“‘We’re sort of really trying to ride a fine line of when we talk about the play and how we talk about the play,’ said Karla Hartley, the producing artistic director. ... 'So we don’t sort of draw the ire of certain people in the state government.’” - The New York Times
A prominent human rights lawyer warns that “when a political leader tries to ‘capture culture' it's something ... typical of an authoritarian. ‘Right by the playbook.’” - CBC
“The news is mixed, however. While artists may now apply for funding without attesting to the new ‘gender ideology’ requirement, the NEA has not agreed to remove its new eligibility criteria” - but the ACLU lawsuit continues. - American Theatre
The German artist said “stays abreast of current events, and said that recently he has felt a physical sense of threat by the rise of right-wing authoritarian leadership, both in Germany and in the United States.” - The New York Times
A nation’s “soft power” is “the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payments” — foreign aid, public perception, and especially cultural exports such as movies and music. American soft power has been enormous, and Lily Janiak considers how it's being frittered away. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
The play was Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, produced in 1996 by the Charlotte Repertory Theatre. Here’s the story of the fight about it started by a fundamentalist minister, the legal mechanism used to shut the play down, and the decades-long aftereffects of the debacle. - Charlotte Magazine
Including red carpet coverage, and, eventually, awards as well. If you would prefer something slightly different, here are the Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter (winners only), and host ABC’s updates as well. - The New York Times
With hammers and screws, of course. Composer Daniel Blumberg, tipped to win tonight, “found himself in the novel position of actually having to write music about architecture.” - The Independent (UK) (MSN)
Andrea Barrett: Some writers will change facts. “But that makes me queasy. I think my own sketchy, early education made me realize that for some of us, what we read in a historical novel might be all we’ll ever know about a particular period.” - Los Angeles Review of Books
“French president Emmanuel Macron has said he is concerned about the 'arbitrary detention’ and health of Boualem Sansal, days after the French-Algerian author began a hunger strike over his imprisonment in Algeria.” - The Guardian (UK)
“An actor who powerfully embodied ordinary men under stress in dozens of films and twice won Oscars for bringing humanizing depth to corrupt lawmen, ... in The French Connection (and) Unforgiven, (he) was found dead Feb. 26 along with his wife at their home in Santa Fe.” - The Washington Post (MSN)
“AHWOSG, as everyone called it, launched Dave Eggers’s career, one that’s seen him publish dozens of books, write screenplays, oversee a literary magazine and publishing company, and launch a nonprofit that’s helped hundreds of thousands of children become better writers. All those things happened because the book was a phenomenon.” - Slate (Yahoo!)
“On Feb. 25, 1925, Art Gillham, a musician known as 'the Whispering Pianist' for his gentle croon, entered Columbia Phonograph Company’s studio to test out a newly installed electrical system. Its totem was positioned in front of him, level with his mouth: a microphone.” - The New York Times
The pieces were stolen from Nigeria's Kingdom of Benin by British soldiers in 1897. The British went on to sell their spoils, and the treasures made their way to the Dutch government,” which is now ready to return 119 pieces of art. - NPR
“This is a grim cautionary tale about complying with authoritarianism in advance, and it's not going to be pretty, but at the end I'll share with you some of the things that can still be done.” - 8th House with Claire Willett
“I just read and reread the book, which I hadn’t done since high school—and back then I probably skipped some chapters. I was also reading criticism about it,” says librettist Gene Scheer. "There’s so much about Moby-Dick that is operatic.” - The Paris Review
Sudden cancellations of author events about civil rights, voting, homelessness, and climate change make the authors suspicious. One source said “the Carter Library would now need to seek approval from the National Archives for all programs, even those already scheduled.” - The New York Times
Since the latest wildfires, interest in natural buildings has spiked, particularly after a widely-shared photo showed a backyard SuperAdobe that emerged from the Eaton fire intact. Well-designed adobes resist earthquakes as well as fires, and they’re quicker and less expensive to build than conventional modern homes. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
