric Adams

New York

New York City

Theft

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/germany">German</a> ballet director has formally apologized for smearing dog feces in the face of a critic, but she’s not buying it.
The incident occurred over the weekend when Marco Goecke approached Wiebke Hüster, a newspaper critic, during an intermission of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/theater">show</a> and asked why she was there, per Buzzfeed News. Goecke was allegedly angry about a bad review Hüster had written about one of his shows in The Netherlands and claimed she was responsible for people canceling season tickets to his performances.
Per reports, the ballet director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/crime">retaliated</a> by smearing dog feces in the critic’s face on Saturday.
“He didn’t just throw it at me. He pulled out the bag with the open side of the bag and rubbed it in my face brutally, so the dog poop would stick in my face,” Hüster <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/german-ballet-director-marco-goecke-accused-of-throwing-dog-feces-on-critic">told</a> The Daily Beast of the incident. “One moment we were still talking and the next moment his fist was in my face. When I realized what he had done, I screamed. I was so shocked, so panicked. You can’t imagine.”
“I would like to apologize sincerely to all concerned, first and foremost to Ms. Hüster, for my absolutely unacceptable act,” Goecke shared in a written statement. “In retrospect, I am clearly aware that this was a disgraceful act in the heat of the moment and an overreaction,” he continued.
He also said the incident occurred following a &#8220;nervous strain of two premieres in quick succession&#8221; in The Hague on February 9 and in Hanover on Saturday, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/style/article/ballet-director-dog-feces-critic-intl-scli/index.html">CNN</a>.
Next, the director attempted to defend his actions, saying Hüster should “rethink a certain form of destructive and hurtful reporting that damages the whole cultural sector” and accused her of posting “nasty reviews.”
“I apologize for the fact that I finally blew my top, but I also ask for a certain understanding at least for the reasons why this happened,” he wrote. Goecke also told public broadcast station NDR that Hüster had been &#8220;throwing s***&#8221; at him &#8220;for years.”
“What kind of an apology is this supposed to be?” Hüster replied while speaking with 3sat television, per HuffPo.
Goecke was subsequently suspended from his role as ballet chief at the Hannover State Opera following the incident. 
&#8220;Ballet director Marco Goecke has violated all principles of conduct of the Hanover State Opera by his impulsive reaction towards journalist Wiebke Hüster last Saturday evening, has deeply offended Ms. Hüster personally and has thus unsettled the audience, the employees of the house, and the general public in the most extreme way,&#8221; the organization said in a statement, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/style/article/ballet-director-dog-feces-critic-intl-scli/index.html">CNN</a>.
Hüster’s review of Goecke’s play “In the Dutch Mountain” was published the same day as the incident and called the production “disjointed” and capable of making audiences “go insane and be killed by boredom while watching.”

New artistic directors at the Staatstheater Hannover

German Ballet Director Issues Apology For Smearing Dog Feces In Critic’s Face, Asks For ‘Understanding’ Of Why He Did It

German Ballet Director Issues Apology For Smearing Dog Feces In Critic's Face, Asks For 'Understanding' Of Why He Did It

Assault

Germany

There was a time when the arts and entertainment industry was known for freedom of thought and expression. Defying the mores of polite society, artists flouted convention and challenged authority. 
Those days are long gone now and for many creative types the dogmatic progressive hegemonies of the arts world has left them exiled from the scene. But some have found a curious and unexpected new home: conservative media.
Let’s make no mistake, the arts and entertainment have always been left leaning. It was back in 2008 when playwright David Mamet penned his controversial essay, “Why I’m No Longer A Brain Dead Liberal,” in the Village Voice. This was also the heyday of Friends of Abe, a secretive and anonymous club, with branches in New York and Los Angeles, for closeted conservatives in the entertainment industry. Obviously, I can neither confirm nor deny if I was a member.
But while things were uncomfortable for right-leaning artists, the situation was a tenable one. In my 15 years of hopping about the New York theater scene I managed it fairly easily. You knew who in a dressing room or tech rehearsal was open to such ideas and who wasn’t. It was something of a minefield, but there was a map. That changed with the election of Donald Trump as president.
No longer were political differences playful, no longer could an artist&#8217;s ideology be separated from their art. For many that meant new ways to tell their stories and create their content. And the homes they found for such endeavors were squarely on the right side of the aisle.
Comedian and sketch comedy artist Lou Perez’s new book “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore,” explores his own experiences in the changed and challenging landscape of entertainment after Trump’s election. Once something of a downtown darling, Perez — a libertarian — is now frequently featured in right wing media.
“After Trump won in 2016,&#8221; said Perez, &#8220;I noticed concerned citizens — at least in the “press” over at Paste and Vulture magazines — asking the question: What would the role of comedy be under a President Trump? I thought, well, shouldn’t it be the same as it was under Obama? But what their question implied was that comedy needed to be different under Trump.&#8221;
&#8220;Trump was an existential threat that needed to be confronted with whatever weapons you had. If you were a comedian that meant aiming your punch lines at the Orange Man Bad. Even if they weren’t funny.”
And the new rules and restrictions on what could and could not be expressed in art were not limited to The Donald himself. The trans issue became another dividing line, as JK Rowling discovered. Editor-in-Chief of the Post Millennial, Libby Emmons also found this out. A playwright who collaborated often with this author in Gotham, Emmons was kicked out of the women-only feminist theater collective she co-founded for refusing to apologize for articles she had written denying that men can become women.
Emmons told me, “When the arts moved away from beauty and honesty into the realm of activism and indoctrination it stopped being art and became propaganda. The only way I could still write what I wanted to write was in conservative culture outlets. Conservatives hold up free speech and free expression while the progressive left squashes it.”
Larry O’Connor, who spent years in the theater industry and is now a popular conservative radio and TV host, had similar sentiments, “I knew conservative actors who would have to sit in the hair and makeup room as the people who were preparing them to go on stage would pontificate about politics and proclaim that all Republicans were racist bigots,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And of course they couldn&#8217;t say anything about it. I knew stage hands who had sons serving overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan who had to endure actors saying that the people in the military were fascists and murderers. And those stage hands couldn&#8217;t say a word to defend their own sons.”
The bottom line is that for many right leaning people in the arts, myself included, things became so unwelcoming, so incredibly biased, that we wound up finding refuge in conservative media. And though it has been a benefit, it&#8217;s not enough. Fighting the culture war will require more than a few renegade resistance fighters, it will require an army.
Over the past decade conservatives have taken Andrew Breitbart’s motto, that &#8216;politics is downstream from culture,&#8217; to heart. When it launched in 2013, The Federalist established and maintained a laser focus on popular culture that other outlets have emulated. Here at The Daily Wire things went a bit further with the establishment of entertainment divisions <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/movies">creating movies</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman">documentaries</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/kids">children&#8217;s content</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/crain-and-company">sports content</a>, and more. Gina Carano, canceled by Disney, found opportunity in these productions with the lead role in the gritty western <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/terror-on-the-prairie">Terror on the Prairie</a>. 
The biggest blindspot in conservative efforts to compete in the culture space, especially in entertainment, is a lack of development of new talent. While a trickle of trained and experienced actors, directors, writers, and the rest continues to drift to right wing media, progressives still entirely control the education and development of artists in our universities, theater companies, and studios. 
There is no parallel track as yet for artistic training that does not bend wildly to the left. If that doesn’t change, conservatives and their values will remain at a stark disadvantage in using culture to craft our country’s vision of its society.
The biggest advantage that conservatives have in this battle for screens and stages is exactly what the artists I spoke with told me — freedom, license, the ability to explore ideas outside the confines of woke ideology. And this is priceless, not only because it is what artists actually want, but because it is the only condition under which their abilities can truly flower.
As the conservative movement welcomes more creative refugees from the arts world it must also be met with a commitment to train the next generation, something these very artists are in a position to assist with. If it can be seized, there is a conservative counterculture in the offing. The movement should grab it with both hands.
David Marcus is a Brooklyn based columnist and author of &#8220;Charade: The Covid Lies That Crushed A Nation&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Stage door

Artists Are Finding A Home In Conservative Media, But It’s Not Enough

Conservative Media

Leftism

Movies

Readers Pass

If you were to inquire from a radical gender theorist or trans advocate how you can know the sex or gender of a person, they would have only one answer for you. Ask them. The concept that only an individual can define their own gender or sex is the alpha and the omega of the movement. So it is strange to see claims being made that historical figures, who had no idea what transgenderism is, can be assigned gender identities that they did not choose for themselves.
The latest example of this paradoxical paradigm in practice is a production at London’s Globe Theater, co-founded by Shakespeare himself, of the play “I, Joan” about Catholic saint and French hero Joan of Arc. A non-binary actor was cast for the lead role and the Globe officially announced that in this production the character’s pronouns are They/Them. On its own this could just be viewed as a kind of non-traditional casting common in modern theater. But then the Globe went a little further.
<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11108191/Shakespeares-Globe-Theatre-academic-says-Elizabeth-non-binary-trans-Joan-Arc-play-row.html">A recent article in the Daily Mail states</a>, “In an essay on the Globe&#8217;s website, trans-awareness trainer Dr Kit Heyam referred to the Virgin Queen with &#8216;they/them&#8217; pronouns, saying: &#8216;Elizabeth I&#8230; described themself regularly in speeches as &#8220;king&#8221;, &#8220;queen&#8221; and &#8220;prince&#8221;.&#8217; First of all, I knew theater companies had stage managers, lighting designers, and development officers, but not &#8216;trans-awareness trainers.&#8217; Second, and more importantly, this ridiculous theory about Elizabeth I’s gender is not only wrong, it is also deeply insulting to women.
What is Dr. Hayem’s evidence that, arguably the greatest female pillar in the framework of the history of the English speaking world, was actually trans, or a man? It is this quote from the monarch, rallying her troops to fight the Spanish. “&#8217;I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too.” What is blatantly obvious to anyone with a passing knowledge of English history or the English language is that she is not saying, “I am brave and strong therefore I must actually be a man,” she is saying, “Though I am a woman, women too can be brave and strong, and can be leaders.”
Hayem and the Globe have taken one of the most powerful statements ever uttered about the strength and power that women possess and completely undermined it to give it the exact opposite meaning that Elizabeth I intended. In simple terms the assertion is that men are strong, women are weak, so if a woman is strong she must actually be a man. The Globe isn’t just erasing women as trans activists do on a daily basis, it is demeaning women. It&#8217;s offensive and disgusting.
And it&#8217;s not just in the theater world that we find this gender bending historical revisionism. In the<a href="https://mercatornet.com/bad-to-the-bone-the-rise-of-woke-archaeology/80279/"> world of archeology</a> there are active campaigns not only to avoid naming the sex or gender of individuals discovered in digs, but inconsistently to designate some persons found as transgender. This happened with a dig in Finland that unearthed a grave of a biological female that contained swords, something typically found in male graves. Rather than accepting that maybe this was a rare honor, or a mistake, or a random occurrence, trans activists insisted it meant the person was trans. Once again, a symbol of strength &#8211; this time a sword &#8211; meant that it had to be a man, not a woman. 
In recent history there has been an effort to misgender one of the great heroes of the gay rights movement. Marsha P Johnson, a self-identified “transvestite” is celebrated for being one of the first to fight back in the famous Stonewall riot. Today it is orthodoxy on the left that Johnson was a trans woman. This despite the fact he never identified that way, ever, at all. He was a drag queen who enjoyed wearing women’s clothing, not a trans woman. In this case at least the gender radicals grant that a “woman” can be strong, but not a biological woman, of course, rather a trans woman. Apparently unlike biological women it is possible for trans women to be strong and powerful.
We all see what’s going on here, we all see how deeply it diminishes women, how dismissive it is of their contributions to history. And where does it end? Most 19th Century novels were written by men, so are the Bronte sisters actually male? The most recognized and great early 20th century scientists were men, so was Madame Curie secretly trans? It is not enough for the trans movement to change the meaning of centuries old words like “woman,” or to redefine basic biology, now they want to rewrite the history books, as well. It is an effort that must be not only rejected, but mocked. It is an assault on reality and the great women of history, and it needs to stop.
David Marcus is a Brooklyn based columnist and author of &#8220;Charade: The Covid Lies That Crushed A Nation&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Stop-Calling-The-Great-Women-Of-History-Men

Stop Calling The Great Women Of History Men: Making Joan Of Arc Transgender

Gender

History

Shakespeare

Transgender

A new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/theater">play</a> about Joan of Arc will portray the patron saint of France as “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">gender neutral</a>” and have her using “they/them” pronouns in a play that’s said to be “alive, queer and full of hope.”
The Globe Theater in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/london">London</a> will host the new project, “I, Joan,&#8221; which opens August 25 and runs through October.
“A cry for courage erupts in the Globe Theatre this summer with the premiere of I, Joan, a powerful and joyous new play which tells Joan of Arc’s story anew,” the <a href="https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/joan-2022/">website</a> says about the play.
“The men are all fighting, again. An endless war. From nowhere, an unexpected leader emerges. Young, poor and about to spark a revolution. This is Joan. Rebelling against the world’s expectations, questioning the gender binary, Joan finds their power and their belief spreads like fire.”
“Join us in the wooden ‘O’ and feel the heat of the sun and the pulse of Joan’s passion,” the synopsis continued. “With open hearts and raised voices, dance and cheer with us as we rediscover Joan’s story. It’s alive, queer and full of hope.” 
Artistic Director Michelle Terry says the presentation of Joan as gender neutral is not unprecedented. She said “they/them” pronouns are consistent with history “as early as 1375,” per a <a href="https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/identity-in-i-joan">statement</a> on identity in “I, Joan.” 
“We are not the first to present Joan in this way, and we will not be the last. We can&#8217;t wait to share this production with everyone and discover this cultural icon,” The Globe shared on <a href="https://twitter.com/The_Globe/status/1557764534286401538">Twitter</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Our new play I, Joan shows Joan as a legendary leader who uses the pronouns ‘they/them’. We are not the first to present Joan in this way, and we will not be the last. We can&#39;t wait to share this production with everyone and discover this cultural icon.<a href="https://t.co/19T7baWsRk">https://t.co/19T7baWsRk</a> <a href="https://t.co/lrgOC59TvQ">pic.twitter.com/lrgOC59TvQ</a>
&mdash; Shakespeare&#39;s Globe (@The_Globe) <a href="https://twitter.com/The_Globe/status/1557764534286401538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Frank Furedi, an emeritus professor at the University of Kent, told <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gender-neutral-joan-of-arc-at-globe-qn5thkz5n">The Times</a> that the play was “rewriting history” and that the play was an example of “a fantasy backwards.”
“Someone like Joan of Arc would not have any idea what non-binary was. It is a recharacterisation of something that did not even exist at the time,” Furedi told the publication.
The Globe writes that it is “unequivocally pro-human rights” which “includes trans people, non-binary people, black and minority ethnic people, and people with disabilities. Trans men and women and non-binary identities exist and are valid.”
Joan of Arc was a military leader who defeated the English at the siege of Orléans during the Hundred Years’ War despite being a young woman at the time. She was captured and burned at the stake as a heretic, though she was later exonerated for her crimes. Joan of Arc was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1920.

Victory Statue

New Play Depicts Joan Of Arc As Gender Queer With ‘They/Them’ Pronouns

New Play Depicts Joan Of Arc As Gender Queer With 'They/Them' Pronouns

If one were mounting a production of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKHh8EMXc-Y">David Mamet’s</a> classic play “<a href="https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=853">Oleanna</a>” just at the moment, there is one casting choice that would be almost irresistible. The play features two characters, John, a professor about to get tenure and buy a new house, and Carol, his student who by play’s end is accusing him of sexual harassment. So what is the can’t miss combo for this terse, sexual drama? It would be hard to miss with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/crocodile-tears-juror-reveals-what-tipped-the-scales-in-johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial">Johnny Depp and Amber Heard</a>. 
“Oleanna” opened its first production almost exactly 30 years ago. It’s a simple two-hander, but one that led to audience reactions rarely seen before or since. In the first of two acts we see Carol in John’s office, she is shy, demure, lacking confidence, and apparently failing his class. He is arrogant, self assured, and rarely stops talking. In that first act Mamet lays out an off color story here, a touch or hug there, just enough to plant the seeds of accusation that fuel Act 2.
In that second act we find that Carol, with the support of a campus “group” has level sexual harassment charges against John, threatening his tenure, his new house, and his whole future. His fruitless and futile attempts to talk her out of it lead, in the plays final moments, to a viscous physical attack. When the play was first put on, men in the audience could be heard cheering the brutal assault (they got it), women in the house tended to take Carol’s side. I myself remember standing on 2nd Avenue in New York, smoking a cigarette and arguing with my rather brilliant playwright-of-a-date over the implications of the ending.
In the three decades that have passed since then, our society has not gotten much closer to settling our issues of sexual politics in the workplace and on campus. This reached a head with the #MeToo Movement gaining steam in 2017. The illogical phrase “believe all women” was in the air. And its inverse was too. That is why Amber Heard was so confident in telling Johnny Depp that nobody would believe his side of their sad and sordid story.
But as we now know a jury, perhaps not quite of his peers, and the court of public opinion landed squarely on the side of Depp, with some saying it signaled the end of this #MeToo Moment. Maybe. What the trial really showed, as did Mamet 30 years ago, is that this issue is not simple, it is not something that the collective efforts of HR departments and campus councils can find a system to fix. It is in fact, the very depth of human nature.
At the key moment just before the final curtain, Mamet gives us a gift of insight. John more or less keeps his cool as he deals with losing tenure and his house, even when Carol tells him she will pursue criminal charges he remains his calm and professerly self. The physical assault takes place when, overhearing a phone conversation with his spouse, Carol tells John, “Don’t call your wife baby.” That’s it. That very personal attack, on John, his wife, his marriage, his identity, sparks horrendous physical violence.
The jury in the Depp-Heard case found, it seems, that the former did not physically abuse the latter, saying she defamed him in an op-ed for the Washington Post. And yet, who could see the video of Depp, storming around the kitchen, slamming cabinets, and belittling his wife without finding it to be wrong? Just as the men watching “Oleanna” found John&#8217;s assault to be a just dessert, perhaps we too, after years of #MeToo, found some solace in Depp’s vindication, but of course, it is far more complicated than that. 
Over the years, “Oleanna” has received myriad revivals, it is a feast of a play for both actors, but more than that, it has proved timeless. Since its debut, the contours of our culture’s understanding of what is and is not appropriate between the sexes in our official spaces has changed, and yet, the solid central point of the play has not. There are no winners in these situations, which is why it was so strange to see so many in the media take a victory lap at the Depp-Heard verdict, and so many others feeling a personal dismay.
Towards the end of Act One we hear this bit of taut dialogue as John seeks to explain his role as a teacher to Carol:
John: …That’s my job, don’t you know?
Carol: What is?
John: To provoke you.
Carol: No.
John: Oh. Yes, though.
Carol: To provoke me?
John: That’s right.
Carol: To make me mad?
John: That’s right, to force you…
Carol: …To make me mad is your job?
This could be Mamet talking directly to his audience. His job, at least sometimes, is to make us mad. He’s good at it. Whatever this new moment is &#8211; perhaps, “believe all A-list movie stars,” &#8211; “Oleanna” reminds us that at the bottom of all of these salacious stories are two human beings, frightened, confused, and unsure. And regardless of social trends, that will never change. 

David Marcus is a writer and theater artist based in Brooklyn, NY.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Readers Pass – Marcus – Depp & Heard- The Perfect Cast For A classic David Mamet Play16x9 (1)

Depp And Heard: The Perfect Cast For David Mamet’s Play About Sexual Harassment

Amber Heard

Johnny Depp

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk could certainly afford to buy his own private movie theater — but he made it abundantly clear on Thursday that he still had a soft spot for crowded theaters packed with strangers all enjoying a film together.
The conversation began with a tweet from author Daniel Crosby, detailing how his life had changed since he decided to stop drinking Diet Coke.
&#8220;I used to drink tons of Diet Coke but it&#8217;s been one month since I&#8217;ve had a drop,&#8221; he began. &#8220;I want to share some of the changes I&#8217;ve observed in myself over that time: My health is unchanged. I&#8217;m less happy. My one source of joy is gone. Thanks for encouraging me on this journey.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I used to drink tons of Diet Coke but it’s been one month since I’ve had a drop. 
I want to share some of the changes I’ve observed in myself over that time:
&#8211; My health is unchanged &#8211; I’m less happy &#8211; My one source of joy is gone
Thanks for encouraging me on this journey!
&mdash; Daniel Crosby (@danielcrosby) <a href="https://twitter.com/danielcrosby/status/1534584565431296001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Musk first responded with his thoughts on Diet Coke. &#8220;Diet Coke is amazing, especially the soda fountain version at movie theaters with salt &amp; butter popcorn,&#8221; he tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Diet Coke is amazing, especially the soda fountain version at movie theaters with salt &amp; butter popcorn
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1534977373124411402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I don&#8217;t even care if it lowers my life expectancy,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I don’t even care if it lowers my life expectancy
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1534977771239251969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
He added one final thought, tying it all together. &#8220;There&#8217;s something special about enjoying movies in a theater with total strangers,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I hope that never goes away.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
There’s something special about enjoying movies in a theater with total strangers. I hope that never goes away.
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1534979855527428100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Theaters have only just really begun to recover after two years — which began with months of forced closures — of forced masking and social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of December 2021, over 600 movie theaters remained shuttered across the United States — and some still have not reopened.
According to a report from Bloomberg, &#8220;The casualties stretch across the continent, afflicting big chains like AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. and mom-and-pop outfits. They’re shut in small towns, like Devils Lake, North Dakota, and in the heart of Hollywood, where plywood has been nailed over the windows of Los Angeles’ iconic <a title="ArcLight Chain Shuts Down in Sign Theaters Aren’t Out of Trouble" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-13/arclight-chain-shuts-down-in-sign-theaters-aren-t-out-of-trouble" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cinerama Dome</a>.&#8221;
But the return of summer blockbusters — and the <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/just-say-no-to-woke-top-gun-maverick-crushing-box-office-with-pro-america-messaging-is-a-wake-up-call-for-hollywood/">early success</a> of films like actor <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/paramount-sued-over-top-gun-copyright-after-another-record-breaking-weekend/">Tom Cruise&#8217;s</a> latest outing, &#8220;<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/tom-cruise-has-message-for-fans-after-top-gun-maverick-scores-historic-opening-weekend/">Top Gun: Maverick</a>&#8221; — could indicate that Americans are ready to return to theaters en masse.
According to a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2022/06/08/movies-tom-cruise-top-gun-maverick-tops-600m-at-worldwide-box-office/?sh=1adb0c8827ee">Forbes report</a> published Wednesday, &#8220;Top Gun: Maverick&#8221; had already cleared $600 million at the box office — and there are some predicting it could reach $1 billion by the end of the summer. And Cruise&#8217;s film is far from the only traditional summer fare available – &#8220;Jurassic World: Dominion&#8221; also came out swinging, <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/06/box-office-jurassic-world-dominion-1235040232/">making $325 million</a> world wide as of June 5.

The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” – Street Sightings

‘I Don’t Even Care If It Lowers My Life Expectancy’: Elon Musk Raves About Diet Coke, Popcorn, And Movies

Elon Musk Raves About Diet Coke, Popcorn, And Movies

Elon Musk

Movie Theaters

History, as we all know, tends to favor the victors of wars. This in part explains why two of the greatest architects of 20th Century genocide, Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler, have been treated very differently in the more than 50 years since they held power. Hitler is so universally reviled that he canceled his own first name. Stalin on the other hand is presented as a more complicated and nuanced figure. It’s not just that Stalin’s Soviet Union defeated Hitler and Germany (with Allied help), Uncle Joe also had powerful and smart friends in the West, high among them was the celebrated Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw.
In fairness to Shaw, at least in his younger days, the Soviet Union, and before it, Russia in general held a heady appeal to Western artists. Even prior to the Bolsheviks, the pump had already been primed, in theater by the plays of Chekov and the directing style of Stanislavski, and in literature more generally, Tolstoy, who at the start of the 20th Century was wildly praised and mimicked. So it was natural for Shaw, himself a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287405140_BERNARD_SHAW_AND_POLITICS">socialist</a> with progressive ideas, to see the USSR not as a red menace, but as a hope for humanity.
Shaw’s work, notably in “Pygmalion” and “Man and Superman,” deals with political and cultural issues, especially surrounding class and gender. Of humble birth himself, Shaw distrusts the hierarchical system of England and Ireland, unlike his contemporary, Oscar Wilde, born nearby him in Dublin, Shaw was not the manor born. We can see why this storyteller of working-class stock took a shine to the notion of a workers&#8217; paradise. 
In “The Revolutionist&#8217;s Handbook,” Shaw writes “Now we have yet to see the man, who, having any practical experience of Proletarian Democracy, has any belief in its capacity for solving great political problems or even for doing ordinary parochial work intelligently and economically.” So, he was not a huge fan of democracy. Shaw preferred the idea of being ruled by perfect systems. And he thought the Soviet Union was well on its way to achieving just that.
Had Shaw been ignorant of the atrocities committed by Stalin, we might easily forgive him for falling into the soft lies and propaganda of the Soviet state. But by the 1940s the scale and scope of Stalin&#8217;s crimes were becoming known, yet Shaw <a href="https://fee.org/articles/george-bernard-shaw-was-so-enamored-with-socialism-he-advocated-genocide-to-advance-it/">stayed</a> a stalwart ally. So much so, in fact, that anti-authoritarian (and <a href="https://thewire.in/books/remembering-george-orwell-the-socialist">socialist</a>) author George Orwell, acting as an informant to the British government, would <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27929796">name</a> Shaw as “reliably pro Russia on all major issues.” Orwell named names. 
So how was it that Shaw, and not just him, but so many of the brightest artists and writers of his time, were willing to look past murder and even genocide? We ask this not in the spirit of canceling George Bernard Shaw, but of truly understanding what led him to this dark compromise.
There is a tendency in our time to imagine that the first 2 decades of the 21st Century saw the fastest and most profound technological expansion in history. Yet, the opening 20 years of the 20th Century might have us beat in terms of the structural changes to physical and cultural spaces. The wide adoption of the light bulb, automobiles, planes, the phonograph, and moving pictures transformed the plastic of reality. The bright, shiny London of young Bertie Wooster in the 1920s was nothing like the dark and murky, gas-lit city of Sherlock Holmes just a few decades before. Shaw experienced both. 
It is easy to see why he and his contemporaries imagined that material needs could soon be furnished without the punishing demands put upon a capitalist labor force. In Stalin, Shaw saw a true man of the age. He didn’t fiddle around with legislatures, courts, or markets, he announced five-year plans and got them done. Shaw would go to his death in 1950 truly believing that, in the long run, the unfortunate deaths of millions would be for the common good. Above the bed where he died was a framed picture of Josef Stalin. 
Before we are too harsh in our historical judgment of Shaw, we ought to take a square look at his descendants in the entertainment industry today. Hollywood has become famously beholden to a China that is credibly accused of genocide and has committed an ocean of human rights abuses. This fealty to China might be more motivated by money than Shaw&#8217;s love of Soviet Communism, but it is also about control. This is true with regard to the progressive or “woke” messaging so pervasive in Hollywood’s products, but also a general insistence on obedience to the state, so long as it is controlled by Democrats.
In some ways, our country’s relationship to China is very similar to Shaw’s with the Soviet Union. We accept inconvenient tragedy because in the grand scheme of things we need what China is offering, and trust that in the end, everyone will benefit. Even our own technology advancements echo the Irish playwright. Just as Shaw had his doubts about the efficacy of proletarian democracy, so we sometimes wonder if algorithms can produce better, more humane results than human voices and votes.
Beware the man whether politician or playwright who offers perfection. Their systems are never quite complete, even though they promise they will be soon. That was the trap that Shaw fell into in his adoration of Stalin. We can criticize that decision if we choose to, but far more important is that we learn from it, and not fall into utopian traps ourselves.
David Marcus is a writer and theater artist based in Brooklyn, NY.
The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and not necessarily those of The Daily Wire.

Readers Pass – Marcus – Why George Bernard Shaw Whitewashed Joseph Stalin16x9

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