Jeremy O. Harris’s Slave Play “often funny and pervasively unsettling, examines that lingering wound [of American slavery] through the frustrated sex lives, and taboo sexual fantasies, of three contemporary interracial couples. … An internet-based backlash, seemingly fueled by people who had not seen the play, was threatening enough to require stepped-up security” for its Off-Broadway run. “Many of the participants still can’t quite believe this play, on Broadway, is happening.” – The New York Times
Month: September 2019
Drought Reveals Ancient Long-Hidden “Spanish Stonehenge”
This past summer, an extreme drought in the Extremadura area of Spain that caused the Valdecañas Reservoir’s water levels to plummet has revealed a series of megalithic stones. – artnet
African-American Is New Chief Conductor Of BBC National Orchestra Of Wales
Ryan Bancroft, a 29-year-old native of Long Beach who studied at CalArts, discovered classical music through a one-minute clip of Beethoven pre-loaded on his family’s first computer, and he cites as a chief influence Ghanaian dancing. – The Telegraph (UK)
Conductor Anthony Parnther Knows The Effect Seeing A Black Person On The Podium Can Have
“I’ve seen it many times when I’m conducting, and I see young children of various colors sitting in the front three or four rows,” says the new music director of the San Bernardino Symphony in California and the conductor of the historically Black orchestra Southeast Symphony in Los Angeles. “You can just tell, it’s like: ‘Wow, that’s not what I was expecting to see come around the corner.'” – Los Angeles Times
Do We Have No Choice But To Stan? How Fan Culture Is Swallowing Democracy
“We are witnessing a great convergence between politics and culture, citizenship and commerce, ideology and aesthetics. Civic participation has been converted seamlessly into consumer practice. … Elizabeth Warren is cast as a Harry Potter character and Kamala Harris is sliced into a reaction GIF. … It is democracy reimagined as fandom, and it is now a dominant mode of experiencing politics.” An essay in nine parts. – The New York Times
Film Festivals Cost Their Host Cities A Lot — Are They Worth It?
From Cannes to Shanghai to Park City to Toronto, these events bring in visitors, create jobs, build a city’s brand, and nurture culture. On the other hand, they can drive up prices, strain the environment (Venice), and attract interference from the authorities. On yet another hand, they can put a spotlight on important issues and provide a lifeline for minorities (as with the queer film fest in Jakarta). – The Guardian
Is It Now A Strike And Not A Lockout? Baltimore Symphony Musicians Reject Both Contract Offer And Play-And-Talk Offer
Management had Meyerhoff Symphony Hall open and ready for rehearsal for this weekend’s scheduled season opening, but the musicians say they won’t play without a contract — and they’ve now rejected both management’s proposed one-year contract for a 40-week season (with only a slight decrease in pay from the previous 52-week contract) and an offer to extend the expired contract through Dec. 31 and keep negotiating. – The Baltimore Sun
Susan Kamil, Beloved Editor Of Famous Authors, Dead At 69
Among the writers she worked with, first at Simon & Schuster and then at Random House, are Ta-Nehisi Coates, Ruth Reichl, Salman Rushdie, Lena Dunham, Gary Shteyngart, Allegra Goodman, Tom Rachman, and Elizabeth Strout. Says Random House editor-in-chief Andy Ward of her work, “It was like a magical transference of belief, and I’ve never seen anybody do it better. She made writers believe in themselves.” – The New York Times
Is This The Last Botticelli Left In Private Hands?
This portrait of a 15th-century Greek-Italian poet-soldier has, for the past dozen years, been on loan to the Prado from the Spanish collector Doña Helena Cambó de Guardans, who hopes to get $30 million for it (and hopes Spain will let it out of the country). – The Art Newspaper
Why Is A Looted Mayan Sculpture Going Up For Auction?
“The sculpture was almost certainly stolen in the early 1960s from the ancient Maya site. It passed through the inventory of a prominent Los Angeles gallery on its way to Paris. Its illicit history is no secret, yet the sale in France is scheduled to proceed in broad daylight.” – Los Angeles Times