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When The American Museum Of Natural History Reopens, It Will No Longer Be Pay As You Wish
The planned reopening date is September 9, but of course not if infections start to crest again in New York. And, of course, “when it reopens, it will limit capacity to 25% and reduce its operating days to five instead of seven.” Then there’s the little matter of paying what the museum wishes, not what […]
What Does It Truly Mean To ‘Decolonize’ Dance?
Ask choreographer Sarah Crowell. The artistic director emeritus of the Destiny Arts Center. “The inquiry requires that we look at all levels of society. We have a particular way of seeing beauty that leaves people out. … In dance, George Balanchine had a great deal to do with creating an aesthetic that was seen as […]
The Literary Movement Of Gayl Jones
Gayl Jones’ debut work, Corregidora, “had a marked effect not only on [her editor Toni] Morrison’s subsequent novels but on an entire generation of writers, whether they realized it or not.” – The Atlantic
Bidding Farewell To Havana’s City Historian And Conservationist
Eusebio Leal Spengler so loved the old city that he found ways to save it. “Never a priority in the 20th century, old Havana fell into disrepair. By befriending Fidel Castro, Leal began the process of bringing it back. He managed to get the old town designated a Unesco world heritage site, and then gather […]
Becoming The Accidental Chronicler Of Four Ridiculously Intense Years
In December of 2015, British novelist Ali Smith proposed an idea to her publishers: Four books in four years, as close to the time news events happened as possible. “I’d try to write one a year, deliver one a year. … If we did it like this, under time conditions, a kind of experiment sourced […]
The Strange New Life Of Objects In The Coronavirus Era
There are the familiar objects that suddenly seem to glow with importance – toilet paper rolls, Lysol wipes – and then there are the new objects: the to-go cocktail pouch, the ultra-large Burger King social distance crown, the virus piñata to hit and kill, and, of course, Black Lives Matter facemasks. – The New York […]
Don’t Treat Women Writers Like Mistresses, Publishers
Novelist Kathleen McMahon says she’s tired of flowers on publication day. “MacMahon says she does not like that writers are treated ‘like show ponies . . . I’m not comfortable with that. I’d prefer to be an equal professional at the table. Everybody is doing a different job. You do your job and I’ll do […]
What Is A Broadway Producer’s Moral Responsibility?
Arvind Ethan David is one of very few Broadway producers of color, and he (famously) gave a TED Talk comparing his path to becoming a U.S. citizen to his path producing the show Jagged Little Pill. After Broadway shut down and after George Floyd was murdered, he had to do something. “As a writer, I […]
The Rank Hypocrisy Of Threatening TikTok
The U.S. president’s TikTok flipout might not just be because of its security issues; indeed, there’s a lot more to it, including free speech … and Facebook. “It’s a rare feat to upturn two such fundamental democratic values—free speech and free markets—at the same time.” – Wired
Canada’s Prominent Black Filmmakers Call Out Racism And Inequity In The Film Industry
“These systemic barriers – no one seemed to notice, no one seemed to care, and so we felt like we had to say something,” says Jennifer Holness, who adds that even as the most senior Black filmmaker in the country, it’s hard to get any funding for projects. – CBC
The Shutdown Kills A Young Cabaret Theatre Near Indianapolis
Though the theatre tried hard to attract smaller, socially distanced crowds as it reopened in June, no one was ready to return to an indoor space, and tickets didn’t sell. The now common refrain for small arts venues: “Founder Chris Tompkins said that paying the lease and other bills for upkeep was impossible with no […]
Actor Wilford Brimley Of ‘Cocoon’ And So Very Much More Has Died At 85
The actor excelled at playing cantankerous characters but came to fame playing an assistant engineer at a nuclear plant in The China Syndrome. Later, he became famous for his spokesperson roles, not to mention his (very) lively Twitter presence. – The New York Times
To Cull One’s Books During Quarantine, Or To Hold All Of Those Friends Even More Tightly?
Not surprisingly, different readers had passionate (and passionately differing) opinions about their book collections and an essay recreating a cull. “While it is fine to move so-so books along, books love us and whisper their thoughts to us, as we pass their covers. Can an ereader do that? Trying to find a favorite phrase or […]
Booker Nominee Arrested For Supporting Another Arrested Writer In Zimbabwe
Tsitsi Dangarembga, an activist and award-winning writer who was just chosen for the Booker longlist, has been arrested in Zimbabwe while she was protesting the arrest and imprisonment of investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono. “Dangarembga, 61, and another protester were bundled into a police lorry while carrying placards. The government has warned that participation in Friday’s […]
This May Seem Like Basic Information, But Plays Written By Black Playwrights Don’t Have To Be About Trauma
Keenan Scott II explains: “We tend to be rewarded for depicting the harshest realities of the Black experience while ignoring its beauty. In art, our trauma is fetishized and romanticized while our joy is dismissed. The end result is a society that views the Black experience as a dreary monotone.” – American Theatre
The History Nobody Tells You
Morgan Jerkins wanted to know more about where her people came from: “I hated the fact that I didn’t know much about land. I didn’t know about harvest, high tide, low tide, the levees, the dikes. I didn’t know about herbal remedies. I didn’t know anything.” Learning was a journey far beyond what the author […]
The Many Side – Now Main – Hustles Of Broadway Workers
Plush toymaking, giving dancing lessons (via Zoom, of course), selling skincare products … stagehands, costume designers, actors, and everyone associated with Broadway are trying to figure it out, piece it together. But many are considering leaving the city, and the arts, forever. – Time
Writing Against Publishing’s (Racist) ‘Common Sense’
Alyssa Cole, author of books about the Civil War and contemporary life, decided to write a thriller. One of the issues she has faced: “There are people who find the idea of Black people in love unbelievable, of Black people solving crime unbelievable, who seem to think people from marginalized groups are nonplayer characters who […]
We Might Look Back On This Time As The Year Of Neverending Remakes
Classic Hollywood movies are getting spitshined and put out again, so why not video games as well? “‘Nostalgia is the major driving force for the success of a remake,’ said Doug Clinton, managing partner for the venture capitalist firm Loup Ventures, which focuses on emerging technology and gaming. ‘Any game that doesn’t have meaningful nostalgic […]
Coronavirus Prevention Measure: Intermission
In China, some areas of the country can require movie theatres to give an intermission in the middle of movies that are more than two hours long. Hurray for bathroom breaks? “There is not yet official clarity as to how long the break should be and whether facilities must be disinfected again during that time […]
Greek Theatre On The Rocks
Even before the pandemic, Greece’s theaters were in trouble. Years of austerity saw government spending on the arts slashed, with subsidies for the largest theaters cut in half, or withdrawn altogether for some smaller venues. As a deep recession hammered the economy, tens of thousands of businesses closed down, leaving little prospect of support from […]
Musicians Fear Disruptions Will Be Permanent
It seems like the entire edifice is teetering. If you can’t pay musicians, you can’t get live music. Culture, while a major economic sector, will likely be one of the last to restart after the shutdown. – Van
Director Alan Parker, 76
He was nominated for the best-director Oscar for the 1978 film “Midnight Express” and again 10 years later for “Mississippi Burning.” – The New York Times
The Gauguin Detective
Born in Calais, France, Fabrice Fourmanoir, 63, might once have been dismissed as a crackpot, a wannabe who would never be welcomed into the sophisticated enclave of art scholarship. But since January he’s gained some standing in this forbidding world, after playing a leading role in a blush-inducing admission by the Getty Museum in Los […]
In Which A New York Times And Guardian Theater Critic Takes Online Theater Classes
Alexis Soloski: “As an undergraduate 20 years ago, I had majored in theater and back then, our training was exclusively and incontrovertibly face to face. Good acting happened in the moment, in the room, in the space between bodies and breath, action and intention. You couldn’t teach that online! … Or could you? For two […]