ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

Stories

Would You Like To Lengthen Your Attention Span?

Then try this 700-page Australian prizewinning novel that “is 'more like an experience’ than a story,” according to its publisher. Then there are the five million feral donkeys. - The Guardian (UK)

New Musicals Expose The Seamy Underbelly At The Heart Of The American Dream

If you watch reality TV, you’ll understand why The Queen of Versailles is hitting so hard. And, of course, Gatsby never gets old. - The New York Times

When You Make A Movie All About Fan Service, It Will Do Well – And Also Be Inconsequential

For instance, neither Deadpool nor Wolverine can die, and that makes them boring. “An entire generation has never known a time without the MCU and its reliable narrative architecture, with its wash, rinse, repeat of clever rejoinders, conflict resolution through fist fights and celebrity cameos.” - Salon

When Is The Right Time To Read A Famous Book?

Maybe when you’re old enough to appreciate it. “It turns out, being wrong is one of the best things in life.” - The New York Times

YouTuber And Kids Choice Award Winner MrBeast Says That Yes, He Used Racist And Homophobic Language

But he was young, see? So it was just a boy being a boy! MrBeast, for those who don’t know, makes a lot of money as the person running. YouTube's most subscribed-to channel. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

Former Monk Wins The Lottery, Immediately Starts Funding Nonprofit Theatres

Is this real? Absolutely. Roy Cockrum won Powerball in 2014, and since then has given millions to nonprofits. “The question I put to artistic directors is, ‘Is there a project you’ve always dreamed of doing that you couldn’t afford?’” - The New York Times

The Complicated Ways Ballet Teaches Women About Submission And Obedience

Those lessons in a particular brand of “femininity” aren’t super. Ballerinas “are taught to dance through pain, to perform roles with troubling messages, and that the gaze of an audience (historically male, but even now, certainly patriarchal) gives them worth.” - Vogue

The Brits Have Decided To Award Children’s Movies, At Last

“It is the first new film category to be introduced by Bafta for five years, and will be awarded for the first time in 2025.” - BBC

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra And Its Union Have Come To An Agreement

The CSO says that "the new agreement provides salary increases of 23% over the life of the contract, more flexible scheduling,” and “industry-leading audition and tenure practices” that will be clearly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. - CityBeat

Spend Years Writing Theatre Criticism, And Maybe Learn How To Write Plays

That formula worked for Kelundra Smith, at least. One important detail: In criticism and in theatre, “you have to have a strong pitch.” - American Theatre

How Much Did Munro’s Books Management Know About Alice Munro’s Daughter?

One former employee says that keeping the info secret, and celebrating Munro, was “a gap in understanding.” The manager says that “she did not know about Alice's response to the situation, or the ensuing criminal case, and would have made different decisions about upholding the Munro legacy.” - CBC

Ina Jaffe, Longtime And Legendary NPR Journalist, Has Died At 75

Jaffe, “an NPR correspondent for roughly 40 years who was known for her unflinching approach to journalism and was the first editor of the network’s initial iteration of the weekly national news show, Weekend Edition Saturday.” - The New York Times

Britain’s New Culture Secretary Calls For Arrested Presenter To Hand Back His Salary

“The BBC continued to employ Edwards, formerly its most high-profile newsreader, for five months after he was arrested on three counts of making indecent images of children, during which time he was paid £200,000.” Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is not pleased. - BBC

In San Francisco, Ballet22 Provides Space, And The Opportunity To Go On Pointe, For Male And Nonbinary Dancers

“Ballet22’s intense three-week rehearsal period is ‘treasured time,’ as dancer Trevor Williams puts it, a chance to learn roles forbidden at their usual dancing jobs and to take class every day in the iconic shoe that traditionally only cisgender women get to train in.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

Portland’s Upcoming City Council Election Will Have A Massive Effect On The City’s Arts And Culture

Portland, Oregon, voters recently voted for a new city council structure. That council will have to figure out what to do with the home of Broadway tours and Portland Opera - the historic, downtown, seismically terrifying Keller. Then there’s the end of the arts tax … and so much more. - Oregon ArtsWatch

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');