Warren Carlyle: “Kiss Me, Kate — really more than anything I’ve ever done — has really, really tested my range. It was an interesting challenge for me in that each and every single number had a different approach.” – Dance Magazine
Sinemia, Which Tried To Move Into MoviePass’s Niche, Abruptly Quits U.S. Market
The subscription service, which launched in Turkey in 2014 and also operates in the U.K., Canada, and Australia, tried to capture customers fleeing MoviePass last fall with an unlimited-films-for-$30-per-month plan. But the predictable money troubles that resulted were compounded by lawsuits from MoviePass (for patent infringement) and a group of customers (for bait-and-switch pricing). – Gizmodo
Stanley Kubrick Was Not A Recluse, A Hoarder, Or A Crazy Man, Okay?
As a current BFI exhibition shows and his family attests, he was meticulous, determined, and thorough, but “no more obsessive than anyone else who lives by working on something they love to do and want to get it right,” as his stepdaughter says. “He had his life so sorted … he had a house he could do everything in; he could sleep in his own bed at night; the people he wanted to see came to him; he wasn’t known for his face so he could go to Marks & Spencer’s if he wanted.” – The Guardian
Lots Of Misinformation About Notre Dame. So What’s Next?
Now come the trickier questions. Should the cathedral be restored to look as it did before? Or should some modern changes acknowledge the fire? Hardly had the fire died down when French prime minister Édouard Philippe announced an international architectural competition to design a replacement spire “suited to the techniques and challenges of our time.” – Dallas News
Coachella Is Inventive Musically. So Why Isn’t The Visual Art Better?
The lack of almost any original ideas, a true understanding of the history of festival structures – other than at Do Lab — and experimentation with new images, forms, or structures seems to preclude anything but a giant trash heap, where the remains of these designs will join the millions of plastic water bottles and other detritus left behind by the event in just burdening our planet even further. – Dezeen
Damning Report On Perceptions Of Arts Council England’s Workplace Culture
An independent assessment of ACE’s reputation as an employer concludes that applicants from diverse demographic groups perceive the funder as inaccessible and feel that ACE looks for a particular ‘type’ to join its workforce. – Arts Professional
Frank Gehry’s Design For The New Warner Brothers Studios HQ
The Canadian-American architect hopes the project will “recapture that feeling of old Hollywood splendour” that existed during its early years. “Once upon a time, Hollywood Studios had an important architectural presence in the city – they were like monuments to the movie-making process,” said Gehry. – Dezeen
Arts Funder Tells Its Winning Artists To Pay Themselves Better
The call to artists to apply for this self-defined professional development support encouraged applicants to include a fee for their own time. However, of the 263 applications received, 62% didn’t include one and many of those that did asked for fees lower than the rates recommended by sector bodies. – Arts Professional
We Need A Better Definition Of Troll
Asking a troll to define trolling is a bit like asking a terrorist to define terrorism. The question backfires; it invites prevarication and propaganda. But in the past few years, an answer has become increasingly necessary—and elusive. Without one, can we clearly distinguish teasing from hate speech? – Wired
Theatre Needs To Tell Bold Stories Of Those Who Stood Up To Power And Survived
A young director who had three weeks to devise a musical with 14 over-50 LGBTQ-identified actors says that her generation needs to hear more about the past, and that they’re good for theatre. “Stories from untold perspectives– with one hand in reality and one in imagination – are what interest me. As a writer, they unlock the immeasurable potential within a subject. As a director, they challenge you to avoid the deadly valleys of stereotype and assumption and implore you to take the tricky hillside treks through discomfort and authenticity.” – The Stage (UK)
Novelists, You Have To Get Your Science Right
Otherwise, everything else collapses – and you don’t need to be writing science fiction to use science. “Science provides a clear and pragmatic framework with which to view the murkier and less-than-perfect world of humans, giving resonance and beauty to a fictional story while also being a metaphor for its larger theme. Science also asks questions about the world, as do characters in a novel.” – LitHub
As The Humanities Collapse, Who’s To Blame?
Tenured professors, perhaps? This article thinks so. “As far back as 1972, The New York Times reported that the [American Historical Association] was ‘facing open discontent in its ranks as a result of the recession, academic budget trimming and an oversupply of trained historians,’ which engendered a ‘job crisis’ that showed little sign of abating. Nevertheless, for nearly a half-century, historians have failed to organize to halt the disappearance of positions. This must now change.” – The Chronicle of Higher Education
Artists Need To Back Up Off Of Critics’ Necks
The internet has democratized many things, including, in some case, criticism that isn’t thoughtful. But professional critics still take their knowledge, and their craft, seriously. “Lively arguments about talked-about shows – like the discussion of the Fleabag finale – can quickly spread. But social media also provides a platform for performers to reveal their thin skins, or for armies of fans to descend upon anyone who dares to dislike a favoured star or film franchise.” – The Guardian (UK)
The Author Of ‘American Marriage’ Is Not An Overnight Success
Tayari Jones had several well-reviewed books before American Marriage too off last year. She remembers, “I published my first book in 2002 and I remember that I was at Bread Loaf [Writers’ Conference]. A lot of [other emerging writers] had been on NPR and other things and I hadn’t done any of these things. I remember I sat on my bed in my little Bread Loaf dorm room and I just cried. How will I ever catch up?” – Shondaland
To Sing The Unflappable Siegfried, One Cannot Have Fear
At least, that’s what tenor Andreas Schager claims. “But his path to singing Siegfried at the Met … was unusual. Mr. Schager, who was born Andreas Schagerl in the small town of Rohrbach an der Gölsen, started his career in operetta (precursors to modern musical comedies) and lighter tenor roles.” – The New York Times
The Cure For Our Times May Be Theatre
When a critic sees 12 plays in 10 days: Theatre “restored my vision, or at least handed me a roadmap of our location, emotionally and psychically speaking — one that extended beyond Manhattan, the country, and the curve of time. I sat down with people to contemplate the troubles of King Lear, Tom Robinson, and Socrates, recalling that, though the common cruelties of the day may be unique, how people cope with them is not.” – Los Angeles Review of Books
The Path From Dancer To Artistic Director In Dallas
Melissa Young began her career as a dancer with Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and since then, she’s been rehearsal director, academy director, associate artistic director, and interim artistic director – and now she’s got the job permanently. She saw the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater when she was a teenager, and, she says, “from that moment on, I knew THIS was what I had to do. There was no turning back. There was no plan b to fall back on.” – Paper City Magazine
Harvey Weinstein’s Trial Is Postponed Until September
Media were removed from the courtroom for a while during Friday’s proceedings as well. Why? “Prosecutors want to call additional women with similar allegations to help establish a pattern of misconduct. The number and identities of those women has been kept secret. The defense has argued that calling such witnesses would prejudice the case, and asked the court to close Friday’s hearing on the subject to avoid tainting the jury pool. The prosecution also asked that the hearing be closed.” – Variety
How To Translate ‘King Lear’ Into ASL
First, of course, you need to be familiar with the original. Russell Harvard, who’s playing the Duke of Cornwall to Glenda Jackson’s King Lear on Broadway, also had to help figure out how good Cornwall would be at lip-reading – and how that might change the play. – American Theatre
The Ever-Growing Imbalance Between Stars And Critics
You’d think an ill-conceived, badly written mini-screed might not be worthy of worry for critics. You’d be wrong – dangerously so, when it comes to stars “taking on” the low-paid people who cover their art. Check out this week’s Dumpster fire of a screed, for instance: “Using the hard-earned clout of the Me Too movement to deflect critique of the fashion-celebrity industrial complex is not a feminist crusade.” – HuffPost
The Software Hollywood Writers Use For Scripts Now Has ‘Inclusivity Analysis’
Final Draft, a widely used software for screenwriters, now has a free add-on to help writers measure everything from gender and race to age, ability, and more The software can even analyze whether the film would pass the Bechdel Test. – The New York Times
Even Choreographers Need Editors
Or call them “dramaturges” after the research supporters of the theatre world – or, heck, call them collaborators: “Some choreographers have turned to a more collaborative process, using dance dramaturges to help work through the creation and staging of a dance.” – The Washington Post
How To Write A Book In Ten Days
First, don’t think too much about writing a book. Second, cheat. – LitHub
Sounds of social justice: How music, athletes and activism intersect for good
Right now, there is a generation of athletes who want to have a greater impact. They want to extend the movement to something bigger than charity backpack drives and sports camps. “There’s a new wave of activism through sports. Something we haven’t seen before.” So, too, do you see it in musicians. Traced all the way from Marvin Gay to Beyoncé’s Homecoming album and her conscientious actions. – The Tennessean
Suggestion: Canadian Theatre Needs A New Funding Narrative
Jesse Lavercombe: “I think Canada needs a new narrative for itself that isn’t so much about buttressing a fortress or perfectly defining our national identity, but participating in a larger conversation. I’m not advocating for changes in CanCon regulations, and I’m certainly not advocating for less public funding (because it pays my rent, which in Toronto ain’t cheap), but those efforts shouldn’t come from a place of insecurity. Our public funding should be dedicated to raising the bar of our work and showing off that work to the world, not protecting us from the threat of our big brother to the south.” – Howlround