Stories

Clifford Odets, The Great Agitprop Playwright Of The 1930s, Is In The Spotlight Again

His most famous play, Waiting for Lefty, is getting a major Off-Broadway revival; Awake and Sing! is opening on Broadway next month; Golden Boy just finished a London run with movie star Josh O’Connor in the lead. Why is Odets having a moment now? Helen Shaw has some ideas. - The New York Times

Why This Fall’s Big Musicals Are Opening Off-Broadway

The theaters are smaller. The tickets are lower, but you still often have big casts. You have to pay the musicians. And you may not have to make a million dollars to make your nut, but maybe you have to make half a million or 400 grand. That's still a lot of money. - NPR

Gavin Newsom Calls For $1 Billion Tax Incentives For Film Industry

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday called for a significant expansion of the state’s film and TV tax incentives in the face of mounting evidence that producers are fleeing California in search of cheaper locales. - Los Angeles Times

Is It Time For A “Great Books” Revival?

What we are trying to do is not just help ground students—the large majority of them scientists and engineers in training—in a humanistic research program, but to identify irreplaceable ideas during a time of accelerated change. - The Atlantic

The New Skydance-Paramount-Warner Bros. Behemoth Has An $80 Billion Debt Burden

“We've measured this incredibly carefully,’ Ellison said during a media event last month. ‘We absolutely have the ability to manage the debt and de-lever while investing for growth.’ But Skydance's merger math doesn't entirely check out for Wall Street.” - TheWrap (MSN)

The Enduring Appeal Of Glass Art — New Again

The history, combined with the opportunity for hands-on experience, is fueling new exhibitions at museums across the United States that are exploring today’s complex scientific and social issues through the artistry’s lens. - The New York Times

The Pied Piper Of Male Dance

When Adrian Mitchell returned to the school in 2022, this time to teach, there were four boys. But in a few short years Mitchell expanded those numbers tenfold, to 40. All four in the original group went on to top ballet schools, professional ballet companies — or both. - The New York Times

Why Culture Seems So Generic Now

“What we see in front of us used to be culturally diverse. Now it is culturally generic. Most of what we see is the big chains we see everywhere,” she said. “It creates a sense of placelessness. We could be anywhere.” - The New York Times

Russia’s Last Major Independent Newspaper Shuts Down

“’We have been killed,’ reads a statement from the editorial team behind the Russian independent news outlet Novaya Gazeta, as it announced on Friday that it would be ceasing operations. … ‘The newspaper no longer exists. The Russian authorities and the Russian security services have forced our editorial team to cease its operations.’” - Euronews

Can Australia’s Biggest, Most Expensive Cultural Project In Decades Live Up To Expectations (And Its Price Tag)?

Paramatta Powerhouse, a new art and science museum in Sydney’s booming western suburbs, has cost roughly AU$915 million (US$639 million) and has been touted as western Sydney’s equivalent of the Opera House. Is that too much to expect, especially after the bumpy road to the museum’s completion? - The Guardian

Prosecutors Reopen Investigation Into 1975 Murder Of Filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini

“The case has been reopened after a lawyer, Stefano Maccioni, filed a petition saying that recently discovered archive footage and other evidence shows that the rent boy who initially took the rap was not alone on the night of the murder.” - ANSA (Italy)

Italy’s Favorite Modern Crime Novel Has Been Made Into An Opera (A Hit One, No Less)

Romanzo Criminale, written by Giancarlo De Cataldo and published in 2002, is so popular that its four protagonists are household names. It’s already been adapted into a successful feature film and a major TV series; now there's an opera version, with score by Oscar-winning composer Nicola Piovani (Life Is Beautiful). - The New York Times

US Embassy Warns Of Planned Terrorist Attack At Moscow Museum; Teenaged Suspect Arrested

On Saturday the US embassy in Moscow issued a security alert about a “credible threat of a mass casualty event” at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve, a popular palace and park complex. Russia’s FSB has arrested one suspect, a teenager who is a Russian citizen. - Al Jazeera

Amazon Says Prime Video is Now Profitable In Its Own Right

CEO Andy Jassy says the division has a revenue run rate in the “tens of billions” of dollars. - TheWrap

UK’s Collins Dictionary Chooses “Mogging” As Word Of The Year (What’s Mogging?)

“The copywriter Rachel Quin said the term describes making someone or something look inferior in terms of appearance, confidence or status. Believed to originate as a shortening of ‘AMOG’ (alpha male of the group), the word had first appeared in bodybuilding culture around 2016 before spreading through online communities.” - The Guardian

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