“The premise: a bunch of people sign up for an online dating service called Ok.luv because they want to find dates. Guess what happens next? They go on dates. Musical hijinks ensue.” But Some in the Seattle theatre community were offended by descriptions of the characters in a casting call.
Native American Poet Wins $100K Ruth Lilly Prize
“The author of ten poetry collections and a memoir, [Joy] Harjo was born in Tulsa and is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Her poetry draws on Native American history and storytelling, as well as feminist and social justice issues.”
Amazon Versus Book Publishers, Round 87
“For all outward appearances, the relationship between Amazon and the publishing industry had settled into a wary peace, following a highly publicized dust-up in 2014 between Amazon and Hachette, wherein Amazon tried to bully Hachette in negotiations over e-book prices. But tensions had been quietly ratcheting up since then. While some of Amazon’s advances against the publishing industry have gained headlines, many of its most damaging moves have received little coverage outside publishing trade publications.”
The Classroom Where It Happens, With The ‘It’ Being Hamilton For Education
These students get to perform history-class-inspired songs on stage at the Rodgers before they see a special matinee of “Hamilton.” WOW. “Ashley Avallos and Angie Salvador from Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies made an impassioned and moving plea for advancing women’s rights. Their piece, ‘Dont Forget About Us,’ echoed Angelica’s line in the show demanding that Thomas Jefferson ‘include women in the sequel’ to the Declaration of Independence, but took as its main inspiration the words of a historical figure not featured in the play, Abigail Adams.”
The Opera Created, And Filmed, For Streaming On iPads And Other Small Screens
This episodic opera was created, filmed on Alcatraz, and then packaged for serial distribution. All 12 episodes drop online on May 31. Some of the plot … “In composer Lisa Bielawa’s world, cows sing, a ponytailed man plays the hurdy-gurdy in the backseat of a vintage Chrysler Valiant and an escape from Alcatraz is as simple as tossing a knotted sheet rope out a prison cell window and driving off into the night — to Sweden.”
What Happened To The $650 Million Johnny Depp Earned?
An explosive legal battle between one of Hollywood’s best-paid actors and the business managers he fired has laid bare tumultuous finances, outrageous spending and troubling behavior on Disney’s new ‘Pirates’ movie in a case that could even change how the industry does business.
How Reading Herman Melville Can Help Make Sense Of The Trump Era
Ariel Dorfman, the erstwhile Chilean exile who wrote the play and film Death and the Maiden to illustrate the aftermath of the Pinochet dictatorship, turns not to Moby-Dick but rather to three of Melville’s novellas.
Should Dancers Have To Pay A Fee To Audition?
“In other industries, paying a future employer for an interview would be considered unethical. Yet in dance, it is common practice. Many companies offer the explanation that it is expensive to hold open calls and in exchange for that fee, they are providing a class. Now, cash-strapped dancers and even some company leaders find themselves questioning this norm.” Candice Thompson looks at the two sides of the debate.
A Woman Takes Over From A Man In New York City Ballet’s First Gender-Neutral Role – How’s It Working Out?
Justin Peck selected his old friend (and company star) Robert Fairchild to dance the lead in the premiere run of his The Times Are Racing. But he conceived it as a unisex part, and he chose Ashly Isaacs to take over from Fairchild for the current season. Alastair Macaulay reports on how she looks in the role. (Very good.)
Moralizing Is Annoying. So Why Do People Do It?
“Moral grandstanding is worse than being merely annoying. There are strong moral reasons to avoid grandstanding: it leads people to adopt extreme and implausible claims, and it devalues public moral discussion. But what is it and what are moral grandstanders trying to do?”
Should Digital Canadian Content Be Exempt From Data Charges In Canada?
Canada is updating its rules on promoting Canadian content. One idea? Make data streaming of Canadian shows free. A problem? It would subvert notions of net neutrality…
Three Major Toronto Performing Arts Theatres Have Merged. To What Advantage?
The goal is to give the merged theatres more clout in booking live stage events, no matter what producers are looking for in terms of location and audience capacity for the shows they want to bring to Toronto.
Writers’ Union Of Canada In Disarray After Controversial Editorial On Cultural Appropriation
Write Magazine editor Hal Niedzviecki wrote that CanLit was “exhaustingly white and middle-class” because its producers are generally so and people tend to write what they know. “I say: Write what you don’t know. Get outside your own head. Relentlessly explore the lives of people who aren’t like you … Win the Appropriation Prize.” Some people were enraged, and the fallout was swift: WUC issued an apology, a board member resigned, TWUC’s Equity Task Force issued a list of demands – and Mr. Niedzviecki left his position.
The End Of Art? (An Interesting Existential Debate)
When these philosophers claim that art has ended, they are not saying that there will be no new artworks. Their claim is quite different. They are telling us that art has some kind of goal, or line of development, which has been completed; plenty more will happen in art, but there is nothing left to achieve.
Cannes Film Festival Changes Competition Rules (And They’re Looking At You, Netflix)
“Facing pressure from French theater owners upset that Netflix films would go straight to streaming, the Cannes Film Festival said Wednesday that it would change its rules to require all future competition films to commit to distribution in French movie theaters.”
How Americans Prefer Watching TV (Hint: It’s Still Big Screens)
Most major platforms (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, etc) have been inking original content deals with TV shows, but so far; none have officially rolled out a TV video experience as unique to mobile as Snapchat, which includes vertical viewing, fast-paced production cues and tap-to-swipe navigation through scenes.
How P.T. Barnum Helped Support – Save, Even – The Nascent Animal-Rights Movement
The showman ultimately became a good friend and supporter of his one-time adversary, the founder of the ASPCA – and Barnum taught him some crucial points of public relations, without which the movement might have died.
Founder-Director Of Silicon Valley’s Flagship Theater Company To Step Down After 50 Years
“[Robert] Kelley built TheatreWorks from a single scrappy youth theater production, Popcorn, to a community theater, then to a semiprofessional company, then to a major regional theater with an $8 million budget, 40 full-time staff members and 8,000 subscribers.”
Producers Win Lawsuit Over Broadway’s ‘Rebecca’ Fiasco, But They Don’t Get Much In Damages
It wasn’t exactly an insult from the jury of the one-dollar-in-damages type, but after a strange trial about an even stranger case of fraud, the plaintiffs were awarded less than 1% of the amount they sought.
Israel’s State Broadcaster Shut Down By Netanyahu Gov’t – With One Hour’s Notice
The end of the Israel Broadcasting Authority was not a total surprise: the plan, several years in the making and legislating, was to smoothly hand over the IBA’s radio and television stations next Monday (May 15) to the newly-created Israel Broadcasting Corporation (officially named Kan in Hebrew). But a decision was made – nobody’s saying by whom – late Tuesday to close the IBA immediately. Staffers on the country’s flagship TV news broadcast had to go on the air and announce that the show was cancelled and they had lost their jobs.
Australian Ballet May Be Headed Toward Strike
The company’s dancers have reportedly notified both Australia’s labor commission and their union that they may begin a work stoppage if negotiations, which have continued for several months, grind to a halt. At issue is pay, which dancers say is too low for a workload that has risen to more than 250 performances a year.
Rio’s Orchestra And Opera Musicians, Unpaid For Months, Are Reduced To Food Drives And Playing In The Street
Members of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, along with the orchestra, chorus, and ballet company of the Teatro Municipal performed on the street in front of the opera house to draw public attention to the fact that they haven’t been paid since February – and to ask for donations of non-perishable food for the worst-off among them. The performers are yet more victims of the financial emergency in effect in Rio de Janeiro state since before last summer’s Olympic Games.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 05.10.17
New York City Ballet premieres a New Ratmansky Work
Alexei Ratmansky’s Odessa for New York City Ballet.
New York City Ballet’s 2017 Spring Gala is a testament to the acumen acumen of the company’s supporters. … read more
AJBlog: Dancebeat Published 2017-05-10
Dueling High-End Auctions Reveal A Fascinating Battle Over Pricing Art
“The Spiegels, who died eight years ago, left their art to their two daughters, who each received half of its estimated value. For this month’s auctions, one chose Christie’s and the other, Sotheby’s—though not without intrigue within the houses themselves. The companies expect the works could sell for more than $160 million, the two largest art consignments of the bellwether spring auction season. The dueling auctions on May 17 and May 18 illustrate the challenges of valuing estates involving art, as well as the hard edges and personal animus underpinning what might seem a genteel business.”
Juilliard Chooses Ex-NYCBallet Star As Its Next President
“His appointment to lead a prestigious school with a $110 million annual budget, a $1 billion endowment, and more than 800 students is unusual, given that Mr. Woetzel, who now directs the Aspen Institute Arts Program and the Vail International Dance Festival, has never worked in academic administration.”