“In Heliópolis, one of São Paulo’s largest favelas, the trial of a black youth agitates the community, which argues for his innocence. In a train heading to Jardim Romano, an audio brings the history of the region to the passengers’ ears, and culminates with a final point: the rains and flooding. In the very south of the city, the body of a dead person is reanimated with Brazilian funk music. These three stories, told in three stage plays, are representative of the theatre scene that has exploded in São Paulo in recent years.” – Global Voices
Tag: 07.02.19
Star Immersive Art Collective Meow Wolf Sued For Gender Discrimination And Unfair Labor Practices
“Two former employees of Santa Fe-based immersive arts and entertainment company Meow Wolf allege in a new lawsuit they were subjected to discrimination and unfair pay practices, and then wrongfully fired after bringing complaints to senior staff. … [They] also are seeking to have their case recognized as a class action, representing more than 50 female workers of Meow Wolf the women say have been affected by unfair labor practices since 2017.” – Santa Fe New Mexican
Listening To The World: How Our Taste Is Being Reprogrammed
Beyond obscuring labor, the switch to digital has reprogrammed our discovery and consumption of music. Despite the seemingly unprecedented supply of music, Damon Krukowski suggests that internet companies, like Spotify and Amazon, “are replacing the freedom and chaos of the internet at large, with the control and predictability of their programs.” In other words, they generally provide access to art that we are or would be comfortable with, and they otherwise restrict or obscure alternatives. “When you go into a bookstore, or record store, or library—any physical space devoted to information,” Krukowski writes, “you enter another world . . . But when you open a browser—it’s an irony that’s the word, isn’t it?—that relationship to information is reversed. It conforms to you.” – The Baffler
This Summer’s Surprise Theatre Hit: The Mueller Report
This month alone, there will be live readings of the report from theatre companies in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., starring actors like Alfred Molina and Harry Groener. – American Theatre
Woody Allen Directs Opera At La Scala
He’s directing “Gianni Schicchi.” Along with the La Scala opera, a Milan museum is launching an Allen retrospective of his films. Placido Domingo encouraged him to direct the opera, he said. – New York Post
Life As A Dancer In Khamenei’s Iran
Writing under a pseudonym, an Iranian woman who studies and practices traditional Persian dance describes both the art form and attempts to preserve and perform in in today’s Islamic Republic. – Dance Magazine
What Theatre Critics Deal With, In The U.S. And Elsewhere
Wendy Rosenfield travels to the International Association of Theatre Critics gathering in Montpellier, shares stories with colleagues, and realizes how much she didn’t know. – Broad Street Review (Philadelphia)
How ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ (And A Scheming New York Phil Board Member) Got The Boston Symphony’s Conductor Sent To An Internment Camp
Alex Ross recounts the story of Karl Muck, the elegant former director of Kaiser Wilhelm’s Berlin Court Opera, who came to the BSO in 1906 and was there for an unfortunate decision, shortly after the U.S. entered World War I, not to play the American national anthem before a concert. – The New Yorker
Hong Kong’s Artists And The Protests Against The Extradition Law
As one gallerist put it, “With this extradition law, however, the firewall protecting our freedom of expression is effectively removed and everybody falls into self-censorship. One would worry if their art will be deemed politically charged or in violation of mainland laws.” And an artist marching in the protests said simply, “If this law is approved, then Hong Kong and China will be just the same.” – Artsy
Houston Post Office To Be Converted To Sprawling Arts Complex (With A Rooftop Farm/Garden)
Called POST, the new complex will feature arts and music venues, entertainment spaces, creative workspaces, dining and shops. – dezeen