"Polonius isn't a good father. Good fathers don't make good drama. But he's a good character, more complex than critics usually recognize. Polonius is a single father struggling with work-life balance who sadly chooses his career over his daughter's well-being." And his pompous speeches? Big ol' dad jokes. - JSTOR Daily
Looking at the data revealed in The Stage’s West End ticketing survey this week, it appears producers are trying to straddle both horses, with top prices rising at rates above inflation but bottom prices rising at a rate lower than inflation. - The Stage
In 1789, Erasmus Darwin — physician, pathologist, abolitionist, and botanist as well as poet — published a strange set of cantos under the title The Loves of the Plants, using mythical creatures and deities of antiquity to make then-new scientific concepts more accessible. And in one of his footnotes ... - Literary Hub
Credible reports have been published about atrocities committed by Russian soldiers in Ukrainian cities. But is music the same as weapons? Can musicians stand for Ukraine without becoming propaganda tools? - Van
It's an inventive — and animal-free — bunch of troupes with names like A Good Catch and Gravity and Other Myths. But they're not big or rich, and the combination of local lockdowns and the inability to tour overseas hit them hard. Now they're hard at work on a revival. - ArtsHub (Australia)
"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
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
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
"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
"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)
"(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
"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
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
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
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
