In addition to Sarafina!, which became a worldwide hit, Ngema is remembered internationally for the 1981 satire Woza Albert, which won over 20 awards in various countries. - AP
Fay Weldon, Russell Banks, Charles Simic, Kenzaburo Oe, Dubravka Ugresic, D.M. Thomas, Martin Amis, Cormac McCarthy, Robert Gottlieb, Milan Kundera, Edith Grossman, Louise Glück, A.S. Byatt, … - Literary Hub
Such is occasionally the cost of doing business when you work in the same tight-knit industry as your identical twin. Turns out, Jean said, mix-ups are “really good for networking.” - The New York Times
To take stock of the past year, Artforum asked an international group of artists to select a single exhibition or event that most memorably caught their attention in 2023. - ArtForum
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program, established in 1993 to identify and nurture talented African American and Latino music students, began with a simple question from Azira G. Hill. - ArtsATL
While more than four fifths of recorded music is consumed via streaming, vinyl continues to make a comeback. Sales rose by 11.7% to 5.9 million units in 2023, increasing for the 16th year in a row, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) trade group. - BBC
Streaming was offered as an alternative to the traditional TV business model, which had remained largely unchanged for decades. The streamer could also act as the production company and distributor, eliminating the need to spend months or years arranging financing. - Los Angeles Times
"The factory was opened in 1721 by Spain’s King Felipe V. He brought in Catholic craftsmen from Flanders, which had been part of Spain’s empire, to get it started. … Some of the original wooden machines are still in use." - AP
The ephemeral nature of the stage is part of its power. Prospero in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” compares actors to “spirits” who melt into “thin air” once the revels are ended. - Los Angeles Times
"This is really fun, and I'm super honored. But I feel like I'm under no delusions that my life is different. I'm still going to probably do my next play in a little basement downtown. And that's okay because that's what I signed up to do." - Broadway.com
This year, at least 1,000 birds died in one day from colliding with a single glass-covered building. In New York, which lies along the Atlantic Flyway, hundreds of species traverse the skyline and tens of thousands die each year. - The Guardian
"Electric performances, thought-provoking choreography, buzzy bodies of work — the artists on our annual list of dancers, choreographers, directors, and companies poised for a breakout share an uncanny knack for arresting attention, … turning heads while turning what’s expected — in a performance, from a career trajectory — on its head." - Dance Magazine
In 2014, I couldn’t tolerate a play that mixed hilarity and monstrousness so shamelessly. But time and history have altered that in me. - The New York Times
"It hasn’t been an easy journey from (Bashkortostan) to New York. Along the way, (Aigul) Akhmetshina had to overcome multiple setbacks, including failures in vocal competitions, an auto accident that left her unable to sing for months, then (being) told by a conservatory that she wasn’t good enough for a scholarship." - AP
