Kabir Bhatia

2 weeks ago | ideastream.org | Kabir Bhatia |Ygal Kaufman

Under the orange flame of the steelyard, one woman found something unexpected: Peace and courage. The new play, "Rust: A Story of Steel and Grit,” explores how it happened. The adaptation of Eliese Colette Goldbach’s memoir opens Friday night at Dobama Theatre in Cleveland Heights. “There's a little bit of a Romeo and Juliet romance going on: She lives on the West Side and her boyfriend's on the East Side,” said playwright George Brant. “It feels very Cleveland, but also very Midwest.

2 weeks ago | ideastream.org | Kabir Bhatia

David Thomas, a key component of Cleveland’s 1970s New Wave music scene, has died. The frontman for the group Pere Ubu died Wednesday at his home in England with his wife and youngest step daughter by his side, according to a statement on the band’s official Facebook page. The statement noted that he was nearly finished with an autobiography, which the band said it would complete for him. Born June 14, 1953 in Miami, he came to prominence fronting Rocket From the Tombs.

3 weeks ago | ideastream.org | Kabir Bhatia

The Cleveland Museum of Art is forging another agreement for cultural exchange, centered around the return of a statue. On Thursday, museum director William M. Griswold formally signed the agreement, laid out last year, alongside Mohammed Faraj Mohammed Al-Fallos, chair of Libya’s Department of Antiquities. “We deplore the illicit, unscientific excavation of archaeological material and ancient art,” Griswold said. “We condemn the theft and unlawful sale of such objects.

3 weeks ago | ideastream.org | Kabir Bhatia

Akron is getting an unusual gift for its 200th birthday: a new theme song. The piece “Festive Fanfare (For Akron’s Bicentennial)” premieres Tuesday at E-J Thomas Hall. The piece was commissioned by Tuesday Musical Executive Director Cynthia Snider. “The recording, we hope, will be played at school graduations, at sporting events, at the Akron Roundtable; all kinds of community events,” Snider said.

4 weeks ago | ideastream.org | Kabir Bhatia

As JOANN, Inc. winds down operations, its headquarters in Hudson has a large “for sale” sign out front. A potential buyer might be thinking housing development, or another major business headquarters. But what about an airport? It’s happened before. Mid-City Airport opened in the 1920s at the corner of what’s today Darrow and Terex Roads. It was named for the area’s position, midway between Akron and Cleveland.