There are about 30 of these tiny theatres in the city, and they seat 25 to 50 people and can run as small as 170 square feet. And they, along with every other private sector venue, have to pay a 3.5% sales tax on every ticket. But that money goes into a fund to assist members of a 58-theatre association that refuses to admit the smallest companies. — The Stage
Tag: 02.04.19
Unfair Comparisons: Social Media Leads Us To Compare Ourselves To Everyone. It’s Exhausting! (And Not Good For Us)
“We are outnumbered and out-posted by other people and it can make us feel unequivocally terrible if we let it. It’s never been easier to be insecure about ourselves and our achievements thanks to the ever-present torrent of ‘updates’ posted by mostly well-meaning people seeking opportunities for connection and validation.” – The Conversation
Liam Neeson Knows The Story About His Racist Revenge Fantasy Is Appalling. That’s Why He Told It
“It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that … It’s awful. But I did learn a lesson from it. I understand that need for revenge, but it just leads to more revenge, to more killing and more killing.” — The New York Times
Orlando Ballet Asks Its Customers Flat-Out If They’re Willing To Pay Extra For Live Music
“A survey from the ballet has been arriving in email inboxes with only two questions for recipients: ‘How much does live music affect your decision to purchase tickets to Orlando Ballet?’ and ‘Would you be willing to pay a small increase in ticket prices for a performance with live music?'” — Orlando Sentinel
Bollywood Releases Its First Lesbian Love Story
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (roughly, “I felt something when I saw that girl”) isn’t the first-ever lesbian movie from India — Deepa Mehta’s indie film Fire came out in 1996 (and extremists burned down a few theatres that showed it) — but it’s the first to come from the big Bollywood studio system, and its cast features some of India’s biggest stars. Sharan Dhaliwal writes about seeing the film with other Indian queer folks. — The Guardian
An ‘Unbearable Act Of Cultural Delinquency’: Young Adult Book Fair In Paris Slammed For Using Too Much English
“The proliferation of English words on display at the book fair, where the ‘scène YA’ was set to feature ‘Le Live’, a ‘Bookroom’, a ‘photobooth’ and a ‘bookquizz’, spurred around 100 French writers into action, among them three winners of the country’s Goncourt prize … [to issue] a scalding rebuke to organisers over their use of that ‘sub-English known as globish’.” — The Guardian
An Anti-Commercial Theatre Ad For Skittles That Mocks Super Bowl Ads
This year, the candy company Mars expanded their reach considerably with a (still pretty limited) one-night-only show in New York starring Michael C. Hall called Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical. While proceeds from Sunday’s performance are going to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the production is a commentary on Super Bowl advertising and product placement that is, itself, a feature-length advertisement full of product placement. Even if you didn’t get a ticket, you can listen to the songs (and four minutes of Hall noisily eating candy, if that’s your thing). – Slate
Study Of History Has Declined Sharply. What’s The Consequence?
“A nation whose citizens have no knowledge of history is asking to be led by quacks, charlatans, and jingos.” – The New Yorker
Endless Lurid Speculation Over Leonardo Painting (Is It Or Isn’t It, Etc) Says Much About Our Current Art World
“The basic truth of all Salvator Mundi stories is less exciting; it is an important painting with a solid connection to Leonardo da Vinci, and many rich people want to own it. Its delayed appearance at Louvre Abu Dhabi most likely reflects Middle Eastern politics. But facts seem no longer to matter with the picture. Maybe this determination to speculate reveals nothing more than our fascination with all things Leonardo, but I suspect it is also because his accessibility makes it possible for everyone to have an opinion on his art.” – The Art Newspaper
Is it time to resurrect the artistic leader discretionary fund?
After decades of watching the nonprofit professional theater sector play musical chairs with leadership positions, a number of top posts have gone to women, or people of color, or others who, though mid-career in many cases, are taking the helm of an institution for the first time. I am advocating for a genuine discretionary fund that says, “Welcome to your new job! We don’t care how you choose to spend this money, we are backing you.” — Diane Ragsdale