“One of the most mysterious aspects of Poe’s legacy is his untimely death at the age of 40 after being found ‘delirious’ and in ‘great distress’ on the streets of Baltimore. The author was incoherent, rambling, and wearing someone else’s clothes when he was discovered, and after a few days spent in a local hospital he passed away. Many believe that the authors death was a deliberate act, but researchers at Lancaster University are challenging the notion that Poe killed himself.” – Study Finds
Author: Matthew Westphal
The Stories In, And Behind, Raphael’s Tapestries For The Sistine Chapel
“By 1515, after Pope Julius II famously commissioned Michelangelo to repaint the chapel’s ceiling (1508–1515), the chapel had become decidedly top-heavy in its decoration. Then-Pope Leo X (born Giovanni de’ Medici) commissioned a series of designs for tapestries from the artist who was already decorating the papal apartment, Raffaello Sanzio, known to many as Raphael. The Medici crest features prominently in the woven frames of the tapestries’ scenes.” – Hyperallergic
Twenty Years Of ‘The Laramie Project’
By now the documentary theatre piece about the murder of Matthew Shepard has been performed thousands of times by professionals, amateurs, and students; an estimated 10 million people have seen it live in 13 languages and 20 countries, and another 20 million have seen the HBO adaptation; arguably, The Laramie Project even helped change federal law. Journalist John Moore looks back at how the play developed and spread. – American Theatre
Head Writer Of ‘The Laramie Project’ Looks Back 20 Years To The Play’s Creation
Leigh Fondakowski: “When we arrived in Denver, the play was not yet finished. It had only two acts then. … Moments were shifting, and the order of scenes kept changing all through previews. … The actors would be running offstage doing their costume quick-changes and looking at the poster boards to know which scene came next.” – American Theatre
The Rise Of ‘Relaxed Performances’
“What does make a theatre feel like home? Negotiating mobile phones, sweet wrappers and chatty Kathys is a well-documented headache for theatre staff and spectators alike. The academic Kirsty Sedgman … notes: ‘We may say we want audiences to feel at home in the theatre, but we are still not willing to go so far as to let them act like they are at home.’ So can you make everyone feel at home?” – The Guardian
Why Has A Cookbook About ‘Rage Baking’ Enraged The Social Justice Twitterverse?
“When Rage Baking: The Transformative Power of Flour, Fury, and Women’s Voices dropped earlier this month, it was poised to become an instant hit. The anthology, a mix of recipes and essays about baking as an outlet for women’s political rage, is the latest in a series of books that address the organizing power of female anger, including Rebecca Traister’s Good and Mad and Soraya Chemaly’s Rage Becomes Her. However, Rage Baking is now on the receiving end of women’s anger over a controversy about who owns — and profits from — the concept of ‘rage baking.’ Here’s what you need to know.” – Slate
Jennifer Higdon’s New Opera Will Have Three Different Endings
Woman with Eyes Closed, commissioned by Opera Philadelphia for its O20 festival this September, has a plot inspired by the 2012 theft, from the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, of seven paintings now thought to have been burnt in Romania by the mother of one of the thieves. Jerre Dye’s libretto and Higdon’s 80-minute score, written for five singers and 11 instruments, will have three alternate endings; the choice of which one to perform will be made the day of each performance. – Yahoo! (AP)
DC’s National Symphony Cancels The Rest Of Its Asia Tour
Three weeks ago, due to the coronavirus epidemic, the orchestra cancelled three concert dates in China that were part of a planned eight-concert tour of East Asia March 3-12. Now the orchestra has withdrawn from the remaining five dates, all in Japan. – The Washington Post
Dance Student Sues School For Making Her Lift Too Heavy A Partner
Charlotte Vanweersch alleges that the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds hadn’t taught her how to properly lift a partner as heavy as the one she was assigned for a “throwing and lifting” routine and that she suffered serious shoulder and neck injuries as a result. She is asking the court to award her up to £500,000 in damages. – The Times (UK)
Pavement Libraries Are Popping Up At Protest Sites All Over India
“These libraries are offering an alternative form of resistance, opening up platforms traditionally reserved for committed activists to waves of first-time protesters — from high school students to homemakers — who have joined hands against moves by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce a religious test for naturalized citizenship.” – OZY