“For most of my life, I’ve been used to thinking of disabled people in the mainstream way – that is, in the third person. When I tick ‘yes’, I still can’t quite believe it. Even after eight years of paying close attention to disability scholarship and activism, when I picture disability, my mind still defaults to the stock images: the wheelchair symbol, the guide dog, the white stick, the prosthetic limb, the accessible toilet.” But… – Aeon
What Ancient Cave Art Teaches Us About The Place Of Art In Human Existence
“It’s rare to see art that is intrinsically woven into, and ultimately shapes, the very fabric of society. Was art always destined to be something that came only after we had satisfied our basic subsistence needs? Human evolution suggests not.” – Aeon
Classical Music’s Real Diversity Problem? Class
Today, the genre is grappling with what, on the surface, might seem like an entirely different aspect of its legacy: the historical lack of diversity in its orchestras and ensembles. The truth is that these legacies could hardly be more intertwined: Economic discrimination has produced diversity dramas of all sorts. Yet you’d never know this from recent attempts by critics to wrestle with the genre’s representation problems without so much as a passing reference to class. – The New Republic
Reviving The Work Of A Once Highly Praised Writer
Who, of course, happens to be a woman, Gertrude Trevalyan. Her re-publisher: “I read it and I thought, ‘This is incredible.’ … If she was a bloke, she’d still be in print today, without question. All of Aldous Huxley’s books are still in print – some of them are amazing, some aren’t that great. He was doing interesting social commentary, and also experimental stuff. She was doing the same sort of thing and no one’s heard of her.” – The Guardian (UK)
Church As Theatre
Everything is locked down in Paris, except for Mass. “The ritualistic nature of the event, the dramatic buildup from scene to scene — even the slightly labored monologues — are all part and parcel of regular theater attendance.” – The New York Times
Spoiler Alert: How Much Info In A Review Is Too Much?
“Spoiler culture” has become the preferred term for the angry whiplash of consumers who don’t want to know anything — and I mean anything — about a particular work of art or entertainment ahead of time. As a cultural phenomenon, spoiler culture has grown in scope and intensity along with the Internet, and it has now reached a level where it’s hard for people like me to get any work done. – Boston Globe
Denver’s Tattered Cover Book Store Sold
While local bookstores across the country shuttered in recent years, falling victim to lower prices offered by Amazon, Tattered Cover remained steadfast in its role as a locally owned shop known for drawing revered authors to Denver for book signings. – Denverite
The Show That Changed Radio Storytelling: ‘This American Life’ At 25
“Initially dreamed up as a storytelling showcase for Chicago audio artists and new writers, it now regularly wins awards – including one Pulitzer – for its in-depth international reporting, and boasts several spinoffs, among them the hit podcast Serial,” and the broadcast and podcast together get 5.3 million listeners a week. But now younger radio types gripe about “the hegemony of This American Life.” Says longtime producer Nancy Updike, “I recognise that we have become The Man.” – The Guardian
Classical Music’s Diversity Problem Is More About Class Than Race
“The point is that there are myriad class-related hurdles — material, psychological, and associative — that have prevented families of limited means from pursuing, or even wanting to pursue, this music. And of course, a disproportionate number of these families are Black.” – The New Republic
The Solution To Classical Music’s Diversity Problem Is At Youth Orchestra Los Angeles
Mark Swed: “In the end, systemic diversity can be pushed by circumstance, like we’ve had in this year of upset. But it can’t be shoved. Within the next year or two, we will be able to celebrate more people of color at orchestras and other institutions. Hiring, however, could be limited by the sheer economic havoc ahead. For real systemic change, we need a real system in place, something solid and lasting. YOLA is that system.” – Los Angeles Times
Dallas Opera Will Go Ahead With Shows This Spring, But They’ll Be Different
A full year after the pandemic started and performances stopped, the company’s 2021 mainstage season will begin in March with the world premiere of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer, followed by Don Carlo, The Marriage of Figaro and Tosca. Scores will be abridged to 90 minutes and the stagings reworked to maintain distance between the singers. Live attendance will be limited to 660 people, just over a quarter of the theater’s normal capacity. – The Dallas Morning News
France’s Concert Halls, Theatres, Cinemas Will Stay Closed Until At Least Jan. 7
“[The country] has been in a second lockdown phase since the end of October, and while daily COVID-19 cases have considerably decreased over the past several weeks, they have recently hit a plateau that is about double the hoped for 5K ceiling.” – Deadline
With No Theatre In Paris, A Critic Reviews The Last Show In Town — At Church
Laura Cappelle: “On paper, a Roman Catholic Mass and a stage performance aren’t all that different: Both events involve a cast of professionals addressing a seated, and now socially distanced, audience. The connections don’t stop there. … The ritualistic nature of the event, the dramatic buildup from scene to scene — even the slightly labored monologues — are all part and parcel of regular theater attendance.” – The New York Times
What Theatre Learned About Being Online This Year
The Broadway productions of “Hamilton” and “What the Constitution Means to Me” reemerged as films that give a wider audience the best seats in the house. These are stage performances filmed and edited to preserve as much theatrical dynamism as possible. – Los Angeles Times
Deaccession Dejection: Whither the Embattled Baltimore Museum of Art? (plus: Brooklyn’s castoffs)
The BMA’s deaccession debacle has put the reputations of the museum itself and the Association of Art Museum Directors at risk. What still isn’t clear is whether the sales of those three works have been merely “paused” (in the words of the museum’s press release) or canceled. – Lee Rosenbaum