When the BBC announced plans to close the UK's only full-time professional chamber choir right before its century mark, 140,000 people signed a petition - and alternative funders stepped in. - BBC
The equipment for making professional-looking films has never been more inexpensive or accessible. There are people writing creative scripts; there's always an abundance of talented actors; there's a whole scene building around microbudget indies. But how do you get the wider world to notice? - Esquire
"While the general consensus among industry experts is that digital access provides an opportunity for Broadway to reach new audiences and tap new revenue streams, they told TheWrap that there are many financial and logistical challenges that stand in the way of a broader rollout." - Yahoo! (TheWrap)
"In devising an onstage gateway to Ally’s imagination, 'We were like, what if the portal is actually her notebook?' said Sammy Lopez, co-director. 'And what if we gave the audience the opportunity to jump into the notebook with Ally?'" - The New York Times
"We have changed our collective tastes in response to technological progress in the past. We’ll now do it again, without even noticing that it’s happening. And if history is any indication, our tastes will evolve in a way that rigs the game in favor of human artists." - Wired
Hollywood is very, very good at pathos - the art of emotional persuasion. The goal of the newly formed Climate Action Network is to "infiltrate every part of the industry with climate knowledge," they say. It's a rough road. - The Atlantic
Arifa Akbar: "Crunching or chewing can be a distraction, especially in the confines of the older, tighter West End venues, but theatre is a group activity. … The group experience is what we come for – and that includes jostling in the foyer, coughing, rustling and, yes, eating or drinking." - The Guardian
"For the general public, street teams are often the first touchpoint to a theater production. ... They serve as extensions of a show's brand, contribute to the general Broadway education for potential theatergoers and provide feedback to producers and marketers about what they're hearing on the ground from target audiences." - Broadway News
Sure, some of the sequences were a bit zany (and then there are the hot dog finers), but the film "feels more in line with last year’s winner, CODA, suggesting that pandemic-scarred academy voters are especially fond of cozily sentimental family dramas these days." - Los Angeles Times
Stop thanking Shakespeare and Falstaff, and start looking at Vermeer's women. "Into the mundane and commonplace, this master of stillness and of light manages to infuse a beguiling lyricism. His brushstrokes conjure up a shimmering, almost otherworldly, mood that is bewitching." - The Observer (UK)
For instance, movie theatres "have been pushing customers toward premium-priced specialty tickets" - IMAX? Dolby sound? Reclining seats? Or your regular, standard, much cheaper seat? - The New York Times
Journalist Hugh Morris managed to score the ultimate prize of a cheap-tickets-for-young-audiences scheme: £1 admission to the most expensive classical arts venue in London. It turned out to be standing room, midweek, at the back of the very top balcony. Here's his report. - Van
"Arts leaders are unsure what the new normal might be after attendance numbers took a hit from the pandemic. Much hinges on the answer, especially now that federal emergency COVID-19 funding for arts groups has ended and ticket income is becoming more critical." - The Philadelphia Inquirer
Stuart Murphy says that the plans currently taking shape in talks with Arts Council England call for large-scale proscenium opera remaining at the Coliseum in London but the majority of the company's work, and its headquarters, being outside the capital, featuring smaller-scaled works in different venues. - The Stage
