Author: Matthew Westphal

Why Rebuilding Beirut’s Arts Ecosystem Will Be So Much Harder Than It Would Be Elsewhere

Artists and institutions in Beirut, large and small, have rebuilt several times since the outbreak of Lebanon’s 15-year civil war in 1975 and through subsequent conflict. But even before the explosion that has wrecked the city, the country’s long-dysfunctional political system was spiraling, taking the currency, the economy and even the electricity grid along with it. Now, say many key figures in Beirut’s cultural life, Lebanon could really become a failed state. – Artnet

Mariinsky Ballet Restarted Performances, And COVID Struck. Now It’s Been Shut Down Again

“[The company] hosted galas at its St. Petersburg theaters, featuring solos and duets performed by dancers who had undergone weekly tests for coronavirus. More ambitiously, it had begun staging full-length ballets, with a run of … La Sylphide.” Audience members were kept masked and distanced, and the theatre was keeping the dancers on a fairly thorough testing and safety regime. That wasn’t enough: 30 company members have gotten sick, and ballet troupes elsewhere in Europe are watching nervously. – The New York Times

At Least One London Theatre Has Kept Busy Throughout The Pandemic

“The Bush Theatre in London [has] produced a series of timely Monday Monologues online, curated The Protest series of digital pieces inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and posted a number of Master Classes. It even became one of the first theatres in London to reopen its building — not for regular theatre performances, but for socially distanced community programs. … At the helm of it all is Lynette Linton, the young writer-director who took reins at the Bush just last year.” (podcast plus text) – Variety

The Inside Story Of An Inside Job: The Slow-Motion $8 Million Robbery Of The Carnegie Library

“Like nuclear power plants and sensitive computer networks, the safest rare book collections are protected by what is known as ‘defense in depth’ — a series of small, overlapping measures designed to thwart a thief who might be able to overcome a single deterrent. The Oliver Room, home to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s rare books and archives, was something close to the platonic ideal of this concept. Greg Priore, manager of the room starting in 1992, designed it that way.” So the only thief who could get past the Oliver Room’s defenses was Priore himself. – Smithsonian Magazine

Putting An Orchestra Onstage While Maintaining Social Distancing Is A Puzzle (In More Than One Sense)

First, there are the obvious issues of placement: how far apart the string players must be, how much farther apart for the winds and brass, placing the conductor where everyone can see. In Los Angeles, there’s been a complicating issue: the union for the L.A. Phil and L.A. Chamber Orchestra worked out one set of rules while the union for studio musicians (which has jurisdiction over some of the Phil’s and LACO’s work) had already worked out another. Jim Farber reports on how it all got solved. – San Francisco Classical Voice

Judge Raises Amount Tavis Smiley Must Pay PBS To $2.6 Million

In late 2017, PBS suspended Smiley’s late-night talk show following sexual harassment allegations from staffers. Smiley sued the network, which countersued, and in March 2020, a jury awarded PBS $1.7 million. But PBS argued that Smiley should pay additional money pursuant to his contract’s morals clause. The judge has agreed, and has, in effect, ordered Smiley to pay back the network and the show’s underwriters for the last two seasons. – Variety

With NYC Museums Cutting Staff, Directors’ High Salaries Get More Scrutiny

“Many of New York’s museum leaders have taken pay cuts to offset some of the financial damage their institutions are suffering from their Covid-related closures. But at a time when museums are facing their most severe financial downturn in decades, one that has led some to make painful cuts in staff, critics are questioning whether such reductions go far enough.” – The New York Times

‘With Or Without An Audience,’ London’s Wigmore Hall Will Present 100 Concerts By Christmas

“The autumn series will not only include solo recitals and duos, but trios, quartets and larger ensembles will return to Wigmore Hall for the first time since lockdown. … All 100 concerts will be live-streamed in HD and free to watch on demand for 30 days after broadcast on Wigmore Hall’s website.” – Opera Today

COVID Chronicles: The Band Rescued From Quarantine Hell By A Fishing Boat

The Dunedin Consort, an Edinburgh-based period-instrument group known for its recordings of Bach sacred works and Handel oratorios, had its first engagement since lockdown this past Friday in northern France. The problem: Boris Johnson’s government announced late Thursday night that anyone entering the UK from France after 4 am on Saturday would have to be quarantined for 14 days, and every regular means of transport for late Friday night was sold out. – BBC