Yes, that billboard in London was a piece of viral marketing. One day after it set social media atwitter (ahem), HarperCollins revealed that it will release The Mirror and the Light in March of 2020. (Henry Holt will be the US publisher; in the UK, the book will appear under the Fourth Estate imprint.) – The Bookseller (UK)
Author: Matthew Westphal
Choreographing A Dance About How Awful It Is To Be A Dancer
“With her latest work, Fame Notions, [choreographer Gillian Walsh] seeks to understand what she calls the ‘fundamentally pessimistic or alienating pursuit’ of being a dancer.” Walsh explains to journalist Siobhan Burke in this Q&A. – Dance Magazine
Computer Wars
Rifftides reader Orsolya Bene writes, “Listening to jazz on the radio after finishing chores. “North Of The Sunset,” by Thelonious Monk was just playing. Now, it’s the Denny Zeitlin trio. The radio guy must be channeling you.” – Doug Ramsey
Theatre For Deaf Kids And (Especially) Their Hearing Parents
Director Paula Garfield, mother of two deaf children and deaf herself, created Horrible Histories: Dreadful Deaf “just as much for hearing parents as for their deaf children. It’s a chance for parents and children to experience a BSL-led show together, and for parents in particular (who Garfield explains are often ‘terrified’ when they discover their child is deaf) to see deaf actors happily go about their business, utterly at home in the spotlight.” – The Guardian
Before The Kremlin Could Stop It, Rap Spread All Over Russia
It was the Web, and especially V Kontakte (Russia’s Facebook), that made it possible, and, as always in such cases, the old fogeys in charge didn’t catch on until it was too late to stop or co-opt it. So now the Kremlin is nervous. – The New York Times
Yes, Antonio Banderas Is Totally Playing Pedro Almodóvar In Their New Movie — And Yes, Says Banderas, It Was Weird
“It’s weird to play a character who lived, more weird if he’s still alive — because he’s producing more information every day — and extraordinarily rare that he is behind the camera saying, ‘Action!’ to you. To deal with all of these things was not easy.” – The New York Times
A ‘Movement Installation’ For Dancers With And Without Disabilities
“For an artwork that’s making strides around the world, On Display places remarkable value on motionlessness. ‘It’s a lot of stillness,’ creator-choreographer Heidi Latsky says of the piece, a movement installation — or human sculpture court — that incorporates performers with and without disabilities. Designed to demonstrate inclusiveness and ponder society’s fixation with body image, On Display has been mounted internationally, in different versions, more than 200 times.” – The Washington Post
‘Sex, Money And Idiots In Power’ — Why Restoration Comedy And Drama May Be Just The Entertainment For Our Times
“Ever worry about getting paid, getting laid or finding love? Does social anxiety prickle your palms? Do you despair of a world slipping its moorings? Restoration drama may speak to you.” David Jays makes the case — and looks into why actors find the genre so daunting. – The Guardian
China Has Blocked Access To Wikipedia In All Languages
The obvious explanation would be that the 20th anniversary of the Tienanmen Square massacre is upcoming (June 4). “When Wikipedia’s official account tweeted that the reasons for the total block were ‘unknown to us,’ a Shanghai-based user responded, ‘Don’t be daft.'” – Slate
This Opera Company Went Out And Asked Folks What They Want From Opera
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis did some research to find out what could get new people in the door — and, just as importantly, what doesn’t work. – American Theatre