Tag: 05.20.20

René Buch, Who Established Professional Spanish-Language Theater In New York, Dead At 94

“[He was] a co-founder and the artistic director of Repertorio Español, … [which since 1968] has reimagined Spanish classics and offered contemporary work by Latin and Latin American playwrights, always in Spanish, performed repertory-style. … And he liked to say that the playwrights of the Spanish Golden Age — Cervantes et al. — should be as well known here as Shakespeare.” – The New York Times

Only In France? A Traveling Drive-In Art Film Festival

The Drive-In Festival, conceived by a small group of French movie execs, shows one title a day (“popular director-driven films” rather than “blockbusters or new releases”) for a week, charging €10 for adults and €5 for children, then moves to the next city. The proceeds go to distributors and closed cinemas in each locale; they’re happy, but the national exhibitors’ association is objecting. – Variety

Just What Was The “Sweating Sickness” In Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell Trilogy?

“It was known in Cromwell’s time as sudor anglicus, meaning the ‘English sweat,’ and there were five outbreaks of it in England, the first in 1485 and the last in 1551. Victims did, in fact, often die within hours of their first symptoms, developing a high fever and ‘copious malodorous sweating.’ … Because the disease killed so swiftly, and because it had other peculiar features — it seemed mainly to affect English people, even when it travelled across borders, and it was particularly infectious among wealthy young men — superstitions abounded.” – The New Yorker

Bill T. Jones May Be Just The Choreographer For The Age Of COVID

“”This is my second plague,” he said he told his company recently. ‘I know it’s kind of a coarse thing to say. They’re different, but they have things in common.’ Yes, the circumstances of the coronavirus are different, but there’s a sense that the dance world, which suffered tremendous losses during the AIDS crisis, has been through this all before. … [And Jones] is looking exactly like an artist with the experience and wisdom to help others navigate the present moment.” – The New York Times

70% Of Audience Would Rather See New Movies At Home Than At A Theater: Study

“The results — from a survey of roughly 1,000 people in mid-May by sports and events analytics firm Performance Research, in partnership with Full Circle Research Co. — point to just how steep a climb the entertainment industry has in front of it to win back public perception that it’s safe to attend, and spend money on, public events again.” – Variety

Orchestra Musicians Face No Increased Risk Of Transmitting Coronavirus While Playing, Finds Study

If, that is, the players remain one meter apart, per current regulations. The research, commissioned by the Vienna Philharmonic and carried out earlier this month, “involved members of the orchestra each being fitted with an aerosol device inside their noses, which spayed a fine mist into their lungs. They were then placed in front of a black canvas and very brightly lit from the front, then photographed while playing. This made it possible to view the mist and the extent to which it travelled in the air.” – The Strad