“You don’t want to make all the health stuff too obvious. Because if it feels like they’re checking in for a flight, they aren’t going to come. But you have to let them know somehow. So it’s really hard.” – Washington Post
Blog
Opera By Phone? We’ve Got You Covered
“I had worried that the just-for-me performance would be awkward. The prospect triggered flashbacks of unwanted serenades by accordionists and fiddlers playing for tips on European restaurant terraces. And though I was game for playing my part in the flirtatious conversation, I was mindful of the stern warning On Site Opera had sent ticket holders to uphold “a respectful artistic experience for all.” The last thing I wanted was to try something cute that would come out creepy.” – The New York Times
New York Is A Cultural Capital. Right Now That Future Is In Doubt
According to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s timetable, theaters and concert halls will be part of the fourth and last phase of reopening, but even the brand-name institutions wonder how easily they can pick up where they left off. – New York Magazine
The Deep Historical Roots Of Queer Butoh
Since the very first Butoh performance, in 1959, “queer themes and imagery have been reoccurring, if not instrumental, in Butoh. The concepts of otherness and ambiguity, particularly with respect to gender identity and sexuality, permeate its narratives. Drag, androgyny and fluidity are staple elements.” – The New York Times
The Business Of Virtual Cannes
Cannes is online, and so are movie sales, in two digital marketplaces. “Both digital markets were initially conceived as being mainly initiatives to reconnect industry players. Three months later, many companies have decided as push comes to shove to launch at least some of their bigger projects now rather than wait for the fall.” – Variety
Podcasts Are The New Frontier For Tales Of Superheroes
Is Spotify the new Disney? While film production is paused or barely resumed, the music subscription service has made a deal to be the new home of audio tales of DC superheroes. Perhaps this hearkens back to the radio days of superhero origins, but it’s also about Spotify’s desire “to be less reliant on record labels.” – BBC
Two Men Get Home Sentences After Massive, Decades Long Thefts From Carnegie Library
The judge noted that without the pandemic, their sentences would be significantly more severe. “The stolen items included a 1787 first-edition book signed by Thomas Jefferson, a rare copy of “The Journal of Major George Washington” and a version of Isaac Newton’s “Principia,” among the most influential books in science, said to be worth $900,000, the authorities said.” – The New York Times
Thousands Of UK Creatives Call For Action Against ‘Systemic Racism’ In British TV And Movies
The open letter says, in part, “A direct line can be drawn from the stories and voices that are silenced and ignored, to the discrimination and biases that are pervasive in the entertainment industry and larger society. This moment in history presents an opportunity for you to be a positive partner for change.” – The Hollywood Reporter
September 11 Memorial Furloughs Or Lays Off Almost 60 Percent Of Its Staff
The museum is facing a deficit of $45 million over the next year with the massive loss of ticket revenue – and that’s a big problem: “Earned revenue, mainly museum admissions, covers more than 95 percent of the memorial and museum’s annual expenses, the officials said.” – The New York Times
What’s Changed For LGBTQ Authors In India Since The End To An Anti-Gay Law?
Before the virus hit, there was Rainbow Litfest in December. “Drawn by the promise of themes long pushed under the rug — non-normative sexualities in religion and mythology, history and politics, film and television, fiction, politics and the workplace, and, of course, the law — queer people came to Delhi’s Gulmohar Park from cities, small towns, and villages across the country.” – Los Angeles Review of Books