Latest news with #Salazar
The Spinoff
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
Would you pay to secure a gig? Local theatre company sparks debate over casting fees
An Auckland community theatre company's request for cast members to pay a $150 fee to star in its production of The Phantom of The Opera has been labelled 'unethical'. A dream role, with a 'hefty' price tag attached: an Auckland theatre company's production of The Phantom of The Opera has copped flak from thespians for asking its cast to each pay a $150 fee, put towards production costs. In the eyes of one actor, it's like paying $150 for a 'job interview'. Ardent Performing Arts' upcoming Phantom production will be paid for out of the pockets of director Linda Marais and her husband who run the company, plus the fees fronted by its cast. A casting call published on April 10 for the production asked for potential stars to front '$150 upon audition' for an unpaid acting gig. The call was amended over the weekend to specify that the fees would be required only once actors were cast, after actress Gabrielle Salazar penned an open letter alleging it was 'unethical' to ask actors to pay, given for the most part they are paid no fee to perform in local theatre. Salazar told The Spinoff a pay-to-play model of business was basically non-existent in New Zealand's theatre community, and operating by that blueprint risked creating a barrier to participation, and commodifying a 'fun hobby'. Membership fees are common throughout many community theatre companies and offer perks such as free tickets, Salazar said, but they aren't a requirement to star in a show. 'Phantom of The Opera is going to be a huge show, but I reckon if you don't have the means to put it on, just don't,' Salazar said. She acknowledged the price that comes with producing a show – time, venue hire, costuming and more – but noted the actors were also offering their time and services for free. Local theatre productions are typically funded by ticket sales, though other funding options are available such as Auckland Council's regional arts and culture grants. In this instance, smaller companies such as Ardent would compete for funding with the likes of the Auckland Writers Festival, dance collectives and other various businesses in the arts. Fundraising events and sponsorships are other options, but can be less reliable. Salazar had contacted Ardent to share her disappointment about the fee, to which Marais replied that the casting fee 'included' the Ardent membership fee. After more concerns were shared, the Ardent representative clarified that the fee would only be required on casting. After publishing the open letter, Ardent edited the call to clarify that fees are 'due on casting', and published its statement to social media. The company sent The Spinoff the same statement when asked for comment. They were 'truly sorry for the confusion or distress caused' by the original wording and 'deeply appreciate those who took the time to reach out'. The statement, sent by Marais, explained that the company typically charged a $50 membership fee for cast, but as Phantom was a 'significantly more ambitious and resource-intensive production', the fee had been upped by $100 to meet costs. 'It would only apply to those offered and accepting a role in the production, and certainly not be collected on audition day,' she said. Marais said anyone who could not front the fee could 'speak with us confidentially'. Marais said Ardent was also 'actively pursuing other fundraising options to support this production'. 'We are listening, learning and always striving to do better,' the statement ended. Salazar's open letter drew support – as well as criticism – from a number of experienced actors and directors in Auckland's community theatre scene. One Auckland-based theatre director wrote in a Facebook group for local actors that he and his theatre partner 'lived off noodles' and made 'a lot of sacrifices' to be able to pay their way without the help of arts grants. 'I just downright wouldn't do a show we couldn't afford.' 'I'm not saying they are bad people,' they wrote, 'but perhaps a committee of advisers to help them on the right track is a good idea. Working within your means is important … The entire thing just screamed inexperienced at their end and that's OK.' Other actors who say they have worked with Ardent in the past confirmed they had paid a membership fee to star in the company's productions, but were happy with the free ticket perks which came with the fee, and support from the owners. 'They go above and beyond to be an inclusive family style theatre group that include [sic] everyone from kids on the spectrum to disabled people to more elderly individuals,' one commenter wrote.
Deccan Herald
7 days ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Legal immigrants are getting swept up in the deportation obsession in US
By Patricia LopezNearly 1 million people who entered the US legally, under temporary protections, have nevertheless become ripe targets for deportation under President Donald goal of mass deportations came into sharper view earlier this month, when the US Supreme Court lifted a federal injunction that had barred Trump from removing 350,000 Venezuelans in the US under a program known as Temporary Protected Status. The brief, unsigned court decision strips deportation protections and work permits from the Venezuelans and paves the way for their also bodes ill for an for a larger group who came under a 2023 Biden executive order that expedited entry for 530,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and to 900,000 people entered under those programs, providing the very information that now could be used against them in speeding their makes Trump's deportation efforts easier, but also threatens to upend communities, rob employee sponsors of workers, and further the 'Get out and stay out' tone being set by this administration..'Harvard refugee': Chinese students hunker down as US blocks foreign TPS, the CHNV program was a temporary solution to the crises that led hundreds of thousands to flee those countries. The situation in Venezuela has been particularly dire. More than 7 million people have fled the unrest and economic instability in that country in the last decade, setting off the largest displacement in Central and South for the more stringent CHNV program had to be vetted, provide proof of an American financial sponsor (typically an employer), pay their own airfare and get a job. In return, they got two years of protection and a work attempt to reduce illegal entries through the CHNV program worked, producing a dramatic drop in illegal border crossings from the four countries. As immigrants poured in legally, candidate Trump seized on the discontent in some communities such as Springfield, Ohio (home to many resettled Haitians) and Aurora, Colorado (where many Venezuelans lived). Once in office, Trump promptly revoked the CHNV program. But by now, the vast majority of these recent entrants have continued to work and become part of their adopted communities. In January, Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida became one of the few in her party to speak out on behalf of the many law-abiding immigrants in the CHNV program. Salazar, whose parents fled Cuba, wrote an appeal to the Department of Homeland Security, urging that those with no criminal record be permitted to is right. At a bare minimum, a more compassionate administration would carve out an exemption for law-abiding people who have done everything this country has asked of them. It would recognize the chaos that drove them here, and the superhuman effort needed to build new, productive lives. This country could use more of that we have a heedless executive bent on checking the mass deportation box and a court that pays so little regard to the ramifications of its order that it didn't even provide reasoning or guidelines, as if its actions would not affect hundreds of thousands of lives. Ahilan Arulanantham, co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA and an attorney representing the Venezuelans, professed shock at the ruling, calling it 'the largest single action stripping any group of noncitizens of immigration status in modern US history.'After winning the TPS case, the administration is seeking a second intervention that would revoke the temporary stay issued by a federal judge in Massachusetts on the CHNV advantageous, Harvard's China ties become a political he can launch his mass deportations — which could happen as soon as a budget bill passes, with its expected massive investments in immigration enforcement — Trump is finding other ways to crack down on these two groups, with an eye toward getting them to leave on their US Department of Agriculture has already issued notices to the states to cut off access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for the affected immigrants. The letter warned that 'if changes to immigration status no longer support a claim to being an eligible alien, SNAP benefits must be discontinued.'Employers have taken note. Shortly after the Supreme Court ruling, the Walt Disney Company notified its Florida workers that those with temporary status would immediately be put on a 30-day leave, followed by the termination of their jobs unless their status changed.'As we sort out the complexities of this situation, we have placed affected employees on leave with benefits to ensure they are not in violation of the law,' Disney said in an email. Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin hailed the TPS decision as 'a win for the American people.'Is it? Tell that to the employers who sponsored these folks, to the churches where they worshipped, to the communities who will feel their absence. In Springfield, Ohio, the Greater Springfield Partnership, made up of hundreds of local businesses, issued a statement last month saying that the influx of Haitians 'has created many challenges in the community, but our Haitian population is willing to work hard for local employers and adapt.'Trump can try to turn this country into an America-for-Americans fortress. But if he does, the US will have lost more than it has gained.
Boston Globe
25-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
A wave of new owners brings fresh energy to independent bookselling
Salazar is among a wave of new — and, often, younger — owners who have helped the independent book community dramatically expand, intensify, and diversify. Independent bookselling is not a field for fortune seekers: Most local stores, whether run by retirees, bookworms or those switching careers in middle age, have some sense of higher purpose. But for many who opened in recent years, it's an especially critical mission. Advertisement Independent stores will likely never recover their power of 50 years ago, before the rise of Barnes & Noble superstores and the online giant But the days of industry predictions of their demise seem well behind. In 2016, there were 1,244 members in the American Booksellers Association trade group, at 1,749 locations. As of this month, the ABA has 2,863 individual members, at 3,281 locations. And more than 200 stores are in the process of opening. Advertisement This photo provided by Amber Salazar shows books at the Third Annual Winter(ish) Market hosted by Lost Friend Brewing Company on Nov. 30, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Amber Salazar/Associated Press 'It's incredible, this kind of energy,' says association CEO Allison Hill, remembering how, during the pandemic, she feared that the ABA could lose up to a quarter of its membership. 'I don't think any of us would have predicted this a few years ago.' Hill and others acknowledge that even during an era of growth, booksellers remain vulnerable to political and economic challenges. Costs of supplies remain high and could grow higher because of President Trump's tariffs. ABA President Cynthia Compton, who runs two stores in the Indianapolis area, says that sales to schools are down because censorship laws have made educators more cautious about what they purchase. The ABA's own website advises: 'Passion and knowledge have to be combined with business acumen if your bookstore is to succeed.' Salazar herself is part of an Instagram chat group, Bookstores Helping Bookstores, with such like-minded sellers as the owners of The Crafty Bookstore in Bloomington, Ind., 'specializing in Indie books & custom bookish accessories,' and the Florida-based Chapter Bound, an online store with a calling 'to connect great books with great people — at prices everyone can afford.' Advertisement 'In the age of social media, people are craving genuine connection and community,' Salazar says. 'And books often provide a catalyst to that feeling of community.' Stephen Sparks, who is 47 and since 2017 has owned Point Reyes Books northwest of San Francisco, believes that the pandemic gave sellers of all ages a heightened sense of their role in the community and that the return of Trump to the White House added new urgency. Sales are up 20 percent this year, he says, if only because 'during tough times, people come to bookstores.' The younger owners bring with them a wide range of prior experience. Salazar had worked in retail management for nine years, switched to property and casualty insurance sales 'in search of advancement opportunity' and, right before she launched her store, was a business process owner, 'a blend of project management, customer and employee experience management.' Courtney Bledsoe, owner of Call & Response, had been a corporate attorney before undertaking a 'full career shift' and risking a substantial drop in income. The 30-year-old held no illusions that owning a store meant 'pouring a cup of coffee and reading all day.' Calling herself 'risk averse,' she researched the book retail business as if preparing for a trial, before committing herself and launching Call & Response in May 2024. 'This endeavor is probably the hardest thing I have ever done in my life,' she says, acknowledging it could take a couple of years before she can even pay herself a salary. 'We're just doing this to serve the community, doing something we love to do, providing people with great events, great reading. It's been a real joy.' Advertisement
Epoch Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Rubio Confirms Chevron's Oil License in Venezuela Expires May 27
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on May 21 that Chevron's oil license in Venezuela will expire at the end of May, as planned. 'The pro-Maduro Biden oil license in Venezuela will expire as scheduled next Tuesday May 27,' Secretary Rubio on social media platform X, without providing further details. On March 4, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) April 3 as the deadline for Chevron to shut down operations in Venezuela. The announcement left Chevron, the only major U.S. oil company still operating in Venezuela, with one month—instead of the usual six months—to cease its activities in the South American country. Twenty days later, on March 24, OFAC an extension of the license for the U.S. oil company to operate in Venezuela until May 27. In November 2022, the Biden administration a license to Chevron after representatives of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro resumed talks with Venezuelan opposition leaders in Mexico City. The Epoch Times contacted the State Department for additional comment. Related Stories 5/22/2025 3/30/2025 The confirmation by the secretary of state was welcomed by some Hispanic lawmakers, including Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.). Salazar the decision 'sends a strong message.' 'We stand with the Venezuelan people and with freedom. Not one more dollar for tyrants,' she posted on X. 'Thank you, Secretary, for speaking with the strength that the moment demands,' Salazar wrote. 'Doing business with Maduro is lining the pockets of a criminal narco-regime that represses, imprisons, and exports terror through Tren de Aragua.' Separately, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) thanked the Trump administration for the move. 'Thank you, President Donald Trump, for putting our national security interests first by standing firm against the anti-American narco-dictator Maduro, who has turned a blind eye to the migration of the violent group [Tren de Aragua], partners with global terrorist networks, and has allowed Venezuela to become a hub for transnational crime in the region,' the Florida representative Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan criminal gang that the United States designated as a terrorist organization earlier this year.
Chicago Tribune
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Stars soccer team to 'test run' Evanston stadium at Northwestern as they consider move there
The Chicago Stars professional women's soccer team will depart their usual Bridgeview venue to play a 'test run' game at an Evanston lakefront stadium in September as they consider a permanent move there. The City of Evanston has granted approval for the team, which competes in the National Women's Soccer League, to play all of its 16 home matches in 2026 at Northwestern University's Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. The venue is the temporary home of the Wildcat football team, but the soccer club has not committed to playing there next year, said Emmanuel Salazar, spokesman for the Stars. 'We are exploring various options for 2026 and will make that announcement when we have the decision finalized,' Salazar said via email. 'Applying for and receiving a zoning certificate from the city of Evanston is part of the process of making and keeping Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium an option for 2026.' In a 'test run' of the idea, Evanston also granted approval for the team to play a match against the Orlando Pride, defending champions of the National Women's Soccer League, on Sept. 7, said Cynthia Vargas, spokeswoman for the city of Evanston. The Sept. 7 match comes the day after Northwestern football plays its home opener against Western Illinois University. The Wildcats are playing at Martin Field while Ryan Field is rebuilt. The Stars currently play their home matches at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Salazar declined to answer questions about the club's interest in the lakefront site, whether it is considering any other sites and when it plans to make a decision on its 2026 home games. He referred any questions to a statement released by the team on May 19. The statement confirms the Sept. 7 match, calling it the 'Lakefront Faceoff' and suggesting the match 'demonstrates the club's ongoing commitment to strengthening partnerships and creating positive connections with local communities, including Northwestern University and the residents of the city of Evanston.' 'This match at Martin Stadium gives us the opportunity to bring our world-class athletes to the city of Evanston to showcase their abilities to (a) new and returning fanbase at a wonderful location on the lakefront,' Club President Karen Leetzow said in the release. Leetzow thanked the city and the university for the opportunity. 'We're dedicated to creating a can't-miss event this September for new and returning fans and finding ways to work with local businesses and community organizations to integrate our club and the beautiful game with all Evanston has to offer,' she said. Although the club has not yet committed to playing there in 2026, it will collaborate with local schools and organizations to bring events to kids and local businesses, including youth soccer clinics and a 'summit for young professionals focused on leadership in women's sports,' the release said. 'Evanston families and youth will have special opportunities to engage with the Stars throughout the season,' it said. In the release, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss said he is excited about the Sept. 7 match. 'We are excited to bring a premier women's soccer franchise to our city, and look forward to welcoming to Evanston not only the players and staff but also their fans,' Biss said. As for 2026, Evanston has approved a zoning application to allow a temporary use of the lakefront field between March and November, Vargas said. The Stars must reapply if they want to use the field beyond 2026, she said. If the team chooses to play at the field in 2026, Evanston will evaluate whether the temporary stadium is suitable for additional use, Vargas said. 'The city would need to assess any impacts from the 2026 season and may require modifications to the transportation management and operations plan or other conditions to grant further temporary use of the facility,' she said. The lakefront stadium, which also hosts soccer and lacrosse matches, is closer to the Northwestern campus than Ryan Field, which is surrounded by homes. 'The lakefront stadium is more separated from residential homes, reducing the immediate disruptions to residents; however, it doesn't necessarily eliminate community concerns,' Vargas said. 'The city of Evanston is committed to working with community members and Chicago Stars to proactively address impacts before the first event in September and use that to inform a transportation management and operations plan for the 2026 season.'
