In Edinburgh, for instance, "On a small number of occasions, they become aggressive, start shouting and swearing at our staff and it ends in violence. ... The reaction is 'I have paid for my ticket, I don't care if other people can't see or hear'." - BBC
"They have been verbally and physically assaulted by a small number of audience members while trying to do their job. Two weeks ago one of my staff was punched. This week one of them was pushed and spat on." - The National (Scotland)
"The mega-exhibitor is following music concerts, sporting events and other entertainment venues in setting its ticket pricing strategy to sightlines for seating selections. AMC patrons attending cinemas after 4 p.m. will be able to pay different prices based on their proximity to the movie screen within the auditorium." - The Hollywood Reporter
Few viral stars, and ... whew, what, is this 2023? "This year’s best artist category – which replaced the gendered best male/female categories – has been criticised for its all-male nominees." - The Guardian (UK)
Sure, people are mostly back to live theatre - but " a newly formed nonprofit organization is collaborating to bring nonprofit Broadway ... into homes, schools and community centers." With high-quality streaming, at that. - Los Angeles Times
"In many ways Beetlejuice, which closed Jan. 8, encapsulates life on the bifurcated Broadway of 2023 — a place where the hits are still boffo but the misses tank quicker than ever, and even successes are complicated by fast-changing trends in post-lockdown economics." - Variety
She's on TikTok, of course - or at least, her new fans are, and they're heading to Bath in droves. One academic even suggests that "Austen is the most memed writer after Shakespeare." - The Observer (UK)
There's the obvious - cap the prices, end hidden fees - and then some less-obvious, but useful, ideas, like upgrading ticket-buying software to eliminate those hellish queues. - BBC
A new Some Like It Hot musical tries to balance painful depictions "and the rich reality of drag as art, self-expression, and everything in between. But can a revision of an old story featuring harmful stereotypes ever truly be a vehicle for authentic representation?" - The Takeaway
The pandemic accelerated a generational shift: "Past program choices are not adequately energizing younger audiences. They want the experience to be new and different, on their feet, immersed in the experience and socially connected." - Seattle Times
Their reasoning: "Patronising claptrap. So, young people will only accept opera if it’s put on in a car park. The lower orders can make do with an aria in a pub. And the rich and middle-aged have their country-house operas. It is deeply depressing." - The Independent (UK)
"Over a dozen interviews with former Ticketmaster executives, managers, economists, lawmakers, antitrust experts, fans and industry insiders, many agreed that Ticketmaster is enormous and largely unaccountable to fans. But, they said, it is also a mostly effective business with few peers capable of operating at its scale." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
Adébáyò's first novel, Stay With Me, "told a closely focused story about the impact of childlessness and sickle-cell disease on the life of a young couple ... but A Spell of Good Things deals with political corruption, social injustice and domestic violence." - The Guardian (UK)
The problem illustrated a much larger issue: "According to multiple sources, the jury has repeatedly expressed concerns to both Sundance and filmmakers that movies playing at this year’s festival should come with open captions" - but many do not. - Variety
