Choreographer Lin Hwai-min, who founded the company in Taiwan in 1973 and led it to acclaim abroad and superstar status at home, is stepping down as artistic director at the end of this year. Judith Mackrell meets Lin and his successor, Cheng Tsung-lung. – The Guardian
Author: Matthew Westphal
Brazilian Whistle-Blower: Conservationist Roberto Burle Marx at the New York Botanical Garden
This show turned out to be more timely than the NYBG could have known when it began to organize what it billed as its “largest botanical exhibition ever.” – Lee Rosenbaum
Goodbye, Tula’s
It’s been a busy month at Tula’s, a jazz fixture in the US Pacific Northwest for more than two decades, as most of the top jazz musicians in Seattle are playing their last gigs at the club and it’s been a full house every night. – Doug Ramsey
Congressional Fan Fiction — Slash Fiction, Really — Is Now A Thing
“Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) are nestled in one another’s arms, sweat glistening on their muscled chests. They kiss softly and tenderly. It’s the middle of the night in a hotel somewhere on the campaign trail, and they are in love.”
“Since the 2016 election, as American political engagement has boomed … fan fiction scholars have noted a spike in stories featuring the U.S. Congress. … [And] the more I spoke to authors, the more congressional fan fiction began to make perfect sense as a response to our high-strung political moment.” – Longreads
Shakespeare’s Globe Begins Writers-In-Residence Program To Create New Plays For Its Old-Style Stages
“The 12-month residency will mentor three writers each year, during which time they will create new work for the outdoor Globe Theatre and the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, as well work together to create a production for the main stage. This will take place in summer 2020.” – The Stage
Ex-New York City Ballet Star Joaquín De Luz Takes The Reins At Spain’s Compañía Nacional De Danza
De Luz, who retired from NYCB last spring, has just begun a five-year term as artistic director at Spain’s national company, which came to international renown under the leadership of choreographer Nacho Duato (1990-2010). De Luz tells Wendy Perron that (among other goals) he’d like to bring some of Duato’s works back to the CND’s repertoire. – Dance Magazine
Stanley M. Freehling, One Of Chicago’s Greatest Arts Philanthropists, Dead At 95
“What was the crowning achievement of Stanley M. Freehling, the extraordinary philanthropist, fund-raiser and all-around arts agitator for the State of Illinois? Was it the saving of the Goodman Theatre? The creation of Ravinia, as Chicagoans now understand it to be? The salvation of the ailing Arts Club? Creating a key foundation for the world-class contemporary art collection at the Art Institute of Chicago? Or was it his offering up arts education for arts-averse Illinois politicians? It all depends on who you ask.” – Chicago Tribune
What Is This ‘Algorithmic Theater’ That New MacArthur Fellow Annie Dorsen Practices?
“Dorsen has an answer, or many answers, depending on how you break down her thoughts on the intersection of computer technology and theater. … Her inspiration came while reading a 1950 essay by the English mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing.” – Los Angeles Times
Homecoming: Marina Abramović Has Her First Show In Serbia In 44 Years
“The artist’s return to Belgrade after nearly a half-century has been an event. … On Saturday, the day the show opened, her face was on the front page of nearly every national newspaper in Serbia. When you turned on the TV news, there she was again, being picked over by pundits with a zest that locals generally reserve for soccer and stories about political corruption.” – The New York Times
Al Franken Is Returning To Talk Radio
Twelve years after he left the (now-defunct) liberal radio network Air America, just under two years since he resigned from the Senate over disputed #MeToo allegations, and two months after a major New Yorker article cast doubt on those allegations, Franken is preparing to launch a new weekly talk show on SiriusXM. – Yahoo! (AP)