“As far as your neurons are concerned, a face is a sum of separate parts, as opposed to a single structure.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Remaking Irish Step Dancing (Let’s Loosen Up That Torso!)
“Anyone who thinks that Irish dance is a necessarily rigid form, defined by a stiff upper body and dancers moving in militaristic unison, should spend some time watching Colin Dunne.”
Turkey’s First (And Only) Queer Choir Keeps Hope Alive Through Erdoğan’s Crackdown
“The small coastal city of Mersin … is one of the last places you would expect to find Turkey’s first and only LGBTQ choir, but that choir is on the front lines of the fight for LGBTQ and other minority rights in the country of 80 million.”
Four Decades Of NPR’s ‘Fresh Air’ Now In Searchable Online Archive
“As many of the old, old tapes as possible, going back to the 1970s, have been baked (that’s what you do) and played and their data turned into WAV and MP3 files and parked at a big catalog site named WorldCat.org.”
‘This Is A Terrible Idea For A Musical’ – The Playwright Of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Talks About How And Why They Did It Anyway
In a Q&A, Tony nominee for Best Book of a Musical Steven Levenson talks with Marissa Martinelli “about the musical’s unlikely success, what goes into creating a nuanced portrayal of mental illness, and why he found writing about teenagers especially nerve-wracking.”
Evan Hansen Is A Lying, Immoral Creep – How Is It That Audiences Love Him So?
Jason Zinoman: “It’s particularly amazing that this gifted dissembler has received such goodwill at a time when there is such anxiety about fake news and Internet disinformation. … That Evan Hansen is not just a kind of hero but one whose story will stay with a generation of young theatergoers forever is testament to the power of skillfully crafted art to reframe, manipulate, and even obscure moral concerns.”
Should Arts Groups Continue Accepting Funding From Big Oil?
As Philip Kennicott argues forcefully that money from the arch-conservative, climate change-denying Koch brothers is by now irredeemably tainted, Lyn Gardner looks at the ongoing arguments over arts sponsorship by BP: “Whenever the cultural sector is benefiting from cash injections, the question must be asked: although it may bring benefits to our theatre and audience, is there a price for this sponsorship that is being paid by someone else, somewhere else?”
Harper Lee Estate Approves Graphic Novel Version Of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’
“The Lee estate approached the publisher with the idea of a graphic novel. It is just the latest in a series of projects using Lee’s groundbreaking book since her death in February 2016.”
Dakota Leaders Reconsider Whether To Burn ‘Scaffold’ Sculpture
“The four-day public dismantling of Sam Durant’s sculpture Scaffold, overseen by Dakota traditional and spiritual leaders, is nearly complete in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, after a week of protests, apologies and mediation … But in an interview on Monday, the Walker’s executive director, Olga Viso, said the Dakota were debating whether the wood fragments would indeed be burned, as previously announced.”
Organizers Of Ghost Ship Artist Space Charged With Manslaughter
“Alameda County prosecutors capped a six-month investigation into the deadly blaze on Monday when they charged [Derick] Almena and [Max] Harris with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter, saying their management of the Ghost Ship was not simply negligent, but criminal.”