Zoom Is Adding A Performance Option

If you’ve used apps like Eventbrite and Meetup, what’s on offer here will be familiar. As an attendee, you’ll find a space where you can discover new workshops, classes and other events to attend. You’ll be able to take part in them directly through Zoom and pay for them using a credit card or PayPal account. You also have the option to gift OnZoom tickets to your friends and family members. – Engadget

Kurdish-Language Play In Istanbul Banned Just Hours Before Curtain

Beru, a Kurdish adaptation of Dario Fo’s 1981 satire Trumpets and Raspberries, was due to open at the city’s municipal theatre, marking the first time a Kurdish-language play had been staged in the institution’s 106-year history.” Turkey’s interior ministry tweeted that “a theatre play spreading the PKK terror organisation’s propaganda will [not] be allowed [in any language]”; one of the actors responded “The play by Dario Fo was performed in many languages all over the world. Why is it dangerous when it is in Kurdish?” – Middle East Eye

Is Playing In A Woodwind Quintet COVID-Safe? If You Do It Right, Yes, Says The Atlantic’s Resident Doctor

A reader writes to James Hamblin, a physician and the magazine’s medical writer, asking if it’s safe for her daughter’s quintet to practice in the backyard. Reviewing the evidence gathered so far, Hamblin responds, “Although there are no clearly documented cases of coronavirus transmission via woodwind, there is a lot of evidence of the benefit of kids studying musical instruments.” – The Atlantic

Investigation Clears Detroit Institute Of Arts Director Of Conflict Of Interest

“The inquiry by Crowell & Moring, hired by the DIA board, came after a June complaint by the nonprofit legal organization Whistleblower Aid was sent to the Internal Revenue Service and the Michigan attorney general. The complaint alleged conflict-of-interest violations tied to the loan of an El Greco painting to the museum by [director Salvador] Salort-Pons‘s father-in-law, Dallas businessman Alan M. May.” – The Detroit News

After Seven Dark Months, India’s Cinemas Are Open Again

“Nearly 10,000 theaters closed in mid-March following coronavirus restrictions. Now, they will become one of the last few public places to reopen outside high-risk areas. But they still pose some of the biggest infection risks: the virus can spread easily in closed spaces. To minimize the danger, seats are separated. Show timings will be staggered and digital payment encouraged. Masks and temperature checks are mandatory.” – The Hollywood Reporter

First-Ever National Award For Disabled Artists Launched By Ford And Mellon Foundations

“After a yearlong research study in conversation with disabled people, the initiative” — called Disability Futures — “has named 20 artists, filmmakers and journalists in its first class of fellows, each of whom will receive a grant of $50,000 administered by the arts funding group United States Artists. The 18-month initiative not only pledges financial support, but aims to foster a creative community across mediums and generations.” – The New York Times

Herbert Kretzmer, Who Wrote Lyrics For ‘Les Miz’, Dead At 95

A career newspaperman, he started as a film journalist in his native South Africa and went on to be a theatre and TV critic for two London tabloids; he moonlighted as a song lyricist, writing the words for “Goodness Gracious Me,” “Yesterday When I Was Young,” and Charles Aznavour’s “She.” Then came the offer to write the English adaptation of an old flop, a French musical version of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables — and, as he later said, “I was able to give up my day job at 61.” – Variety

How The UK’s Famous Drama Schools Are Responding To Calls For Systemic Change In Theatre

“For many, British drama schools are beacons of excellence, whose training has led to fulfilling careers, but for others they have become symbols of all that is wrong with British theatre. The heads of some of the UK’s most prestigious schools speak to Lyn Gardner about finding the balance between tradition and change.” – The Stage