Howard Sherman: “To start at the end, or at least where we are today: Michele Roberge, executive director of the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the campus of California State University, has resigned, effective yesterday. Why? Because the school’s president, Jane Close Conoley, insisted upon the cancelation of Roberge’s booking of the comedy :N*gger Wetb*ck Ch*nk, a show that has toured extensively for more than a decade to performing arts centers on and off college campuses. In fact, it played to a sold out house of more than 1,000 seats last year at the Carpenter Center.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Turkish Government Shuts Down Archaeological Work At Ephesus
“Turkey’s crackdown on dissent has spread to the field of archaeology, with a dig at the ancient site of Ephesus in western Turkey suspended because of a political dispute with Austria. The project, run by the Austrian Archaeological Institute, was forced by the Turkish government to stop work at the end of August, despite two more months of planned conservation at the site.”
Detroit Symphony To Form Associated Amateur Orchestra
“Officials say the Detroit Symphony Community Orchestra is the first of its kind for the professional orchestral organization founded in the late 19th century.”
BBC Chair To Quit After Four Months On The Job, Following Strong Hint From Prime Minister
“The chair of the BBC, Rona Fairhead, is to step down after Theresa May indicated she would have to apply again for the job she was reappointed to by David Cameron just four months ago. In a statement, Fairhead said that after ‘much thought’ she had concluded it was appropriate not to re-enter the appointment process.”
‘Marjorie Prime’ And ‘The Profane’ Win 2016 Horton Foote Prize
“The 2016 Prize for Outstanding New American Play will go to Jordan Harrison for Marjorie Prime. The 2016 Prize for Promising New American Play will go to Zayd Dohrn for The Profane. Each award comes with $20,000.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 09.13.16
The New York Philharmonic’s New Hall Is An Opportunity To Rethink The Orchestra Experience (And Amplify It)
Last week Michael Cooper made a plea to the New York Philharmonic for some upgrades to the concert amenity experience when the orchestra overhauls Geffen Hall in 2019. … I’d like to second his suggestions and add a few. … read more
AJBlog: diacritical/Douglas McLennan Published 2016-09-13
Reflections on a Symposium
Last week I provided daily summaries of The Robert E. Gard Foundation’s Our Communities: A Symposium on the Arts … With the advantage of a few days distance (and rest) it’s probably worthwhile to lay out a little more of the “sense” of the gathering. … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2016-09-13
Regrets, I’ve had a few
Five things I wish I could do:
• Speak French • Sing really well • Play bridge • Dance • Cook
Five things I wish I had:
• A Morandi etching • A grand piano …read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2016-09-13
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Spock, Picard, And The Lessons Of ‘Star Trek’
“Spock’s inner struggle embodied the conflict at the heart of the series. It pitted unchecked, anarchical emotion against stoic rationality, atavism against civilization, present against future. … Picard and his crew were all human carbon copies of Spock – even-keeled, rational, and almost impossibly ethical. … That left little room for identification. You could aspire to be more like Picard, the very model of compassion and culture, but you could never truly understand his moral universe. He was nothing like us twenty-first-century humans. He was too alien.”
There’s Now A Sixth Taste – And It Explains Why People Love Carbs
“It has long been thought that our tongues register a small number of primary tastes: salty, sweet, sour and bitter. Umami – the savoury taste often associated with monosodium glutamate – was added to this list seven years ago, but there’s been no change since then. However, this list misses a major component of our diets, says Juyun Lim at Oregon State University in Corvallis. ‘Every culture has a major source of complex carbohydrate. The idea that we can’t taste what we’re eating doesn’t make sense,’ she says.”
A Blind Theatre-Lover Explains How She Makes The Experience Work
Ria Andriani: “I lost my sight at the age of five as the result of glaucoma. As a musician and writer, I have a particular interest in theatre and have welcomed the increase in audio-described theatre … With descriptions, people like me can engage with and sometimes get lost in the work on stage. Sometimes we’re backstage before a show begins, touching the props and costumes.”
Emoji Is The World’s Fastest-Growing Language – But Who Are The Keepers Of Its OED?
“It started with 176 icons. Now it’s grown to 1,800. But who decides what becomes an emoji? We lift the lid on the California coders who live and breathe smiling cats and banned aubergines.” (Note to Americans: aubergine is British for eggplant.)