“Violence against women has been rife on TV and the Edinburgh Fringe. But the way it’s portrayed demeans both sexes and ignores healthy relationships, argues Tiffany Jenkins – so stop watching.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Portraying Rape Onstage Can Serve An Important Purpose
Lyn Gardner: “Were these ‘toxic dramas’ as Jenkins claims, or simply women attempting to raise awareness about the threats they face every single day of their lives, using a theatrical form which allows them and us to consider violence and address its causes and maybe think about some of the solutions?”
Libyan Farmers Bulldoze Ancient Tombs, Hoping To Sell Land To Developers
“Local farmers, who have laid claim to part of the vast necropolis at Cyrene, began demolishing a mile-long section of the site last week in the hope of selling 500 sq. m parcels to real estate developers. Although the proper authorities have been notified, the country’s current fragile political situation has left them unable to intervene.”
Algerian Dancers Seek Asylum In Canada Following Islamist Threats
“Seven members of the Algerian National Ballet have been granted refugee status in Canada, and the claim of an eighth is being reviewed, after they deserted and asked for asylum following performances in Ottawa and Montreal. The dancers sought refuge on the grounds they had been threatened by Algerian Islamists, whom they said equate ballet with homosexuality and ‘depravity’.”
Detroit Institute Of Arts Amends Donor Policy To Protect Future Gifts
DIA director Graham Beal: “We are inserting into our deed of gift a line stating that from any sale of the work, the proceeds can only be used to buy more art” – meaning the city of Detroit could not use any such money to pay down debt.
China’s Answer To Bridesmaids Sparks A Culture War
Tiny Times 1 and 2, “about four fashion-obsessed girlfriends at a Shanghai university, … have become a lightning rod for this nation’s evolving view of its growing youth culture. Many established Chinese cultural commentators are outraged by these works’ overt celebration of materialism, and this anger has spurred a surprisingly robust counterattack by the movies’ many young fans.”
How Brian De Palma Uses Dance In His Films (Creepily)
“At the center of Passion, the new psychosexual thriller from master manipulator Brian De Palma, is a split-screen sequence featuring a classic work of modern choreography alongside a highly choreographed murder.”
Errol Morris On Donald Rumsfeld (His Latest Subject)
“I’ve made a whole number of movies over the years about characters that seem to be completely unaware of themselves. I suppose in English the word that we often use is ‘clueless’. That’s the central feeling I’m left with at the end of making this movie. What is he thinking? Is this a performance? Is he acting? Does he believe in what he is saying?”
Caleb Crain On Building A Gay Literary Canon
“I think everybody ends up assembling their own canon as they read. The whole idea of it is that it’s not – it’s a legacy, and it’s one you kind of pick and choose. You don’t just reproduce your parents’ furniture, you buy your own along the way. … Do we want a separate history and literature? The straight canon is very gay.”
Asia Society Museum Changes As Americans Get Comfortable With Asian Art
By the 2000s U.S. museums “were exhibiting an increasing amount of Asian art. So no longer does the Asia Society Museum present ‘Asia 101’ … Rather, [it] strives to reveal aspects of Asian art to Americans for the first time or to see ahead to ideas that will be topical when an exhibition, which may take years to organize, comes to fruition.”