“[GCO’s] founder, Neal Goren, is back in business — thanks to an unusual collaboration between his new company, Catapult Opera, and Peak Performances at Montclair State University, which will present four of Catapult’s productions.” — The New York Times
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Hartford Stage Names New Artistic Director: Melia Bensussen
“Raised in Mexico City, widely traveled, and based in the Boston area since the 1980s, Bensussen is just the sixth artistic director in Hartford Stage’s 55-year history. She is the first woman to hold the position,” in which she succeeds Tony-winning director Darko Trasnjak. — Hartford Courant
Mary Kay Stearns, One Of TV’s Very First Sitcom Stars, Dead At 93
Mary Kay and Johnny, starring Stearns and her husband (who wrote the scripts) as a couple not unlike themselves (prefiguring such series as I Love Lucy), told comic tales of a banker and his wife — and, once Mary Kay became pregnant, their child. — The New York Times
US Is Now Out Of UNESCO For Second Time
As of New Year’s Day, the United States, along with Israel, officially left the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. The trigger for this withdrawal, which was announced 15 months ago, was UNESCO giving World Heritage Site status to the ancient West Bank city of Hebron — as a Palestinian city. (The Reagan administration withdrew the US from the organization in 1984; George W. Bush brought the country back in in 2002.) — The Architect’s Newspaper
Bolsonaro Eliminates Brazil’s Culture Ministry
“Just days into his tenure …, [new president Jair Bolsonaro] has folded it into the newly created ministry of citizenship, a portfolio that now includes social policy, sports, and culture.” And the chief of this new ministry has several controversies following him from the outgoing administration of Michel Temer. — Artnet
Scotland Wants To Display Stone From Great Pyramid; Egypt Says, Prove It’s Not Looted
“The casing stone is from the Great Pyramid of Giza and will be exhibited at the [National Museum of Scotland] for the first time since it came to Edinburgh in 1872. … However, Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities have said they will demand the stone is returned to Egypt if the museum cannot provide documentation that it was legally imported into the country.” — The Scotsman
The Virtuoso Of Light Who Paints It On Dance
Brandon Stirling Bake: “In the same way that a painter may use a brush to create phrases and mix color, I’m doing that with light. And lighting also has rhythm and pace. My friends back home will say, ‘Why did you give up music?’ But I never gave up music. I just use a different instrument now.” – The New York Times
Does Documentary Theatre Add To Understanding?
A theatre researcher thinks not: “On the surface, theatres of the real offer authenticity and certainty in their attachment to reality. But watching one of these plays does not produce a secure experience of truth. The closest we can get to an objective reality is the feeling of real, replacing fact with feeling.” – The Conversation
Inside The Burgeoning Seduction Industry
Commonly known as ‘pickup’ or ‘game’, the seduction industry first took shape in the United States in the early 2000s. What began as a few online forums and meetup groups soon gave rise to commercial products and services. Some of those with a personal interest in seduction began to style themselves as professionals, offering practical training and personal development for heterosexual men who wanted greater choice and control in their intimate lives. – Aeon
As “The Millions” Is Sold, An Elegy For The Demise Of Book Blogger Culture
While other outlets butted heads over the right to be contemptuous and the still-thriving Gawker published a polemic against smarmy positivity, the Millions sidestepped the debate entirely. The sincerity of the site was singular, and refreshing — although some people remained skeptical. – New York Magazine