“Skylight Theatre, a Los Angeles theater company that prioritizes social issues, … [has] kicked off weekly plays from its writers lab set amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the [online] series will continue until Skylight can open its doors again.” The project has started with Christine Hamilton-Schmidt’s Our First Honest Conversation, about an estranged couple, separately sheltering in place, trying “to reignite a sexual spark using only words.” – Los Angeles Times
Blog
Bill Withers, 81
Withers broke out nationally with “Ain’t No Sunshine,” which he also wrote and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. Fueled by a melancholic groove and soulful vocal, it won the Grammy for Bests R&B son\g and launched a relatively brief but memorable career. – Deadline
Now Even Arthouse Movie Theaters Are Embracing Streaming Video
“Alamo Drafthouse, Film Forum and the Angelika are a few of the … theaters testing out the provisional path into [online streaming]. … Patrons can purchase a digital ticket, most of which cost around $12, giving them access to a link that is available for a few days.” – Variety
Guitarist And New York Jazz Institution Bucky Pizzarelli Dead Of COVID At 94
“[He] was revered for the technical aplomb that enabled him to combine intricate runs, full chordal accompaniment and even his own walking bass lines. His rock-solid rhythmic footing and broad harmonic understanding were hallmarks of a warmly understated style that always drew attention to the song he was playing, rather than the playing itself.” – NPR
Public Radio And TV Stations Are Having To Rework Their Underwriting Models — Fast
Cultural institutions and restaurants, whose revenue has been largely wiped out by the coronavirus epidemic, have been among the biggest underwriters of local public media outlets. Reporter Julian Wyllie looks into how several local stations are dealing with the sudden changes in their sponsors’, and their own, fortunes. – Current
Edinburgh Festivals’ Cancellation Could Devastate Labor Market Throughout City
Warning that there are up to five times as many jobs in the city indirectly affected by the festivals and the tourism industry as there are directly employed in them, the head of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce said, “We are already seeing quite a number of businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector fail. … I think we’ll see a second wave now.” – The Scotsman
Calgary Philharmonic Reverses Mass Layoff, Recalls Musicians And Staff
Let’s hope this is the start of a trend. “Two weeks after temporarily laying off staff and musicians, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra is offering them reduced hours. Everyone will be able to work 70 per cent of regular hours per week at home while the CPO is shut down.” – Calgary Herald
Museum Will Become Temporary Morgue As Ireland Braces For Coronavirus Deaths
“The Irish Museum of Modern Art … announced last week that it had been ‘requested to facilitate the construction of a temporary mortuary’ on its grounds as the ‘country prepares Public Health facilities to deal with Covid-19’.” – The Art Newspaper
Carnegie Hall Projects $9 Million Deficit, Cancels Everything Until Fall
“Carnegie Hall is projecting a $9 million operating deficit on its $104 million budget after canceling … all events in its auditoriums through July 25, roughly 30% of this season’s schedule. It has just under 400 full-time employees plus part-time staff and teaching artists. It has not decided whether layoffs will be needed.” – Yahoo! (AP)
This Is A Transition From One Era To Another
The era of peak globalisation is over. An economic system that relied on worldwide production and long supply chains is morphing into one that will be less interconnected. A way of life driven by unceasing mobility is shuddering to a stop. Our lives are going to be more physically constrained and more virtual than they were. A more fragmented world is coming into being that in some ways may be more resilient. – New Statesman