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The Instagramization Of The Broadway Stage

These unmissable logos seem designed to engage audiences with the stage quite actively, creating an Instagrammable moment in a space where cameras are mostly frowned upon. - The Stage

Watch The Centuries-Old Musical Game Played by Inuit Women

"In traditional katajjaq, also known as Inuit throat singing, two women stand face to face and perform a duet that doubles as something of a musical battle. Chanting in rhythm, participants attempt to outlast one another, each waiting for any crack in the pace of her opponent." - Psyche

Verdict In The Ed Sheeran Copyright Case

Sheeran had faced allegations that he copied parts of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” for his 2014 song, “Thinking Out Loud.” Heirs of Ed Townsend — Gaye’s collaborator and song’s co-writer — sued him in 2017, claiming Sheeran copied “harmonic progressions, melodic and rhythmic elements” that are the “heart” of Gaye’s iconic song. - Washington Post

Saving The Crumbling Adobe Mission Churches Of New Mexico

"(In Spanish colonial days,) villagers … filled chapels with elaborate altarpieces made of local wood and varnished with pine sap. Today, threatened by dwindling congregations and fading traditions, some of their descendants are fighting to save these historic structures from literally crumbling back to the earth they were built with." - AP

Rethinking What Fatigue Is

“People often think about” fatigue “in terms of ‘oh, people are tired all the time.’ But fatigue is so much more pervasive and detrimental than that." - Washington Post

Vox Media Has Made A Major Bet On Podcasts, And It’s Starting To Pay Off

Acquiring Esther Perel's Where Should We Begin? "has shown that Vox Media's podcast ambitions extend beyond the digital media company's brand of publications, which include New York magazine and The Verge, and into a realm that appeals to more than just 'tech and (media) industry nerds.'" - The Hollywood Reporter

High Fashion: What Happens When Superfakes Are Indistinguishable From The Real Thing

My plunge into the world of fantastically realistic counterfeit purses — known as “superfakes” to vexed fashion houses and I.P. lawyers, or “unclockable reps” to their enthusiastic buyers — began a couple of years earlier, in what I might characterize as a spontaneous fit of lunacy. - The New York Times

Could The City Of Paris Actually Make The Seine Safe To Swim In?

"A swimmable Seine would be a major turnaround for a busy urban waterway once notorious for its filth, allowing Paris to stage (Olympic) aquatic competition events in one of the world's most famous, photogenic metropolitan riverscapes." Authorities say they can pull it off, though Parisians remain skeptical. - Bloomberg CityLab

This Cambodian Dance Company In Massachusetts Has Come Out Of The Pandemic Stronger Than Before

The Angkor Dance Troupe in Lowell was founded by refugees from the Khmer Rouge who were determined to keep Cambodian classical dance from being snuffed out. They've always had small budgets, but, thanks to COVID relief funding, they've emerged with both stronger purpose and more resources. - WBUR (Boston)

The Bay Area Children’s Theater Has Been Selling Out Shows. It Still Needed An Emergency Fundraising Campaign.

"The campaign, Save Our Stage, … seeks to raise $750,000 by July 1. The cause for the emergency campaign isn't declining demand but increased costs, as artistic director Khalia Davis Davis acknowledges that the company's budget projections 'miscalculated.'" - San Francisco Chronicle

Check Out Some Of The Best Signs From The Writers’ Guild’s Picket Lines

"Hey, Amazon, free delivery is your job, not ours." "Give up just ONE yacht." "Without writers, Succession is just The Apprentice (and look how THAT turned out)." - NPR

Library Funding Has Become Another Weapon In The Culture War Over Books

In Missouri and Texas, state lawmakers have been considering laws that would remove funding from libraries that host drag queen story hours or don't block access to certain books; individual counties in some other states have gone through with such cuts. Many librarians fear things will get worse. - NPR

Illinois Passes A Law Banning Book Bans In Libraries

"Illinois lawmakers greenlighted a bill Wednesday that says libraries in the state must adopt an anti-book banning policy to receive state funding, in a vote that fissured along party lines. … Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he looks forward to signing it." - AP

In Charles III, The UK Will Have A King Who Genuinely Loves The Arts

"Throughout his life, King Charles III has involved himself in British cultural life, not only a maker of art but as an avid spectator and patron. … (His) fascination with the arts and entertainment echoes the concerns of several much earlier holders of the throne." - The New York Times

The Art Of Being Informed Post-Twitter

Until the past year’s insipid Musk-related shenanigans, the platform functioned as an efficient information delivery system that made it unique among its social media rivals — and unique, for that matter, among the media organs that depended on it for readers and ideas. - N+1

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