Matthew Westphal – Page 954 – ArtsJournal Wayback

Again, Why Is There So Much Rape And Violence Against Women In Ballet Lately?

Six months ago, critic Siobhan Burke raised the issue in The New York Times. Now, in Britain’s The Observer, Luke Jennings writes, “In the last few seasons the Royal Ballet stage has seen record numbers of female characters brutalised and killed. … Consider this body-count alongside the number of recent abstract works in which women are split, splayed and otherwise manhandled, and certain embedded attitudes reveal themselves. None of these works, in which female characters are defined by their passivity and victimhood, was created by a woman.”

Ford Foundation President Darren Walker On The Power Of Art, Inequality, And Detroit

Hrag Vartanian: “Our conversation took place soon after the organization announced plans to open an office in Detroit, a city it had left in 1953. We spoke about the public’s interest in scrutinizing institutional authority, Walker’s own love of art, and the renovations at the Foundation’s building, and also discussed Agnes Gund’s new Art for Justice fund, the role of the arts for marginalized communities, and the importance of public education.” (podcast)

Stage Director Frank Corsaro, 92

Though he came out of the theater – he attended Yale Drama and the Actors Studio and directed on Broadway – his greatest impact was in opera: he was renowned (and occasionally infamous) for his daring interpretations and the high level of acting he drew from singers, especially at New York City Opera during its glory years.

”Marnie’ Screams For Operatic Treatment,’ Writes Nico Muhly, Who Explains How He Gave It One

In this essay the composer talks about why he and librettist Nicholas Wright worked from Winston Graham’s novel rather than the Hitchcock film, how he set a psychiatrist’s session and a fox hunt for the stage, and how to deploy English National Opera’s chorus. (Favorite line, about “the Marnettes”: “The effect should be as if her inner monologue is actually a warped recording of the Tallis Scholars singing a single chord from an obscure Tudor motet.”)

BBC Viewers Upset By Sound Levels For New ‘Howard’s End’ Background Music

The four-episode adaptation by Kenneth Lonergan of E.M. Forster’s novel has drawn plaudits from critics and high viewership, but many viewers have complained that the “most intrusive and dominating” music (as one irate Twitterer put it) frequently drowns out the dialogue. This seems to be a sound mixing problem rather than a musical one, and it evidently is not a new one for the network.

Two Journalists Covering Louvre Abu Dhabi Arrested And Held For Two Days Over Their Coverage

A reporter and cameraman for the Swiss public broadcaster RTS say they were arrested while taking images at an open-air market of migrant workers like those who built the museum. The pair were separated, blindfolded, and interrogated for up to ten hours at a time about the nature of their reporting on the migrants; their equipment was confiscated and has still not been returned.

Author Faces Criminal Charges For Exposé Of South Africa’s President

Jacques Pauw’s The President’s Keepers, an account of corruption, coercion and violence at the heart of Jacob Zuma’s administration, has become the fastest-selling book in South Africa since Nielsen began tracking sales there – thanks in no small part to the government’s Streisand-Effect attempts to suppress the book. Now the country’s State Security Agency has reportedly filed criminal complaints against Pauw for “unlawful publication of classified information.”

Old Vic CEO Says She Knew Nothing About Kevin Spacey Allegations

Sally Greene, who hired Spacey as the theatre’s artistic director, “said it made her ‘sick to the stomach’ to think people may have suffered harassment or abuse [there]. The theatre is facing questions about how much was known among management and trustees about Spacey’s alleged behaviour during his 11 years in charge. Former employees have described it as an open secret.

Adam Driver’s Arts In The Armed Forces Nonprofit Launches Award For Military Playwright

“The organization announced the inaugural Bridge Award on Monday, granting $10,000 to a playwright who has served in the military for the production of a new play.” This year’s judge: Suzan-Lori Parks.

Author: Matthew Westphal