When exactly did Broadway theatre become a popular phenomenon? When it embraced other media that spilled into the public consciousness. – Commentary
Author: Douglas McLennan
Diversity? Fine. But How Are We Defining It?
Historically, diversity is something America fights, or accepts begrudgingly with remorse and reservations, or fights anew when it challenges economic dominance. In a country born of the original sin of slavery — to keep labor cheap; to ensure high profits for the richest one percent (sound familiar?) — this shouldn’t be surprising. What is surprising is how we keep being surprised. – Clyde Fitch Report
Actors Union Threatens Broadway Strike. Is This An Overreach?
The union says actors wages for staged readings in developing projects haven’t increased since 2007. But it believes that actors in this early stage ought to get a cut of future profits. An interesting idea, but it immediately raises questions about who owns what and how they should be rewarded. – Clyde Fitch Report
The Warhol That Went Missing
The stolen silkscreen was old enough that concerns about it being used once again to make new prints are nonexistent. But as a relic of a those heady, prolific Factory days when Warhol and his assistants were creating the modern Pop Art movement along with a whole bouquet of Flowers is enormous. – The Daily Beast
IHeartRadio Launches A New Broadway Shows Channel
The new channel will compete with SiriusXM’s “On Broadway,” which also features songs and such hosts as Seth Rudetsky and John Tartaglia. – Washington Post
Hugh Grant Makes Appeal For Return Of Script Stolen From His Car
“In the unlikely chance that anyone knows who broke into my car tonight and stole my bag, please try and persuade them to at least return my script. Many weeks worth of notes and ideas. And perhaps my children’s medical cards.” – Variety
Decisions, Decisions. Turns Out Many Of Us Aren’t Good At Triaging
One of the paradoxes of life is that our big decisions are often less calculated than our small ones are. We agonize over what to stream on Netflix, then let TV shows persuade us to move to New York; buying a new laptop may involve weeks of Internet research, but the deliberations behind a life-changing breakup could consist of a few bottles of wine. – The New Yorker
New Push To Locate Books Looted By Nazis
Given the scope of the looting, the task ahead remains mountainous. In Berlin, for example, at the Central and Regional Library, almost a third of the 3.5 million books are suspected to have been looted by the Nazis, according to Sebastian Finsterwalder, a provenance researcher there. “Most major German libraries have books stolen by the Nazis,” he said. – The New York Times
Music Festivals Have Become Huge Business. Now What?
As the music festival-industrial-complex has become another way of American life, it’s also been increasingly and reasonably subjected to litmus tests reflecting the increased social awareness that society has taken on over the past several years. – New York Magazine
A Great Conductor Goes To A High School To Inspire Kids, And…
The results were underwhelming. “Outreach risks taking on a missionary, self-satisfied glow, getting caught up in the innate value of sharing such great music with those who have not been privileged to have been exposed to it. Lurking within this well-meaning construct is the toxic view of music as a kind of largesse: the idea that this music is better than the music you already like. The school concert, with all the best intentions, to some degree demonstrated that if classical music is offered in its own bubble, without context, it has little chance of really connecting with new audiences.” – Washington Post