Beginning in 2017, the company will offer six productions – concentrating on contemporary works and traditional repertory in unusual stagings – over 12 days in September, just before the beginning of the regular concert season. Three additional productions will be presented from February to April.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Robert Binet Looks To Modernize Gender Identity In Traditional Ballet
“Gender identity in ballet – men depicted as strong, women as demure – that’s one of the things that disconnects ballet the most from the present world. I’m trying to find a way to express contemporary relationships that look like the relationships that we, as people, have today, while not abandoning that technique.”
How Strictly Should A Playwright’s Estate Police Productions? The Case Of Arthur Miller’s Heirs
“Plays exist on stage, in the present moment – so should the heirs of major dramatists promote timewarp productions or embrace experiment? What would Arthur do? At the centenary of Miller’s birth (he died in 2005), it seems timely to explore how literary estates meet the challenge of saving plays from history.”
Publishing Field Is Getting Younger And Less Well-Paid, But It’s Still Lily-White
“The book publishing industry’s workforce was younger in 2014 than in 2013, and, as a result, average compensation was down year over year, according to our annual salary and jobs survey. … it is also possible that the data reflects the success publishers have had in replacing aging, experienced, high-priced baby boomers with younger, less expensive employees.”
In Defense Of Thoreau: He Was A Jerk, But He Still Matters
Jedediah Purdy acknowledges the truth of Kathryn Schulz’s takedown: “He was, in fact, a miserable asshole, … and the writing he is best remembered for sucks.” And yet: Henry Thoreau was a genuine American weirdo. He did not believe in niceness, or even civility, but in justice. … Thoreau is no model, but he is a useful and difficult conversation partner across the centuries, a difficult friend as he was a difficult citizen.”
Lennart Anderson, 87, Painter Who Put Modern Twist On Old Masters’ Forms
“Mr. Anderson brought a deep understanding of masters like Piero della Francesca, Velázquez, Poussin and Degas to his still lifes, portraits, landscapes and streetscapes, while applying a modern twist that lifted them from the common run of academic realism.”
Cultural Appropriation Is A Good And Healthy Thing – As Long As You Do It Right (Here’s How)
“While I hope I don’t offend anyone, I find the alternative – the idea that I ought to stay in the cultural lane I was born into – outrageous. … There are legitimate reasons to step carefully when dressing ourselves with the clothing, arts, artifacts, or ideas of other cultures. But please, let’s banish the idea that appropriating elements from one another’s cultures is in itself problematic.” Jenni Avins offers seven dos and don’ts.
Yes, Of Course There’s Free Will – And We Should Start Quantifying It
“As we start to understand, and learn to measure, the capacities that underlie behavioural freedom, we can begin to put this natural free will on a scale. Paralleling the measurement of intelligence, we could call it the freedom quotient: FQ. Such a scale should give us new insights into the factors that hinder or enhance our efforts to shape our lives. In other words, FQ should tell us how free we are – and how we can become even more so.”
‘Get Me a Carole King Type’ How Casting Directors Find Stand-Ins For the Famous
“The Broadway season presents famous people gracing the stage, both in person and in character. How do casting directors find the actors who can portray living, breathing legends? Playbill.com goes into the audition room to learn how the decisions are made.”
Doodling, Transformed For The 21st Century
“Those accustomed to doodling on scrap paper know this: the bliss ends the moment you stop, study the result, and decide to trash it. (The alternative being, after an embarrassingly prideful assessment, not doing that.) But who bothers with scrap paper anymore? With any number of apps, you can doodle on a screen, in infinite colors, with your index finger. You can erase smoothly and cleanly, in a way that is satisfying and therapeutic. You can start over, draw new lines. No self-doubt, no paper cuts. When the picture is done, it floats away into the cloud.”