The Spiritual Exercises, a structured yet flexible program of Christian spirituality that was developed in the 16th century by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), a Roman Catholic religious order. Comprising meditations, contemplative practices, and prayers, the

It happens: At a certain point—maybe after the birth of a child, a layoff, or an illness—one spouse might have to stop working for a time. The good news is that a hiatus from the workforce doesn’t have to derail that spouse’s retirement savings. An unmarried person who doesn’t work cannot

The Starry Night was painted by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh in 1889 during his stay at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. Van Gogh observed the night sky from his barred bedroom window and became preoccupied by the challenges of painting a nighttime landscape.

The Station nightclub fire, fire on February 20, 2003, that destroyed The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, U.S., and killed 100 people. When it was announced that the hard rock act Great White would be headlining an evening of 1980s retro rock music at The Station, fans turned out

The battle for market share often takes place within a relatively saturated and competitive environment. So you might assume that business success and competitiveness go hand in hand—the more market share a company wants to win, the more it’ll have to fight for it. But this isn’t always the case.

Christmastime is a season rich with traditions that bring together family, faith, and culture and that emphasize themes of hope, joy, generosity, and goodwill. While Christmas was first established as a Christian festival of the birth of Jesus, the introduction of customs such as decorating trees

Across many cultures, humans have regarded blood as a substance with important regenerative properties since long before blood transfusions became feasible as a form of medical therapy. The idea of transferring new blood to a sick person to restore his or her health is quite old, but until the

As you prepare for the high school homestretch, figuring out how to pay for college is perhaps the biggest thing to nail down. You’ve heard of the dream school, safety school, and that “reach” school that might push the acceptance boundary given your test scores, class rank, and other admission

Without a scientific explanation, the darkening of the Sun (or Moon) during an eclipse would be a startling event, to say the least. Throughout history, eclipses have been seen as a disruption of the natural order, and many groups have believed them to be bad omens. Many ancient (and not so

In 1981 U.S. Pres. Ronald Reagan was shot during an assassination attempt. While he was incapacitated in the hospital, Secretary of State Alexander Haig famously declared, “I am in control here.” He also told reporters, “Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the president, the vice president, and

Suppose a company has a pile of long-term, fixed-rate debt, and they would prefer that some of it be of shorter duration and tied to a short-term interest rate. Meanwhile, the bank next door earns fixed-rate payments from loans it’s made, and pays depositors on a floating-rate basis. Wouldn’t it be

The Sweet Hereafter, Canadian dramatic film, released in 1997, about a lawyer (Ian Holm) who comes to a small town to sign clients for a lawsuit after a school bus accident. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes film festival and received Academy Award nominations for best director (Atom

The Swing, oil painting created about 1767 by French artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard. This is Fragonard’s most celebrated painting, as well as one of the best-known images in 18th-century art. It illustrates the elegance and playfulness of the Rococo style, which dominated French art during this

The Terminator, an American science-fiction, action-adventure film, released in 1984. It was directed and cowritten by James Cameron and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the titular Terminator, a nearly indestructible humanoid cyborg assassin sent back in time from the year 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah

the Smiths: …Marr joined Matt Johnson in The The, where his signature sound drove two of that band’s most successful albums—Mind Bomb (1989) and Dusk (1991). Marr teamed with Bernard Sumner of New Order in the supergroup Electronic. Although Marr and Sumner had initially conceived their partnership to be temporary, the success…

The Third of May 1808, oil painting by Spanish artist Francisco Goya that was completed in 1814. It evokes the horrors of war with great emotional force and is stylistically revolutionary. On March 17, 1808, the Revolt of Aranjuez ended the reign of King Charles IV of Spain and his wife, María

The trove of documents was astonishing. A deed was the first to emerge—a dull legal agreement made nearly 200 years earlier. Its paper and ink and wax seals were authenticated by people who knew these things. Enthusiasm followed, and so did more documents, all of about the same vintage: a receipt

Famous Jewish scientist Albert Einstein is well known for his discoveries in theoretical physics. But did you know he also had the opportunity to enter the political world? Following the death of Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, in 1952, the Israeli government, headed by Prime Minister

In the 1st century BCE the Mediterranean Sea had a crime problem. Specifically, it had a pirate problem. The rugged region of southern Anatolia known as Cilicia Trachea (Rough Cilicia) was notoriously infested with seagoing bandits whose depredations terrified Romans. In 75 BCE a band of Cilician

This special report has been provided to Britannica by NewsGuard, which offers the service HealthGuard to fight online health care misinformation. It was written by John Gregory and originally published at newsguardtech.com. Chine Labbe, Kendrick McDonald, Anicka Slachta, Sophia Tewa, Edward

The Treachery of Images, oil on canvas painting by Belgian artist René Magritte, completed in 1929. It is considered a notable work of Surrealist art, as well as one of Magritte’s most famous paintings. Since 1978 it has been displayed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The Treachery

The Trinity, fresco created about 1427 in the Church of Santa Maria Novella by the early Renaissance Florentine artist Masaccio. It is likely to be the artist’s final work in Florence. The Trinity is often cited as the first major painting to use one-point linear perspective. Had Masaccio not died

In 1975 New York’s high society was the talk of the town—for all the wrong reasons. That year Esquire magazine published “La Côte Basque, 1965,” a scandalous chapter from Truman Capote’s unfinished roman à clef Answered Prayers. In the tell-all excerpt, he skewered his inner circle of socialite

In 2014 a shocking news story emerged from western Ireland. Human remains, appearing to be those of infants and young children, had been found in a septic tank on the grounds of the former St. Mary’s Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, County Galway. Soon, many grim facts about the Tuam mother and baby

ProCon Debate: Should the U.S. Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? ProCon Issue in the News: The voting age across the United Kingdom (comprising England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland) will be uniformly lowered to 16 by the next general election (which must be called by August 2029). The voting

The arrival of the U.S. men’s basketball team at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, proved a major milestone in two notable trends in modern sports: the demise of the amateur athlete in Olympic competition and the remarkable rise in the popularity of basketball worldwide. The United States

Since 1999, the death rate from opioid drug overdose in the United States has been on the rise. The rate nearly doubled—from 1 to 1.8 per 100,000 people—between 2013 and 2014 alone. Today the number of drug overdose deaths per year far surpasses the number of deaths from motor vehicle accidents—the

The Valpinçon Bather, oil painting created in 1808 by French Neoclassical artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. It depicts a female nude and is a masterpiece of light and harmony. The painting was originally entitled Seated Woman but in time acquired its present name after one of its later owners.

The Vicar of Dibley, British television situation comedy that aired on BBC One from 1994 to 2000, with special episodes continuing until 2020. During its run, the show had high viewership and was nominated for several BAFTA awards. It received an International Emmy Award in 1998. The series follows

Vietnam became a subject of large-scale news coverage in the United States only after substantial numbers of U.S. combat troops had been committed to the war in the spring of 1965. Prior to that time, the number of American newsmen in Indochina had been small—fewer than two dozen even as late as

The most important development of the 20th century was the spread of democracy. The most important lesson was that the tides of freedom will always be opposed. Now and in the future, this warning should be on our minds because democracy is undergoing a new and rigorous round of tests. (Read

While go-go was the rage in Washington, D.C., and hip-hop was ascendant in New York City, gay Chicago was laying the foundation for the most lastingly influential of early 1980s African-American dance musics, house. The name came from a club, the Warehouse, where deejay Frankie Knuckles eschewed

The Way International, Christian evangelical group founded in 1942 as Vesper Chimes, a radio ministry broadcast from Lima, Ohio, by Victor Paul Wierwille (1916–85). Its current headquarters are in New Knoxville, Ohio; estimates of its membership range from 3,000 to 20,000. As a minister in the

The White Lotus is a fictional American TV anthology series that tells a number of intertwining stories at a chain of five-star resorts. The show features deep casts of well-known actors and has attracted critical acclaim for its darkly satirical look at wealth, class, race, relationships, and

Lois Lowry: Books of the 21st century: …include The Silent Boy (2003), The Willoughbys (2008), Like the Willow Tree (2011), and The Windeby Puzzle (2023).

The Wire, American crime drama television series, created by David Simon and considered by critics as one of the best shows ever made because of its unique portrayal of systemic dysfunction in American civic institutions. HBO aired 60 episodes over five seasons, the first on June 2, 2002, and the

The Wiz, American fantasy musical film, released in 1978 and directed by Sidney Lumet, with a screenplay written by Joel Schumacher. Set in New York City’s Harlem district in the 1970s and featuring an all-Black cast, The Wiz is based on the 1975 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same

The most famous of the 1960s rock festivals, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held on a farm property in Bethel, New York, August 15–17, 1969. It was organized by four inexperienced promoters who nonetheless signed a who’s who of current rock acts, including Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family

The World Science Festival highlights the amazing accomplishments of scientists from around the world through its Pioneers in Science program. Watch these videos provided to Britannica by the festival and read original biographies by Britannica authors to find out more about these scientists’

Written language stands as one of humanity’s greatest achievements. Whereas speech is fleeting, written communication provides a permanence and has ultimately influenced everything from commerce to government to religion. The following are the five most commonly used writing systems around the

The Young Ones (British television series), TV sitcom starring Rik Mayall, Adrian (“Ade”) Edmondson, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, and Alexei Sayle. The show ran on British television on the BBC Two channel from 1982 to 1984. It is credited with being highly influential in British comedy, winning

tea plant, (Camellia sinensis), evergreen flowering plant valued for its young leaves and leaf buds, from which the tea beverage is produced. Two principal varieties are used commercially, the small-leaved China plant (Camellia sinensis, variety sinensis) and the large-leaved Assam plant (C.

Theaceae, the tea family of plants in the order Theales. The Theaceae comprises about 40 genera of trees or shrubs native to temperate and tropical regions of both hemispheres, including several ornamental plants, one that is the source of tea. Members of the family have evergreen leaves and

Plato: Late dialogues of Plato: The Theaetetus considers the question “What is knowledge?” Is it perception, true belief, or true belief with an “account”? The dialogue contains a famous “digression” on the difference between the philosophical and worldly mentalities. The work ends inconclusively and may indeed be intended to show the…

Plato: Late dialogues of Plato: The Theaetetus considers the question “What is knowledge?” Is it perception, true belief, or true belief with an “account”? The dialogue contains a famous “digression” on the difference between the philosophical and worldly mentalities. The work ends inconclusively and may indeed be intended to show the…

Theaetetus was an Athenian mathematician who had a significant influence on the development of Greek geometry. Theaetetus was a disciple of Socrates and studied with Theodorus of Cyrene. He taught at some time in Heraclea (located in present-day southern Italy). Plato made Theaetetus the chief

tea: Fermentation: …to form orange-red compounds called theaflavins. The theaflavins react with more units to form the thearubigins, which are responsible for the transformation of the leaf to a dark brown or coppery colour. The thearubigins also react with amino acids and sugars to form flavour compounds that may be partly lost…

ancient Greek civilization: The early tyrannies: Theagenes of Megara makes an appearance in history for three reasons: he slaughtered the flocks of the rich (an action incomprehensible without more background information than is available); he tried about 630 to help his son-in-law Cylon to power at Athens; and he built a…

Homer: Early references: …kind of Homeric scholarship began: Theagenes of Rhegium in southern Italy toward the end of the same century wrote the first of many allegorizing interpretations. By the 5th century biographical fictions were well under way; the Pre-Socratic philosopher Heracleitus of Ephesus made use of a trivial legend of Homer’s death—that…

John Chalkhill: …was an English poet whose Thealma and Clearchus was published posthumously in 1683 by Izaak Walton, and who was identified in the third edition of Walton’s Compleat Angler as the author of two songs which appeared there from the first edition (1653).

tea: Fermentation: …more units to form the thearubigins, which are responsible for the transformation of the leaf to a dark brown or coppery colour. The thearubigins also react with amino acids and sugars to form flavour compounds that may be partly lost if fermentation is prolonged. In general, theaflavin is associated with…

theatre: The influence of Brecht: The auditorium of the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm is lavish to the point of fantasy, decorated with ornate plaster figures. The stage, by complete contrast, is a vast mechanized scenic space in which everything is clearly exposed to view as theatrical and man-made. In the contrast between the comfort of…

Emanuel Schikaneder: …the time he opened the Theater an der Wien (1801), built especially for him, the costs were becoming ruinous. Schikaneder retained management of the theatre for less than four years, a period marked by an abortive attempt at collaboration on an opera with Ludwig van Beethoven. Schikaneder left Vienna to…

Germany: Government and audience support: …the People’s Independent Theatre (Theater der Freien Volksbühne), dating from 1890 in Berlin. Going to the theatre or opera in Germany is nearly as affordable and as unremarkable as attending the cinema is elsewhere. The same is also true of concert music. Every major city has at least one…

radar: Ballistic missile defense and satellite-surveillance radars: Army’s Theater High Altitude Area Defense Ground Based Radar (THAAD GBR). This is a mobile solid-state active-aperture phased-array radar that operates within the X-band of the spectrum. A different approach to ballistic missile defense is the Israeli tactical system known as Arrow, which employs an L-band…

The primary differences between theater and cinema lie in the nature of the performances and the medium through which the audience experiences them. A theatrical performance is a live performance; it is a dynamic art form where actors perform in real-time. The immediacy of theater means that every

theatre-in-the-round, form of theatrical staging in which the acting area, which may be raised or at floor level, is completely surrounded by the audience. It has been theorized that the informality thus established leads to increased rapport between the audience and the actors.

Hiroshi Sugimoto: In his next series, Theaters, begun in 1978, he photographed movie theatres and drive-ins with an exposure the length of the film’s duration. All that appeared visible in the photographs was the luminescent rectangular screen in the centre of the theatre and the surrounding architectural details.

Germany: Arts festivals: …Film Festival in February; the Theatertreffen Berlin (“Berlin Theatre Meeting”), featuring productions from throughout the German-speaking world; and the Karneval der Kulturen (“Carnival of Cultures”), a festival of world cultures. Munich has an opera festival in July and August, with emphasis on Richard Strauss. Festivals in Würzburg and Augsburg are…

St. Cajetan of Thiene: …Congregation of Clerics Regular (Theatines) to further the ideals of the Oratory of Divine Love among diocesan priests and to promote clerical reform through asceticism and apostolic work. After Emperor Charles V sacked Rome, Carafa and Cajetan escaped to Venice in 1527. Following his dispatch as Theatine superior to…

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing: Rising reputation as dramatist and critic.: …where he started another periodical, Theatralische Bibliothek (“Theatrical Library”), but this too had to be closed down after only four volumes. The most significant event during this time was the publication in 1753–55 of a six-volume edition of his works. Apart from some witty epigrams, the edition contained the most…

theatre, in architecture, a building or space in which a performance may be given before an audience. The word is from the Greek theatron, “a place of seeing.” A theatre usually has a stage area where the performance itself takes place. Since ancient times the evolving design of theatres has been

theatre, in dramatic arts, an art concerned almost exclusively with live performances in which the action is precisely planned to create a coherent and significant sense of drama. Though the word theatre is derived from the Greek theaomai, “to see,” the performance itself may appeal either to the

Antonin Artaud: …Théâtre et son double (1938; The Theatre and Its Double) call for a communion between actor and audience in a magic exorcism; gestures, sounds, unusual scenery, and lighting combine to form a language, superior to words, that can be used to subvert thought and logic and to shock the spectator…

theatre missile defense (TMD), deployment of nuclear and conventional missiles for the purpose of maintaining security in a specific region, or theatre. The purpose of theatre missile defense (TMD) is to protect allies from local threats in their region or to address specific security issues and

theatrical production: The permanent company: The development of a production system depending on a permanent company introduced a new element into theatre—professional virtuosity. The emergence of professional theatre companies was a feature of Renaissance urbanization. Various courts had maintained performers throughout the medieval period, but these were usually musicians…

theatre design, the art and technique of designing and building a space—a theatre—intended primarily for the performance of drama and its allied arts by live performers who are physically present in front of a live audience. This article describes the different forms a theatre can take and the

Marais Theatre, one of the major theatrical companies in 17th-century France. With the actor Montdory as its head, the company performed at various temporary theatres in Paris from 1629 before finding a permanent home in a converted tennis court in the Marais district in 1634. The Marais Theatre

Palais-Royal Theatre, Paris playhouse most noted for 17th-century productions by Molière. The Palais-Royal traces its history to a small private theatre in the residence of Cardinal Richelieu. Designed by architect Jacques Lemercier, this theatre became known by the name of the residence, the

theatre: The new Naturalism: …book The People’s Theatre (Le Théâtre du peuple, 1903), inspired similar movements in other countries.

Antonin Artaud: …Théâtre et son double (1938; The Theatre and Its Double) call for a communion between actor and audience in a magic exorcism; gestures, sounds, unusual scenery, and lighting combine to form a language, superior to words, that can be used to subvert thought and logic and to shock the spectator…

Canadian literature: The Quiet Revolution: …by groups such as the Théâtre Expérimental des Femmes and featuring controversial plays such as Denise Boucher’s Les Fées ont soif (1978; The Fairies Are Thirsty) and Marchessault’s La Saga des poules mouillées (1981; Saga of Wet Hens). Dramatist and novelist Marie Laberge continued the tradition of feminist theatre with,…

theatrical production: Educational and developmental: …an entirely new area called theatre for development. Theatre has been used, primarily in the developing world, to foster literacy programs, population planning campaigns, and agricultural development programs. In Indonesia, for example, wayang shadow puppets have been used, with the content of traditional plays altered to include family planning messages.…

Theatre Guild, a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 for the production of high-quality, noncommercial American and foreign plays. The guild, founded by Lawrence Langner (1890–1962), departed from the usual theatre practice in that its board of directors shared the responsibility

theatre design: Renaissance: …“theatre in the hall” (teatro della sala), an arrangement that became a dominant form of theatre design in the Renaissance, when formal experimentation was being undertaken by academic institutions (academies, grammar schools, Jesuit colleges, universities, etc.), by members of the nobility who competed with one another to put on…

theatre missile defense (TMD), deployment of nuclear and conventional missiles for the purpose of maintaining security in a specific region, or theatre. The purpose of theatre missile defense (TMD) is to protect allies from local threats in their region or to address specific security issues and

theatre music, any music designed to form part of a dramatic performance, as, for example, a ballet, stage play, motion picture, or television program. Included are the European operetta and its American form, the musical. Music as an art of the theatre has its roots in primitive ritual and

Théâtre National Populaire (TNP), French national theatre created in 1920 to bring theatre to the general public. Its first director, Firmin Gémier, had been the director of the Théâtre Antoine and had made a number of attempts to create a people’s theatre. Initially the TNP offered productions

Opéra, Parisian opera house designed by Charles Garnier. The building, considered one of the masterpieces of the Second Empire style, was begun in 1861 and opened with an orchestral concert on Jan. 5, 1875. The first opera performed there was Fromental Halévy’s work La Juive on Jan. 8, 1875. A

directing: Directorial styles: …intense physicality to Jerzy Grotowski’s Polish Laboratory Theatre from Wrocław in Poland, though the two companies had been founded independently in the early 1960s.

Diana Rigg: …the Vincent Price horror film Theatre of Blood (1973) to her credit, among others. Still, she remained dedicated to the theatre, appearing in classical and contemporary plays in both England and the United States. In 1971 she made her Broadway debut, appearing in Abelard and Heloise. The following year she…

Abraham Ortelius: … (1570; “Theatre of the World”).

Jan Baptista van der Noot: …his main works had appeared, Het theatre oft toon-neel (“Theatre for Voluptuous Worldlings”), a prose defense of the virtues of Calvinism and a condemnation of the worldliness of Dutch society. It is prefaced by sonnets and epigrams that were translated by Edmund Spenser for an English version.

Cinématographe: …and in part on the Théâtre Optique of Émile Reynaud in Paris. From Dickson and Edison’s invention the Lumières took the idea of a sprocket-wound film and from Reynaud that of projecting the successive frames on a screen. The Cinématographe also functioned as a camera and could be used to…

Chitlin Circuit: Development of the Chitlin Circuit: …saw the formation of the Theatre Owners Booking Association (TOBA), an organization that booked Black entertainers and gave theater managers and owners some amount of shareholder interest in their performance venues. TOBA’s governing board was interracial, and many of the organization’s agents and owners who booked theater and musical acts…

music hall and variety: By the Theatre Regulations Act of 1843, drinking and smoking, although prohibited in legitimate theatres, were permitted in the music halls. Tavern owners, therefore, often annexed buildings adjoining their premises as music halls. The low comedy of the halls, designed to appeal to the working class and…

Robert Lepage: Early life and career: …Knapp, Lepage in 1982 joined Théâtre Repère in Quebec. This theatre company, founded by Jacques Lessard, relied on the active involvement of actors to discover the key object or pattern necessary to develop the production. In 1985 Lepage became artistic director of the company. That same year he staged a…

Drury Lane Theatre, oldest London theatre still in use. It stands in the eastern part of the City of Westminster. The first theatre was built by the dramatist Thomas Killigrew for his company of actors as the Theatre Royal under a charter from Charles II. It opened May 7, 1663, in the propitious

Sarah Bernhardt: International success: …is now known as the Théâtre de la Ville.

African theatre, effectively, the theatre of Africa south of the Sahara that emerged in the postcolonial era—that is to say, from the mid-20th century onward. It is not possible to talk of much African theatre as if it fell into discrete historical or national patterns. Colonial boundaries ignored

African theatre, effectively, the theatre of Africa south of the Sahara that emerged in the postcolonial era—that is to say, from the mid-20th century onward. It is not possible to talk of much African theatre as if it fell into discrete historical or national patterns. Colonial boundaries ignored

The Theatre, first public playhouse of London, located in the parish of St. Leonard’s, Shoreditch. Designed and built by James Burbage (the father of actor Richard Burbage), The Theatre was a roofless, circular building with three galleries surrounding a yard. It opened in 1576, and several

Western theatre, history of the Western theatre from its origins in pre-Classical antiquity to the present. For a discussion of drama as a literary form, see dramatic literature and the articles on individual national literatures. For detailed information on the arts of theatrical performance and

Western theatre, history of the Western theatre from its origins in pre-Classical antiquity to the present. For a discussion of drama as a literary form, see dramatic literature and the articles on individual national literatures. For detailed information on the arts of theatrical performance and

Comédie-Française, national theatre of France and the world’s longest established national theatre. After the death of the playwright Molière (1673), his company of actors joined forces with a company playing at the Théâtre du Marais, the resulting company being known as the Théâtre Guénégaud. In

theatre-in-the-round, form of theatrical staging in which the acting area, which may be raised or at floor level, is completely surrounded by the audience. It has been theorized that the informality thus established leads to increased rapport between the audience and the actors.

Théâtre-Libre, (French: Free Theatre), independent, private theatre founded in Paris in 1887 by André Antoine, which became the proving ground for the new naturalistic drama. Antoine, an amateur actor, was influenced by the naturalistic novels of Émile Zola and by the theatrical realism of the

theatre: The evolution of modern theatrical production: …political power, led to the Theatres Act of 1843, which gave London a “free theatre.” The expected flood of new theatre buildings did not occur, and no major building took place for 16 years. This is probably because there were already sufficient illegal theatres in operation when the act was…

war of the theatres, in English literary history, conflict involving the Elizabethan playwrights Ben Jonson, John Marston, and Thomas Dekker. It covered a period when Jonson was writing for one children’s company of players and Marston for another, rival group. In 1599 Marston presented a mildly

stagecraft: Costume design: Theatrical costumes were an innovation of the Greek poet Thespis in the 6th century bce, and theatrical costumes were long called “the robes of Thespis.” Athenians spent lavishly on the production and costumes at annual drama contests. Each poet was…