Stories

Backstage At The National Theatre During A Reset

The reset “is the time before a show when the theatre becomes a hive of backstage buzz, as cast and crew ensure everything is in order before the audience take their seats.” One photographer described it as “pretty bonkers.” - The Observer (UK)

A Glimpse Into The Mind, And Process, Of A Famously Creative And Prolific Songwriters

Leslie Bruicusse wrote “Pure Imagination,” “Talk to the Animals,” “Goldfinger,” and so many more - and now that his papers are at the Library of Congress, interest in him is on a steep rise. - NPR

Nancy Azara, Who Helped Create A Haven For Feminist Sculptors, Has Died At 84

Azara was “a sculptor who evoked ancient feminine imagery in her carved and painted wood pieces, ... who in 1979 was a founder of the New York Feminist Art Institute, a school run by and for women artists.” - The New York Times

What’s Saving The Summer Box Office?

Kids’ movies, of course. Well … of course, except last year it was Barbie and (in deep, deep second place) Oppenheimer. And in years before the pandemic, superhero movies. Now? It’s Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4. - Vulture

A ‘Festival Of Resistance’ Against France’s Far-Right

In Avignon, “what will ‘resistance’ mean if the far-right party wins big in France on Sunday? Time will tell.” - The New York Times

Has The Internet Ruined Comedy?

“When it comes to crowd work, I’m the one who came to work. The audience didn’t come to work. They came to laugh. I don't understand this obsession with that. ... Like, ‘Are y'all dating?’ Who cares? There's no unique story to that. And they didn't pay for that.” - Wired

Depressed About Contemporary Life?

Well, time to write a satire. Or so says Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, the author of Chain Gang All-Stars. - The Guardian (UK)

Our Online Actions Are Far From Carbon-Neutral

The real energy suck right now is AI. Still, our individual actions online have consequences. Therefore, “to help save the planet, should we be using less data?” - The Atlantic

Publishing Books In Ukrainian Is Now An Act Of Resistance

“Natalie Miroshnyk was at the Warsaw Book Fair for Ukrainian publisher Vivat when she heard that a Russian missile had hit her country’s biggest printing house, killing seven workers, injuring 22 others and destroying 50,000 books.” - Irish Times

The Composer Who Changed Opera Forever

No, not Wagner, but the man who paved the way for him: Christoph Willibald Gluck. - The New York Times

Australia’s Biggest Online Bookseller Files For Protection

Australia’s largest online bookseller announced the move on Wednesday, two weeks after it went into a voluntary suspension of share trading. - The Guardian

Improbably, A Brilliant Park Rises In Brooklyn

Finally, a long stretch of nothing happening, of innumerable plans, tradeoffs, controversies, objections, and delays — that whole impasto of New York–style dithering — has been overwhelmed by the vivid, sensual presence of one of the city’s great public spaces. - New York Magazine (MSN)

First Ever: Dancers Competing In The Olympics This Summer

Thirty-two dancers total—16 b-boys and 16 b-girls—will compete battle-style in Paris’ Place de la Concorde to sold-out crowds on August 9 and 10. Qualifying competitions have been going on since 2022. - Dance Magazine

Bay Area Arts Institutions Finding Their Ways Back

Although attendance at the city’s arts institutions remains down from prepandemic levels — with tourism, hotel occupancy and office attendance yet to fully recover — its cultural ecosystem has been showing signs of inching its way back. - The New York Times

That Was Quick: Starmer Appoints New UK Culture Minister

Prior to yesterday’s UK general election, she was shadow cabinet minister for international development and has previously held shadow cabinet roles in housing, foreign and commonwealth affairs, and energy and climate change. - Screen Daily

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