The theatre group tweeted out something that said Black Lives Matter. Then former SCT employee and actor Dwayne Perkins weighed in, sparking a series of tweets from Black actors and other actors of color about many Chicago theatres. In Alexander’s resignation letter, he said, “On stage, we dealt with the absurdity of the equal opportunity narrative that society uses to oppress BIPOC. We dealt with the double standard that rationalizes violence against people of color. We dealt with the cynicism of the liberal pact with capitalism. Offstage, it’s been a different story.” – Chicago Tribune
Author: ArtsJournal2
The Musicians’ Union In Britain Calls For A Relaxation Of Coronavirus-Related Rules
For musicians, that is. Two meters (roughly the USian-advised 6 feet) of distance is just too far to be practical for performing musicians, according to Musicians’ Union leader Horace Trubridge. “Many musicians had been earning £20,000 a year or less even before coronavirus, and some were missing out on furlough payments and loans, he said, adding: ‘I can’t see anything really significant happening this year to help them out of this hole.'”- BBC
California Film Production May Restart This Week
Different counties may recommend different start dates, with Los Angeles County being one of the hardest-hit by the virus, but June 12 is the first day filming may resume in the state, with strict guidelines in place, including a Covid-19 compliance officer on each shoot. “Shooting costs could increase by 10% to 20% per day, JP Morgan media analyst Alexia Quadrani wrote in a Thursday note to clients” – and shoots on soundstages will return sooner than those on location. – Los Angeles Times
Where Have All The Grand Projects Gone?
In the 20th century, thousands of people worked together on large projects with a vision of a better future. What’s our vision now? “In the hands of technology entrepreneurs, driven by the imperatives of shareholder value and richer even than the robber barons of a century ago, the future has been displaced into the soma of fantasy, colonised by people who want you to pay a subscription for an app that helps you sleep, a delivery service that allows you to stay indoors when it’s wet out, or a phone that switches on the heated seats in your car before you leave home. This is a future of sorts, but it’s a business school version.” – Aeon
Sending Support To Dancers Speaking Out Against A System That Takes Brutal Advantage Of Them
Eva Yaa Asantewaa, senior director at the Gibney Dance Company, and expert writer about dance, says, “We’ve gone too long doing a lot for very little, and now we’re all completely screwed. I’m in New York where the issue is not so much can a queer arts worker catch a break? It’s can a queer arts worker pay the rent? Can anybody? How can we make this life, in which we give so much of our hearts, truly sustainable? Artists are workers.” – Hyperallergic
Mark Gatiss Says Regional Theatre Is The Lifeblood Of The Industry In The UK
The actor – known to American audiences as a Sherlock and Doctor Who writer, and Mycroft Holmes on Sherlock – says, “There’s always a debate about how London-centric theatre is,” but adds that regional theatres have been “part of the ecosystem forever.” They’re in deep peril now, thanks to the Covid-19 shutdown and uncertainty about the future. – BBC
Writer Grace Edwards, Who Published Her First Mystery At Age 64, Has Died At 87
Edwards started writing when she was 7, but published her first novel almost 50 years later. She wrote six detective novels, “mysteries set in Harlem starring a female cop turned sociologist and accidental sleuth named Mali Anderson, always with a backbeat of jazz,” and also became director of the Harlem Writers Guild for nearly a decade. – The New York Times
A Scenic Designer Adapts From Creating Sets To Creating Personalized Condolence Cards
But the adaptation isn’t easy or OK. “‘This is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do,’ [Nicole] Carroll said of working in the theatre. ‘It feels like a grieving process, letting go for a while of the thing that you’ve wanted to do for so many years.'” – American Theatre
Abbey Road Studios Reopens With ‘Extraordinary Measures’ To Record Jazz Album
The recording studios in London, which didn’t close even during WWII, had been shuttered for ten weeks during the coronavirus lockdown. Managing director Isabel Garvey: “Ordinarily we would have an 80-100 person orchestra, but we’ve reduced that right down to 40.” And the main jazz singer? Is “joining the sessions remotely” from Paris. – BBC
Art Basel Has Been Cancelled
The Swiss art fair held out for a long time. Then, on May 30, dealers sent a letter. “‘Art Basel is the most important and powerful art fair in the world but even in the best possible scenario, an edition held this year would be a mere shadow of its established stature and imperil its reputation,’ the letter said. Signed by more than 50 dealers, it concluded: ‘We believe that risks are simply too great and that regrettably 2020 is a lost year.'” – The New York Times