Though the theatre tried hard to attract smaller, socially distanced crowds as it reopened in June, no one was ready to return to an indoor space, and tickets didn’t sell. The now common refrain for small arts venues: “Founder Chris Tompkins said that paying the lease and other bills for upkeep was impossible with no income.” – Indianapolis Star
Author: ArtsJournal2
Actor Wilford Brimley Of ‘Cocoon’ And So Very Much More Has Died At 85
The actor excelled at playing cantankerous characters but came to fame playing an assistant engineer at a nuclear plant in The China Syndrome. Later, he became famous for his spokesperson roles, not to mention his (very) lively Twitter presence. – The New York Times
To Cull One’s Books During Quarantine, Or To Hold All Of Those Friends Even More Tightly?
Not surprisingly, different readers had passionate (and passionately differing) opinions about their book collections and an essay recreating a cull. “While it is fine to move so-so books along, books love us and whisper their thoughts to us, as we pass their covers. Can an ereader do that? Trying to find a favorite phrase or vignette in an ebook is a time-wasting fraud. My real books fall open to what I need.” – Washington Post
Booker Nominee Arrested For Supporting Another Arrested Writer In Zimbabwe
Tsitsi Dangarembga, an activist and award-winning writer who was just chosen for the Booker longlist, has been arrested in Zimbabwe while she was protesting the arrest and imprisonment of investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono. “Dangarembga, 61, and another protester were bundled into a police lorry while carrying placards. The government has warned that participation in Friday’s demonstration is regarded as insurrection.” – BBC
This May Seem Like Basic Information, But Plays Written By Black Playwrights Don’t Have To Be About Trauma
Keenan Scott II explains: “We tend to be rewarded for depicting the harshest realities of the Black experience while ignoring its beauty. In art, our trauma is fetishized and romanticized while our joy is dismissed. The end result is a society that views the Black experience as a dreary monotone.” – American Theatre
The History Nobody Tells You
Morgan Jerkins wanted to know more about where her people came from: “I hated the fact that I didn’t know much about land. I didn’t know about harvest, high tide, low tide, the levees, the dikes. I didn’t know about herbal remedies. I didn’t know anything.” Learning was a journey far beyond what the author and editor thought she already knew or ever would know. – NPR
The Many Side – Now Main – Hustles Of Broadway Workers
Plush toymaking, giving dancing lessons (via Zoom, of course), selling skincare products … stagehands, costume designers, actors, and everyone associated with Broadway are trying to figure it out, piece it together. But many are considering leaving the city, and the arts, forever. – Time
Writing Against Publishing’s (Racist) ‘Common Sense’
Alyssa Cole, author of books about the Civil War and contemporary life, decided to write a thriller. One of the issues she has faced: “There are people who find the idea of Black people in love unbelievable, of Black people solving crime unbelievable, who seem to think people from marginalized groups are nonplayer characters who just wait around for something to happen to them.” – BuzzFeed
We Might Look Back On This Time As The Year Of Neverending Remakes
Classic Hollywood movies are getting spitshined and put out again, so why not video games as well? “‘Nostalgia is the major driving force for the success of a remake,’ said Doug Clinton, managing partner for the venture capitalist firm Loup Ventures, which focuses on emerging technology and gaming. ‘Any game that doesn’t have meaningful nostalgic value isn’t likely to be successful.'” Give us anything but 2020. – The New York Times
Coronavirus Prevention Measure: Intermission
In China, some areas of the country can require movie theatres to give an intermission in the middle of movies that are more than two hours long. Hurray for bathroom breaks? “There is not yet official clarity as to how long the break should be and whether facilities must be disinfected again during that time frame.” – Variety