You Want The Arts? Well, The Arts Cost

Debbie Allen on the Hard Work, Persistence, Creativity, Education, Joy—and Yes, Sweat—That The Arts Require

Debbie Allen’s career has spanned film, television, and theater; acting, choreographing, directing, and producing; and serving as an ambassador and teacher of the arts in Los Angeles and around the world.

She was similarly capacious in talking with UC Irvine English professor and former L.A. Times national correspondent Erika Hayasaki, at an event sponsored by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. The conversation was “bouncing,” said Allen, “all over like a microwave,” in front of a large, often laughing crowd at the Petersen Automotive Museum.

Hayasaki opened by inviting …

Are the Arts Dead in California’s Public Schools?

Here Are Some Ideas For Resuscitating Them

We’d love for our schools to teach Billy to play the tuba or draw an elephant, but the money isn’t there for it. Few California public schools spend more than …