The resignations “came several days after The Daily Telegraph published details of a leaked internal memo arguing that a BBC Panorama documentary had juxtaposed comments by Mr. Trump in a way that made it appear that he had explicitly encouraged the attack on the Capitol.” - The New York Times
“At a time when the Trump administration is cutting arts funding and seeking to influence content at the Smithsonian, the shutdown, now the longest in the nation’s history, is adding further uncertainty to D.C.’s already rattled museums.” - Washington Post (MSN)
"Without being clued in to the content of the play, connected with the show’s intimacy director … to go over the show’s simulated sexual choreography. They signed intimacy riders that detailed what they were agreeing to do onstage.” - The New York Times
“The inaugural IndieChina film festival was planned to take place between 8 and 15 November. But on 5 November the festival’s curator ... posted on Facebook that he had been forced to cancel 80% of the planned screenings because film-makers had pulled out” after their families in China were pressured by authorities. - The Guardian
On Monday, a 19-year-old hurled water at a 19th-century portrait and a 16th-century altarpiece, then ripped two tapestries. His mother turned him over to police, who said he seemed to be to be under the influence of an “unknown substance” and took him to a hospital before having him arraigned for criminal mischief. - ARTnews
Thursday night’s Israel Philharmonic concert at the Philharmonie was interrupted three times by demonstrators, including twice when flares were lit in the balcony and smoke filled the auditorium. One of the disruptors was attacked by angry audience members and a physical fight broke out. Four people were arrested. - BBC (MSN)
The New York-born, Houston-trained conductor is currently general music director of the Komische Oper Berlin and just completed a term leading Valencia’s Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía. Gaffigan succeeds Patrick Summers, who departs at the end of this season. - CultureMap Houston
"A cousin to self-playing player pianos, photoplayers automatically play music read out of perforated piano rolls. During their slim heyday — from their invention around 1910 until about 1930, when the silent film era is thought to have ended — photoplayers delighted audiences.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
The actor, who is also a talented and award-winning screenwriter, told Stephen Colbert, “I end up just going, ‘I don’t need you to fucking rewrite what I’ve just written! Will you fuck off? Just fuck off! I’m so annoyed.’” - The Guardian (UK)
The $1 billion, 5 million square-foot complex. for which planning first began in 1992, includes 12 main galleries holding over 50,000 items, a conference center, a children’s museum, and a large conservation center. Among much else, the GEM will bring the entire contents of King Tutankhamun’s tomb together for the first time. - The Guardian
“Nearly nine months after Trump became chair of the center and more than a month into its main season, ticket sales for the Kennedy Center’s three largest performance venues are the worst they’ve been in years. … Tens of thousands of seats have been left empty.” - The Washington Post (Yahoo!)
A private collector brought a page from a mid-9th-century liturgical book to document dealer Nathan Raab, who, after research, identified some previously overlooked markings over the word “Alleluia” as notating the rising and falling pitches of a melody. - The Guardian
American director and writer Ted Huffman, who will assume the position at New Year’s 2026, replaces Pierre Audi, who passed away suddenly this past May. Huffman, who has directed several productions at Aix, is known in particular for his collaborations with composer Philip Venables such as 4.48 Psychosis and Denis & Katya. - Opera Now
Turns out GoFundMe created “realistic-looking but unauthorized fundraising pages without permission that included logos and other identifying information from the nonprofits, but suggesting an optional 14% 'tipping fee’ in addition to the normal nonprofit 2.2% fee plus 30 cents for each credit card transaction.” - Oregon ArtsWatch
Not really, but there will be “acoustic and jazz” concerts, poetry readings, dance performances and more — including possible “historical reenactments of gladiatorial battles.” - AP
Museums are not ready. “Censorship corrodes trust in complex ways. … Solidarity is mostly lacking in the museum world, where the strategy so far seems to be heads down and hope for the best.” (This is, let’s be clear, not a winning strategy.) - Washington Post (MSN)
“The plaintiff, Taína Lyons, an Afro-Latina dancer, … alleges that (Morris) told her that her hair was ‘too big’ and a ‘distraction.’ ... Ms. Lyons, who started at the company in 2022 and was terminated in 2024, claimed that she had faced discrimination based both on race and on disability.” - The New York Times
AFM Local 802 announced that a deal with the Broadway League at 4:30 Thursday morning, saying in a statement that “this three-year agreement provides meaningful wage and health benefit increases.” - The Hollywood Reporter
