Actors and Artists Against Trump

05/15/2026

WHOLESALE INFLATION JUMPED 6% IN APRIL!
6%!!!!!!

07/29/2025

In the late days of June, as new-season theatre announcements were rolling in, a shock hit New York. Playwrights Horizons, the birthplace of shows including the Pulitzer Prize winners “Sunday in the Park with George” and “The Flick,” announced its programming for 2025-26. In a notably diverse lineup, there was only one woman writer, and she occupied half a slot. Playwrights Horizons wasn’t alone. Other major theatres revealed their programming, some of which reverted to familiar patterns from a decade ago. The Roundabout Theatre will give one slot out of four to a woman. Classic Stage Company confirmed a season of three shows, all written and directed by white men. And the Williamstown Theatre Festival, enjoying its first summer under its new director, Jeremy O. Harris, has zero plays written by women among its 2025 productions.

The low representational numbers for women are difficult to square. By various measures (including the numbers of women graduating from degree programs in the arts), roughly two-thirds of the field’s writers are women—there is not, as artistic directors once argued, a pipeline issue. It seemed particularly bitter that, even as theatres made passionate arguments for diversity and new artistic directors took over from the old guard, certain habits were creeping back. Are we seeing a reflection of the country’s increasingly misogynist politics? Is there a kind of moral fatigue at play? Read Helen Shaw’s full commentary:

After years of progress in diversity, many companies’ upcoming slates feature mostly, and in some cases entirely, male-writer lineups. The backslide has prompted an outcry.

03/04/2025

We never thought "THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE" was a truly likely premise.

Defense Secretary Hegseth ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stop all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions. The Trump admin has made clear that it no longer sees Russia as a cybersecurity threat… Analysts were told NOT to follow or report on Russian threats. Trump’s outburst in the Oval Office on Friday confirmed that Putin has been his partner in politics since at least 2016. 'Putin went through a hell of a lot with me,' Trump said. It was an odd statement from a U.S. president, whose loyalty is supposed to be dedicated to the Constitution and the American people.”
–Heather Cox Richardson

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02/22/2025

02/22/2025

Is America great again? Woke this morning to these headlines:

"US stock market crashes in its worst day since 2024"

"Anxiety growing daily among Social Security recipients"

"Trump states he can ignore Congress and courts and decide what the law is."

"Trump effectively calls himself King."

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02/21/2025

Trump’s nominee for Department of Labor head is dedicated ANTI-union. Believes in Right to Work states and reduced minimum wage.

02/21/2025

Outrageous’ and ‘chilling’:
Local orgs react to new DEI restrictions from the National Endowments for the Arts

“The Guthrie will decline its grant.
On Wednesday, the Guthrie Theater offered the following response. "We recognize the significant impact the NEA has on our national arts community and the vital role it plays in supporting organizations, including our own.
Despite this crucial funding, the Guthrie will decline the 2025 NEA grant it was awarded, due to the newly outlined requirements in place. “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) is a core value for the Guthrie, and we strive to embed this commitment across the organization, both on and off the stage. “DEIA makes our work meaningfully stronger, as it better connects to and reflects the various communities we serve — a responsibility we view both as a moral obligation and a business imperative. Accepting the NEA funding under the new guidelines would both compromise DEIA as a core value for the Guthrie and restrict the theater from programming or promoting certain types of artistic activities.
“This is tantamount to censorship, an action that is antithetical to our mission as an arts organization."

02/20/2025

https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2025/02/theater-kids-push-back-on-seattle-us-big-plans-for-new-art-museum-to-replace-lee-center/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1h-Ue2CGrTltB1iOBbxfJMlMcmHO7PlvK4vBha3cuP-joITdYNlN5CK6g_aem_UbxPCLK3z_7oTcm9Gzv2ig

Big plans for Seattle University to create a new art museum along 12th Ave are exciting for the school but some of those closest to the school’s art scenes are rallying to save the much-loved…

02/19/2025

Actors' Equity has condemned the new Trump-run Kennedy Center for canceling the national tour for the musical "Finn."