Paris without tourists looks and feels different – and is a reminder of other traumatic times. “In this stage-set Paris, the monuments still brilliantly illuminated, it is easy to imagine an earlier time when the city streets were quiet: the German occupation. Photographs from that period show empty streets, solitary pedestrians, and grand monuments jarringly out of sync with the humiliated city. Like now, lines of grim-faced customers stretch from the few open stores.” – The New York Times
Tag: 04.24.20
To Postpone Literary Prizes, Or To Go Virtual?
That is the question. The Booker delayed its prize not because it couldn’t have a virtual ceremony, but because book distribution is in a bit of a crisis right now. “According to a statement, the award will be delayed until later in the northern summer to ensure that readers are able to get hold of copies of the shortlisted books.” Uh, yes please. – Sydney Morning Herald
A Traveling Theatre Troupe In Japan, Ground To A Halt By Nothing Ever
Though the troupe has cut back on performances, it’s still going (Japan has encouraged people to stay home, but hasn’t shut down places like theatres – at the time of writing this post): “Gekidan Miyama has been entertaining audiences for over a century, persisting, as Nakamura says, through earthquakes and typhoons, but also managing to come back after a world war.” Can it, will it, survive Covid-19? – Japan Times
MGM Has Laid Off 7 Percent Of Its Remaining Workforce
In another Hollywood blow, the studio laid off about 50 of its remaining staff – and made those cuts permanent. “We are reconfiguring certain divisions of the studio to allow MGM to operate more effectively in a changing media landscape, both during this pandemic, and beyond.” (The “and beyond” is the ominous part.) – Los Angeles Times
Why We Have The Makeover Urge From Quarantine
No one has actually studied mass makeovers during a prolonged global pandemic—we’re in uncharted territory here—but people like Christopher Oldstone-Moore think there’s much to glean from personal expressions of the past. – Wired
New Data On Impact Of The Pandemic On Artists
About 11,000 of the Artist Relief applicants completed a survey co-sponsored by the nonprofit advocacy group Americans for the Arts. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed said they are now unemployed (a number that rose to 67% for California respondents), and 80% do not yet have a plan for how to recover from the crisis. On average, these artists estimated that their annual income will decline by more than $27,000. – Los Angeles Times
Live Drive-In Opera Is Coming To London
English National Opera is planning to stage two classics on the grounds of the Alexandra Palace in North London, with singers and orchestral players spaced at least six feet apart and the audience in cars or on motorcycles or bikes. And if it works, ENO may take the concept around the country. – The Guardian