The American Dance Festival in Durham, NC; Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, MA; and the Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston, ME all called off their summer 2020 events on the same day, March 31 — weeks before other summer festivals bowed to the inevitable. Why did those three decide so soon? As their execs tell Rachel Rizzuto, it came down to “necessity and courtesy.” – Dance Magazine
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FBI Raids Alleged Art Forgery Factory Deep In The North Woods
“The raid Tuesday and Wednesday targeted … Donald ‘D.B’ Henkel, 60, a self-described artist who is accused in a sealed FBI search warrant affidavit of orchestrating a years-long conspiracy involving previously unknown paintings by well-known artists and counterfeit sports memorabilia. … Federal law enforcement officials are calling [the scheme] a national crime ring with conspirators operating in Metro Detroit and at least three other states.” – The Detroit News
Kennedy Center And Its Resident Companies Will Commission Series Of New Anti-Racist Works
“Led by the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera, the Cartography Project will create an unspecified number of new works from artists of color that promote healing and understanding, Kennedy Center [CEO] Deborah Rutter said Thursday. The project is named for its intention to become a kind of musical map, tracing events that have sparked marches and activism across the nation. Shorter orchestral pieces may be presented digitally as soon as this fall, while opera commissions will take much longer, Rutter said.” – The Washington Post
‘Carpenters Without Borders’ Aims To Show That Notre-Dame Can Be Rebuilt With Real Medieval Techniques
“Armed with axes and hand saws, the team of 25 craftsmen and women, who belong to a collective called Carpenters Without Borders, managed to build one of the 25 trusses that made up the wooden roof of Notre-Dame that they say is identical to the original.” – France 24
How Will Notre-Dame Look When It’s Rebuilt? Exactly Like It Did Before, Rules Macron
Following recommendations from the architect and the retired general running the reconstruction as well as the new culture minister (and based on a rapidly solidifying consensus to stop arguing about design possibilities and get to work), President Macron has officially backed away from the idea he floated months ago of a contemporary replacement for the original roof and 19th-century neo-Gothic spire that were destroyed in last year’s fire. – Yahoo! (AP)
As Of This Weekend, Outdoor Performances May Resume In England
The announcement by UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden (which does not apply for Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, whose regional governments will make that decision) means that — with sanitary and social distancing procedures in place — the summer season may start at such venues as Shakespeare’s Globe in London, the Minack Theatre in Cornwall, and the Glyndebourne Opera Festival, where a special outdoor program has been developed. – The Guardian
Conductor Victor Feldbrill, 96, Champion Of Canadian Composers
Did he become a great conductor? No, he became a valuable conductor, championing the work of Canadian composers more than any of his contemporaries did. He knew the composers on a personal level, worked with them on their premieres and during his decade as music director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra starting in 1958, he set a precedent that has sadly not been followed of making Canadian music a regular feature of his programming. – Toronto Star
Outdoor Theatre, Festivals Resume This Weekend In UK
The test events will feature the London Symphony Orchestra at St Luke’s Church, as well as performances at the London Palladium and Butlin’s holiday parks. “This is an important milestone for our performing artists, who have been waiting patiently in the wings since March,” Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said. – BBC
Steve Martin Remembers Carl Reiner
When I perform comedy, I can still hear echoes of my influences coming through. Jack Benny, certainly, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Lenny Bruce, Steve Allen, Carl Reiner, too. But it is not Carl’s comedic advice I cherish. Rather, it was how he affected my everyday life, the part that has nothing to do with movies or acting. – The New York Times
Uh Oh – Report Says Only 8 Percent Of Users Who Downloaded Quibi For Free Trial Have Stayed To Pay
The bad news, according to the report: Only 72,000 subscribers stuck around and decided to pay $5 a month (or $8 without ads) for the service. That conversion rate, around 8%, does not bode very well as Quibi battles its way through COVID-19 and a crowded streaming field.About 4.5 million total downloads of the app have occurred to date, Sensor Tower estimates. – Deadline