As with every other kind of theatre, Jewish theaters and playwrights, actors and tech people, had a lot to figure out. The Jewish Playwriting Contest completely reimagined what it was asking, and to whom it was advertising - and got a huge bump in engagement. "It actually ended up being a really successful year for us." - Forward
A lot happened to the moviemaking business in 2020, but not a lot of it by choice. "Since March, the industry has, in effect, attempted to defibrillate its own heart attack while also reattaching its severed limbs and recover from a grand mal seizure, all at the same time. We’re lucky to have Croods 2." Yikes. (And here's a list...
Bolling's fusion of jazz and classical made him the most popular pianist, composer, and bandleader in Europe for a time. "A devotee since childhood of Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and other eminences of American jazz, Mr. Bolling grew up listening to their music on the radio until World War II intervened. 'Jazz was all but banned by the Nazis...
Tyshawn Sorey has had numerous - as in, numerous - premieres and commissions this year. The composer, who straddles jazz and classical, "has been on everyone’s radar at least since winning a MacArthur 'genius' grant in 2017, but the shock to the performing arts since late winter brought him suddenly to the fore as an artist at the nexus of...