The Sloan Technology Series

Beach reading for the technological society

Thanks to the Sloan Foundation, anyone who enjoys reading histories and biographies can delve into the sagas behind the technologies that shape the modern world.

Tom Purdom

Aug 11, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

Woody Allen's 'Irrational Man'

Getting away with murder

In Irrational Man, his 46th film, Woody Allen continues to explore his favored themes of crime and punishment.

Carol Rocamora

Aug 11, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read

Catán's 'Hija de Rappaccini' by Vulcan Lyric

Good read, bad theater

Mexican composer Daniel Catán was inspired by Claude Debussy — musically and dramatically. This influence was revealed in his Spanish-language opera, La hija de Rappaccini (Rappaccini’s Daughter), in its local premiere.

Steve Cohen

Aug 11, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

'Disgruntled' and 'The Star Side of Bird Hill'

The complexities of coming-of-age

Asali Solomon and Naomi Jackson have written similar yet different coming-of-age stories about young women confronting many identities while trying to find their own.

Aja Beech

Aug 09, 2015 · Articles · 2 minute read

‘Maren of Vardø’ by Vulcan Lyric

The devil to pay

A horrifying true story from 17th-century Norway receives a surprisingly innocent treatment in this world premiere opera production.

Steve Cohen

Aug 04, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read

Vulcan Lyric’s ‘Heathers’

High school revenge, and a slight problem

This fascinating musical received a surprisingly effective performance from a fledgling company. And most of us would relish revenge against bullies who tormented us in high school. But should we applaud murders and the dynamiting of the school?

Steve Cohen

Aug 04, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read

Arts in crisis? Really?

Just how did Faulkner survive (not to mention Charles Ives and Marlon Brando)?

Are boorish Americans systematically starving our creative classes, as two critics contend? It’s an old complaint, once voiced by the likes of Mark Twain and Saul Bellow. But where William Giraldi and Scott Timberg see cultural destruction, I see natural creative evolution, and not just in the arts.

Dan Rottenberg

Aug 04, 2015 · Articles · 7 minute read

A BlackStar Film Festival panel

Black filmmakers confront the ‘burden of representation’

Must black artists or public figures represent their entire group to the dominant culture? At Philadelphia’s annual BlackStar Film Festival, four filmmakers wrestled with that question.

Alaina Johns

Aug 03, 2015 · Articles · 5 minute read

‘Tribute to Phyllis Diller’ in Ambler

Behind the big mouth

The late comedienne Phyllis Diller was a stylish lady, very unlike the brash character she created. This endearing portrait captures both the stage comic and the equally appealing (but very different) real woman.

Steve Cohen

Aug 02, 2015 · Articles · 2 minute read

‘All the Old Knives’ by Olen Steinhauer

“Maybe love isn’t the way to live”

Imagine your job involves arranging the end of your favorite lover ever; then, imagine you have to question that person first.

Rick Soisson

Aug 01, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read