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How The Values Of Theatre Move Forward

"The American theatre is a very slow-moving ship, especially when I think about how quickly culture moves, and particularly now that we are in what’s called the digital age. It’s not just in the way we consume work, but also what the work is. And I think that’s a major, major issue. It’s part of the reason why we...

46-Year-Old LA Stage Alliance Disbands After Awards Mistake

Last week, more than 25 Los Angeles area theater companies, including the Geffen Playhouse, the Pasadena Playhouse and the Deaf West Theatre, revoked their memberships in the Alliance after the nonprofit organization misidentified and mispronounced the name of Asian actress Jully Lee at an awards show earlier this week. - Deadline

Zaha Hadid’s Influence Has Only Grown Since She Died

Her presence continues to be felt across the contemporary design and architecture worlds. With around 1.2 million Instagram followers, Zaha Hadid Architects is now the most followed architectural practice in the world. Her sinuous lines and captivating shapes have been referenced by set designers on trendsetting movies including Black Panther. - The Conversation

For Some Artists, Quarantine Has Been A Gift

The open secret among anyone who enjoys the pleasure of their own company, however, is that the public health strategy of sheltering-in-place to combat COVID-19 was never a burden. It was a breath of fresh air. - ArtsATL

Why Withdrawing Dr. Seuss Books Is Just A Distraction

"Given these serious—and growing—problems, it’s not whataboutism to wonder why these old books get so much attention. Is it because attacking old books is easier than making the social and economic changes that would improve the actual lives of real children and their parents?" - The Nation

How Our Concept Of Work Has (Is) Evolved

"Work, and the way it fits into one’s life, can be and often has been, less rigid and routinized than is common today. In modernized societies, work is organized around the clock, and most jobs are shoehorned into the same eight-hour schedule. In the past, and in some cultures still today, other factors–the seasons, the weather, tradition, the availability...

The Archaeologists Of New York

Urban archaeologists can unearth 300-year-old trash, and turn it into narrative (and historical) treasure. "The biggest thing for me is saving something that would not have been saved if I didn't take action," one says. - Aeon

Is Hollywood Trapping Women Directors In The Franchise Machine?

Or are Chloé Zhao, Emerald Fennell, and others just getting their due like their young male counterparts? Hm. "Marvel, DC and co have awoken to the viability of female-led stories, which has meant a demand for women to direct them. Patty “Wonder Woman” Jenkins was an early example, but there are others. Cate Shortland, purveyor of thoughtful, female-centred stories...

People Love Their Physical Music

Or at least, a Hollywood record store shuttered for many months by the pandemic: "'We’ve been waiting for a year,' said Silver Lake resident Kerri Barta, who was near the entrance on the cusp of access. Until COVID-19, a visit to Amoeba was part of the weekly ritual for her and companion Jason Yates. 'It’s been a big hole...

Slow Art Is More Than Just Taking Time With A Painting Or Sculpture

Slow Art Day, April 10, is about a lot more than getting lost in a Lee Krasner or a Betye Saar. Though that might be a first step: "Studies suggest that the average museumgoer looks at an artwork for less than 30 seconds. And with crowds that seem to push you from one piece to the next, overwhelmingly large exhibitions,...

The Hospitality Industry, Hard Hit By The Pandemic, Wonders If It Can Change Again

What's going to happen as more and more people are vaccinated to the industries that supported thousands of aspiring actors, musicians, and others in the arts? "There’s a reckoning in the hospitality industry right now as these workers — and their bosses — contemplate how much of the old normal they’re are willing to return to. The restaurant trade has...

Keeping Ancient Music Alive, No Matter What

The Ashti Peace Choir, at the Yazidi refugee camp in northern Iraq, is trying to keep music alive despite the desperate history and circumstances of the women in the choir. The group, founded by a 22-year-old who has lived in the refugee camp since 2014, "has become part of an effort to preserve a vital part of Yazidi culture,...

While We Wait For The Oscars, Ranking The Best Picture Nominees From The Past Five Years

With 43 to choose from, which movie will win? And which one can best be described as "self-conscious Scorsese imitation"? - Los Angeles Times

Winfred Rembert, Artist Who Survived A Lynching And Southern Prisons, Has Died At 75

Rembert's art "told the story of the Jim Crow South. It was exhibited in galleries and museums and helped support his family, though they lived in poverty." - The New York Times

Game Of Thrones: The Musical?

OK, we'll be honest, not a musical. A play. Or two? Seven? Hm. However, why Game of Thrones? "It was an epic, at times beautiful, show and all these attempts to reanimate its corpse can feel like a cheapening of the original experience. But there’s something else: Why not host a stage production from literally any other author or...

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