“In [Soft Power], a stand-in for Hwang named DHH is hired by a Chinese producer to try to stage a theatrical production in Shanghai. Then, after a stabbing that mirrors Hwang’s own, he falls into a coma and imagines a full-blown future production of a Chinese musical about an intrepid Chinese producer who meets Hillary Clinton and teaches lessons from the communist perspective about screwed-up American democracy. There’s also, of course, a ‘Getting to Know You’-style lesson scene, but about learning to distinguish tones in Mandarin.” – Vulture
Author: Matthew Westphal
A Day In The (Very Busy) Life Of The Ailey Company’s Production Stage Manager
“While [Kristin Colvin] Young’s job involves the responsibilities that immediately come to mind when you think of stage management — like calling the lights and sound during shows — her role encompasses everything from prepping casting inserts for programs to finalizing rehearsal schedules to giving preshow audience announcements as the ‘Voice of God.’ During a recent tour stop in Copenhagen, Young documented what a typical performance day entails.” – Dance Magazine
The Three Ages Of Podcasting
“What started as a quiet digital backwater is now increasingly growing in prominence, drawing the attention of audiences and moneyed interests alike. … And the story of how we go here can be told via two major turning points: The first was everything that happened before and after 2014. The second turning point is happening right now.” – Vulture
The World’s Largest Collection Of Contemporary South African Art Belongs To — Nando’s (Yes, The Grilled Chicken Chain)
With more than 22,000 works hanging in the chain’s roughly 1,300 restaurants, Nando’s is arguably the best place in the world to check out work by contemporary South African artists. And the chain’s Creative Block program, run with the Spiers Art Trust, may be the largest corporate art initiative anywhere. – The Art Newspaper
Kyle Abraham Wants To Show Us A Misty Copeland We’ve Never Seen Before
The MacArthur-winning modern choreographer is creating a new solo on the star ballerina for the opening of this year’s Fall For Dance festival in New York. Brian Seibert talks with the two of them about working with each other for the first time. – The New York Times
England’s Arts Funder Is Now A Target Of Climate Activists
A collective called Culture Declares Emergency argues that the new funding strategy proposed by Arts Council England “neither addresses the urgency of the climate and ecological emergency nor grasps the chance to trumpet boldly the pivotal role arts and culture play in bringing about societal changes needed to avert disaster.” – Arts Professional
Listening Clubs Bring Audiences Of NPR’s Spanish-Language Podcast Together In Real Life
Radio Ambulante has a Facebook group with thousands of members in more than 19 countries. Editors there decided, “Let’s go back to the first place and do this but offline. We don’t want to have Facebook in between you and other listeners.” So they’ve organized listening clubs (the podcast equivalent of book clubs) for people to meet in person, listen to Radio Ambulante, and discuss what they’ve heard. – Nieman Lab
What A Conductor Really Does Up There
Anne Midgette: “No figure in classical music is more iconic than the conductor, or more misunderstood. … No job in music is harder to quantify, and no job is, when it’s done well, more important. So here’s a brief look at the function of the conductor.” – The Washington Post
Abstract Expressionist Painter Mary Abbott Dead At 98
“[She] painted bold, colorful works, often inspired by nature or music, and traveled in the same circles as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and other artists who were redefining painting in the years after World War II. … [But her] vivid description [of Pollock] conveys what women trying to make a name for themselves in that world were facing.” – The New York Times
Minneapolis Institute Of Art Selects Its New Director
“The Minneapolis Institute of Art named an art expert with a entrepreneurial past Tuesday as its next director and president: Katherine Luber, of the San Antonio Museum of Art. … Luber, who has led the San Antonio institution for eight years, possesses not only a Ph.D. in art history but an M.B.A. and experience launching an organic spice company.” – The Star Tribune (Minneapolis)