PLATO Weekly Update

September 28, 2021

CURRICULUM

Fall courses have begun! Please keep in mind that all participants for in-person courses must follow these COVID-19 Protocols:

· Wear masks inside of Host Location buildings.

· Follow social distancing guidelines.

· Follow any additional guidelines required at Host Locations - see the Courses Page or check with your course coordinator.

SPECIAL EVENTS

FALL LECTURES

NEW! Join us for “What is Critical Race Theory, and Why is it Controversial?” on Tuesday, October 26th at 1:30pm. Register here for this 90-minute Zoom lecture with Gloria Ladson-Billings, Professor Emerita at UW-Madison and former Kellner Family Distinguished Professor of Urban Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She will talk with us about how CRT applies to education and why it has become part of the culture wars in this country. Registration is required to attend.

Until then, members are invited to access Past Recordings.

THEATER

NEW! For your virtual streaming pleasure:

Ian McKellen on Stage: With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others and YOU: Sept. 17 – Oct. 3. With stories and anecdotes from his illustrious career on stage and screen, Ian McKellen performs extracts from his most iconic performances, including Shakespeare's King Lear and Tolkien's Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. Filmed live in London’s West End by the National Theatre and presented by TBD Studios.

 Three Plays by Tracy Letts: Sept. 29 – Oct. 24. Streaming from Steppenwolf Theatre, Tracy Letts explains, “These plays share at least one thread: a world off-kilter. They feel very much like stories for 2021.” 

1) Night Safari: The nocturnal habits of the Panamanian Night Monkey, the life cycle of the Paradoxical Frog, and the mating rituals of middle-aged male homo sapiens. This wry monologue poses the question: Are we so distant from the whims of our biology? Enjoy your tour, and please remember – do not feed the animals. 

2) The Old Country: Two men in a diner drain the last drops of their coffees and think about ordering dessert. In the denouement of their (physical, intellectual, and sexual) lives, they wax nostalgic and try to communicate across a wide divide. 

3) The Stretch: And they’re off, for the 108th running of the El Dorado Stakes! But this race is long-distance... and maybe not what it first seems…

And, browse a variety of options on PLATO’s Virtual Theater Trips page where new items are frequently added. 

FEATURED AGORA WORKS

Each week, we offer for your enjoyment, a featured piece from contributors to The Agora, PLATO's journal of arts and ideas. This week we are pleased to offer All the Colors Happening Again, a poem by Norman Leer.

SOCIAL GATHERINGS

Social Gatherings - due to the pandemic, we hope to resume next semester.

SOCIAL JUSTICE EVENTS & READINGS

Select from a range of topics and formats 

for your early Fall reading, viewing, or listening, 

curated by PLATO's Diversity Awareness Committee.

DID YOU KNOW? for September 21 – October 4, 2021

Did You Know… Special Olympics athlete Chris Nikic crossed the finish line to become the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon. Guinness World Records recognized Nikic's achievement after he finished a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-marathon run at the Ironman Florida competition in Panama City Beach in November 2020.

Visit the Social Justice Webpage for more about Chris Nikic
& past DID YOU KNOW? features.

DID YOU KNOW? – spotlighting notable contributions made by non-mainstream individuals you might not have learned or read about. Suggestions for inclusions are welcome (send to Kathy at: ksmichaelis@gmail.com).