The NYSX means to explore “what happens when contemporary culture is infused with Shakespearean poetry and themes in unexpected ways.” What does that mean? For starters, a Sonnet Project (154 poems, 154 actors, 154 videos), and “a Shakespearean pub crawl, where at each location, a scene breaks out. They call it … Shakesbeer.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
René Magritte’s Art Deco Sheet Music Covers (Who Knew?)
The Belgian Surrealist “may have carved his place in art history as a master of mind-bending, advertising-influenced imagery at the intersection of aesthetics and philosophy, but he also had a little-known early commercial career.”
Uncertainty Will Set You Free
“Religions are often built around this heartache for certainty. In the face of sickness, loss and grief, a thousand dogmas with a thousand names have risen. … [Yet the] world’s history of spiritual endeavor contains many beautiful descriptions of authentic encounters with uncertainty. Ironically these often serve as gateways to the most compassionate experience of what can be called sacred in human life.”
What’s The Future Of Television? Interactive Screens All Over Your Walls
“Think your flat-screen television is big? You ain’t seen nothing yet. … Tileable, interactive TV ‘wallpaper’ will dominate the room, with wrap-around screens that recruit your peripheral vision to create a truly immersive experience. What’s more, you’ll be able to use part or all of the screen for different shows, movies, web pages or Twitter timelines.”
Australian Ballet Is More Popular Than Ever But Can’t Capitalize On It
“Record numbers of people are subscribing to the Australian Ballet but box office takings have plateaued because the company can’t add more performances to its schedules or seats to its theatres.”
The Master Paper-Cutter Of The New York Subways
“In the congested world of subway performers, where dance troupes, conga circles and violin players blur, Ming Liang Lu, 57, is an alluring presence. A self-described ‘master paper portrait cutter,’ he has the ability to trim facial portraits out of frail paper within minutes, compelling some riders to willingly miss their trains.”
The New Yorker Launches Beefed-Up Books Blog Called ‘Page-Turner’
“We’ll debate about books under-noticed or too much noticed, and celebrate writers we’ve … We’ll recommend and we’ll theorize. Daily essays will be the blog’s mainstay, with books as an anchor for wide-ranging cultural comment.”
LA Times Magazine Closing Down
The monthly’s editor, Nancie Clare, says, “I think it’s fair to say there were revenue issues … I don’t think they got rid of us because they don’t like us.” The magazine’s seven staffers may or may not be offered jobs elsewhere at the newspaper.
Sacramento Philharmonic Saves Its 2012-13 Season
“The Sacramento Philharmonic reached its goal of raising $150,000 by a self-imposed May 15 deadline, persuading the organization’s board of directors to vote Tuesday evening to keep the orchestra operating through the 2012-13 season.”
Hilary Mantel On Anne Boleyn
“[She] is one of the most controversial women in English history; we argue over her, we pity and admire and revile her, we reinvent her in every generation. She takes on the colour of our fantasies and is shaped by our preoccupations: witch, bitch, feminist, sexual temptress, cold opportunist. … Much of what we think we know about Anne melts away on close inspection.”