“Hamilton brought a boost. The Lion King provided ballast. … Broadway seems to be defying the cultural odds: An ancient art form in the digital age, it is strengthening thanks to an ever-increasing influx of tourists and a resurgent enthusiasm for musical theater.”
Category: AUDIENCE
In 2016, People Seem To Want More Books – And More Bookstores
Judy Blume “doesn’t have to write because, at 78, she has embarked on a new career: she’s an independent bookseller. Together with her husband, George Cooper, she has opened a small, nonprofit bookshop in Key West, Florida, where she’s working almost every day. And she’s loving it.”
This Week In Audience: Audience Blackmail Edition 05.22.16
TV and movies are shape-shifting. How to ruin a critic? Make her worry about the art. And is that what happened to jazz? | Why are we fascinated by a dancing football star? And is it fair to blackmail audiences who want “Hamilton tickets?
What Separates Film From TV, Really?
“The nature of visual storytelling has changed and the lines that once clearly divided film from television or, for that matter, broadcast television from cable, cable from streaming, streaming from Internet, are fading, often to nonexistence.”
‘Jazz Shouldn’t Be Something People Do As A Painful Process Of Cultural Education’
Ted Gioia talks to Scott Timberg: “Jazz shouldn’t be a kind of nutritional supplement. … This music is exciting. … In every step of its evolution jazz shook up things, and not just the music world, it shook up the culture.”
Are Cultural Organizations Really Reaching Low-Income Visitors? A Look At The Numbers
Colleen Dilenschneider: “Data suggest that some types of cultural organizations are perceived as more welcoming than others. Here’s how we could do better.”
What Do Regular Folks Who Visit The Barnes Foundation Think? (That’s What Dr. Barnes Cared About)
“Barnes (1872-1951) feuded with the art establishment of his day and disliked most art historians and academic aestheticians. It was the unschooled lover of art he welcomed to his great art collection grounds in Lower Merion.” Now that his collection has been in central Philadelphia for four years, “in Barnes’ egalitarian spirit, we asked visitors, ‘What do you like the most – and why?'” (includes video)
More Favorites From Visitors To The Barnes Foundation
“Matt Hanczaryk, 39, a South Philly self-described recovering Catholic and indiscriminate existentialist, says: ‘I was walking around the galleries like I was in a beautiful funeral, then I saw her and it woke me from that reverie.'”
Is Snapchat The Closest Thing (On Our Phones) To Pure Emotional Communication?
“This is not to say that text is irredeemable. A significant humanization of our text interactions happened quietly in 2011, when emoji were introduced as part of an Apple iOS software update. They offered a palette of punctuation that clarified intent. Tacking on emoji like hearts, skulls, grins and bugged-out eyes to a short message made it infinitely easier to confidently project sarcasm, humor, grief and love across a medium that had been, until then, emotionally arid.”
Yes, We Need Shocking Theatre – But In Limited Doses
Michael Billington: “Several recent experiences have led me to believe there is a vital distinction to be made between the moral awakening that comes from shock and the visceral impact of unmitigated horror.” (E.g., King Lear versus Titus Andronicus)