ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

Stories

Status Report: When And How Various Countries Are Restarting Their Arts Scenes

Here's where plans currently stand in Australia, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Spain, as well as the U.S. - Reuters

Balanchine’s Biggest Fan – Nancy Lassalle, 93

“She was the ultimate board member,” said Albert Bellas, chairman emeritus of the S.A.B. “She was financially supportive, knowledgeable and committed.” She was also a daily presence. - The New York Times

Fear My Book? Ban My Book?

"Those who seek to ban my book and others like it are trying to exploit fear — fear about the realities that books like mine expose, fear about desire and sex and love — and distort it into something ugly, in an attempt to wish away queer experiences." - The New York Times

Powell’s Books Union Protests Store’s Rehiring Practices

Under dispute is whether or not Powell's is obliged to honor employees' prior seniority, salaries, and benefits. The union says that the store, in a string of emails last year, had agreed to honor the employees' work history upon rehiring. The store, on the other hand, asserts that, since more than 12 months have passed, they are under no...

Scotland Says Theatres Can Reopen. Theatres Say “No”

In a survey conducted by the Federation of Scottish Theatre (FST), 96% of members responded that it is not economically viable for them to reopen under the current restrictions. - The Guardian

New Research: Angkor Wat Population Was Greater Than Modern Boston

Researchers have determined the city’s population at its zenith in the 13th century, and the number is impressive: some 700,000 to 900,000 people likely called the Angkor region home, making it one of the world’s largest pre-modern cities. Compare that with the 2019 estimated population for Boston, at 692,600. - Artnet

World Dance? Seriously?

Typically, it's an intermediary—a manager, a producer, a critic—who labels something as "world dance." The term denotes exoticness, authenticity—and it sells. It's also problematic and limiting. - Dance Magazine

Maybe Hollywood Could Just Give Up On The Golden Globes Entirely

Kyle Buchanan: "That's the thing about awards: These trophies are only as important as the recipients believe them to be, and now that the illusion of the Golden Globes has been punctured, stars might find it hard to go back to suspending their disbelief. … In the meantime, it's possible that another awards show" — such as SAG or...

The Point Of The Point Magazine

"As we see it, one of the goals of the magazine is to help our readers remain open to the possibility that facets of everyday life and culture they might be inclined to trivialize or look down upon may have something to teach us. This doesn’t mean we don’t allow criticism, of course; criticism is part of taking something...

Setting Of James Joyce’s ‘The Dead’ Is Being Turned Into A Hostel, Sending Literary Folk Into A Tizzy

The unassuming 18th-century townhouse at 15 Usher's Island is where Joyce's great-aunts ran a music school, and their annual Epiphany dinner was the model for the gathering in the final story of Dubliners. Two Irish investors who bought the house for €650,000 (cheap by current Dublin standards) have gotten permits to convert the four-story building into a 56-bed tourist...

How To Grapple With An Artist’s Legacy When You’re Responsible For It?

As I’ve tried to make decisions about those areas of influence, I’ve found that I have to fight the “what would Michael have done” or “what would Michael want” voice. While it seems natural to say that my primary job is to listen to that voice, I’ve come to realize this rationale is not a legitimate way to make...

A Musical About COVID, Titled ‘Breathe’

"Before we get to the logistics of writing, staging and filming a musical" — one with five songwriting teams, four directors plus a supervisor, a passel of actors, and creators Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald — "in the midst of a pandemic, let's address the elephant in the Zoom: Why would anyone want to watch a 90-minute theatrical...

Want Certainty? (It Might Not Be Good For You)

Philosophers have long warned that this desire for certainty can lead us astray. To think and learn about the world, we must be willing to be uncertain: to accept that we don’t yet know everything. - American Scholar

Berlin Film Festival Will Get A Live Version This Year After All — Outdoors

"The Berlin Film Festival, which took place online earlier this year, will show most of the movies that were part of the competition at outdoor cinemas across the German capital next month, taking advantage of falling COVID-19 infection numbers. The summer special offered by the festival, also known as the Berlinale, will take place from June 9 to 20...

Andrew Lloyd Webber Restores/Updates London’s Oldest Theatre, Built in 1663

In 2000, Lloyd Webber purchased the building, which he calls “objectively marvellous.” For the past two years, with Stephen Thurley’s help, he has been restoring it to its Georgian grandeur, a sixty-million-pound undertaking. There’d been some wear and tear since 1812. “The architecture had been greatly compromised,” Lloyd Webber said. - The New Yorker

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');