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Journey to the Past

Liz callaway.

About Journey to the Past

"Journey to the Past" is a song written by lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty for the animated musical film Anastasia (1997). Originally recorded for the film by American actress and singer Liz Callaway in her titular role as the singing voice of Anastasia – who is going by her nickname "Anya" at the time – the song expresses the character's desire to follow sparse clues about her past in the hopes of learning more about her family and who she is. The third song written and recorded for the film, Ahrens and Flaherty conceived "Journey to the Past" as a means of expressing the different emotions Anya feels while she prepares to venture out on her own for the first time. Accompanying a musical sequence during which Anya travels from her Russian orphanage to St. Petersberg, the song incorporates the film's central themes about home, love and family. To market the film to a wider audience, President of Fox Music Robert Kraft recruited American singer Aaliyah to record a pop and R&B version of the song, which is played during the film's end credits. Produced by Guy Roche, some of the songs lyrics and melody were adjusted to suit Aaliyah's vocal style. The cover was released as the second single from the film's soundtrack album. Upon release, both versions of "Journey to the Past" received generally positive reviews, although film and music critics preferred Callaway's original rendition over Aaliyah's. It became a moderately successful pop hit in the UK. The song did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100; it only received minor adult contemporary airplay in the U. S. It stayed on the chart for only 4 weeks. The song was released on November 6, 1997 as the soundtrack's second single.   more »

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Liz Callaway (born April 13, 1961) is an American actress and singer, famous for providing the singing voices of many female characters in films, such as Anya/Anastasia in Anastasia, Odette in The Swan Princess, and the Adult Kiara in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. more »

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Know any other songs by liz callaway don't keep it to yourself, image credit, the web's largest resource for, music, songs & lyrics, a member of the stands4 network, watch the song video, more tracks from the album, anastasia [music from the motion picture].

• #1 A Rumor in St. Petersburg
• #2 Journey to the Past
• #3 Once upon a December
• #4 In the Dark of the Night
• #5 Learn to Do It
• #6 Learn to Do It [Waltz Reprise]
• #7 Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)
• #8 At the Beginning

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Movies soundtrack

• Anastasia   1997

Journey to the Past lyrics - Anastasia

• Prologue: Once Upon a December
• A Rumor in St Petersburg
• In My Dreams
• Learn to Do It
• The Neva Flows
• My Petersburg
• Once Upon a December
• A Secret She Kept
• Stay, I Pray You
• We'll Go From There

Journey to the Past

• Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)
• Crossing a Bridge
• Close the Door
• Land of Yesterday
• The Countess and the Common Man
• In a Crowd of Thousands
• Meant to Be
• Quartet at the Ballet
• Everything to Win
• Once Upon a December (Reprise)
• The Press Conference
• Everything to Win (Reprise)
• Still/The Neva Flows (Reprises)

Journey to the Past lyrics

• Les Miserables
• Addams Family, The
• Phantom of the Opera, The
• Jesus Christ Superstar
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

• Singing Voice 🎤
• Stephen Flaherty

Journey to the Past

• Edit source
• View history

Anya during the "Journey to the Past" sequence.

" Journey to the Past " is the theme song from Anastasia . It's also included on the film's soundtrack.

The song was written by Lynn Ahrens , composed by Stephen Flaherty , and originally performed by Liz Callaway in her role as the singing voice of Anastasia.

A pop/R&B rendition of the song was later recorded and released as a single by late R&B recording artist, Aaliyah.

• 3 Style and Composition
• 4.1 "Reminiscing with Grandma"
• 4.2 "Finale"

"Journey to the Past" is performed by Anya shortly after she is sent away from the orphanage, following her playful encounter with Poo

ka. Prior to the song, Anya is pondering whether she should follow orders and go to the fish market, causing her to remain an unknown orphan, or follow her own path and go to St. Petersburg where there she might find a family to love her. Anya decides to travel to St. Petersburg, accompanied by Pooka. During the song, Anya is seen walking on a snow-covered pathway surrounded by a snow forest. As the song progresses, so does Anya's confidence in her decision and her enthusiasm.

The songs speaks about going on an adventure to discover who you really are, in other words, your "past". In Anya's case, the song serves as a piece motivation that encourages her to travel to St. Petersburg and possibly find her family, the truth about her past, and most imprtantly, who she is and where she came from.

Style and Composition [ ]

The musical style of "Journey to the Past" is generally a combination of traditional or orchestral pop and music theatre. It's main instruments are piano and vocals.

Other Appearances [ ]

"reminiscing with grandma" [ ].

"Journey to the Past" has few reprises in "Reminiscing with Grandma".

"Finale" [ ]

"Journey to the Past" seems to be a main melody for "Finale".

• 1 Anastasia

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‘Journey to the Past’ Carries ‘Anastasia’ to the Present

By Rachel Syme

• April 20, 2017

It was the “Let It Go” of the ’90s, the inescapable ear worm that leapt from an animated film to the radio charts to international concert halls and, ultimately, to the stage of the Academy Awards. Now, 20 years later, “Journey to the Past” is back. And this time, the song is on Broadway.

On Monday, April 24, “Anastasia,” a new musical based on the hit 1997 animated feature about the adventures of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, the youngest Romanov princess, will open at the Broadhurst Theater. The movie — one of several retellings of the legend, including a 1956 Ingrid Bergman film of the same name — put forth a fanciful, if not historically accurate, premise: What if Anastasia had not been murdered in the Bolshevik Revolution along with her four siblings in 1918, but instead had survived with a touch of amnesia?

In the film opening’s scene, the princess, who goes by Anya after forgetting her identity, leaves an orphanage outside St. Petersburg in search of her grandmother, who survived the revolution. She has only fuzzy memories, of gilded palaces and a jeweled music box. Trudging through the snow, she sings “Journey to the Past,” a number at once twinkling and rousing, about moving forward by diving into history.

The song, with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, who have teamed up again to update the tale for Broadway, became the breakout track from the film , where it was sung by Liz Callaway and earned an Oscar nomination.

That and a radio version by the teenage R&B star Aaliyah set it on a course to global omnipresence. The song has been dubbed in more than 31 languages for the film’s international versions, with various countries’ ingénues giving voice to Anya: In Mexico, the pop star Thalía released a cover; in Norway, Anita Skorgan, a Eurovision Song Contest veteran, added her own flair; in Portugal, Lúcia Moniz (best known as Colin Firth’s romantic interest in “Love Actually”) recorded it as “Regresso ao passado,” or “Return to the Past.”

The song’s runaway success shocked its composers. “We had another song for that scene,” said Mr. Flaherty, sitting with Ms. Ahrens at a cafe near the Broadhurst. “In the other song, Anya was on a bicycle. But, in Hollywood, you always have to write three songs for every scene. ‘Journey’ was the last one we came up with, late at night.”

At the Oscars, it lost to “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic,” which, Mr. Flaherty sighed, “was No. 1 all around the world that week. Though hope springs eternal, and we thought we might have a chance.”

Ms. Ahrens laughed, and added: “My mother, who I call the pinprick in the bubble of joy, said it’s an honor just to be nominated. What she meant was, you’re going to lose.”

Still, Aaliyah’s performance on the telecast, in a black evening gown, is a lasting cultural moment, especially given her death in a 2001 plane crash. She also appeared in the official music video for the song, frolicking through animated snowscapes in a furry beige jump suit with a matching floor-length mink coat.

“She was so lovely to work with,” Mr. Flaherty said of Aaliyah. “The morning we were nominated, we got a call from her. No one ever thanks the songwriters, but she did. I will always remember that.”

Though Aaliyah made the song popular on radio, the version that most fans cling to was sung by Ms. Callaway, a Broadway regular who was originally hired to sing only the demo tapes for the film but won the job after studio executives became enchanted with her voice. Ms. Callaway said that she still recalls the moment Mr. Flaherty played it for her.

“I thought, ‘That’s the song,’” Ms. Callaway said. “ I wanted to record it that same night. We stayed up until 1 in the morning, and no one left until it was done.”

Christy Altomare, who plays Anya on Broadway, said she had a similar moment of late-night communion. When recording the cast album, she asked to sing “Journey to the Past” last, so that she could “walk out into the streets of New York having just sung it,” she explained. “There is an energy to those last 32 bars that is indescribable — the hopefulness, the longing.”

The “Anastasia” creative team, which includes the book writer Terrence McNally and the director Darko Tresnjak, is banking on the song’s appeal to fill seats. So far it may be working: In a recent week, the show brought in $1.2 million at the box office, a healthy haul before its official opening.

Promotional materials, including a teaser trailer that amassed over 12 million views on Facebook, all feature the twinkling opening bars of “Journey to the Past,” a kind of instant aural nostalgia trip designed for maximum throwback swooning. (Ms. Ahrens calls it the “shimmer.”)

“I’ve imagined this for YEARS!” one fan wrote under the YouTube video. Another: “I’m crying right now, this is my childhood! I wish I could go, but is really hard because I live in Argentina.”

Svala Bjorgvinsdottir, an Icelandic singer and the daughter of the Reykjavik rock star Bjorgvin Halldorsson, recorded the song when she was 18 and already famous in her home country. Twenty years on, she still performs it “in big arena concerts all over Iceland, including my father’s Christmas Stadium Gala,” she said by email. “The lyrics are beautiful in Icelandic.”

Ms. Callaway , too, said she is constantly surprised by the fervor. She included the song on her 2015 album, “The Essential Liz Callaway,” and still performs it live dozens of times every year.

“I’ve sung it in China, I’ve sung it in France, and everyone knows this song,” she said. “I have had people burst into tears when they hear me sing it, saying it is their childhood rushing back to them.”

Caroline Benson, 23, a self-described “Anastasia superfan” currently studying musical theater at Auburn University, said that she views “Journey” as a kind of empowerment anthem for women.

“My mom bought me the VHS when I was about 6,” she said. “I always appreciated Anya as a strong feminist character who knew what she wanted and never took no for an answer. As a person who is in a transition period, this song really speaks to going out into the unknown and taking life by the horns.”

While the composers are grateful for the “Fanastasias” who express affection for the movie, they worry that the stage version could shock the most devoted among them. Gone on Broadway are Rasputin — the villain of the film — and Bartok the albino bat, his scheming animal sidekick.

The story still centers on Anya and her love interest, Dmitry (Derek Klena), a ruffian from St. Petersburg who persuades her to pretend to be Romanov royalty to escape Russia and find riches in Paris. (Surprise: She was the princess all along!) The main villain is a stern revolutionary named Gleb (Ramin Karimloo), who pursues Anya across Europe out of a sense of patriotism.

Mr. Flaherty and Ms. Ahrens made other changes, too, adding many new songs. And — gasp — they moved “Journey to the Past” from its place at the start of the film to the finale of the musical’s first act.

“A song like ‘Journey,’ even though it dealt with indecision, couldn’t be the start of a character arc,” Mr. Flaherty said. “This is a woman with a past, and we needed to lay the groundwork for this moment.”

Mr. Flaherty and Ms. Ahrens say they are flattered that new generations continue to find the song. “A British boy group called Collabro just put a cover of it on their latest record,” Mr. Flaherty said. “It keeps popping up in the strangest places.”

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Journey To the Past From Anastasia - Digital Sheet Music

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Journey To the Past digital sheet music. Contains printable sheet music plus an interactive, downloadable digital sheet music file.

The arrangement details tab gives you detailed information about this particular arrangement of journey to the past - not necessarily the song., not the arrangement you were looking for view all arrangements, the song details tab gives you detailed information about this song, journey to the past, the related products tab shows you other products that you may also like, if you like journey to the past, displaying the top 3 out of 6 reviews for "journey to the past" - see all 6 reviews in order to write a review on digital sheet music you must first have purchased the item..

Violin: Intermediate

7/10/2016 11:19:20 AM

The accompaniment is very good and easy to follow.

11 / 14 people found this review helpful.

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Voice: Advanced

9/8/2012 10:43:11 AM

Love this song. Feels very true to the song we know and love. Accompaniment is great - full, empowering.

14 / 21 people found this review helpful.

Piano: Beginner

2/16/2016 9:40:48 PM

Really Great!

Im using this song for an audition tomorrow, and I just got it today. Good news is, I already have it learned! It doesnt take long to learn and the piano part is easy to follow along with :) very satisfied!!

10 / 14 people found this review helpful.

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Bounced off solo board games in the past? Maybe your journey leads to The 7th Citadel

Serious Poulp is back on Kickstarter for another barn-burner

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Share All sharing options for: Bounced off solo board games in the past? Maybe your journey leads to The 7th Citadel

Given the nature of the work that I do here as Polygon’s tabletop editor, I end up playing an awful lot of board games by myself. Not board games that you should play by yourself, mind you. Instead of luxuriating with the cardboard equivalent of the Times’ Sunday crossword, I look more like Bugs Bunny playing baseball . That’s why I’m excited to get my hands on The 7th Citadel , among the best modern solo board games. It’s also pretty great as a cooperative experience.

Published by Serious Poulp , The 7th Citadel is the descendant of The 7th Continent , a Cthulhu-inspired board game that made waves back in 2015 with a €1.2 million campaign . That one I’ve played quite a lot, and I admire its depth and complexity. Players take on the role of explorers who must use their survival skills to prevail against otherworldly odds. But the game itself is just a big box of numbered cards. The system, inspired by Choose Your Own Adventure books , uses those numbered cards — nearly 850 of them in the base game — to tell an elaborate story. Then, at the end of the adventure, you end up with a table covered in a charming isometric map made from the cards you’ve drawn.

Not only does the game work exceedingly well as a solo experience, I’ve also played it more or less hot-seat with other members of my family. While I have the attention level to see it through to the end, I’ll often be joined at several points along the way by other explorers. It’s a delight.

Meanwhile, Serious Poulp kept on publishing. It blew the doors of its next campaign in 2018 , which included a reprint and a big expansion. All told, it earned over $7 million dollars . That effort was later followed up, in 2020, with The 7th Citadel , a dark medieval-inspired tale with nearly identical mechanics. That one pulled in more than €3.2 million.

Now the design team of Ludovic Roudy and Bruno Sautter are back for another reprint. This one includes a lavish new version of The 7th Citadel and, like the reprint campaign for The 7th Continent from 2018, also includes a hefty expansion, as well as the promise of more stretch goals as the campaign progresses.

Here’s a bit from the press release about how it differs from its forebears:

The 7th Citadel differentiates itself from its predecessor by bringing lots of new elements to the table. First of all, it has its own original universe to explore: The 7th Citadel ’s story takes place in a post-apocalyptic medieval world called “The Collapsing Lands”. Players will step into a dark world filled with mysterious Necrodruids, monstrous plants, and the even more dangerous Burrowers, in a fight for survival spanning multiple adventures called Threats. In terms of mechanics, The 7th Citadel offers exciting new additions such as an evolving world map, customizable Action decks, the possibility for players to develop their own Citadel between scenarios, and much more.

While I may not pony up for the campaign myself, it’s certainly on my radar once it hits retail. But if you’d like to get yours sooner, move fast. The campaign only runs from today until June 19. Copies start at about $54, with delivery expected by Nov. 2025.

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The state of AI in early 2024: Gen AI adoption spikes and starts to generate value

If 2023 was the year the world discovered generative AI (gen AI) , 2024 is the year organizations truly began using—and deriving business value from—this new technology. In the latest McKinsey Global Survey  on AI, 65 percent of respondents report that their organizations are regularly using gen AI, nearly double the percentage from our previous survey just ten months ago. Respondents’ expectations for gen AI’s impact remain as high as they were last year , with three-quarters predicting that gen AI will lead to significant or disruptive change in their industries in the years ahead.

About the authors

This article is a collaborative effort by Alex Singla , Alexander Sukharevsky , Lareina Yee , and Michael Chui , with Bryce Hall , representing views from QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, and McKinsey Digital.

Organizations are already seeing material benefits from gen AI use, reporting both cost decreases and revenue jumps in the business units deploying the technology. The survey also provides insights into the kinds of risks presented by gen AI—most notably, inaccuracy—as well as the emerging practices of top performers to mitigate those challenges and capture value.

AI adoption surges

Interest in generative AI has also brightened the spotlight on a broader set of AI capabilities. For the past six years, AI adoption by respondents’ organizations has hovered at about 50 percent. This year, the survey finds that adoption has jumped to 72 percent (Exhibit 1). And the interest is truly global in scope. Our 2023 survey found that AI adoption did not reach 66 percent in any region; however, this year more than two-thirds of respondents in nearly every region say their organizations are using AI. 1 Organizations based in Central and South America are the exception, with 58 percent of respondents working for organizations based in Central and South America reporting AI adoption. Looking by industry, the biggest increase in adoption can be found in professional services. 2 Includes respondents working for organizations focused on human resources, legal services, management consulting, market research, R&D, tax preparation, and training.

Also, responses suggest that companies are now using AI in more parts of the business. Half of respondents say their organizations have adopted AI in two or more business functions, up from less than a third of respondents in 2023 (Exhibit 2).

Gen AI adoption is most common in the functions where it can create the most value

Most respondents now report that their organizations—and they as individuals—are using gen AI. Sixty-five percent of respondents say their organizations are regularly using gen AI in at least one business function, up from one-third last year. The average organization using gen AI is doing so in two functions, most often in marketing and sales and in product and service development—two functions in which previous research  determined that gen AI adoption could generate the most value 3 “ The economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier ,” McKinsey, June 14, 2023. —as well as in IT (Exhibit 3). The biggest increase from 2023 is found in marketing and sales, where reported adoption has more than doubled. Yet across functions, only two use cases, both within marketing and sales, are reported by 15 percent or more of respondents.

Gen AI also is weaving its way into respondents’ personal lives. Compared with 2023, respondents are much more likely to be using gen AI at work and even more likely to be using gen AI both at work and in their personal lives (Exhibit 4). The survey finds upticks in gen AI use across all regions, with the largest increases in Asia–Pacific and Greater China. Respondents at the highest seniority levels, meanwhile, show larger jumps in the use of gen Al tools for work and outside of work compared with their midlevel-management peers. Looking at specific industries, respondents working in energy and materials and in professional services report the largest increase in gen AI use.

Investments in gen AI and analytical AI are beginning to create value

The latest survey also shows how different industries are budgeting for gen AI. Responses suggest that, in many industries, organizations are about equally as likely to be investing more than 5 percent of their digital budgets in gen AI as they are in nongenerative, analytical-AI solutions (Exhibit 5). Yet in most industries, larger shares of respondents report that their organizations spend more than 20 percent on analytical AI than on gen AI. Looking ahead, most respondents—67 percent—expect their organizations to invest more in AI over the next three years.

Where are those investments paying off? For the first time, our latest survey explored the value created by gen AI use by business function. The function in which the largest share of respondents report seeing cost decreases is human resources. Respondents most commonly report meaningful revenue increases (of more than 5 percent) in supply chain and inventory management (Exhibit 6). For analytical AI, respondents most often report seeing cost benefits in service operations—in line with what we found last year —as well as meaningful revenue increases from AI use in marketing and sales.

Inaccuracy: The most recognized and experienced risk of gen AI use

As businesses begin to see the benefits of gen AI, they’re also recognizing the diverse risks associated with the technology. These can range from data management risks such as data privacy, bias, or intellectual property (IP) infringement to model management risks, which tend to focus on inaccurate output or lack of explainability. A third big risk category is security and incorrect use.

Respondents to the latest survey are more likely than they were last year to say their organizations consider inaccuracy and IP infringement to be relevant to their use of gen AI, and about half continue to view cybersecurity as a risk (Exhibit 7).

Conversely, respondents are less likely than they were last year to say their organizations consider workforce and labor displacement to be relevant risks and are not increasing efforts to mitigate them.

In fact, inaccuracy— which can affect use cases across the gen AI value chain , ranging from customer journeys and summarization to coding and creative content—is the only risk that respondents are significantly more likely than last year to say their organizations are actively working to mitigate.

Some organizations have already experienced negative consequences from the use of gen AI, with 44 percent of respondents saying their organizations have experienced at least one consequence (Exhibit 8). Respondents most often report inaccuracy as a risk that has affected their organizations, followed by cybersecurity and explainability.

Our previous research has found that there are several elements of governance that can help in scaling gen AI use responsibly, yet few respondents report having these risk-related practices in place. 4 “ Implementing generative AI with speed and safety ,” McKinsey Quarterly , March 13, 2024. For example, just 18 percent say their organizations have an enterprise-wide council or board with the authority to make decisions involving responsible AI governance, and only one-third say gen AI risk awareness and risk mitigation controls are required skill sets for technical talent.

Bringing gen AI capabilities to bear

The latest survey also sought to understand how, and how quickly, organizations are deploying these new gen AI tools. We have found three archetypes for implementing gen AI solutions : takers use off-the-shelf, publicly available solutions; shapers customize those tools with proprietary data and systems; and makers develop their own foundation models from scratch. 5 “ Technology’s generational moment with generative AI: A CIO and CTO guide ,” McKinsey, July 11, 2023. Across most industries, the survey results suggest that organizations are finding off-the-shelf offerings applicable to their business needs—though many are pursuing opportunities to customize models or even develop their own (Exhibit 9). About half of reported gen AI uses within respondents’ business functions are utilizing off-the-shelf, publicly available models or tools, with little or no customization. Respondents in energy and materials, technology, and media and telecommunications are more likely to report significant customization or tuning of publicly available models or developing their own proprietary models to address specific business needs.

Respondents most often report that their organizations required one to four months from the start of a project to put gen AI into production, though the time it takes varies by business function (Exhibit 10). It also depends upon the approach for acquiring those capabilities. Not surprisingly, reported uses of highly customized or proprietary models are 1.5 times more likely than off-the-shelf, publicly available models to take five months or more to implement.

Gen AI high performers are excelling despite facing challenges

Gen AI is a new technology, and organizations are still early in the journey of pursuing its opportunities and scaling it across functions. So it’s little surprise that only a small subset of respondents (46 out of 876) report that a meaningful share of their organizations’ EBIT can be attributed to their deployment of gen AI. Still, these gen AI leaders are worth examining closely. These, after all, are the early movers, who already attribute more than 10 percent of their organizations’ EBIT to their use of gen AI. Forty-two percent of these high performers say more than 20 percent of their EBIT is attributable to their use of nongenerative, analytical AI, and they span industries and regions—though most are at organizations with less than $1 billion in annual revenue. The AI-related practices at these organizations can offer guidance to those looking to create value from gen AI adoption at their own organizations.

To start, gen AI high performers are using gen AI in more business functions—an average of three functions, while others average two. They, like other organizations, are most likely to use gen AI in marketing and sales and product or service development, but they’re much more likely than others to use gen AI solutions in risk, legal, and compliance; in strategy and corporate finance; and in supply chain and inventory management. They’re more than three times as likely as others to be using gen AI in activities ranging from processing of accounting documents and risk assessment to R&D testing and pricing and promotions. While, overall, about half of reported gen AI applications within business functions are utilizing publicly available models or tools, gen AI high performers are less likely to use those off-the-shelf options than to either implement significantly customized versions of those tools or to develop their own proprietary foundation models.

What else are these high performers doing differently? For one thing, they are paying more attention to gen-AI-related risks. Perhaps because they are further along on their journeys, they are more likely than others to say their organizations have experienced every negative consequence from gen AI we asked about, from cybersecurity and personal privacy to explainability and IP infringement. Given that, they are more likely than others to report that their organizations consider those risks, as well as regulatory compliance, environmental impacts, and political stability, to be relevant to their gen AI use, and they say they take steps to mitigate more risks than others do.

Gen AI high performers are also much more likely to say their organizations follow a set of risk-related best practices (Exhibit 11). For example, they are nearly twice as likely as others to involve the legal function and embed risk reviews early on in the development of gen AI solutions—that is, to “ shift left .” They’re also much more likely than others to employ a wide range of other best practices, from strategy-related practices to those related to scaling.

In addition to experiencing the risks of gen AI adoption, high performers have encountered other challenges that can serve as warnings to others (Exhibit 12). Seventy percent say they have experienced difficulties with data, including defining processes for data governance, developing the ability to quickly integrate data into AI models, and an insufficient amount of training data, highlighting the essential role that data play in capturing value. High performers are also more likely than others to report experiencing challenges with their operating models, such as implementing agile ways of working and effective sprint performance management.

About the research

The online survey was in the field from February 22 to March 5, 2024, and garnered responses from 1,363 participants representing the full range of regions, industries, company sizes, functional specialties, and tenures. Of those respondents, 981 said their organizations had adopted AI in at least one business function, and 878 said their organizations were regularly using gen AI in at least one function. To adjust for differences in response rates, the data are weighted by the contribution of each respondent’s nation to global GDP.

Alex Singla and Alexander Sukharevsky  are global coleaders of QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, and senior partners in McKinsey’s Chicago and London offices, respectively; Lareina Yee  is a senior partner in the Bay Area office, where Michael Chui , a McKinsey Global Institute partner, is a partner; and Bryce Hall  is an associate partner in the Washington, DC, office.

They wish to thank Kaitlin Noe, Larry Kanter, Mallika Jhamb, and Shinjini Srivastava for their contributions to this work.

This article was edited by Heather Hanselman, a senior editor in McKinsey’s Atlanta office.

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In Denmark, blacksmiths steer journey into Viking ship's past

The clang of hammer on metal rings out across the Danish fjord as sweating blacksmiths work to painstakingly recreate an anchor that once hung from a Viking longship 1,000 years ago.

Mischa Kunckel from Britain's National School of Blacksmithing hammers iron against an anvil near the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark.

(Copyright: James BROOKS / AFP)

Their efforts are part of a project to seek out the seafaring secrets of those Scandinavian sailors by reconstructing the boats they crossed the seas in.

In the heat of their raging forge, the team from the UK's National School of Blacksmithing is helping to rebuild the "Skudelev 5," whose remnants are on display in nearby Roskilde's Viking Ship Museum.

"As close as possible, we're exploring the techniques that would have been used at the time," blacksmithing lecturer Rowan Taylor told AFP over the sound of his students banging away at red-hot iron.

Along with four other boats, the "Skudelev 5" was found in the Roskilde Fjord in 1962, almost a thousand years after it was sunk while trying to protect the town from invading marauders.

The archaeologists believe the sleek and slender ship was once part of a larger war fleet. 

At 17 metres long, it is dwarfed by the largest Viking longship ever unearthed, the 37-metre-long "Roskilde 6" found nearby.

Roughly half of her oak hull survived, but her iron anchor did not.

For their reconstruction, the blacksmiths have had to model their work on another anchor dating from the same period.

That anchor, which was found in Ladby in central Denmark, measures 1.26 metres long by 0.83 metres wide and was lashed to its boat by an 11-metre-long chain.

"Access to resources for them was a lot harder than it was for us," 28-year-old apprentice blacksmith Michael Phillips mused. 

"It really starts to put into light the ability they must have had," he added.

Once completed, which the blacksmiths hope will take six days, their ironwork will dangle from the side of a reconstruction of the "Skudelev 5".

The longship is expected to be fully restored to its former glory in 2028.

- Window to the past -

Since the 1980s, the Viking Ship Museum has been reconstructing ships from the period using experimental archaeological techniques.

The museum then puts the ships on display to the public -- or even out on the water.

For historians, the process of recreation provides a more practical understanding of the past.

For example, reconstructing a Viking ship helps archaeologists estimate how fast it sailed, as well as how much cargo and how many weapons it could carry.

"It's a way to just unlock all the information that you have stored in these ships," curator Triona Sorensen told AFP. 

Sorensen said that studying the ships in the museum was useful in finding out how old they were and what materials they were made from.

"But you don't have any idea of how they performed in reality" without setting sail in them, she said: "And that's what we're really interested in."

Between the 9th and 11th centuries, Scandinavian warriors sailed across Europe and as far as North America, pillaging, settling and trading.

"The ships are really what drives this whole expansion during the Viking Age, and what brings Scandinavia into the political scene in Europe at the time," Sorensen added. 

"For us, ships are really the absolute core of the Viking Age."

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A Word from Juliet Morrison, 2024 Arts Valedictorian

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Entering McGill, I was so excited to immerse myself in campus life and meet curious, passionate students from all over the world. Of course, having ¾ of my classes be pre-recorded lectures amid the pandemic made me initially doubtful that I would get any of the college experience I craved.

My first-year self, though, would be thrilled if she could glimpse what was ahead of her. After four years, McGill has gone from seeming huge and overwhelming to feeling small—filled with familiar faces and spaces that hold meaningful memories. From the joy of bonding with classmates in seminars and dancing with friends at Grad Ball, to the rush of writing my first Tribune article and learning how to kickbox, my university years have been incredibly rich.

Reflecting on my McGill experience, a couple values and lessons stick out. First, the importance of getting involved. University felt so large and intimidating until I started finding my spaces. When I joined The Tribune ’s news section, I met a diversity of curious, adventurous people who would become friends. Interviews with students, professors, and campus groups introduced me to a love of reporting, and I got to know my new community through their eyes. In my fourth year, my day-to-day became ever more interesting when I served as a student representative to the McGill Senate. I had the opportunity to engage directly with student advocates and university administrators on policy action I cared about. None of these experiences would have happened if I had listened to my initial bout of self-doubt and not signed up.

The high calibre of student spaces that I have witnessed and been a part of has also shown me the importance of good leadership and prompted deeper thinking about the way I want to contribute for a better world. From student government meetings to conferences, many classmates have inspired me with their initiative, intellect, and grace. Even though our paths may have crossed for only a small moment, several have changed my perspectives and led me to new adventures.

Another lesson I have been continuously learning at McGill is that striving for excellence and balance will bring you so much more joy than seeking perfection. I know now that my school brain works best and (importantly) I feel better when I am well-rounded. That means taking breaks, not putting insurmountable pressure on myself, and prioritizing spending time with people to recharge. You can’t do it all when you’re stretched and stressed. On top of five classes, two jobs, extracurricular commitments, internship hunts, maintaining a social life, and trying to stay healthy, something’s got to give. I wish I understood in second year—or even last fall—that I was putting way too much weight on myself and that, no, anything less than ideal was not a failure.

One thing I hope to take with me is the spirit of embracing the unexpected. I never wrote an article, never ran in a student election, and never did a contact sport before McGill. Although initially, these activities were incredibly daunting, I tried them anyway, thinking why not? Being a perfectionist in high school, it has brought immense joy to lean into being a beginner and surprise myself with new passions and experiences that I could not have imagined before undergrad. It takes courage to try something new and know you might flop. But, the fun of experimenting and pushing past preconceived limits you had set for yourself also takes you much farther and is infinitely more satisfying.

Finally, what I am most proud of is the community I have developed during my time at McGill. After a prolonged period of isolation and navigating an academically rigorous environment, I’ve learned that my relationships sustain my wellbeing and give me purpose more than anything else. The various recognizable faces I saw on campus contributed to a sense of belonging. And, the constant encouragement of friends and family helped me combat pesky imposter syndrome and keep going, as they saw something in me when I could not.

I would not be here if it were not for the kind friends who made me a better writer, the brilliant professors who gave me their time to answer questions and give life advice, and everyone who showed me care and made me laugh after a long day. Having a strong community is everything, and I’m determined to continue cultivating that for myself in the future, especially as it gets more difficult after university.

It has been so special to spend these four years learning and growing in Montreal. I will miss walking on campus and feeling a sense of solidarity with others, knowing that we are all experiencing similar moments and challenges as undergrads at McGill. While ending this chapter is sad, I am excited for new adventures and all the fun to be had ahead of me. And, I know that I am better prepared to navigate this next phase of life.

Juliet Morrison is graduating with a Bachelor (Honours) in Political Science. She is taking a year to work and travel before pursuing a master’s degree in International Relations. She would like to thank all of her peers, professors, and friends for their support throughout her McGill journey, especially Maya, Isabel, Anna, Sara, and her family for their constant encouragement. 

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Evers is raising the pride flag Friday — what’s the history behind the move?

MADISON — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Friday raised a pride flag above the state Capitol for the sixth year in a row, marking the continuation of a tradition started by his administration.

The celebration comes as the ACLU is tracking 515 anti-LGBT bills across the country , 14 of which are in Wisconsin. Evers criticized GOP lawmakers who pushed bills that LGBTQ advocates have described as harmful. 

“As much as today and this month is a celebration of the LGBTQ community, it is also the time to acknowledge the work we have before us,” Evers said. 

In December and April, he vetoed bills that would have banned gender-affirming medical care for those under 18 and banned transgender and gender nonconforming youth from participating on school athletic teams that align with their gender identity.

“You're damn right I vetoed every one of those bills, just as I always will,” Evers said.

Republicans have criticized the tradition in past years.

Ahead of the midterm elections in 2022, Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch called rainbow flags "political props" when flown over the Capitol, and management consultant Kevin Nicholson said he wouldn't raise one over the Capitol if elected.

Here’s the backstory of Wisconsin raising the flag over the years.

When did Evers first hold a ceremony raising the flag?

Evers first ordered the rainbow pride flag to fly over the East Wing of the Wisconsin State Capitol in 2019, shortly after he was sworn into office. It marked the first time in state history to fly the flag.

Evers in 2019 said flying the pride flag "sends a clear and unequivocal message that Wisconsin is a welcoming and inclusive place where everyone can live without fear of persecution, judgment or discrimination."

LGBTQ Pride Month is celebrated each June in Wisconsin and throughout the United States to recognize the struggles of queer individuals and to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising seen as a critical event in the gay rights movement. Wisconsin in 1982 became the first state to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. 

David Casey, the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue who was appointed by Evers in April, addressed the importance of the flag during Friday's ceremony.

"When I began my coming out journey 30 years ago, the pride flag represented our struggles, our resiliency, and our solidarity ... but still, we didn't always feel comfortable outside of our community," Casey said. "When Gov. Evers first ordered the pride flag to fly over the Wisconsin Capitol [six] years ago, it took on a new meaning to me and to everyone here."

What do the colors on the progress pride flag represent?

Evers started flying the progress pride flag in place of the rainbow one in 2022. In addition to the traditional six-stripe rainbow design, the progress flag adds a chevron variant featuring black, brown, light blue, pink and white stripes in reference to the trans community, communities of color and individuals in the community living with or lost to the HIV/AIDS crisis.

“The progress pride flag was created to increase visibility and inclusion of marginalized communities within the LGBTQ community,” Evers said during the ceremony in 2022. “This inclusion matters. Representation matters. Our words matter.”

The progress pride flag was created in 2018 by American artist and designer Daniel Quasar and evolved from the Philadelphia pride flag.

How have opponents reacted to the move in the past?

The initial decision to raise the flag in 2019 was met with derision from some conservative politicians.

State Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha, in a tweet asked if flying an LGBTQ flag "is any more appropriate than erecting the Christian flag over the Capitol?"

At the time, he told the Journal Sentinel he didn't "have anything against the gay pride flag," but said he had a problem with anything other than the state and U.S. flag being flown over the Capitol.

Former State Sen. David Craig, R-Big Bend, tweeted that Evers' executive order was "no doubt a statement to advance a cause."

Who else has spoken at the flag-raising ceremonies?

In addition to Casey, Chair of Open Door Pride Cathy Grier and Robert M. La Follette High School student Nevaeh Jackson-Winters spoke on Friday.

Last year, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary James Bond, the first openly LGBTQ cabinet member, talked about coming to terms with his sexuality and his fear of not being accepted. Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, the chair of the Legislature’s LGBTQ+ caucus, spoke about legislation targeting the LGBTQ community, including legislation to ban conversion therapy.

Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes joined the ceremony in 2021.

The event has featured community members each year, such as LGBTQ student Aspen Morris, who in 2022 said the ceremony was important “so that we feel able to be ourselves, not just with friends and family, but also at public celebrations like this one.”

How long will the flag stay up?

The flag will be flown above the East Wing of the Capitol for the entirety of June, alongside the U.S. flag and Wisconsin state flag. The POW-MIA flag will continue flying above the North Wing flagpole.

Other state buildings can fly the progress pride flag in June. The flag has also been raised on a pole outside at least one other state building in downtown Madison. The building includes the Department of Public Instruction as well as other agencies.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

• What Is Cinema?

William Jackson Harper’s Wild, Wonderful Year on the New York Stage

By David Canfield

Few have the kind of year onstage that William Jackson Harper is still in the midst of. About a year ago, he returned to New York theater for the first time in six years to play the lead role in Primary Trust , a bookstore employee who faces an uncertain future after getting laid off. Eboni Booth ’s off-Broadway premiere won the Pulitzer Prize in drama, with Harper winning the Obie Award for distinguished performance and receiving a Drama Desk Award nomination for lead performance. The next spring, he made his way back to Broadway for Heidi Schreck ’s savvy adaptation of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. As the lovelorn, occasionally drunken Dr. Astrov, Harper immediately stole the show—so much that he was nominated for the best-actor Tony (his first) over the guy playing the titular role (that is, Steve Carell ).

The Dallas-born actor is still performing Vanya every night, with the production’s run set to conclude in a few weeks. A few hours before Friday’s show, Harper joined me on Little Gold Men (read or listen below) to reflect on his whirlwind past 12 months. Most came to know Harper through his breakout turn as Chidi on NBC’s acclaimed sitcom The Good Place. Before he nabbed that role, he was a workhorse on the Manhattan theater circuit, often completing more than one show a year; once Good Place got going, his screen career blossomed in projects ranging from Barry Jenkins ’s The Underground Railroad to the terrific second season of Love Life, and he took a break from the stage. Now he’s back, better than ever, and ready to chart a new course.

Vanity Fair: You’re in the midst of Uncle Vanya ’s run right now. We’re recording on a Friday, so what does a typical Friday look like these days?

William Jackson Harper: I get up, go to the gym, eat some breakfast, walk my dog. Tend to take it easy in the afternoon. Usually around, I want to say like 3 or 4, I start to try to power down and not have anything going on. Usually no interviews, but right now, especially since the Tony nomination, there’s been a lot more press and stuff in the afternoon and some events in the afternoon right up until I go into the theater.

I usually go into the theater about an hour and a half before showtime, just to warm up and do my little rituals and all that stuff, and get ready to do the show. It’s a long-ish commute from my place to the theater. The evening is pretty much shot starting around 4:30 or 5:30, and then everything is wrapped out by around 11:30 or so. So it winds up being an eight-hour day on the back end of the day. It seems weird because it’s only a two and a half hour show, but it just takes a lot of focus to get in the right headspace to be open and available onstage.

I’m wondering how that applies to playing drunk—because you are quite good at it in this play! How do you approach that night by night?

Well, honestly, that’s something that took a minute to dial in. Even after opening, I was still figuring it out. Because one of the things that I wanted to do was for the drunkenness to feel a little bit out of control, which is something that I notice in people when they’re drunk, especially friends of mine. Maybe the words aren’t slurring, maybe they are stumbling a bit, maybe they’re not—but there’s something where it feels like this conversation or this encounter could go off the rails at any moment because people are not filtering themselves. I wanted to have that element be present, but at the same time, I wanted to make sure that I’m really connecting with my scene partners onstage and not let it be purely about the physicality and the manifestation of being drunk.

I’m relying on the text and the word-vomit that Astrov has in that moment in the play, to inform what drunkenness is for him. The filter’s off. There’s a little bit more emotional vulnerability. Things are just at the surface a little bit. And also: I am having fun. This is a party for me. I want everyone to have a good time. So that allows for some of the flirtation and some of the jokes and things to come out without it being forced. I’m trying not to have it be forced, and I want to make sure that I’m connecting. I was playing a lot with physicality, and perhaps earlier on in the run connecting less with my partner—and now it’s more trying to center it on my partner and letting some of that other stuff come when it comes. It just takes some time, some calibration.

Uncle Vanya.

By Joy Press

By Savannah Walsh

By Hillary Busis

What was your relationship to Chekhov coming into the play? You’ve said that you never conceived of doing Chekhov professionally until fairly recently.

Yeah, no, I didn’t. Something about the path not taken, and regret, and having a lot of your basic needs met so therefore you can sit and think about the other stuff that’s been bugging you—that you put to the side when there’s more pressing issues. Getting older, having a little more stability—which I feel really privileged to have—has allowed me to perhaps understand some of these characters a little bit better. Also when I was younger, the only translations that I had read were in English, but they felt very British and culturally a little distant for me. It was hard for me to penetrate in a lot of ways.

Heidi’s translation knocks down a lot of those barriers to entry, and it becomes about: What is it to be a middle-aged guy who’s not sure if he’s made the right choices with his life and is finding himself empty after thinking that he’s found his purpose and being like, “Oh, well, maybe I haven’t, what am I doing?” That’s something that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve felt at times, and I needed some time and some age to actually understand that feeling. When I was younger, I had a little bit of a fever that I needed to sweat out.

I’m really interested in that personal connection. You’ve called Kenneth, whom you portrayed in Primary Trust, one of the closest characters to yourself that you’d ever played. How does that change the equation as an actor?

The thing that’s really interesting about it is, when a character feels very close, it allows for me to make choices that come straight from my gut. They may not make any sense narratively, but they make some kind of emotional sense, maybe. There’s a freedom in being able to just try stuff that’s coming from a personal place as opposed to intellectually trying to understand what this person’s gone through and how that manifests.

I don’t want to question it too much because that feels human to me, that you would have certain reactions that may not make complete narrative sense. But they make a kind of emotional sense. I’m more open to those impulses. Whereas when it’s something that’s farther from me, I have to do a different kind of homework to put myself in a place where I can just explore. When it’s close to me, I can just start from there.

It feels related to one of your main draws as a stage actor, which is that you bring a real everydayness.

That’s something I try to do. Earlier in my career, I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that I was making good choices, and now I’m a little less concerned with that. I’m a little bit more invested in whomever I’m playing feeling like someone you could meet…. I’ve seen performances where people can make these very external choices and come from the outside in and they can live in them very fully. It’s a little bit harder for me at this point. I need to start with where I’m at and see where the character sits in me, and then work from that place. That hopefully lends itself to feeling more like a real person rather than someone who’s showing you how good a job they’re doing, which is something that I think I probably did earlier on.

From what I understand, you were doing a ton of theater until The Good Place came along. A screen career blossoms from there—and with these two plays, it’s the first time you’ve done stage work since you got that show.

Yeah. Yeah.

So how did it feel broadly, just coming back to theater in a very different position as an actor—even just economically speaking?

Well, economics is sadly one of the biggest things. One of the things that led me to trying to make sure that I showed people I was doing a good job—that, “I’m valuable, I’m worth it”—was because I needed something from the job other than the pleasure of doing the job. I needed the play to lead to something else. And since The Good Place , I don’t need the play to lead to anything else. I need the play for the process and for what it gives me, which is it sharpens my tools in my toolkit a little bit.

When I was just doing plays, the career stuff was very much in the back of my mind while I was working. I was seeing people do plays like what I was doing and then get a really great job after that. That just wasn’t happening for me for a very long time. I just had to put plays away for a little while and focus on trying to get that stability. And now I can come back and just enjoy the process and actually be there and explore the character without feeling like, “This has got to do something, this has got to change things.” The desperation is out of the window.

I feel like this might set a high bar though, right?

I mean, kind of, but recognition is great. [ Laughs ] Earlier in my career I wanted stuff like this so badly, because I thought that this was going to open up opportunities for me. And I’ve been really fortunate in that a lot of opportunities have opened up before this recognition came in. So it’s nice, but also I will still do plays just because I’m interested in the play. Whether that leads to something else or any recognition down the road, it’s not all that important to me. I just love getting to do good work with people that I like.

Do you think about how you want to balance screen and stage going forward, with that new mentality?

If it was up to me, I’d probably do a play every year. There’s a process that you get in theater that you just don’t get when you’re working on camera. I’m sure that maybe movies are different—I haven’t worked on those kinds of movies or haven’t had those kinds of parts of movies where you do an extensive rehearsal—but on TV, you memorize your lines and you’re doing these little snippets and there’s so much happening around you. The rehearsal is really more about where you need to be for the camera. You might get some time to talk with your scene partners about what’s happening in the scene and what’s going on, maybe with the director, maybe with the showrunner. But there’s a lot of people that have a lot to get done and we’re trying to make the day.

I like being able to do theater just because it does broaden the range of choices that I find my brain tapping into. I’ve been in this place where the name of the game is: You go in, you try something and it’ll probably not work, but you tried it. You chased it down as far as you could go, and then you discard it if it just doesn’t do anything. But there’s little nuances here and there that maybe you get to retain, and maybe you get to use as you move forward. When I’m just doing TV, I find that I’m sometimes trying to make sure that I am just getting the scene and that we’re making the day. That’s always going on in the back of my head a little bit, and I need to be able to let go of that a little bit.

What are your Tony night plans?

Well, we have a show that day. So I’m going to finish the matinee, maybe get my haircut just because it’s wild under here right now. And I don’t know, we’re going to go to the Tonys. I hear to bring snacks because it’s a long night, and then afterwards I want to see what the parties are all like. But honestly, I’m looking forward to just snuggling up with my partner at the end of the day and taking stock of it all. With us being in production and with the Tony nomination coming out, I’m really just focused on making sure that we maintain the integrity of the play and that I am present and really there for that. I’ve kind of pushed some of this other stuff out of my head. Once Tony night happens, it’s going to be a couple of drinks, and I’m going to come home and pet the dog and hang out with my lady.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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Kyrie Irving’s Reflective Journey to NBA Finals with Mavericks Explored

Kyrie Irving's journey to the NBA Finals with the Mavericks showcases his reflective side amidst past controversies and personal growth, setting the stage for a showdown with his former team, the Boston Celtics .

• Irving directed obscene gestures and profanity at Boston fans in his last playoff appearance against the Celtics.
• Irving's trade to the Mavericks marked a turning point in his career, leading to a healthier and happier mindset on and off the court.

Irving's past controversies, including vaccination refusal and social media missteps, continue to follow him, adding layers to his journey.

• Irving's partnership with Luka Doncic has revitalized the Mavericks, propelling them to the NBA Finals after a successful playoff run.
• Despite facing challenges, Irving's growth as a teammate and leader is evident, with a renewed focus on the bigger picture and team dynamics.

As Irving and the Mavericks gear up for the NBA Finals against the Celtics, the spotlight remains on Irving's evolution as a player and leader, poised for a competitive series.

Kyrie Irving's presence in the NBA Finals with the Mavericks signifies a blend of redemption, personal growth, and sporting excellence, highlighting the resilience and development of a polarizing player on basketball's grandest stage.

Read more at Sportsnet.ca

The summary of the linked article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence technology from OpenAI

Sportsnet.ca • Associated Press

Kyrie Irving's reflective side front and centre in run to NBA Finals with Mavericks

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The past, present and future X94 Studios

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