"(Back) when networks would commission a season of 22 episodes of a sitcom or drama, these rooms would often boast a dozen or more writers. … Today, with the rise of streaming platforms, studios increasingly rely on so-called mini-rooms with just four or five writers to create shows, often with fewer episodes." - The Guardian
"Several of the more than 600 organizations that lost state funding (said) that their educational programming is the first thing they will have to cut if they cannot make up the money elsewhere." The problem is especially acute in rural areas where school districts have fewer resources. - The Washington Post (MSN)
With the layoff of all three curatorial staffers plus one patron-facing worker and the resignation of three more employees (one a senior manager), NAM has lost half its staff since August 1. The museum in the wealthy Rhode Island seaside town has had only one year without a deficit since 2011. - Hyperallergic
"The incoming class of seniors at New York’s Cooper Union learned at today’s convocation ceremony that they would pay no tuition for their final year. Outgoing president Laura Sparks announced, moreover, that for each of the coming four years, seniors at the school of art, architecture, and engineering would attend tuition-free." - Artnet
"The Crown Prosecution Service said on Thursday that it decided to discontinue proceedings against Weinstein because there is 'no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.' … The CPS had previously authorized police to file the charges against Weinstein in relation to an alleged indecent assault that occurred in London in 1996." - AP
"Nearly seven months after launching an emergency fundraising campaign to stave off a 'dire' financial crisis, the Bellevue Arts Museum is closing its doors indefinitely, museum officials announced Wednesday afternoon. … It is unclear at this time whether the closure is permanent. The museum has filed for receivership." - The Seattle Times
For winter and spring 2024, box office was down 30% from the previous year. So the fact that this summer was down only 10% is seen as good news. But it also raises the question of whether the U.S. film business can maintain its momentum coming into the fall and then 2025. - Variety
Gao Zhen, who had moved to New York and was in Beijing visiting family, is the first artist charged under the 2018 "Heroes and Martyrs Protection Law." At issue are works (including one a Florida man tried to bomb, thinking it glorified Communism) from over a decade ago satirizing Mao Zedong. - Artnet
She is the fifth director of Tefaf in four years and arrives after a period of controversy at the fair brand. Her direct successor, Bart Drenth, stepped down in June 2023 less than six months into the role after controversial tweets, aimed at “leftists”, “Muslims” and “the woke”. - The Art Newspaper
Taking over ownership of Jujamcyn’s five Broadway venues, including the August Wilson and Walter Kerr theatres – a deal finalised in summer 2023 – pulled in £75.5 million in revenue and profit of £18.2 million. - The Stage
They're certainly difficult, especially since COVID. High school drama programs rarely prepare students well for conservatory work, including the audition process, and a small (and pricey) industry has developed solely in coaching young applicants for their auditions. - ArtsHub
I write today in praise of a third genre that few self-respecting intellectuals admit to reading regularly, though many do: the reference book. - Discourse Magazine
Perhaps one reason why she was a superb editor is because her personality so completely concorded with the wider cultural understanding of editing as belonging off-stage. And yet that view is entirely incorrect. - LitHub
The Boy Scouts of America is auctioning off the entirety of its 321-piece art collection, which includes works by Norman Rockwell, Walt Disney, and J.C. Leyendecker, and is valued at around $59 million. - ARTnews
