Arifa Akbar: "Crunching or chewing can be a distraction, especially in the confines of the older, tighter West End venues, but theatre is a group activity. … The group experience is what we come for – and that includes jostling in the foyer, coughing, rustling and, yes, eating or drinking." - The Guardian
"For the general public, street teams are often the first touchpoint to a theater production. ... They serve as extensions of a show's brand, contribute to the general Broadway education for potential theatergoers and provide feedback to producers and marketers about what they're hearing on the ground from target audiences." - Broadway News
Sure, some of the sequences were a bit zany (and then there are the hot dog finers), but the film "feels more in line with last year’s winner, CODA, suggesting that pandemic-scarred academy voters are especially fond of cozily sentimental family dramas these days." - Los Angeles Times
Stop thanking Shakespeare and Falstaff, and start looking at Vermeer's women. "Into the mundane and commonplace, this master of stillness and of light manages to infuse a beguiling lyricism. His brushstrokes conjure up a shimmering, almost otherworldly, mood that is bewitching." - The Observer (UK)
For instance, movie theatres "have been pushing customers toward premium-priced specialty tickets" - IMAX? Dolby sound? Reclining seats? Or your regular, standard, much cheaper seat? - The New York Times
Journalist Hugh Morris managed to score the ultimate prize of a cheap-tickets-for-young-audiences scheme: £1 admission to the most expensive classical arts venue in London. It turned out to be standing room, midweek, at the back of the very top balcony. Here's his report. - Van
"Arts leaders are unsure what the new normal might be after attendance numbers took a hit from the pandemic. Much hinges on the answer, especially now that federal emergency COVID-19 funding for arts groups has ended and ticket income is becoming more critical." - The Philadelphia Inquirer
Stuart Murphy says that the plans currently taking shape in talks with Arts Council England call for large-scale proscenium opera remaining at the Coliseum in London but the majority of the company's work, and its headquarters, being outside the capital, featuring smaller-scaled works in different venues. - The Stage
At the PSO Disrupt series, ... the concerts will last only about an hour and a half or less. A host will guide listeners through the music with remarks throughout the concert. Even more radical might be the themed cocktails that attendees will be allowed to bring into the hall." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Among Indian audiences, there is a deep divide between those who applaud that the rest of the world is waking up to his brilliance and those who are horrified that a 'dubba' — or hollow film — is being lauded." - Variety
The museum's director calls museums "empathy machines" and says the mission goes "beyond caring for objects and collections to 'caring for beliefs and ideas and relationships.'" - The New York Times
The trials and tribulations of the large streamers seem somewhat petty - and yet the Mouse just announced plans to cut 7,000 jobs. Will some of those jobs come from one of the OG streaming sites? - Vulture
"Great advertising does not create success. Great shows do. But advertising can expand success from a limited audience and make it larger. Much larger. But today's advertising needs to understand today's market" — which is not the market of three years ago. - Broadway News
Record tickets sales in Chicago's Theatre Week may indicate - finally - something's going OK for the COVID-bitten profession. - Daily Herald (Illinois)