Tonye Patano, a black actor in New York City, was so consumed last year by reading a script about minstrelsy, she was late for an audition. The story had rattled and repulsed her. But she couldn't put it down. The day when she finally headed to the audition, she heard...

As much of the world now knows, on Sept. 22, Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University student whose homosexual encounter in his dorm room was broadcast globally on a webcam, took his own life. Three days later, the Tectonic Theater Project launched its 10th anniversary touring productions of The...

In the quest for leadership, when it comes to forgiveness and grace, one could do worse than to turn to the culminating scene of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. In one of the most shocking turnarounds in the Bard's canon, the character of Isabella kneels down to beg for Angelo's mercy,...

Not long ago, I posted a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel on my Facebook page. This isn't an online slide show or video guide through a Rome museum but a Vatican-sanctioned, Google Earth-style viewing tool. With the click, you can zoom in on Jesus or Moses or...