And it’s called, uh, Booxby. (Seriously, tech bros?) “Its new search portal asks you to input a book you liked, then it provides (fiction-only) recommendations based on the writing style of that book.” – LitHub
Author: ArtsJournal2
In Pandemic-Inspired Theatre, The Critic Can Also Be The Audience, And The Star
Says one critic of the Dutch Kills Theatre Company’s Temping: “‘Seen’ is wrong — there’s no audience, live or otherwise — but ‘done’ is right. The audience member does everything, including, if your brain works like mine does, thinking about what you’re going to wear on your first day.” – The New York Times
Musicians From Mali Offer Some Advice For Getting Through Tough Times
While the shutdowns across the world created some opportunities for musicians to rest, pause in endless touring, and recuperate from years of relentless work, it’s also caused some major challenges. “We just keep surfing on the waves — see what’s gonna happen next day, what’s gonna happen next day, next month.” – NPR
Indian Acting Legend Soumitra Chatterjee, 85
Chatterjee had a six-decade career in Bengali language films and worked with Oscar-winner Satyajit Ray. His death is from complications of Covid-19. “Pauline Kael … called Chatterjee Ray’s ‘one-man stock company’ who moved ‘so differently in the different roles he plays that he is almost unrecognisable.'” – BBC
Why Is There No Smithsonian For Latinx History?
In 1994, a report called “Willful Neglect” called for change. And yet, here we are. “The need for this museum cannot be overstated, particularly now. Latinos are the second-largest ethnic and racial group in the country, and yet our diversity and complexity remains misunderstood.” – The New York Times
People Are Really Tired Of Cooking For Themselves During The Pandemic
Turns out humans of the 21st century, who turned in droves to exciting new recipes and, of course, baking at the beginning of the pandemic, are quite tired of doing all of the work they used to offload onto restaurant workers. Also, there’s this: “The pleasure of cooking food for friends and family or hosting dinner parties is gone.” – NPR
How Cities Will Change, Permanently, Post-Covid
Abandoned office towers. Empty subway cars. Shuttered cafés. And the absolute gutting of services for urban workers. “Since the remote workers will not all return, North America is liable to see a ‘labour-market Armageddon—the loss of tens of millions of urban service jobs.'” – MacLean’s (Canada)
Turning The Kirk Douglas Theatre Into A Center For Filming Streaming Plays Wasn’t Easy
Just ask production manager Christopher Reardon, who worked with playwright Luis Alfaro and his retold/set in L.A. Greek trilogy of play to turn them into this stage-to-screen event. “As great as it was to return to the theater, it was scary, too. … Everybody is overjoyed, but in this weird mental place of always being on edge.” – Los Angeles Times
Steve McQueen Wants To Write (And Direct) Black British People Back Into The Historical Narrative
McQueen’s Small Axe series is “unprecedented” for the BBC – it covers Black British life from what one might call the time period so far covered by The Crown, which is notably missing Black and Asian actors, to put it mildly. McQueen: “We are missing from the conversation. We are missing from the narrative. And to me that is weird. Not to see yourself or any aspects of ordinary life that reflect your experiences of growing up in Britain, that is just plain weird.” – The Observer (UK)
Lauren Anderson Is Thinking About ‘Nutcracker’ In A Season Devoid Of Live Shows
The ballerina danced with the Houston Ballet for years (and now is a program manager in its education department). “I’ll never forget seeing my first Sugar Plum Fairy. Standing there, I’m looking through a stairway that’s part of a set for the party scene. I remember looking through the rungs of that stairway into the light at the Sugar Plum Fairy and wanting to be her. So, I got to retire as the Sugar Plum Fairy. There’s a picture of a Mother Ginger Child looking through the rungs of the stairway as I’m the Sugar Plum Fairy. I was just like, that was me 40 years ago.” – Texas Highways