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Is Elvis Finally Irrelevant?

"To be honest, no one I know under 30 cares or knows much about Elvis. The classic version of rock ’n’ roll just doesn't exist the way it once did, and that's in large part because younger audiences are less interested in it." - Yahoo

Want To See How Exactly Broadway Bares? Like This.

In 1992, in a Manhattan gay club, eight hunky dancers did stripteases on the bar to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Thus was born the annual benefit Broadway Bares.  Here's how Broadway babes rip off their clothes for charity. The big question: Velcro or snaps? - The New York Times

The Netrebko Problem

With a larger-than-life personality and a taste for extravagance, she built a loyal fan base and was sometimes called classical music’s answer to Beyoncé. Now she hopes to persuade the cultural world to look beyond her ties to Putin. - The New York Times

How James Turrell Was Inspired By Quaker Meetinghouses

"The artist recalls asking his grandmother what they were meant to do inside the meetinghouse, to which she replied: 'We're going inside to greet the light.'" - Artnet

City Of Philadelphia Increases Arts Funding To (Slightly) Above Pre-Pandemic Levels

"The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the main vehicle for supporting arts organizations in the city..., saw its budget increase to $3.5 million for fiscal 2023, a far cry from the first pandemic budget that initially sought to zero out the fund and eventually settled at $1 million." - MSN (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Maybe Alt-Weeklies Aren’t Dying Out After All

"(As) with the robust launch of online local newsrooms in the last two years, some alts are finding new ground in old traditions. Here are three doing similar things in very different ways." - Poynter

In This Depressed Scottish Housing Project, El Sistema Is Working

"No-one is pretending there has been a miracle here, but 15 years ago, if the Raploch was known at all, it was known for its problems; these days it is better known for its music."  The complex has its own orchestra, and 400 of its kids play an instrument. - BBC

“Metamorphosis”: How Musicians Are Trying To Build A Successor To The San Antonio Symphony

The group of musicians that organized public concerts this spring (before the board shut the orchestra down) is now working on the logistics of an ongoing concert series, while former music director Sebastian Lang-Lessing is meeting with officeholders, business leaders and foundations about establishing a new organization. - San Antonio Report

Netflix Lays Off Almost 3% Of Its Workforce

The streaming giant has let go of 300 employees, just a month after a previous round of 150 layoffs (plus many part-timers and contractors). Since Netflix announced, earlier this year, that it was losing subscribers, its stock value has fallen by just under 70%. - Variety

Opera’s Diversity Problem Isn’t Only Onstage

The new study by Opera America found that, in North America, only about 20% of employees are people of color, compared with 39% of the population. There's some progress, though: women make up 61% of employees and 54% of leadership positions. - The New York Times

London West End Theatre Ticket Prices Rise 20 Percent Over Pre-Pandemic

In 2022, the average cost of the most expensive tickets available for West End productions is £140.85, up 21.3% on 2019. The increase has been driven by new productions, with the average top price for long-runners falling over the same period. - The Stage

Eight Men Convicted In Paris Of Stealing Banksy’s Bataclan ArtWork

British street artist Banksy painted his “sad girl” work on the door of the Bataclan in memory of the 90 people killed in worst of the 13 November 2015 jihadist attacks that hit several sites around the city. - The Guardian

How To Convince Pseudo-Science Believers Of Real Science

We shouldn’t be dismissive of people who believe in pseudoscience. In many cases they’re victims who have fallen for disinformation that’s been put forward by someone else, often people who stand to profit in some way. - Nautilus

How Method Acting Influenced Opera

Method acting has a history in opera, and it begins earlier than you might think. Even before his Moscow Art Theatre toured the United States and galvanized famous disciples like Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler, Stanislavski was trying out his acting techniques with opera singers. - Van

Canadian Parliament Advances Bill That Would Force Streamers To Promote Canadian Content

It would also apply to platforms including YouTube and Spotify and make them promote Canadian music artists by law. Critics of the bill say that as currently worded, it could also apply to amateur videos and user-generated content posted on YouTube. - Global TV

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