About 71% of theaters there have seen audience numbers improve since the COVID shutdowns, though only 41% are back to pre-2020 levels. The major problem right now is that 30% of theatergoers in the city, and 22% in the region, use mass transit, which is undergoing savage cuts. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
Filmmakers and audience at Venice Immersive, "a quick ferry ride from Lido” where the Venice Film Fest is going on, experience how virtual reality tech is changing what we think of as a movie. - The New York Times
Who can afford this? And yes, writers’ retreats “have long been a staple of creative life,” but “you don’t need an approved writing sample to go on these luxury retreats. All you need is cash and time.” - Slate
“Three of Pittsburgh’s most venerable troupes announced they are looking into ways they might join forces to survive. The announcement by Pittsburgh Public Theater, City Theatre and Pittsburgh CLO came in the form of an email to subscribers and other supporters.” - WESA (Pittsburgh)
At least, not by official box office receipts, though estimates (including one that says it “set a box office record”) have some pretty strong claims. What’s the deal, Netflix? - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
“I look for anything that is mindlessly fun or otherwise engrossing enough to help me forget that I am hurtling through the air in a bus with wings. I probably will not watch anything worthy of the Criterion Collection.” - The Atlantic
Michael Andor Brodeur: “Self-reflection on the matter leads me to believe that my allergy to concert-hall disruption is a direct product of my own anxieties, and the lengths I’ve gone to manage them in service of etiquette. … (Increasingly) I find my frustration sharing an armrest with an unlikely companion, compassion.” - The Washington Post (MSN)
Managing director Raphael Picciarelli: “We weren’t chasing hype for its own sake. We were trying to spark the feeling that draws people to Burning Man or the World Cup: the thrill of witnessing something unrepeatable. … We fell short on revenue, but we doubled our audience. Forty percent were first-timers.” - The New York Times
“The San Francisco Chronicle’s review says the production is ‘the most talked-about play in S.F. It’s also terrible.’” But that might be far, far from the point. - Washington Post (MSN)
Sure, there’s Twlight fan fiction and Huck Finn fan fiction, Murderbot fanfic and Star Trek and etc. But there’s an awful lot of Biblical fanfic out there too, if that’s to your taste. - NPR
“Curzon, which operates 16 venues across the UK, reports there has been a clear shift over the past six years in young people overtaking older audiences,” with notable attention to older films and works by auteurs such as Wong Kar-Wai. Social media appears to be driving much of the interest. - The Guardian
“A customized black track suit. Papier-mâché Little Shop of Horrors fly traps. Friendship bracelets in a range of colors and designs. … Fans are combing stars’ Instagram feeds and TikTok reels for clues to their favorite snacks, their astrological signs and even the names of their pets.” - The New York Times
“The most interesting and fun part of this convention is away from the stage. There are hundreds of RVs, and there are jam sessions everywhere where people trade songs, musical tips.” - NPR
“Unfortunately, the audience for book reviews is relatively low and we can no longer sustain the time it takes to plan, coordinate, write and edit reviews.” - Media Nation
“The consolidation of the English-language publishing industry in the 1980s and 90s gave its most successful writers a worldwide reach and a critical impact that no authors from other countries could aspire to.” But that very success might have changed things. - The Guardian (UK)
