More than a billion people are expected to watch the July 26 opening ceremony. But Thomas Jolly, 42, is no stranger to outsized projects in France, producing a 24-hour-long Shakespearean tetralogy in 2022 and reviving the favorite musical “Starmania.” - ABCNews
In the last few months, there have been protests against overtourism and "bad" tourist behaviour around the globe, and both issues seem to be coming under greater scrutiny. - BBC
Travel is one of those things one generally doesn’t attack in polite company, the world of letters excepted. Its wholesomeness is assumed. It broadens the mind. It makes us empathetic and, by rewarding our curiosity, encourages it to develop further. Only a fool or a misanthrope would criticize travel. - Hedgehog Review
The mayor said that the €5 entrance fee was expected to bring in about €700,000 on the trial dates so far, but the total collected was €2.43 million. However, his opponents say the fee's stated goal is to reduce the number of tourists, so clearly it's too low. - The New York Times
"The findings of the academic 'crisis' report, ... by the University of Warwick and the Campaign for the Arts pressure group, … (show) that while Britain has cut back its total culture budget by 6% since 2010, Germany, France and Finland have each increased their spending by up to 70%." - The Observer (UK)
There are three principles: The first is that we should have everything that Congress needs to do its work. The second is that we should possess the materials that cover the life and achievement of the United States. And the third is that we’re not in a vacuum, and we need stuff from the rest of the world. - Scientific...
One juror: “'Alec Baldwin is an actor, right?’ she said, adding that she would not have expected him to know a lot about gun safety. ‘I think he would have trusted the people, you know, on the set to do their job.’” - The New York Times
That doesn’t mean one will happen, but it might. Last week, a thousand people "protested outside Disneyland’s entrance in support of park employees advocating for changes like fair wages and a 'fair attendance policy.’” - Vulture
“Making queer-themed work in a country like Georgia is a perilous affair,” the writer-director says. “For And Then We Dance, his production had to lie about the plot in order to secure locations. … When details got out, the crew received death threats.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
The complaint, filed with the National Labor Relations Board, alleges that the school declined to “furnish information” following attempts the negotiate severance pay and other matters in the wake of the school’s closure this past June. - ARTnews
"Disneyland is often said to be 'fun' or 'an escape,' but I wanted ... to ask those who have thought critically about theme parks why these spaces matter, why millions are drawn to them and what, if any, emotional benefit they provide. One word kept coming up: play." - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
In the survey, creatives of all stripes, success and income levels say that — faced with rising housing prices, inflation and a weakened local art infrastructure — making a living as an artist in King County is now a Sisyphean endeavor that leaves them stressed out, exhausted and, in some cases, contemplating leaving the region. - Seattle Times
It seems like such a basic thing: paying working artists a living wage. But it’s not something that most arts organizations, particularly smaller ones, find easy to do. - Seattle Times
The Metro Arts Commission had rescinded the funds in 2023 on advice from the city's attorneys that, because commissioners had discussed race in awarding the grants, and consequent to a Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action, those awards might be unconstitutional. - The Tennessean (Nashville) (MSN)
Some popular locations are struggling with the crush of visitors. Tens of thousands of Spanish residents have taken to the streets in Málaga and the Canary Islands to protest mass tourism and rising housing costs, as more units convert into short-term rentals. - The Wall Street Journal
