03.18.18 – ArtsJournal Wayback

Why Don’t American Playwrights Today Ever Write About Labor Unions?

“Why are unions off-limits? For the same reason corporate boardrooms and the 1% who haunt them are usually left out of the dramatic picture. A fear of looking at the ‘invisible’ levers of power in the real world, a reluctance to invite charges of being didactic, and anxiety about alienating audience members and the moneyed classes (bankers, corporate leaders, lawyers, etc) who fund or support performance events.” Bill Marx focuses on the issue – and on one new play that deals with it (partly).

The Next-Gen Ticket?

It could be an early sign that the days of the barcode are numbered as technological improvements allow companies to replace them with more secure digital tickets with codes embedded in a fan’s phone or a Wi-Fi connected wristband that lets them track consumers for both security and data-collection purposes.

A Longtime Cirque Du Soleil Performer Fell And Died During A Performance In Florida

“While he was performing an aerial straps number, long-time aerialist Yann Arnaud fell onto the stage, a Cirque du Soleil representative said in a statement. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he died from his injuries.”

Bomb Threat Cancels A Concert In Austin, At SXSW

Austin, which has been struck by a series of handmade bombs in the last few weeks, is on edge, so when the promotion company Live Nation said it had gotten an emailed bomb threat, the police took it seriously. They “scoured the area around the Fair Market venue, where a ‘Bud Light x The Roots & Friends Jam’ showcase was scheduled for that evening, and found no threat. But Bud Light opted to cancel the event.” A suspect for the threat (but not for the other bombs) was later arrested.

What’s It Like To Live In Grant Wood’s ‘American Gothic’ House?

This is part of what it’s like: “By day, a steady stream of tourists came, posing for pictures (and peeking in the windows) dressed in the free costumes provided by the visitor center — calico smocks with cameos, overalls and black jackets, even the spectacles — and wielding pitchforks of all sizes. They brought their own props, which included a prized Harley Davidson, a fleet of Stanley steam cars, and a herd of llamas. It was the centerpiece of a Klingon calendar shoot, a bare-chested rock band’s album cover, a marriage proposal, a family reunion — a gamut of creativity daily.”

The Quest To Preserve Stephen Hawking’s Voice

A man who worked on the technology of Hawking’s voice synthesizer in 1986 got a call in 2014 about saving the tech. “In nearly 30 years, he had never switched to newer technology. Hawking liked the voice just the way it was, and had stubbornly refused other options. But now the hardware was showing wear and tear. If it failed entirely, his distinctive voice would be lost to the ages.” This is the story of the quest to save it all.

Publishing: Adapt Or Die

Sharmaine Lovegrove, the woman who opened the first English-language bookstore in Berlin when she couldn’t get any hold in London, returned to Britain 20 years later – only to be met with a depressing reality. “It felt like we had gone backwards. The publishing industry has utterly failed to tell the stories of people across society, having told talented, diverse writers for decades that there was no space for them, and expecting a largely white, predominantly middle-class staff to be pardoned for not ‘being woke enough’ because of their ‘privilege,’ which only now seems to embarrass them.” So, of course, she’s doing something about it.

Tag: 03.18.18