“The best have both talent and fanatical practice habits. But if one student is lazier, talent can’t compensate — the one who practices more comes out ahead.”
The Guy Who Ran McSweeney’s Wants To Re-Teach Us How To Read, Using An App
“This might all sound very precious, or very insufferable. But Horowitz is used to people feeling that way: It’s the same sort of criticism that’s long been levied at McSweeney’s, the indie publishing organization that Horowitz ran for the better part of a decade. The cabins expand upon the aggressively twee style that made McSweeney’s publications into bookshelf fixtures in Brooklyn studios and dorm rooms across the land, but the work Horowitz does in those cabins is anything but stale.”
Hollywood Sees Bigger Bigs, Smaller Middles
One theory of the current dynamic is that studios have released too many movies that go after the same audience — “Steve Jobs” ate into “The Walk” ate into “Black Mass,” for example.
Massachusetts Governor Vetoes Percent-For-Art Program
“While the goals of this program are admirable, the costs and structure are unreasonable in light of the many legitimate demands and constraints on the Commonwealth’s capital investment plan,” Governor Charlie Baker wrote in his veto letter.
Is Satire Legitimate If It’s Not Directed Against The Powerful?
Siddhartha Deb: “Without principles beyond that of pushing the boundaries of what one has the right to say – and without empathy and engagement with the diversity of the world in which we live – all satire can reliably do is add to a sense of outrage, the one universal quality we still have in common.”
James Parker: “Satire, to do its moral work, must itself be more or less moral. And the law is this: Broadly speaking, if it strikes upward, outward or inward, it’s satire, if it strikes downward, it’s bullying.”
Is Graffiti Art Or Isn’t It?
“While the end result – graffiti – can be seen as a pain in the backside for the authorities, arguably a blight on communal areas, the perpetrators, consciously or unconsciously, question long-accepted norms about how our cities and spaces should be used.”
Dame Judi Dench Is Finished With Your Photo-Taking In The Theatre
“I can’t see well. … But what I can see is red lights all over the theatre, and I know that’s people taking photographs. It’s a kind of oblivion to other people.”
TED Gives Big Money Prize To Archaeologist Who Uses Satellite Technology To Fight Looting
“The scientist … has also assisted the Department of Homeland Security in undercover investigations, including Operation Mummy’s Curse, which this year repatriated dozens of smuggled artifacts to Egypt.”
Hollywood’s Hole In The Middle, Where Oscars Are Born
“In pursuit of global audiences and trying to combat the arrival of mammoth flat-screen televisions in America’s living rooms, Hollywood has steered sharply toward event movies. The likes of ‘Spectre,’ ‘Star Wars’ and ‘The Hunger Game’” work so hard to get people into theaters — and make the 3-D tickets and costly concessions palatable — that consumers just can’t be bothered to check out the more modest offerings. They will catch those on their enormous televisions.”
What Alejandro Iñárritu Was Saying About Immigration While Donald Trump Was On Saturday Night Live
“There is no human being who, as a result of desiring to build a better life, should be named or declared illegal, and be dispossessed or considered disposable. I would rather propose to call these people Undocumented Dreamers, as were most of the people who founded this country.”
The Brooklyn Museum Meets Criticism With Offers Of Discussion
“The museum, she wrote, would examine policies for renting space to third parties and offered to hold a separate gathering there on affordable housing and workspaces. Ms. Pasternak also wrote that she had contacted Ms. Quinter to ‘invite a conversation between the museum and the protest organizers.'”
A Collection Of 300-Year-Old Dutch Letters That Were Never Delivered, Found In A Trunk
“The collection includes letters from aristocrats, spies, merchants, publishers, actors, musicians, barely literate peasants and highly educated people with beautiful handwriting, and are written in French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Latin.”
How Do You Train For A 24-Hour Musical Theatre Marathon?
“Each decade gets an hour, an outfit, and ten songs (give or take), which were popular among the specific segment of America that Mac has focused on for that span: ‘90’s alternative lesbians, say, or turn-of-the-century Jewish immigrants. It is a queer, feminist, anti-racist version of American history, and judy (Mac’s stage gender pronoun) tells it with sequins, balloons, and plastic toys.”
Two Of The Greatest Male Dancers, Retired And Now Reunited … On TV
“It’s really not a documentary. That said, there are elements of truth. Ethan has said before, which I’ll steal, there are these personalities in the dance world, and on this show they’re kind of all in one room (laughs). And as long as there was some dance shown, that’s one way to reassure ourselves that we’re engaging in a worthwhile endeavor.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs For 11.08.15
An Ancient Dance Play Meets New Music
Wendy Whelan and Jock Soto dance together again in a new approach to a Noh play. Wendy Whelan and puppeteers Leah Hofmann and Rowan Magee in Hagoromo. Photo: Julieta Cervantes It is a marvelous robe!… … read more
AJBlog: DancebeatPublished 2015-11-07
Increasing the Capitalization of Creativity
I am disturbed by the sheer amount of waste in the theater. I don’t mean wasted wood or fabric – although there is a helluva lot of that, too – I mean the waste of… … read more
AJBlog: Creative InsubordinationPublished 2015-11-06
What is Audience Engagement? (Part 3)
This is SUCH a great thought-provoking conversation, I’m thrilled for it to continue… Again, delighted (and grateful) to share the wisdom of respected friends and colleagues on the question: What is the meaning of the… … read more
AJBlog: Audience WantedPublished 2015-11-05
This is SUCH a great thought-provoking conversation, I’m thrilled for it to continue… Again, delighted (and grateful) to share the wisdom of respected friends and colleagues on the question: What is the meaning of the… … read more
AJBlog: Audience WantedPublished 2015-11-05
Noticing and judging
One of the attributes we recognize and admire in great artists, curators, and other professionals is how quickly and decisively they assess the world around them. They see almost immediately whether an action, object, or… … read more
One of the attributes we recognize and admire in great artists, curators, and other professionals is how quickly and decisively they assess the world around them. They see almost immediately whether an action, object, or… … read more
AJBlog: The Artful ManagerPublished 2015-11-05
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Young Playwrights Win New Award In Honor Of Philip Seymour Hoffman
“The winners will split a $45,000 prize. The playwrights will also be given a weeklong retreat with a director, dramaturg and actors at an organic farm in upstate New York, and the plays will be given staged readings, intended to help with their development, at regional theaters around the nation.”
Ellsworth Kelly, At 92, Hasn’t Run Out Of Ideas Yet
“His mood, eager and confiding, comes as a rebuke to the wistful sighs of the oxygen tank to which he is now hooked up. ‘I want to live another 15 years,’ he says, sadly. ‘But I know I’m not going to.'”
The Small Minds Of Developers Are Ravaging The Beauty Of Edinburgh
“What is it with this city, whose custodians, over centuries, seem to be ashamed of having so much natural beauty bestowed upon it and constantly seek ways to diminish it?”
The NYT Delivers Virtual Reality Glasses To Thousands Of Subscribers
“The Times says it is betting big on VR, not just following the pack to prove its technological prowess. The outlet aims to set itself apart from the competition, both in terms of quality and accessibility to its audience.”
Jeopardy’s Famous Champ Says American Theatre Will ‘Soon Be Dead’
“[Ken] Jennings’ tweets could easily have been explained as a joke that didn’t translate well online, but in his next message, his final one on the subject, Jennings’ doubled down on his animosity towards the theatre and its audience. He wrote, ‘@HESherman @LouisPeitzman ok but they’ll have to turn up their hearing aids.'”
Sylvie Guillem Prepares To End Her Dance Career
“‘I am not nice,’ [she] said. Seated in her dressing room … Ms. Guillem burst out laughing. ‘That has gotten me into a lot of trouble.'”