"Around the country, in blue states as well as red, theater teachers say it has become increasingly difficult to find plays and musicals that will escape the kind of criticism that, they fear, could cost them their jobs or result in a cutback in funding." - The New York Times
Goodreads was solid, and then Amazon bought it. Now it's got some major issues. "Former employees said Amazon seemed happy to mine Goodreads for its user-generated data and otherwise let it limp along with limited resources." - Washington Post
"Theaters must think more expansively of themselves as communal spaces, not merely entertainment venues for stage presentations to ticket buyers; what does it mean to be a civic space, a public space, a 'third place'? No, really." - Culturebot
How do those books and authors strike me now? For one thing, that mini pantheon makes clear why old-fashioned literary histories employed phrases like “the bubble reputation,” “Fortune’s wheel” and “the whirligig of taste.” - Washington Post
The science of bioacoustics opens up a novel window into worlds of sound unheard by human ears. Across our planet, sound is a primordial form of conveying complex ecological information; a vast range of species — even those without ears — are remarkably sensitive to sound. - Noema
The Brooklyn Academy of Music's president, Gina Duncan, "said that the changes were necessary in part to help BAM to 'weather the downturn in charitable giving for the arts, and address an outdated business model that heavily relies on a shrinking donor base.'" - The New York Times
"In addition, Ken McConnell, who served as the company's general director and CEO since 2018, has resigned. Aaron Beck, a longtime Tulsa Opera staff member who took over as artistic director in 2022 following the departure of Tobias Picker, has been named the interim general director." - Tulsa World
In a furious and impassioned plea, Castillo writes, "I'm tired of hearing how much David Zaslav loves classic movies when his action scream otherwise. If he loves classic movies so much, then invest in the people who bring classic movies to the masses." - Monica Castillo's Patreon
"The Brooklyn Museum wanted to do an exhibition with a Netflix celebrity, so the institution isn't going to say anything too plainly about the flaws in Gadsby's arguments. … Gadsby, meanwhile, admits that they participated, even though they hate the show's subject, because 'I thought it would raise my profile.'" - Artnet
A poll of 79 film critics, with the results assembled and curated by J. Hoberman and Julian Epp. (There's also a separate reader poll.) And these are definitely not all "great"; there are a few that are downright despicable, but there's no question that they were significant. - The New Republic
Everyone's criteria will be different. (One critic declined to participate in TNR's poll by saying "Every film I care about is political.") And yet, writes J. Hoberman, "There is a consensual idea of what constitutes political cinema, if not a universal buy-in." - The New Republic
Well, besides Gadsby's "'neener-neener-you're-a-weiner' style of commentary." Ben Davis: "After spending four hours in it, I started to suspect that what makes the show so strange and strained is that it is actually trying to work against (Gadsby's) arguments — but without ever admitting that this is what is happening." - Artnet
But the progress with Black musicians is incremental at best. Why is this so difficult? Titus Underwood, the principal oboist at the Nashville Symphony, says, "We must reflect American culture. And American culture is nothing without Black musicians being at the center." - The New York Times
Post COVID-19 shutdowns, theatres everywhere are "fighting to keep doors open despite dwindling ticket sales, increased production costs and hesitant, recession-wary donors. The result: drastic cuts to programming, layoffs, candid pleas to subscribers." And this disaster in L.A. - Los Angeles Times
Some AI is OK, but not all AI. "'A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any category,' they said, under new 'Artificial Intelligence (AI) Protocols' released Friday." - Seattle Times (AP)
"In the hothouse atmosphere of flamenco dance, where passionate display of the self is prized, divas abound. But Carlota Santana isn't one of them." - The New York Times
DiDonato: "I think there’s a lot of power in putting on a legitimate, high-level concert, but challenging the audience to take home something more from it. ... Isn’t ‘Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen’ lovely? It’s like, yeah, but, what do you do with it when you go home?" - Van
"The architects of LGA's new public art program mostly sidestepped the twin traps of blandness and kitsch, demonstrating a seriousness that reflects the importance of art (and artists) to the city's identity. But also, from the passenger's perspective, it feels like somebody up there actually cares." - Curbed
"Facing a significant budget shortfall, Center Theatre Group on Thursday announced that it would lay off about 10% of its full-time staff and pause season programming at the Mark Taper Forum ... through the 2023-24 season, (although) there is no confirmed end date yet." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
In February 1969, amid one of Boston's worst-ever snowstorms, a crate containing Picasso's Portrait of a Woman and a Musketeer went missing from Logan Airport; five weeks later, the painting was dropped off at the Museum of Fine Arts. Here's what happened in the interim. - The New York Times
