Steppenwolf Announces New Online Productions As It Cancels Stage Plays Until October

The offerings, open only to subscribers, include a “virtual reading” of a new adaptation of Chekhov’s Seagull (available May 14-27); a radio-play version of Arthur Miller’s The American Clock, directed by Austin Pendleton and featuring John Malkovich, Joan Allen, and Laurie Metcalf (June); and Tarell Alvin McCraney’s In the Red and Brown Water, directed by Tina Landau (July). – Chicago Tribune

Germano Celant, Curator Who Launched Italy’s Arte Povera Movement, Dead Of COVID At 79

“In 1967,[he] wrote a lasting page in art history when, as a 27-year-old curator in Genoa, he mounted an exhibition of five young Italian artists making provisional assemblages of humble materials, which he grouped under the term Arte Povera (‘poor art’). These artists, including Alghiero Boetti, Jannis Kounellis and Luciano Fabro, bridled against the conventions of the Italian academies (and American Pop art), and made a virtue of simple everyday objects: melted wax, rusting iron, fallen leaves, ground coffee, even horses munching hay.” – The New York Times

PA Governor Freezes All State Arts Grants For Rest Of Year

“Facing his own burgeoning budget problems, Gov. Tom Wolf has directed some state agencies to rescind grant money previously awarded to arts groups. The decision surfaced Monday when numerous cultural organizations received an email from [the] executive director of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts … [saying that] “the PCA can no longer guarantee completion of processing for current year grant awards.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

This Theatre Festival Moved Itself Online Without Cancellations Or Posting Old Shows

Kate Craddock, founder and director of the Gateshead International Festival of Theatre in northeastern England, “is keen to point out this isn’t just about taking a stash of pre-recorded work and sticking it online. Rather it’s a ticketed and carefully curated festival [May 1-3] that aims to connect audiences and artists from across the globe in real-time theatrical encounters, one-on-one experiences, workshops and panel discussions. There’s even a virtual cocktail lounge for small talk and martinis.” – The Stage

How Asia’s Theatrical Powerhouse Has Kept Shows Running Through The Pandemic

“South Korea, which has a burgeoning theatre economy with a size and scale to rival the West End, has become the big player in Asia. … Its theatres were given the choice, rather than demanded, to close. A 15-day quarantine restriction has been applied to any theatre that remained open if a member of the audience or company develops COVID-19 symptoms, with a system in place to quickly contact and test all attendees and staff.” – The Stage