“[Rod] Serling, riding off the success of his most well-received teleplay to date, felt compelled write a teleplay around the racism that led to Till’s murder. But the censorship that followed by advertisers and networks, fearful of blowback from white, Southern audiences, forced Serling to rethink his approach. His response, ultimately, was The Twilight Zone, the iconic anthology series that spoke truth to the era’s social ills.” – Smithsonian Magazine
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Lyle Tuttle, 87, ‘Granddaddy Of Modern American Tattooing’
“Tuttle, who considered himself a social pioneer, was celebrated for pushing tattoos toward mainstream acceptance, especially for women. He left his indelible mark on stars such as Janis Joplin, Joan Baez and Cher (that was his work on her derrière in the ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ video) – along with more hirsute clients, such as Henry Fonda and the Allman Brothers.” – San Francisco Chronicle
How ‘Hadestown’ Went From Community Theater To Concept Album To Broadway
The Anaïs Mitchell/Rachel Chavkin musical about two Greek myths — Persephone’s abduction by Hades and Orpheus’s (failed) rescue of Euridice — traveled a long road that went from Vermont and New Hampshire to Manhattan’s East Village to Edmonton to London (the National Theatre, no less) to Braodway. “Along the way [Mitchell and Chavkin] experimented with everything from the set design, to the size of the cast, to their way of thinking about the main characters’ roles in the story.” – Vulture
Is This How Martha Graham Would Celebrate 100 Years Of Women’s Suffrage? (Probably So)
“This season, the Martha Graham Dance Company [starts] its two-year EVE Project, commemorating the 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment that gave women the power to vote. Included are two new works: Pam Tanowitz’s Untitled (Souvenir), in which she merges Graham’s steps with her own; and Deo, a collaboration by Maxine Doyle and Bobbi Jene Smith. Inspired by the myth of Demeter and Persephone, Deo explores issues surrounding women and mortality with, aptly, an all-female cast.” – The New York Times
‘Netflix Of E-Books’ Begins Offering Original Content
Scribd, a subscription service for e-books and audiobooks with over 1 million paying subscribers, is launching Scribd Originals, which will “focus on ‘the space between a magazine article and a book’ — namely, pieces up to 50,000 words in length that are too long to run in a magazine but aren’t long enough to be published as a standalone book.” – TechCrunch
Philadelphia Orchestra Hires Two Women Conductors
“Erina Yashima has been appointed the orchestra’s assistant conductor, and Lina Gonzalez-Granados conducting fellow. Both are 32 years old, both trained as pianists as well as conductors, and both take up their posts in September with concert dates yet to be announced.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer
Ancient Roman Fast-Food Restaurants Uncovered By Pompeii Archaeologists
“The 150 or so thermopolia, or snack bars, dotted across the city were mostly used by the poorer residents, who rarely had cooking facilities in their home, to grab a snack or drink. Typical menus included coarse bread with salty fish, baked cheese, lentils and spicy wine.” – The Guardian
To Increase Access, English National Opera To Reduce Lowest Ticket Prices And Introduce Early Start Times And Relaxed Performances
The London company has held its highest ticket price at £125 and cut its lowest to £10 and is expanding its free-balcony-seats-for-under-18s from Saturdays to Fridays and opening nights. In addition, the company will offer its first-ever relaxed performance (with accommodation for learning-disabled and autistic attendees), and at least one performance in each run of an opera will end by 10 pm. – The Stage
European Parliament Moves To Do Away With ‘Freeport’ Facilities For Art Trans-Shipment And Storage
Freeports were created as duty-free facilities for temporary storage of art and valuables in transit. But with the EU having eliminated banking secrecy, art has become an asset class — and a vehicle for tax evasion and money laundering. So the number of freeports in Europe has mushroomed, with tax evaders and money launderers storing assets there long-term and in secrecy. – The Art Newspaper
Australia Makes It A Crime For Social Media Platforms Not To Take Down ‘Abhorrent Violent Material’
“The crime would be punishable by three years in prison and a fine of 10.5 million Australian dollars ($7.5 million), or 10% of the platform’s annual turnover, whichever is larger. Abhorrent violent material is defined as acts of terrorism, murder, attempted murder, torture, rape and kidnapping.” – Yahoo! (AP)