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The Sensual, Forbidden Pleasures Of Touching Art

“One of the cardinal rules of museum-going is that art should be enjoyed from a comfortable distance and never touched. However, in the 1960s, a cohort of artists began inviting audiences to interact with, and thus alter, their works.” - Aeon

Let’s Talk About How Sondheim Made Order Out Of Chaos In Sunday In The Park With George

Or more specifically, in one song: “Sunday.” - The New York Times

The Guardian’s Pretty Solid Summer Reading List

That is, if you like taking the advice of Zadie Smith, Mark Haddon, Anne Enright, Sarah Waters, Bernadine Evaristo and more. - The Guardian (UK)

Trump Administration Asked National Park Visitors To Report “Negative” History Info. Visitors Did Something Different.

What most respondents considered negative was the effort itself. One visitor called it “un-American.” Another criticized the idea of “having Americans call in and snitch on each other.” One person wrote, “Hey Donald Trump! Trying to erase history doesn’t mean it didn’t still happen!” - AP

The “Middleware” Problem: How Do You Find Classical Music?

“For decades, the relationship between artists and audiences was heavily mediated and nurtured by newspaper critics, classical radio hosts, record-store owners, etc. — They made the music findable and meaningful. I call that layer the civic middleware of culture, and over the past twenty years it has largely collapsed.” - Bachtrack

Eight Great Moments From The Tonys Stage

Bernadette Peters, Neil Patrick Harris, P!nk, Bowen Yang, André DeShields, and Leslie Odom Jr. added extra glam to a star-studded night - one that also featured strong performances from the casts of Schmigadoon! and Ragtime. - Boston Globe

The 1980s Centered A Neon-Colored End Of The World, And Now It’s All Coming To A Theatre Near You

Revisiting the 1980s, a decade whose “reality pulsed with cultural Balkanization, financial erosion, systemic disinvestment, and televised neurosis, the American theatre conjures a cultural imagination crowded with the outsiders, monsters, con artists, hungry things, and chosen kindred of the analog twilight.” - American Theatre

The Four Musicals That Are Counting On Broadway Shows Finally Turning A Corner

“There's a big reason it takes years for a fresh musical to land on Broadway. Cracking any story is a painstaking process. The same goes for crafting a songbook. Getting the two to coalesce? It's a delicate alchemy.” - Washington Post (Yahoo)

London’s West End To Get First-Ever Production With Audience Phone Ban

The show is the Broadway transfer of Bess Wohl’s play Liberation, which won this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Drama (and may win a Tony this Sunday). Audience members were required to put their phones in sealed pouches so nobody would film nude scenes, and producers intend to maintain that requirement in London. - The Guardian

Newer Streamers, Even Ones From Well-Established Channels, Hope For An Emmy Boost

Peacock and Paramount+ have high hopes. “Emmy success can still bring tangible benefits. Even the commitment to campaigning can move the needle, especially for two streamers looking to recruit more talent to their ranks.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)

Dealing With Sudden Pop Fame By Exiting The Game Almost Entirely

Kim Petras was not happy with her experience of “what can happen when the general corporate powers that be force you to sideline your artistry for the company line.” So, she left. - The Fader

Chicago Arts Groups Are Asking Patrons To Turn Over Their Phones At The Door

“If you want a deep dive into Chicago arts and culture, check your phone at the door: The ‘unplugged’ trend is growing locally among arts groups responding to a collective desire for more phone-free experiences.” - WBEZ (Chicago)

Why Schmigadoon’s Music Sounds At Once Fresh And So Very Familiar

“Every number is a homage to at least one classic musical, and often two or three. Here, the hills are alive with the sound of pastiche; the plains and the valleys too.” - The New York Times

Fifty Years Later, A Documentary About The Harlem Renaissance Gets Its Debut

“The documentary centres on a cocktail party Greaves hosted at Duke Ellington’s townhouse in Harlem in August 1972 – an attempt to capture the voices of artists, writers, musicians and organisers whose work had transformed Black American culture in the 1920s.” - The Guardian (UK)

Our Feeds Are Products Of Stealth Marketing — And Thus, Mostly Fake

The head of one viral marketing firm says 90 percent of what we see online is advertising. And of course, “the point of this kind of marketing is that nobody is supposed to notice it. But lately, the machinery has started to show.” - Vulture

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