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  • AUDIENCE

Joel Kupperman, Most Famous Of 1940s ‘Quiz Kids’, Dead Of COVID At 83

PEOPLE Posted: May 19, 2020 10:04 am

“For about 10 years, between the era of Shirley Temple in the 1930s and before Jerry Mathers appeared on TV’s Leave It to Beaver in the late 1950s, Joel Kupperman may have been the most famous child in America. From 1942 to 1952, he appeared almost every week on Quiz Kids, … [where] he would put on a scholar’s cap and gown and, with a panel of other genius-level children from Chicago, answer questions about mathematics, science, history, music, literature, sports and current events.” The experience was so painful that, as an adult, he refused to speak of it in any way. – The Washington Post

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Read the story in Washington Post Published: 05.15.20

Reading Science Fiction Helps Kids Build Mental Resiliency

WORDS Posted: May 19, 2020 7:33 am

“Youths see [in speculative fiction] examples of young people grappling with serious social, economic, and political issues that are timely and relevant, but in settings or times that offer critical distance. This distance gives readers an avenue to grapple with complexity and use their imagination to consider different ways of managing social challenges.” – The Conversation

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Read the story in The Conversation Published: 05.15.20

Why Has Munch’s ‘The Scream’ Been Fading? Because We’ve Been Breathing On It

VISUAL Posted: May 19, 2020 6:34 am

On the 1910 version of the painting, housed at the Munch Museum in Oslo, the cadmium yellow in the sky and the lake has been fading to off-white and flaking off for years, with light believed to be the culprit. A team of scientists has now found that light is not the problem: the dulling is caused by high humidity, particularly from the breath of many thousands of viewers. – CNN

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Read the story in CNN Published: 05.15.20

Labor Stats: Arts Sector Employment Falls 54 Percent In Two Months

ISSUES Posted: May 18, 2020 11:31 am

Nearly all the jobs in this supersector involve some form of in-person services rendered for gatherings of people — which, of course, became impossible to maintain when social distancing requirements were put in place by local authorities. – FiveThirtyEight

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Read the story in FiveThirtyEight Published: 05.15.20

Maybe Our Screens Are Magical

THEATRE Posted: May 18, 2020 7:00 am

At least for magicians. For instance, one new show, “with a stringent ticket allocation — only 25 Zoom logins per performance — felt more like pre-isolation theater than anything I have encountered in the past two months. (As a theater critic in withdrawal, this was unreasonably exciting.) Each ticket includes a ‘mystery box’ (a nod to Tannen’s Mystery Box, but this one comes with an alcohol wipe), which is sent to your home.” – The New York Times

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Read the story in The New York Times Published: 05.15.20

The Agony Of The Canceled Spelling Bee Contestants

WORDS Posted: May 18, 2020 6:30 am

It’s not as if the 8th graders will get another chance. The Olympics were postponed; the Spelling Bee was canceled. They have been working much of their entire (short) lives for this. Despite heartfelt pleas and online petitions, Scripps isn’t changing its mind. – Vice

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Read the story in Vice Published: 05.15.20

The Utter Shutdown Is A Great Time For Theatre To Rethink, And Reimagine, Everything

THEATRE Posted: May 18, 2020 6:00 am

No one – certainly not the federal government – will be saving the arts, it appears. And that’s horrible. Also, it’s time for all kinds of thinking. “How about we make possible something I have dreamt about for a long time: a bread-and-theatre initiative, i.e., deliveries door to door of bread (or other staples) accompanied by a little play offering? … How about phone plays for elderly folks and those without access to art that can stream into their homes?” – American Theatre

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Read the story in American Theatre Published: 05.15.20

Playing Bach, But Backwards And Upside Down

MUSIC Posted: May 18, 2020 5:45 am

A computer playing the Goldberg Variations backwards sounds, yes, like a counter-counterpoint, but “at the same time, it sounds eerily familiar, starting with the upside-down Aria — the theme developed over Bach’s 30 variations. The slowly ascending notes in the lower staff of Bach’s original, which outline a G major triad, become, in the upside-down version, a graceful falling figure in the top line.” – The New York Times

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Read the story in The New York Times Published: 05.15.20

With Cinemas Closed, Movie Pirating Is Booming, But Why?

MEDIA Posted: May 18, 2020 4:15 am

One illegal downloader: “Just streaming is not enough, I mean, people want to watch those fresh, hot films that are just not on streaming.” – BBC

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Read the story in BBC Published: 05.15.20

California Museums Have To Figure Out What Qualifies As ‘Outdoors’ – And What’s Safe Even Then

VISUAL Posted: May 17, 2020 1:30 pm

The Getty won’t open even though it has quite a few outdoor spaces, because those must be access from indoor spaces. But elsewhere: “The Huntington will institute a timed ticketing system, in which guests will pay for reserved slots in advance, so there won’t be any in-person exchange of money. Visitors will be required to wear face coverings, given hand sanitizer and asked to maintain social distance. The Huntington also is tweaking the flow of foot traffic so pathways don’t become congested.” – Los Angeles Times

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Read the story in Los Angeles Times Published: 05.15.20

How Ballet Dancers Are Staying In Dance Shape At Home

DANCE Posted: May 17, 2020 1:00 pm

Ballet dancers don’t know when they’ll perform again, or even when they can dance with others again (aside from those in their own homes). One advantage to online classes: Dancers can join them from anywhere. Two Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers “have enjoyed taking classes taught by dancers they know in other companies. ‘It’s cool how we can connect with friends that we wouldn’t be able to see in our normal jobs,’ Ryan said, calling it a ‘silver lining.'” – Seattle Times

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Read the story in Seattle Times Published: 05.15.20

The Horrific Ecstasy Of Burning Your Own Writing

WORDS Posted: May 17, 2020 12:30 pm

Or, more usually, why writers instruct others to do it after their deaths. “The elemental annihilation of destruction by fire is so absolute, and this is where the horror lies for me. If writing is slow, quiet, creative work, burning pages is quick, loud, and flagrantly destructive. Where once there was something, afterward there is nothing. There’s something irresistibly dramatic about the act of applying a naked flame to the corner of a page and watching the paper disappear in a sheath of fire.” – LitHub

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Read the story in LitHub Published: 05.15.20

How Two Film Productions Have Begun Again

MEDIA Posted: May 17, 2020 11:00 am

Carefully, with medical staff on set and stringent guidelines, and in one case, by essentially taking over a small town in Australia. “For Foster, who said that the extra precautions added at least 20 percent to the initial $10 million budget of his indie film, the most crucial decision he made was to house his entire cast and crew together, including the guardians for more than 25 child actors. He even quarantined an actor’s dog.” – The New York Times

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Read the story in The New York Times Published: 05.15.20

The Ancient Art Of Creating Theatre At Home, But Make It Streaming

THEATRE Posted: May 17, 2020 10:30 am

Professional playwrights still need commissions, and honestly, people still need theatre even when we can’t go to the theatre, so: “Theater companies big and small across the country, including Berkeley Repertory Theatre, New York’s Public Theatre and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., have asked dozens of professional playwrights to create short dramas for people to perform at home. The play scripts, part of a new initiative called Play at Home, have been downloaded 20,000 times since the start of April.” – KQED

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Add ‘Quarantines’ To The List Of Things Jane Austen Can Get You Through

WORDS Posted: May 17, 2020 8:00 am

If you’re a Janeite, you already know this. If not, truly: “To be a woman of a certain class in Regency England was to be socially distanced by default—isolated in the country-side, living at the pace of the seasons, beholden to restrictions set by others (namely, men). Set aside the reasons for being confined and we’re left with a defining commonality: the need to fill our days at home.” – Time Magazine

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Read the story in Time Magazine Published: 05.15.20

This Theatre Critic Confesses The Screen Isn’t To Her Taste

THEATRE Posted: May 17, 2020 7:30 am

Jayne Blanchard isn’t into the National Theatre’s (wildly popular) streams. She’s not thrilled with the general flatness of screens compared to, well, face to face. It is, he says, mostly like “looking at the striking stage effects, lighting and choreography and thinking ‘This must be amazing in real life.'” – DC Theatre Scene

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Read the story in DC Theatre Scene Published: 05.15.20

Marquees Without Movies Can Be, It Turns Out, Quite Performative On Their Own

MEDIA Posted: May 17, 2020 7:00 am

A funny, sweet message from a theatre in Oregon caught on with the Instagram crowd, and it’s not the only one. Its creator, who says his small movie theatre provides a true home for cinephiles during non-quarantine times: “The fact that it did catch on made me happy because it essentially showed there’s a place for more hopeful messages; that dark humor isn’t the only way we can express ourselves.” – The New York Times

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Read the story in The New York Times Published: 05.15.20

Brits Are Missing Live Performance, And Not Planning To Go Back Anytime Soon

THEATRE Posted: May 17, 2020 6:30 am

With 93 percent of those polled saying they miss live theatre, it’s perhaps a surprise that only 19 percent of those polled said they would buy tickets immediately when theatres and other live performance venues reopen. Or perhaps that’s just grim reality. “Most (74%) cited the buzz of live performance as the thing they missed most, with other popular choices including seeing performers they admired and supporting local venues.” – The Stage (UK)

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Read the story in The Stage (UK) Published: 05.15.20

Louis Delsarte, Muralist Of African American Experience, 75

PEOPLE Posted: May 17, 2020 5:30 am

Delsarte’s large-scale public murals are his best-known works, but he also painted and created drawings and prints. His murals, though, they’re the ones that everyone in New York (and elsewhere) knows. “‘Whenever I see Louis’s work, I see a bunch of black people looking good, from anywhere and everywhere in the diaspora,’ said Arturo Lindsay, an artist and professor emeritus of art and art history at Spelman College in Atlanta. ‘Just showing black people looking good and happy is a hell of a political statement.'” – The New York Times

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Read the story in The New York Times Published: 05.15.20

Writing Fiction Without Trying To Be ‘Useful’

WORDS Posted: May 17, 2020 5:00 am

Author Robin Sloan: “I think you need to tread lightly, and really disguise your intentions—even to yourself, if possible—or you end up producing a sci-fi after-school special, the ‘moral of the story’ written in towering letters of flame.” – The Atlantic

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From Tanglewood To The Hollywood Bowl, Outdoor Summer Concerts Are All Gone

MUSIC Posted: May 17, 2020 4:00 am

At Tanglewood, “the organization explored various alternatives to canceling the season, at one point sending a drone up above the expansive lawn to think about how social distancing might work. But with the thousands of people who congregate each summer in lines to the bathrooms and walk back to their cars at the end of the evening, … it just wasn’t feasible.” The economic pain will be widespread in the Berkshires. – The New York Times

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Philip Kennicott: The Healing Power Of Pity

IDEAS Posted: May 15, 2020 3:04 pm

“Seeing ourselves as pitiable requires rethinking fundamental ideas about America’s history, purpose and destiny. It obliges us to do something that is intolerable, to accept our weakness, even impotence, in the face of larger forces.” – Washington Post

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Is Boris Johnson Going To Disband Or Downsize UK’s Culture And Media Department?

ISSUES Posted: January 16, 2020 7:02 am

There have been rumors in London’s government and business circles that the Conservative government will make major changes to the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport next month — and the DCMS is refusing to confirm or deny that it will be reduced in scope or made redundant. The rumors range from simply moving digital and telecom matters into another department to downgrading culture to a portfolio under a different cabinet minister. – Arts Professional (UK)

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Read the story in Arts Professional Published: 05.15.20

  • Almanac: Gore Vidal on the will to power
    “To want power is corruption already.” Gore Vidal, The Best Man Continue reading Almanac: Gore Vidal on the will to power at About Last Night.... Read more
    Source: About Last Night Published on: 2021-01-25
  • Just because: Gore Vidal talks about The Best Man
    In an undated TV interview, Gore Vidal talks about Franklin J. Schaffner’s 1964 screen version of The Best Man, his 1960 play, and the ideas about politics on which it was based: (This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each... Read more
    Source: About Last Night Published on: 2021-01-24
  • Joseph Conyers on Being an Artist Entrepreneur
    Check out this week’s episode of my show Arts Engines with Joseph Conyers, The Philadelphia Orchestra bassist and entrepreneur, as he shares the passions that have fueled his success!... Read more
    Source: Aaron Dworkin Published on: 2021-01-23
  • Looking for a Fugitive Rainbow—a Very Transient “Gift” to the Bidens
    Laura Baptiste, the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s (SAAM’s) always helpful chief of communications and public affairs, found herself fielding misinformation disseminated in a number of news reports after Wednesday’s Presidential Inauguration festivities. She scrambled to set the record straight about Robert Duncanson‘s suddenly famous “Landscape with Rainbow,” after several published... Read more
    Source: CultureGrrl Published on: 2021-01-22
  • Verbal virtuosity
    In today’s Wall Street Journal drama column, I review Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s Shaw! Shaw! Shaw!. Here’s an excerpt. *  *  * Webcasts of the plays of George Bernard Shaw have been scarce during the pandemic. It’s a shame, for Shaw’s plays are for the most part comedies of ideas, political and... Read more
    Source: About Last Night Published on: 2021-01-22
  • Jump-starting an arts revival
    In today’s Wall Street Journal “Sightings” column, I talk about how to jump-start a post-pandemic revival of the arts in America. Here’s an excerpt. *  *  * As everybody with even the slightest interest in the arts knows, the coming of Covid-19 has had a catastrophic effect on creative institutions in every... Read more
    Source: About Last Night Published on: 2021-01-22
  • Replay: Alfred Hitchcock talks to Dick Cavett
    Alfred Hitchcock is interviewed by Dick Cavett on TV in 1972: (This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) Continue reading Replay: Alfred Hitchcock talks to Dick Cavett at About Last Night.... Read more
    Source: About Last Night Published on: 2021-01-22
  • Almanac: Tolstoy on happiness
    “Seize the moments of happiness, love and be loved! That is the only reality in the world, all else is folly.” Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace (trans. Louise and Aylmer Maude) Continue reading Almanac: Tolstoy on happiness at About Last Night.... Read more
    Source: About Last Night Published on: 2021-01-22
  • Almanac: Ambrose Bierce on the President of the United States
    “PRESIDENT, n. The leading figure in a small group of men of whom—and of whom only—it is positively known that immense numbers of their countrymen did not want any of them for President.” Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary Continue reading Almanac: Ambrose Bierce on the President of the United States at... Read more
    Source: About Last Night Published on: 2021-01-21
  • Ominous Juxtaposition? Biden Flanked by Duncanson’s “Rainbow” & Statue of a Murdered President
    In a jolting inauguration installation, marred by unintentionally dark symbolism that, hopefully, wasn’t discerned by the Bidens, this afternoon’s celebration after the joyful swearing-in of the new President and Vice President included a brief walk through the Capitol rotunda led by Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, chairman of the Senate Republican... Read more
    Source: CultureGrrl Published on: 2021-01-20
  • Snapshot: FDR’s 1933 inauguration
    Sound footage of the presidential inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933: (This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) Continue reading Snapshot: FDR’s 1933 inauguration at About Last Night.... Read more
    Source: About Last Night Published on: 2021-01-20
  • Almanac: Ralph Ellison on power
    “Power doesn’t have to show off. Power is confident, self-assuring, self-starting and self-stopping, self-warming and self-justifying. When you have it, you know it.” Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man Continue reading Almanac: Ralph Ellison on power at About Last Night.... Read more
    Source: About Last Night Published on: 2021-01-20
  • Lookback: “Call me Bartleby”
    From 2006: I woke up this morning at nine-thirty, an hour later than my normal get-up-and-go time. As I descended from the loft in which I spend my nights, it struck me that I had nothing whatsoever to do today: no deadlines, no shows to see, no meals with friends,... Read more
    Source: About Last Night Published on: 2021-01-19
  • Trey Devey share his passion for Arts Education
    “If we are empowered with creativity, with collaboration, with all of the skills that come from practicing the arts… that will lead to the breakthrough ideas.” Trey Devey, President of the Interlochen Center for the Arts, speaks to the power of arts education.... Read more
    Source: Aaron Dworkin Published on: 2021-01-16
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