“An art form and industry built on ‘Yes, and …’ face a world of ‘no,’ ‘maybe,’ and ‘who knows.’ … Whether it’s reshaping content to fit a new medium, staring down the possibility of permanent closures, or facing their own reckoning with a legacy of racial and cultural exclusion, improv and comedy theatres are learning just how important it is to be able to listen and adjust.” – American Theatre
Author: Matthew Westphal
The Corona-Crisis Is Killing LA’s Dance Schools
“[Multiple announcements of closures] paint a picture of a dance landscape in crisis. Without dance studios, professionals lose their places to train or work out new art before it appears to the masses. And amateurs lose their go-to outlet for creative expression or alternative to boring workouts.” – Los Angeles Times
Choreographer Camille A. Brown Starts An Online School For Black Social Dance
“Whether the Juba or stepping, social dance has always been a big component of Ms. Brown’s choreography. … When the pandemic hit, … like many other dancers and choreographers, she turned to Instagram, where she has created a virtual version of a school she never attended, one in which social dance is the foundation from which everything else flows.” – The New York Times
BBC Doesn’t Deliberately Favor Lefty Comedians. It Can’t Find Any Right-Leaning Ones Who Are Funny.
Earlier this week, The Daily Telegraph reported that the incoming BBC director general planned to cancel left-leaning comedy shows because the broadcaster’s comic programming was unfairly biased. However, a BBC insider tells The Guardian that network execs have been pushing for months for more balance, but “some people aren’t very good. The issue is a shortage of rightwing comics.” – The Guardian
The Guy Who Put Those Damn CNN TVs All Over Every Damn Airport Is Dead At 84
W. Russell Barry worked as president of 20th Century Fox Television, overseeing production and syndication, and spent two years at Playboy, where he launched the Playboy Channel, before heading to Turner Program Services as president and then chairman. There he was responsible for all TBS programming, including distribution of old MGM films and TV shows, original National Geographic programs, and CNN (yes, he’s the one who did the CNN-in-airports deal). – The Hollywood Reporter
Hackers Steal Donor Info From Smithsonian, UK National Trust, Other Nonprofits
In a ransomware attack in May on the computer security company Blackbaud, hackers copied names, contact info and donation summaries from the databases of the Smithsonian, Britain’s National Trust, and numerous museums, universities, and other not-for-profit organizations. Blackbaud says that it paid the ransom money and obtained proof that the stolen data was destroyed. – Artnet
COVID Has Made Arts Audiences Smaller, Yes, But Also Younger
Or, to put it more pessimistically/realistically, ticket sales have plummeted across the board in the US and UK, but the biggest drop has been in older audience members, according to the new report “Who is Booking Now? Changes in Ticket Buyer Demographics Post COVID-19.” – TRG Arts
Art Basel Miami Beach 2020 Is Officially Cancelled
Thanks, COVID: following similar decisions for Art Basel Hong Kong and the flagship fair in Switzerland, 2020 becomes the first year in decades without a single live Art Basel event. – ARTnews
Here’s An Art Biennial That’s Going Ahead Smoothly
The 2nd Bangkok Art Biennale won’t be exactly what it was at its debut in 2018: there will be nine venues instead of 20, and organizers are having to look more to local audiences than to overseas visitors. But the event is happening, starting October 12, and there are some big names involved. – The Art Newspaper
London’s Royal Festival Hall Announces Fall Concert Season Featuring Nonwhite Composers (But No Audiences)
“Classical music has long been criticised for being overwhelmingly white, but the Southbank Centre said its first post-lockdown season in the Royal Festival Hall would feature works by 16 composers of colour. … Musicians will be returning for the three-month series of concerts at the centre, but audiences will not. Instead the events will be streamed online and 10 of the concerts will be broadcast on [BBC] Radio 3.” – The Guardian