The idea came from Joan Plowright and her husband, Laurence Olivier, who was then running the National Theatre at the Old Vic. They and colleagues wanted an additional theatre that would target audiences aged 16 to 24 and give young actors a place to develop. Here’s how they made it happen. – The Stage
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New Book Traces Europe’s Great Buildings Back To Far East
Given their prevalence in the great cathedrals of Europe, it is easy to imagine that pointed stone arches and soaring ribbed vaults are Christian in origin. But the former dates back to a seventh-century Islamic shrine in Jerusalem, while the latter began in a 10th-century mosque in Andalucia, Spain. In fact, that first known example of ribbed vaulting is still standing. – The Guardian
Julian Bream, One Of 20th Century’s Great Classical Guitarists And Lutenists, Dead At 87
“As performer and developer of the guitar and its repertory – and as a leading reviver of the lute’s Renaissance repertory – Bream, who has died aged 87, was one of the instrument’s towering figures of any generation.” All the more notable is that Bream was, to a great extent, self-taught on both instruments. – The Guardian
AMC Is Opening Movie Theatres Next Week – Admission 15 Cents
For one day only, tickets at the theaters will sell for 15 cents, roughly the equivalent of what it cost to watch a movie in 1920. That’s the year that the company’s founders, the Dubinsky Brothers, began operations with a single movie screen in Kansas City, Missouri. – Variety
‘Literally Melting’: Medieval Buildings Of Yemen’s Capital Are Collapsing In Rain And Floods
The multistory, ochre-and-white mud-brick houses in the UNESCO-listed old city of Sanaa had already been weakened by bombs and artillery during Yemen’s six-years-and-counting civil war. But this year’s monsoon season, the rainiest in recent memory, is seeing some of those buildings simply fall to pieces. – France24 (AFP)
Even Before The Blast, Beirut’s Arts Communities Were In Crisis. Some Wonder If It’s Worth Trying To Rebuild
That’s because all of Lebanon was in crisis, with daily demonstrations, the collapse of the currency, and a gridlocked, dysfunctional political class that has been clinging to control since the civil war ended inconclusively 30 years ago. “What is frightening is that we are already so exhausted, so discouraged,” said the director of the city’s leading museum. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to pick ourselves up and move on,” lamented one gallerist. “I am 55. I have reconstructed my life so many times, and this time it’s just the last straw.” – CNN
Geoffrey Nunberg, Sociopolitical Linguist Known From NPR, Dead At 75
“Dr. Nunberg’s day jobs were in academia and in a Silicon Valley think tank, but his deepest preoccupation was in understanding how human beings communicate through words, from slang and vulgar slurs to political messaging and professional jargon. … He published several books, including essay collections and The Ascent of the A-Word, about the popularity of a certain seven-letter term applied to annoying bosses or people who used to be called heels and jerks … and, for more than 30 years, provided commentaries on language for the NPR program Fresh Air.” – The Washington Post
Museum Of The Bible In Talks With Iraq Over Collection Items That May Have Been Looted
“While a final agreement is still pending, the Iraqi government has reportedly consented to a $15 million settlement over 4,000 disputed antiquities in the Museum of the Bible’s collection, which have been handed over to Iraqi control based on the suspicion that they were looted. In exchange, the museum may retain the right to display some of the objects on loan.” – Artnet
Massachusetts Orders Two Live Plays In Berkshires To Reduce Audience Sizes
The first two theater productions in the U.S. since lockdown to be approved by Actors’ Equity for performing before an in-person audience, Godspell at Berkshire Theater Group and Harry Clarke at Barrington Stage Company, “will each allow only 50 people to be present — down from 100 — after the state of Massachusetts rolled back its reopening protocols in an effort to slow the spread of the disease.” – The New York Times
BBC Proms: There Will Be Live Concerts, But No Live Audiences
“All concerts will be broadcast live via the Royal Albert Hall website and on BBC Radio 3, but there will be no live audience. The fortnight of live performances comes after two months of archive Proms broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Four. They will take place from Friday 28 August to Saturday 12 September for the Last Night of the Proms.” – BBC Music Magazine