Author: Matthew Westphal

Britain’s National Theatre Has Been Closed For Six Months, But What’s Left Of Its Staff Has Been Working Hard

“Rufus Norris, the theater’s artistic director, has been spending his time lobbying Britain’s government for extra funding and putting together a reopening plan. Its digital team has been running NT at Home, a streaming service of recorded plays from the theater’s archive, some of which have been viewed millions of times. Other staff members have been working out how to run the theater in a world changed by the coronavirus. Even the theater’s pest controller has been busy.” Seven of those staffers, including Norris, talk about what it’s been like. – The New York Times

‘Confederate Monuments’ In The Arts: What Do We Do With Once-Admired Works That Now Seem Unacceptable?

“Simple public [statues are] one thing. Real art is complicated. An artwork, such as a film or play, an opera or a pop song, can contain many ideas, some that we may endorse wholeheartedly, others that we might argue about, and still others that we might all find repellent, offensive or even painful. Thus, [ten Chronicle writers] look at some of the ‘Confederate monuments’ in various arts disciplines and ask: What should be our response?” – San Francisco Chronicle

Joffrey Ballet Cancels All Of Its 2020-21 Season

“The Joffrey said that the decision, sparked by the COVID-19 crisis, will cost the non-profit institution in excess of $9 million at the box office. … [The company] also announced a new virtual programming initiative, the Joffrey Studio Series, … [and] said it was beginning a new ’25 for 25,’ a year-long series of ‘free performances, programs, and partnerships with peer organizations’ from around the city, celebrating 25 years since the company arrived in Chicago.” – Yahoo! (Chicago Tribune)

Whitney Biennial Postponed Until 2022

The enormous contemporary art show that had been planned for next spring was put off for the sake of the artists themselves (the pandemic has interfered with their access to materials and studio space) as well as to make room in 2021 for the major shows — of work by Julie Mehretu, Salman Toor, Dawood Bey, and the Kamoinge Workshop — that had been scheduled for this year and for the big Jasper Johns retrospective. – The New York Times

$5 Million From Mellon Foundation To Support Black Theaters

“The initiative, known as The Black Seed, is described as the first national strategic plan to provide financial support for Black theaters across the country. It is backed by a $5 million lead gift from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; … according to a news release, [it] is the largest-ever one-time investment in Black theater.” – The New York Times

Open Letter From Hollywood Begs Congress To Save U.S. Cinemas

“Dozens of established filmmakers joined with the Directors Guild of America, the National Association of Theatre Owners and the Motion Picture Association to urge Congress to come to the aid of movie theaters devastated by COVID-19. ‘Absent a solution designed for their circumstances, theaters may not survive the impact of the pandemic,’ the letter warns.” (full text included) – Deadline

The One Patriotic Song That Unites All Americans (Good Thing Most Folks Don’t Know Its History)

“A sharp little scene [in Mrs. America] points out how two political opponents could both relate to [Woody] Guthrie’s generous vision of the US, but it also raises a crucial question about the significance of a song so famous that it has been described as an ‘alternative national anthem’. Not knowing about the story behind the song may make it universal, but is that at the cost of diluting it?” – BBC