“Again and again [in his astounding life story] what we see in Cervantes is that his wit, intelligence and optimism stepped in to save him. No one that I can think of has made lemonade out of life’s lemons as sweetly as he did.”
Rediscovering A 19th-Century Black Female Novelist
“While looking through old British newspapers, I was astonished to read an 1893 announcement in The Daily Telegraph proclaiming Sarah E. Farro to be ‘the first negro novelist’ with the publication of her novel True Love. I wondered: who was this woman? And why didn’t we know about this reportedly groundbreaking novel?”
Actress Challenges L.A.’s 99-Seat Theater Plan With Suit Claiming Unpaid Wages
“Adding fuel to the long-simmering fire over whether actors working under the 99-Seat Theater Plan are ‘volunteers,’ ‘independent contractors’ or ’employees,’ actress Ann Colby Stocking has filed a complaint … against Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and its producer, Ron Sossi. Her demand is for over $6,000.”
Complete Set Of Shakespeare Folios Sells For $3.68 Million
“A set of the first four editions of William Shakespeare’s plays – dubbed the ‘Holy Grail of publishing’ by Christie’s auction house – sold Wednesday for almost 2.5 million pounds ($3.68 million). [The volumes]… were sold as individual lots but all bought by a private American collector.”
Wikipedia Is A Wonder. But It’s Also Dangerous…
The problem with Wikipedia is not so much its reliability – which is, for most purposes, perfectly OK – as its increasing ubiquity as a source of information. “Wikipedia, despite being noncommercial, still poses many of the dangers of a traditional monopoly, and we run the risk of living in an information monoculture.”
Read A Newly Translated Story By Pushkin
“To the question of whether he had ever fought a duel, he replied drily that he had, but did not go into the details, and it was clear that such questions displeased him. We supposed that some unfortunate victim of his terrible skill lay on his conscience. However, it never entered our heads to suspect him of anything like cowardice. There are people whose appearance alone removes such suspicions. An unexpected incident amazed us all.”
A Shocking Discovery Deep In A French Cave Raises Big Questions About Our Ancestors
“I think we have several lines of evidence showing that the cognitive abilities and behaviors of Neanderthals were complex. But we had no direct evidence of their ability to build. That changes the picture for me. It’s puzzling to find such structures so deep inside the cave.”
Donmar Warehouse To Build A Pop-Up Theatre For Its All-Women Summer Shakespeare Season
“The Donmar Warehouse is building a temporary theatre for an all-female Shakespeare trilogy that will see, on some days, Dame Harriet Walter performing the demanding roles of Brutus, Henry IV and Prospero back to back. … A quarter of the tickets will be free to under-25s in a new initiative called ‘young and free’.”
Why Museums Are Welcoming Google’s New Art Camera
“Google plans to send its 20-strong camera convoy to museums around the world … which means that Google is increasingly receiving and compiling a ton of data for free (it doesn’t pay the museums) – so we were curious: what are the benefits museums receive by showcasing their collections on another platform?”
How Van Dyck Created Modern Portraiture
“Van Dyck focused on the subject’s attitude toward being in the picture, a joint venture of artist and sitter that continues to this day as a model, or a foil, for artists like Kehinde Wiley, Elizabeth Peyton, and Cindy Sherman. We might include earlier practitioners as well, like Lucien Freud and Alice Neel, or, to cast a wider net, photographers Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, and Richard Avedon.”
Brazil’s Culture Ministry Reinstated By Interim President Following Protests
“The move to subsume the Brazilian cultural ministry into the education ministry following the recent impeachment and suspension of President Dilma Rousseff has been reversed. … Bitter protests from the arts and culture community followed the initial announcement.”
More Young Classical Musicians Are Rocking Out In Crossover Bands
Classical crossover is hardly new, but groups like Apocalyptica, the Piano Guys, and 2Cellos are taking a harder, more rock-oriented approach than, say, André Rieu or Vanessa-Mae ever did. They’re also acquiring some serious fans and social media mojo.
Could Virtual Reality Transform How Architects Work The Way CAD Did?
“New virtual reality tools will allow architects and designers to create buildings and products intuitively in 3D space around them, according to the director of visualisation studio VRtisan. The technology, which couples VR software created for game designers with hand-held motion controllers, offers designers ‘a completely new tool.'”
The Future Of Music Is Streaming. Or So We Thought?
“A YouGov survey last week produced the interesting statistic that only 6 per cent of 35-55 year olds subscribe to a music streaming service. As you’d expect, 16 per cent of 14-34 year olds have subscriptions, and only 3 per cent of those over 55 are signed up. Still, that Gen X figure sticks out a little. The reasons put forward for disliking streaming include complexity of existing services, the subscription angle, and the fact that CDs and radio are easier to use.”
Real-Time Computer Translation – Did These Folks Just Invent A Real Babel Fish?
Well, no, not an actual creature that swims into your ear canal and feeds off brain wave radiation, with instant translation from any language as its excretions. (That would actually prove the existence of God – until it didn’t.) “Last week, New York City-based Waverly Labs announced its recent invention, Pilot, a set of two ear buds that costs $299. Scheduled to be released by spring of 2017, the device purports to offer near-simultaneous translation for four languages.”
UK Government Report: Secondary Ticket Sellers Shouldn’t Be Banned
“Clever people will always find new ways to do things online and the live entertainment secondary ticketing market, as well as the primary market, needs to be alive to innovation and its consequences for the market.”
The Elusive Archetypal Millennial We’re All Chasing? Doesn’t Exist!
“Sure, the demographic group exists as an amorphous bloc. But you are as likely to come upon an archetypal millennial as you are to run into Joe Sixpack or be invited to a barbecue at the median American household. It’s hard to believe this even needs to be said, yet here we are: Macroscale demographic trends rarely govern most individuals’ life and work decisions.”
Fewer Fine Arts Degree Graduates Become Artists. What’s The Point?
“If arts training programs continue to climb in popularity while budding artists from less affluence are deciding against studying the arts in college, does that mean the college-to-career trajectory is a myth? Has the arts degree become a luxury, or are artists from less advantaged backgrounds missing out on something?”
The Stage’s Top Ten Musical Theatre Composers Of All Time
Mark Shenton’s list includes old Broadway/West End hands, two classical guys, and a rock star. Prepare to agree and/or argue about. (And as you fume about the names missing from the list, don’t forget that this is the final installment of Shenton’s top 50, and there are links to the others toward the end of the page.)
Paris Opera Chief Says This Season Has Been Disastrous, Pleads With Staff Not To Strike
In a letter to company employees revealing that they won’t be receiving incentive bonuses for the previous season, general director Stéphane Lissner lists the problems: revenue off €2 million since the beginning of 2016; plunging ticket sales (reportedly down by €5 million), due partly to the terrorist attacks; performances cancelled due to demonstrations by the intermittents … (in French; Google Translate version here)
Why All The Writers Who Signed That Statement Against Trump Won’t Really Make A Difference
Alyssa Rosenberg observes that the statement is really a microcosm of literary culture’s long, fruitless struggle against mass-market television.
Meet Two Young Female Choreographers Breaking Ballet’s Glass Ceiling
“Recently, the ballet world seems to be owning up to the fact that it’s got a female choreographer problem. … The trick now – after years of not particularly encouraging female talent – is finding women choreographers who have the chops to truly intrigue and delight ballet audiences. Two young names have popped out of the crowd.”
Detroit Symphony’s EVP Leaves For Cleveland Institute Of Music
“Paul Hogle, executive vice president of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since 2010 and a key architect of the organization’s post-strike resurrection, is leaving to become president of the Cleveland Institute of Music. … Hogle, who grew up near Cleveland and saw one of his daughters, a violist, graduate from CIM last year, ends his six-year tenure in Detroit in early July.”
Skylight Music Theater In Milwaukee Loses Its Artistic Director
Viswa Subbaraman, who began his three-season tenure at Skylight with a daring Bollywood-themed Fidelio, said, “I’ve been wrestling with this for a few months. I love the work here and the Skylight, but I am convinced that my greatest joy and greatest strength is on the podium.”
This Family Holds Three Of The Most Prestigious Orchestral Positions In The World, And They’ve Formed An All-Clarinet Trio
Ernst Ottensamer and his son Daniel are principal clarinets at the Vienna Philharmonic; baby brother Andreas is principal at the Berlin Philharmonic. Together, they’re the Clarinotts, and they’re commissioning new triple concertos and releasing an album.