The Washington Post's theatre critic chair sits empty after layoffs, leaving D.C.'s robust theatre scene wondering who's watching—and whether anyone still cares. Local companies now face the existential question: make art for critics, or just make art? — American Theatre
LitHub explores how platforms like Letterboxd and Goodreads transform intimate cultural experiences into competitive metrics. Because apparently we can't enjoy a book anymore without turning it into content for our personal brand. — Literary Hub
“A trained psychiatrist, Lobo Antunes wrote, … in an elaborate, metaphorical style that he called 'controlled delirium,' … more than 30 novels dealing with topics ranging from Portugal's battles in its former colonies to the dictatorship that ran the country and social ills such as drug addiction.” - AFP (Yahoo!)
"When I speak to high-school and college students (including my own children), I worry that at the time when they should be developing their own voices, they’re being told they don’t need to bother. AI writes for us, reads for us, thinks for us. It replaces our voice with its own." - The Atlantic
“The net effect of this is to adversely impact what is the most important historic — the most identifiable historic — house in the entire United States. This is permanent, what it will do to the White House.” - AP
A study of the tree rings in Stradivarius violins, published in January in the journal Dendrochronologia, has revealed the most likely origin of some of the craftsman’s violins: wood from trees growing at high elevation in northern Italy in the same valley that hosted part of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. - The New York Times
“The Guardian visits Oaxaca, ... where tourism has grown 77% since the pandemic and once-private family rituals such as the Day of the Dead are now big international parties. But with this opportunity comes a growing backlash across the country, as local people struggle with a cost-of-living crisis.” (video) - The Guardian
Australia instituted the ban this past December, and following suit is Indonesia, the world’s fourth-most populous nation. Starting March 28, accounts owned by children under 16 on "high-risk platforms" — including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Roblox — will be gradually deactivated. - Reuters
“The 5th Avenue Theatre Company, Seattle's primary producer of Broadway-scale musicals, is eliminating about 14 staff positions and pausing some education and engagement programs amid cash flow problems, the nonprofit announced Friday.” - The Seattle Times
Axel Springer, which owns the German publications Bild and Die Welt and the US website group Politico, will pay £575 million ($766 million) for Telegraph Media Group. Springer intends to “turbocharge” the Telegraph’s expansion into the U.S. marker and to make it “the leading center-right media outlet in the English-speaking world.” - AP
“Things gotta change, 100 percent,” Liu says. “I think the whole system’s got to scrap it and start over. The competition system and the setup just isn’t fit for consumption, honestly.” - The New York Times
The agreement — concerning educational activities at Terra Hall, which Temple purchased from the collapsed University of the Arts and is turning into the nucleus of its planned Center City Philadelphia campus — means the Orchestra can stop pursuing plans to build a $100 million educational annex at the Kimmel Center. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
Britain’s Court of Appeal has overruled a High Court judgement from 2024 over a licensing agreement which required the studio Zaha Hadid Architects to retain her name and pay a fee to use it. The ruling opens the door for current principal Patrick Schumacher to change the firm’s name or to renegotiate the contract. - Dezeen
Barbara Stauffacher Solomon brought the now-standard sans-serif font back from her studies in Basel in the early 1960s, when Americans were completely accustomed to traditional typefaces likes Times New Roman and Baskerville. She then became famous for her colorful designs, interior and exterior, for the new Sea Ranch community in California. - Artnet
In a few weeks, this site will be Pacific Electric, a new 750-capacity music venue that Ben Lovett and his venue-developer firm TVG Hospitality have been converting for six years. It’s a small but ambitious entry into a Los Angeles venue landscape that’s recovering from fire and economic woes. - Los Angeles Times
