The Life & Death of Alexander Litvinenko, with music by Anthony Bolton and a libretto by Kit Hesketh-Harvey based on the book Death of a Dissident by Litvinenko’s widow, premieres this July at Grange Park Opera in England. Reporter Mark Brown talks to Marina Litvinenko, Anthony Bolton, and Grange Park director Wasfi Kani. – The Guardian
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Just In Time For Coronavirus? Video Conferencing Is Getting A Makeover
From virtual backgrounds to hide the dirty dished in your sink to AI-powered smoothing of video over iffy connections, video-conferencing services are trying to make the experience more vivid and reliable. – Wired
More And More Men Are Dancing On Pointe
And it’s not just the Trockaderos and Cinderella’s mean stepsisters, either. Gilbert Bolden of New York City Ballet, James Whiteside of ABT, Bennet Gartside of The Royal Ballet, and Raffaele Morra of (yes) the Trocks talk about how and why guys dance on their toes. – Dance Spirit
Director Says Apple Won’t Let Its Products Be used By Bad Guys In Movies
Knives Out and The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has said that Apple won’t let the bad guys in movies use iPhones. “Apple… they let you use iPhones in movies but — and this is very pivotal if you’re ever watching a mystery movie — bad guys cannot have iPhones on camera.” – The Verge
Arts Venues Is Britain May Be Required By Law To Protect Against Terrorism
“Home Office officials are to launch a consultation on legally forcing organisations to increase physical security at venues and train staff to respond to terrorist attacks, as well as putting in place incident response plans – and how failure to comply would be enforced.” – The Guardian
Anne Midgette: The Placido Domingo Case
“Domingo is, indeed, irreplaceable — because the world no longer has a place for this particular kind of artist, who has done so much to help the field and so much to harm it. And it may well be that without him, the field loses some of its patrons, and some of its funding. It may be, indeed, that the institution of opera fundamentally changes — which is something we should all aspire to if we want this intoxicating, bizarre, glorious art form to continue to be vital, now and in the future.” – The New Beat
After 23 Years, The Team That Created ‘How I Learned To Drive’ Brings It To Broadway
Laura Collins-Hughes talks to playwright Paula Vogel, director Mark Brokaw, and actors Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse talk about the original 1997 Off-Broadway production and why they’ve always wanted to reunite and return to the play. – The New York Times
Lisel Mueller, Who Turned The Pain Of Fleeing The Nazis Into Award-Winning Verse, Dead At 96
“[She] fled Hitler’s Germany as a teenager and became a [multiple-]prize-winning poet in the United States, drawing on her family history for lyrical works about love, art, nature and loss, acknowledging pain even as she looked outward with joy.” – The Washington Post
Has Anything Really Changed In Hollywood Since The Harvey Weinstein Case Broke? Actually, Yes
“Structural problems, such as Hollywood’s persistent lack of women in positions of power and key creative roles, will take years to adequately address. Still, on top of the specific changes to industry practices, advocates say there’s a strong sense that the underlying standards of behavior toward women in the industry have changed in significant ways.” Here are five ways in which progress has been real. – Los Angeles Times
‘Simpsons’ Actor Hank Azaria Explains Why He Won’t Do The Voice Of Apu Anymore
“Once I realized that that was the way this character was thought of, I just didn’t want to participate in it anymore. … The character of Apu was done with love and pride and the best of intentions. My message is, things can be done with really good intentions and have negative consequences.” – The New York Times