And that’s partly because of who’s controlling the narrative. There’s a small, but perhaps growing, “cultural trend in which black women, especially those of medium-to-dark-brown complexions — long positioned at the bottom of the aesthetic and social hierarchy in the United States because of racist standards — are increasingly appearing as leading ladies and romantic ideals in interracial relationships onscreen. In some cases, these are works created by black women themselves.” – The New York Times
Blog
What’s Next For The Arts In Britain?
The director of the National Theatre and the Tate convened (by screen, natch) to figure it out. “At the beginning, it was shocking but people thought the crisis would last three weeks. Possibly six. Now we’re at a moment where we have to think about more than the recovery of individual institutions and our sectors. We’ve got to start thinking: how do we shape the world for the new normal? The pressures we’re under – financial, practical and emotional – mean we’ll not be the same on the other side.” – The Observer (UK)
John Macurdy, American Bass Who Sang More Than 1000 Performances At The Met, Has Died At 91
Macurdy’s rich voice and stage presence won him accolades over his 38-year career at the Met. “Though he achieved success in key roles like Gurnemanz in Wagner’s Parsifal, King Marke in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and Sarastro in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Mr. Macurdy proved essential to the house for his standout performances of supporting roles, including the Commendatore in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, which he sang 75 times at the Met; Daland in Wagner’s Der Fliegender Holländer; the King of Egypt in Verdi’s Aida; and many more.” – The New York Times
English Landscapes And Landmarks Inspired Important Spots In Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Ring
Perhaps that’s obvious, but a new book “will argue that many assumptions previously made about the origins of scenes from the sagas are wrong.” – The Observer (UK)
The Future Of Filmmaking
Some things may change until there’s a vaccine – constant testing, small pods of workers instead of a huge crew, no craft services table – but others, like board meetings by Zoom, are here to stay. Director/producer Frank Marshall; “I know there’s a future, I know we will get through this, but the big question is when.” – Los Angeles Times
A Song Criticizing A Politician Tops The Charts In Poland – And Moments Later, It’s Completely Disappeared
Kazik Staszewski is a rock legend in Poland, and his song, “Your Pain Is Better than Mine,” hit a chord last week – or perhaps too many chords when it hit number 1 on a popular show. “Within minutes of the show ending, the results disappeared from the website of the show’s state-run broadcaster. Mr. Staszewski’s anthem had vanished, along with the rest of the chart.” One of the radio station’s many now-resigned hosts says, “even the Communist regime had more respect for the freedom of speech at Trojka than the current government has.” – The New York Times
Turmoil And Rancor Strike The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, With Calls For The Board And Managing Director To Resign
The musicians asked to take a 50 percent pay cut. Instead, while two-thirds of the administrative staff stayed on with a 20 percent pay cut, “the board opted to temporarily stand down its musicians and put them on the federal government’s JobKeeper program in response to the financial impact of COVID-19.” The musicians are not fond of this plan. – Sydney Morning Herald
How Will The Coronavirus Shape Our Cities?
Honestly, we don’t know yet – but we do know that every past crisis has changed our urban lives and architecture. Some changes may be good, but others? Horrible to contemplate. Still: “If there is going to be a rebound, it’s not going to be in the rural areas. It’s going to be in the cities.” – The Guardian (UK)
Walter Dallas, The ‘Heartbeat’ Of Philadelphia Theatre For Decades, Has Died At 73
Dallas, who had pancreatic cancer, was a playwright, musician, teacher, and, most notably, a director. He led Philadelphia’s Freedom Theater, one of the nation’s pre-eminent African American theatres, for 16 years, and worked at New York’s Public Theater and Negro Company, among others, as he directed 25 world premieres. An actress who worked with him for three decades: “For him, joy was serious business, especially as a black man who had grown up in the segregated South. … An actor would start a passage and break into tears, and he would say: ‘There is power in sorrow and trauma, but there’s so much more power in digging deep and asking what brings you joy. Then the tears and the angst will come.’'” – The New York Times
Artist Boss Move: Befriending Your Thief
Not everyone’s first reaction, is it? But: “After two of her most prized paintings were stolen, Czech artist Barbora Kysilkova came face-to-face with thief Karl-Bertil Nordland in a courtroom. Rather than reprimand Nordland though, she asked him if she could paint his portrait.” – Vanity Fair