http://serve.castfire.com/medias/s16/ntw/579/415/4156311-org.mp3
Brian discusses and debates graduation or “promotion” ceremonies in grade school and in middle school and the power of the OK hand sign. Rep. Ann Williams also checks in with an update on the latest in Illinois politics, and Chicago Tribune editorial cartoonist Scott Stantis about Hamilton: The Exhibition.
Brian opens the show by discussing 5th and 8th grade “promotions,” or graduations, and why some people are taking these milestones a little too seriously. Cody Gough, his producer, explains why he thinks the term “promotion” is completely misleading, and Roger Badesch from the newsroom joins the show to talk about different ways of celebrating school achievements from his time as a high school teacher.
Then, Brian turns to a hot topic: the OK sign. After Oak Park River Forest High School announced it would spend more than $50,000 reprinting yearbooks because some students were displaying the hand sign. He and the crew debate the decision to reprint the yearbooks, the context and intent behind the students using the hand sign, and other related hot-button issues.
Illinois State Representative Ann Williams then calls into the show to discuss the recent vote to legalize recreational marijuana in Illinois, along with many other recent issues facing the state government, from rideshare taxes to gambling policies.
Scott Stantis, editorial cartoonist for Chicago Tribune, joins Brian in-studio to discuss Hamilton: The Exhibition, running at Northerly Island with tickets on sale through September 8. He also talks about his career as a cartoonist and some of the things he’s been writing about lately.
Then, Brian gives a “Bow Tie Theatre Review” of Broadway in Chicago’s production of Falsettos, running through June 9 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre (24 W. Randolph Street). Hear Brian laud the performances that blew him away before he wraps up with a fun story about a teacher writing something inappropriate on a student’s paper.