“The production was staged by the Gogol School theatre lab during the Tavrida Festival, an annual art event organised by Russian state youth agency Rosmolodyozh. Reaction has been mixed, with some praising the audacity of the director, Ilya Romashko, and others calling it pure provocation. Given Russia’s 2013 law banning the spread of ‘gay propaganda’ among under-18s, the festival’s organisers have since issued an apology.” – BBC
Blog
Washington DC’s Museum Pay Gender Gap (It’s Startling)
Women comprise the majority of museum employees, but in most cases they earn less than their male colleagues. – Washington Post
Northern Ireland Rescinds Strict Prison Ban On Books About Terrorism Or Paramilitaries
“A review by the Northern Ireland Prison Service deemed the ban ‘not proportionate’ … Books and other reading material will now be permitted unless they overtly promote or encourage the commissioning of criminal acts or otherwise break the law.” – The Guardian
My But We’ve Become So Literal (When Sometimes A Metaphor Would be Better)
We want to quantify, data-fy and measure everything. And if not, then see literal images that we can quickly grasp. Are we losing the ability to imagine (and to dream)? – Aeon
David Koloane, Major South African Artist Of Apartheid Era, Dead At 81
“Koloane’s work — which comprised art-making, curating, activism, and writing — dealt head-on with colonialism and the continued oppression of black South Africans. His [art], which often takes the form of semi-abstract cityscapes, evokes the tensions felt in his country through clusters of swirling lines and compositions that evoke violence.” – ARTnews
Female Video Game Designers Take On The Debate Over Abortion Rights
“As Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio work to reverse hard-won reproductive rights with ‘fetal heartbeat’ bills and potential 99-year sentences for performing abortions, game designers in the United States – and around the world – are creating interactive experiences that challenge the simplistic ways that many people think about abortion, and the blunt … laws that politicians have drafted around their constituents’ bodies.” – The Guardian
Watch Paul Taylor Dance Company Director Michael Novak At Work
“No one was more surprised than Novak when Taylor tapped him to be his successor last year, three months before the legendary choreographer died. Dance Magazine recently caught up with Novak during the company’s appearances at the Orchestra of St. Luke’s Bach Festival.” (video) – Dance Magazine
‘Undisturbed’ Ancient Roman Shipwreck Discovered Near Cyprus
“Not many details have been released about the shipwreck, but the Department of Antiquities notes that it ‘is the first undisturbed Roman shipwreck ever found in Cyprus.’ The vessel is still packed with amphorae — jugs that the ancients used to hold foodstuffs like oil and wine — that likely came from Syria and Cilicia, a region that is now southern Turkey.” – Smithsonian Magazine
Next Head Of Paris Opera Will Be Canadian Opera Company’s Alexander Neef: Report
According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, Neef, who was director of casting at the Paris Opera before becoming General Director of COC in 2008, will succeed Stéphane Lissner as General Director in Paris in 2022. Neef’s contract in Toronto currently runs to 2026, and last fall he took on the job of artistic director of the summer-only Santa Fe Opera. – Ludwig van Toronto
Pakistan Would Love To Restrict Bollywood Movies, But Its People Just Can’t Quit Them
After brief military hostilities between India and Pakistan in 2016, Pakistani cinema owners boycotted Indian movies; attendance promptly fell to 11 percent, and the boycott was over within a few months. Something similar has happened each time there’s a crisis between the two countries. Pakistani audiences’ addiction to Bollywood has withstood every attempt to introduce movies from other Muslim countries — and has kept the country’s own film industry from growing. – The New York Times