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The Eurovision Song Contest’s Real Heroes: The Crew That Does Complete Set Changes In 35 Seconds

While viewers watch the introductory videos known as postcards, dozens of people swarm the stage. Thirty-five seconds to get one set of performers off and put the next ones in the right place, make sure everyone has the right microphones and earpieces and the props are in place and tightly secured. - BBC

Yum! Espresso Made From Venice Canal Water Wins Architecture Biennale’s Top Prize

The project — “Canal Café” by Diller Scofidio + Renfro — filters water from Venice’s notoriously polluted canals and lagoon through a series of filters that mimic the natural cleansing effect of a tidal wetland. Once the water is made drinkable, it’s used to make a classic shot of espresso. - Artnet

Ten Heritage Foundation Arguments Against The NEA, And How To Answer Them

Ben Davis: “I think it’s important for NEA advocates to actually understand the spectrum of arguments ranged against them, and not rely on dated or off-target counter-arguments. So I thought I would put down, here, replies to each of Heritage’s “Ten Good Reasons to Eliminate Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.” - Artnet

English National Opera Names André De Ridder Music Director

The German conductor, currently Generalmusikdirektor of the Theater Freiburg, succeeds Martyn Brabbins, who resigned in 2023 to protest ENO management’s proposed elimination of 19 orchestral positions. While he starts immediately as Music Director Designate, de Ridder fully assumes the job in September 2027. - Opera Now

The Ascent And Descent Of Gérard Depardieu: A Timeline

“For over half a century, (he) stood as a towering figure in French cinema, a titan known for his commanding physical presence, instinct, sensitivity, and remarkable versatility. … His fall from grace was completed Tuesday when a Paris court found him guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a movie set in 2021.” - AP

The Extremely Tight Choreography Of The Broadway Show Operation Mincemeat

“It’s a show where you’re always thinking about the other people onstage. … Everyone is both lead and chorus, and you really can’t have an ego because it requires five minds to work as one.” - The New York Times

Broadway Musical Cancels Performance After Trump Fires Librarian Of Congress

“A brief statement from the show , which earned seven Tony nominations this month, said that it had decided not to perform at the library ‘upon learning of the termination of Dr. Carla Hayden.’” - The New York Times

Some Italians Are Highly Offended By Estonia’s Eurovision Song Contest Entry

The Baltic nation’s submission this year is “Espresso Macchiato,” in which Estonian singer-rapper Tommy Cash (who bills himself as the “Kanye East” of Europe) piles the stereotypes high. Many Italians are angry at the mockery, but Estonia’s ambassador to Italy says he hears the song played there often enough. - BBC

Every Arts Director At The NEA Resigns

All 10 directors who oversee grants in various disciplines of the arts — such as museums, theater, design, and folk and traditional arts — are leaving the agency, according to a review of emails obtained by The Washington Post. - Washington Post (MSN)

Trump Issues Executive Order Blocking All Funding For NPR And PBS

“The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies ‘to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS’ and further requires that that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organizations.” This is funding already approved by the U.S. Congress. - AP

“Immature”: San Francisco Symphony Management Publicly Slams Musicians Over Contract Negotiations

Just days after musicians leafleted the audience at Michael Tilson Thomas’s last-ever concerts, management released an open letter pointing out that the orchestra is facing down years of large deficits and charging that musicians’ attitude during negotiations has been “counterproductive and even immature at times.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

Tony Award Nominations 2025: ‘Buena Vista Social Club,’ ‘Death Becomes Her’ And ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ Get Ten Each

Oh Mary!, Sunset Boulevard, John Proctor Is the Villain, George Clooney, Nicole Scherzinger and others are among the nominees. (Conspicuously missing are Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal for Othello.) And, of course, Audra is nominated for, and may well win, her seventh Tony. - TheWrap

Just What-All Happens To The Sistine Chapel During A Papal Conclave?

For s start, it’s closed to the public, since the Chapel has been the site for the voting since 1492 and the cardinals are sequestered while deliberating. A stove and chimney for the smoke are installed, the marble mosaic floor is covered, porta-potties are installed in the next room, etc. - Artnet

San Francisco Symphony Musicians Use MTT’s Last Concerts Ever To Demand More Money

At these 80th-birthday concerts for Michael Tilson Thomas, who has suffered a recurrence of an aggressive brain cancer, the musicians distributed leaflets to the audience demanding “a fair contract” and accusing SFS management of budget cuts which “jeopardize the world-renowned status Michael helped build.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

Maybe ‘There’s A Netflix For’ Just About Everything

That is to say, one person has figured out how to monetize videos of what he calls “grassroots motorsports.” - Wired

When The Pandemic Shut Down The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Longtime Actors Turned To A Winery

The space near the OSF campus “featured a raised stage area, intimate seating in-the-round on folding chairs, and ample shade from the surrounding trees. It served as a natural, open-air theater that felt both rustic and inviting” - and COVID-19 safe. - Oregon ArtsWatch

Benin Wanted Its Bronzes Back From Boston’s Museum Of Fine Arts. Instead, The Collector Yanked Them All.

The MFA’s director, Matthew Teitelbaum: "This was not the outcome anyone wanted.” - The New York Times

New York’s Hot New Dance Studio Is A Corridor In Penn Station

“Officially called the West End Concourse, the corridor has a lot going for it: It’s easily accessible, the floors are spacious and smooth, and there are public restrooms, a rarity in New York City. It’s a ready-made stage for all sorts of group and partnered dance. … The biggest draw? It’s free.” - The New York Times

The Naval Academy Was Supposed To Host A Lecture On Idea Censorship And Reading Fearlessly

Then the Academy, apparently not fearless, censored the lecture. "I did not want to cause them trouble. I did, however, feel it was essential to make the point that the pursuit of wisdom is impossible without engaging with (and challenging) uncomfortable ideas.” - The New York Times

How Trump And His People Want To Capture The History Of The United States

“The president has gone beyond rhetoric, moving to challenge or seize control of history-related federal cultural institutions including the Smithsonian, the National Park Service and the National Endowment for the Humanities.” - The New York Times
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