Sepúlveda, who died of complications from Covid-19 in Spain, was imprisoned by the Chilean dictator’s regime and then was released to house arrest before he escaped, living underground for nearly a year before being recaptured and sentenced to 28 years in prison. He fled again and was stripped of his Chilean citizenship until 2017 – but he never returned. “Sepúlveda’s works, appreciated for their simple humour and depictions of life in South America, have been translated in some 50 countries and range from novels and screenplays to children’s stories.” – The Guardian (AFP)
Author: ArtsJournal2
When Did Classical Music Get So Darn Loud?
The world got louder, and so did the orchestra. After all, “before the Industrial Revolution, the principal sources of noise were thunder, church bells and cannon fire.” – The New York Times
American Girls ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ Is The Best Theatre You’ll See All Week
It’s hard to describe this, but basically, actress Kathryn Hahn and her family are staging Glengarry Glen Ross with American Girls dolls, filming the results, and uploading them to YouTube. Please, just go watch. – Vulture
One Theatre In The United States Is Showing New Movies
And that’s a drive-in in Ocala, Florida. (Of course it’s Florida.) “the Ocala drive-in made up the entire revenue of the top-grossing film of last weekend, Swallow, which brought in $1,710.” – WJXT (Florida)
Living In A Gaudi Masterpiece During The Lockdown
Suddenly, La Pedrera in Barcelona went from tens of thousands of visitors per day to … no one. Ana Viladomiu is one of the few people there. “Two other tenants remain in another part of the building – separated from Viladomiu with their own elevator and staircase – while a few security guards rotate through their shifts unseen. ‘So I’m really by myself,’ she said.” – The Guardian (UK)
The World’s Longest Art Walk Is Underground
Stockholm’s subway system is stocked: “Since construction began in 1950, some 250 artists have decorated 94 stations across 68 miles of track.” – Wired
The First Quarantine Poem To (Sorry) Go Viral
The poem is made up (artfully) of lines from corporate emails. One stanza:
“Feeling Fiesta today? Happy Taco Tuesday!
Calories don’t count during a pandemic
Grocers report flour shortages as more people are baking than ever!
As you know, many people are struggling.” – The Guardian (UK)
Comics May Not Survive The Pandemic
Comic-book publishing, comics stores, the writers, the artists, and everyone are in serious trouble. “The industry has been throttled at every juncture. Comic-store owners have shuttered their shops and the distribution of new titles has been frozen. Writers and artists continue to produce work, not knowing how or when readers will be able to see it.” – The New York Times
Is This A Good Time To Launch A Book Titled ‘Notes From An Apocalypse’?
Well, perhaps it’s the perfect time. “Readers, for their part, will emerge feeling doomed—yet oddly uplifted.” – The Economist
Tom Hanks, In His Kitchen, With A Camera, Defines The Spirit Of The Time
It seems unthinkable that Saturday Night Live could go on right now, but April 11’s show may mark something of a milestone – and a cultural record that should prove to be invaluable for the future. As is normal with SNL, some sketches were good and some went on way too long. But “what carried the entire experiment through was the can-do, show-must-go-on spirit, a reminder that comedy can still thrive under the strangest of circumstances.” – The Atlantic