Broadway musicals are often thought of as lightweight entertainment. In fact, from South Pacific to The Book of Mormon, many of the greatest shows incorporate serious themes and challenge audience members’ assumptions. But can minds really be opened through story and song? Newly published research provides evidence that will warm the hearts of cockeyed optimists. “Musical theater may be a promising method for promoting attitudinal change,” write Frederick Heide, Natalie Porter and Paul Saito of Alliant International University in San Francisco. Their study, published in the journal ... Read More
Two Turntables and a Recycling Bin
October 9, 2009 • By • Leave a Comment
Here in Miller-McCune's home base of Santa Barbara, Calif., which has been known to take an outsize share of credit for sparking the American environmental movement, even the rock concerts are green. Eco-aware touring bands like Radiohead, Jack Johnson and Incubus bring their fervor with them — even while fretting over their tour's own carbon footprints — while local sheds such as the Santa Barbara Bowl offer bike valets and have goat groundskeepers. So with that in mind, I trotted off down the street today to the debut panel of the first-ever New Noise Santa Barbara, a music conference ... Read More
