“The most recent report from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project found that three-quarters of the more than 92,000 alumni surveyed who are currently working as artists say they depend on entrepreneurial skills in their professional lives, but only about a quarter of them acquired these skills in school.” And schools are finally beginning to change that.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Top Posts From AJBlogs 08.04.16
Trump, The Tenor, And Fascism
While I applaud the urge to dump on Trump (for so many reasons), trying to associate him with fascist sympathies because his campaign plays one of the most famous arias on the planet is a yuge overreach. … read more
AJBlog: diacritical/Douglas McLennan Published 2016-08-04
On proper attire for attending the theatre
We have links to two stories today, Elisabeth Vincentelli asking that people try a little harder to look decent when they attend the theatre, … and Alexis Kleinman in rebuttal – with the arts already having problems of being exclusive, why exacerbate by imposing a dress code? … read more
AJBlog: For What It’s Worth Published 2016-08-04
Young Chekhovathon for Chekhovaphiles (of all ages)
A bit of a sucker for aesthetic marathons, … an all-day Chekhov-fest sounds just my thing, and so it was. … read more
AJBlog: Plain English Published 2016-08-04
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UK’s National Theatre Opens Virtual Reality Studio
“Anyone visiting the new National Theatre studio might experience the soul-destroying misery of the Calais jungle, take part in the 1916 Easter Rising or sit on a toilet while being serenaded by a giant psychedelic cat.”
Jim Northrup, 73, Poet, Author, Ojibwe Indian Leader
“An award-winning writer of books, columns, plays and poetry … Northrup was a storyteller, known for his stark and honest writing about his experience as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam and his early years at a federal boarding school. He was funny and pointed in his writings about everyday life on the reservation, politics and change in Indian Country.”
Russian Prude Complains About Replica Of Michelangelo’s ‘David’, Show Organizers Respond With Public ‘Dress David!’ Competition
A St. Petersburg woman complained to city officials that the statue, erected outside a local exhibition on Michelangelo, “spoils the city’s historic appearance and warps children’s souls.” In response, the public has been invited to submit sartorial suggestions, with online voting to select the best idea.
Before HD: When The Met Brought Opera To America By Touring America
“From 1883, the year the Metropolitan Opera was founded, until 1986, the company went on extensive annual tours across the United States with occasional excursions abroad. … The scale of the Met tour, with orchestra, chorus, soloists, scenery and costumes, was massive. The typical mode of transportation was by train. In the first season, the company began with 13 performances in Boston from a repertory of 10 different operas as well as a concert.”
What’s Going On In Your Brain When You Get Hypnotized
MRIs indicate that it’s not (or not just) a placebo effect: there really are changes in certain areas of the brain – and in the connections between them.
The Clown School Where Movie Stars And Hot Young Stand-Up Comics Go To Study
“An exercise has gone badly wrong at École Philippe Gaulier” – whose alumni include Emma Thompson, Simon McBurney, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sacha Baron Cohen. “‘You are the definition of a bad student,’ croaks the septuagenarian teacher. ‘This is boring. It is so shit!’ Gaulier’s student gawps at him, chastened and gormless, as his classmates laugh cheerfully at his discomfort. … But for those aspiring to be funny, this is the place to be – and Gaulier’s tongue-lashings are an exquisite form of torture.”
Big 1,900-Year-Old Mosaic Of Hercules’s Labors Uncovered In Cyprus
“Measuring a whopping 62 by 23 feet, the mosaic’s faded tiles appear to be part of what was once a baths complex … The mosaic has suffered some damage, but you can still make out hints of the challenging tasks Hercules had to perform as a kind of penance after murdering his wife and children.”
‘Most Concert Halls And Opera Houses Are Just Too Big,’ Says New York Times Chief Classical Critic
Anthony Tommasini: “Inevitably, a sense of separation, of sound traveling across distance, affects performances in spaces the size of most concert halls. Less imposing halls need to be found for the symphonic repertory.”