“This one, taking advantage of open access and the efficiencies of web-based publishing, threatens to be a massive success. The first issues have been devoted to fish pain (Do they have it? How can we know for sure?) as well as other important topics such as that of animal mourning.”
He Danced His Way Out Of A South African Township, And Now He’s Helping Others To Do The Same
Dane Hurst, a star of the British contemporary company Rambert, bought the sprung dance floor from the company’s old studio when it moved, shipped it home to Port Elizabeth, and asked an architect to design a dance studio made out of shipping containers – where he’ll be teaching other young people from his home township professional-level dance skills.
‘It’s Gorgeous, Just Gorgeous’ – An Operatic ‘Hamlet’ From The Age Of Verdi Resurfaces
“Amleto by Franco Faccio (1840-91) had a disastrous 1871 La Scala premiere … [and] the composer never again allowed the opera to be performed … The librettist was young Arrigo Boito (1842-1918), known as one of the great librettists in opera history for his later collaborations with Verdi on Otello and Falstaff. … And the singers and the creative team [for a new revival] say this operatic Hamlet needs no apologies.”
Backstage With Ballet’s Most Explosive Couple, Sergei Polunin And Natalia Osipova
“‘I’d heard about his reputation, everyone in our world knew about it. People said he wasn’t very responsible, that he ran away. So at first I thought I would never dance with him.’ As Natalia Osipova glances at Sergei Polunin, sitting protectively beside her, the ballerina’s pale, guarded face brightens with sudden laughter – the dancer, with whom she swore never to share a stage is now the man with whom she’s currently sharing her life.”
Where Did All Of Britain’s Working-Class Actors (And Stories) Go?
“There’s now evidence of an inequality that runs like a seam through the entire profession and which goes far beyond the anecdotal. This year, academics from the London School of Economics and Goldsmiths College, in a peer-reviewed study, found that only 27% of actors come from a working-class background and that the profession is ‘heavily skewed towards the privileged.'”
More Protests At The Brooklyn Museum
“Organized by the Decolonial Cultural Front and Movement to Protect the People, the catalysts for the protests were a photography exhibition focusing Israel/Palestine, called This Place, as well as ongoing conflict with the museum’s director, Anne Pasternak, who many say has downplayed issues raised by artists in the Agitprop! exhibition regarding last fall’s real estate summit at the museum.”
An Artist Gets To Know His Neighbors With (Extremely) Site-Specific Art
“The portrait of Ms. Channing was hung in the mailroom, and a building-wide email was sent out. It brought about 50 replies from residents interested in setting up shoots. After they coordinated schedules, he photographed about 25.”
Senegal Hosts A Big Art Biennial For African Contemporary Art
“The curator says Africa must have confidence in itself to dream and make things happen. Njami has selected a younger group of Africans this year among the 70 exhibiting artists from 24 countries. The wheels of time must change, he says, to mix up the stew and make sure it’s not the same old soup of established artists in the cooking pot.”
The Oldest Active Emmy-Winning Costume Designer Dies At 87
Ret Turner “became stage-struck in college productions, acted in summer stock and headed to Hollywood in 1950 hoping to find work as an actor. Instead, after a stint with a small theater company, he was steered to the wardrobe department at NBC, which he later managed.”
Myanmar’s Famous Street Of Second-Hand Books
“If you want to learn what happened here, go to Pansodan Road, where all the city’s used books end up. They arrive each morning in massive rice sacks.”
In The UK, Wolf Hall Is *Still* Winning Awards
So is Mark Rylance. But all is not well: “Upon receiving the award for best drama series, helmer Peter Kosminsky attacked the U.K. government’s treatment of the BBC, warning that its future was ‘under threat, make no mistake about that.'”
What Wins Theatre Awards When Hamilton Isn’t Eligible?
“The Outer Critics Circle, a group of theater writers from outside New York, announced the winners of its annual awards on Monday, giving four prizes to ‘She Loves Me’ and three to ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night.'” (Full list at Outer Critics.)
Top Posts From AJBlogs For 05.08.16
Kurt Weill’s “Note Concerning Jazz”
# # In Berlin 1929 Kurt Weil wrote a “Note Concerning Jazz” which today reads as both a prediction and a warning.# Weill wrote in part: # “Today it appears to me… … read more
AJBlog: Unanswered QuestionPublished 2016-05-08
AJBlog: Unanswered QuestionPublished 2016-05-08
Weekend Extra: Bing Crosby And John Coltrane
Bing Crosby introduced “Love Thy Neighbor” in a scene with Ethel Merman and Leon Errol when Crosby co-starred with Carol Lombard (both pictured left) in the 1934 motion picture We’re Not Dressing. Crosby followed up… … read more
AJBlog: RiffTidesPublished 2016-05-08
Bing Crosby introduced “Love Thy Neighbor” in a scene with Ethel Merman and Leon Errol when Crosby co-starred with Carol Lombard (both pictured left) in the 1934 motion picture We’re Not Dressing. Crosby followed up… … read more
AJBlog: RiffTidesPublished 2016-05-08
Three Centennial Parties for Harold Norse
Harold Norse, the late poet and memoirist, desperately wanted his name in lights. Now he has it — thanks to Todd Swindell. Swindell’s assiduous effort to memorialize him goes beyond dedicated. He has not… … read more
AJBlog: Straight|UpPublished 2016-05-06
Contraction Action: Sotheby’s & Christie’s Confront New Market Reality (plus Koons &…
The operative words for the art market this season are “correction” and “contraction.” So Sotheby’s can be forgiven for seeking comfort in nostalgia, via this Monday tweet, recalling a past triumph: #OnThisDay in 2012,… … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrlPublished 2016-05-06
[ssba_hide]
How Rupert Everett Used A Fat Suit And A Corset To Become Oscar Wilde
In an essay for the Times, Everett recounts how he came to be playing Wilde in David Hare’s The Judas Kiss – and what it was like to do the show the evening that the UK parliament passed marriage equality.
How Can The Met Opera Fill All Its Empty Seats? Here Are Some Ideas
“Channeling their inner impresarios, critics and reporters for The New York Times engaged in a little operatic spitballing, throwing out ideas – including some that the Met is experimenting with and others it might find off the wall – that could help fill the house again.”