Theatre can be magical, yes – but if you work in the theatre,”it’s easy to forget what compelled us into the profession in the first place. It can be lost amid the realities of the job at hand, chasing the next opportunity and our familiarity with the things that enthralled us once upon a time. It is also easy to forget what a personal experience theatre can be, where actors walk out of stage doors every night to waiting fans. It’s an experience that cannot be replicated by movies and television.” – The Stage (UK)
Blog
Yes, A Woman Can Open A Major Superhero Movie
Duh, right? Captain Marvel had the seventh-highest opening for a Marvel movie and by far the highest debut for a film fronted by a woman. (Also, Marvel, perhaps because of its internal and external experience, was ready for the trolls.) – Quartz
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Goes On Strike
The chair of the negotiating committee for the union said in a statement, “Beginning at 8 a.m. Monday morning, March 11, picket lines will stretch across all of the doors of Orchestra Hall through 8 p.m. daily until a contract that is fair to the musicians is reached. It is requested that no orchestra, performer or patron cross the line.” The main issue? Wages, of course, and also pension contributions. – Chicago Tribune
Gillian Freeman, Writer Of The Groundbreaking Novel And Movie ‘The Leather Boys,’ Has Died At 89
She published the novel in 1961 under the pen name Eliot George, and then the “three years later, when Ms. Freeman wrote the screenplay for a film of the same title, she used her real name. (The opening credits said Ms. Freeman’s screenplay was based on the novel by Eliot George.)” – The New York Times
Inside The ‘Magical’ Studio Of Kiki Smith
Smith is “known for her seriality, spinning concepts and images into one work after another, until something new piques her interest. Her sources of inspiration remain in flux, but Smith’s work itself tends to revolve around the body, death, mythology, and nature. Rumpelstiltskin may have been able to weave hay into gold, but there’s no alchemy to Smith’s practice: just hours of making, year after year.” – Artsy
Music Programs In England’s State Schools Have Dropped 21 Percent In Five Years
It’s bad – and far worse in poorer areas. “One in five primary school teachers reported there was no regular music lesson for their class, and only 12% of schools in deprived areas have an orchestra, compared with 85% of independent schools.” – BBC
Making Dance After Merce
Celebrations of Merce Cunningham’s choreography (and life) spread across the globe this year, cand horeographers who were part of his company at some point are dealing with “the anxiety of influence” as they make works for the celebrations. Four of the choreographers “spoke of Cunningham’s example as a life-changing liberation. They all spoke of gratitude and ambivalence.” – The New York Times
Twenty-Five Years After Daughters Of Africa Changed The Game, A New Generation Arises
It’s been 25 years, but not much time at all. “In many ways 1992 seems much longer ago than a quarter century; yet, while much has changed, many challenges remain to the publication of work by women of African descent.” – The Guardian (UK)
The Next Big Social Media App
It’s TikTok (you might know that already) – but what is TikTok? Whew: “A free-for-all. It’s easy to make a video on TikTok, not just because of the tools it gives users, but because of extensive reasons and prompts it provides for you. You can select from an enormous range of sounds, from popular song clips to short moments from TV shows, YouTube videos or other TikToks. You can join a dare-like challenge, or participate in a dance meme, or make a joke. Or you can make fun of all of these things.” The New York Times
As A Chaotic Brexit Approaches, Britons Buy Record Numbers Of Self-Help Books
The owner of City Books in Hove says the record-breaking £30 million self-help book business is new, but not confusing. “In 25 years of business, [Paul] Sweetman says he’s never known customers more in need of uplifting reading than they are now – a result, he believes, of the political climate both here and abroad.” – The Observer (UK)