Tag: 06.01.20

Report: One In Eight Museums Worldwide Won’t Reopen

According to ICOM, out of the 1,600 international museums that were surveyed, 13 percent reported that they had plans to close permanently, and another 19.2 percent said the future of their museums were uncertain. As for the museums that reported they would open their doors again, 83 percent said that they would reopen with reduced programming. – Travel and Leisure

Writers Are Having To Change Their In-Progress Books To Reflect COVID-19 Epidemic

“‘I can’t make my characters exist without interaction,” [one novelist] says. ‘While, for instance, I can edit out cheek kisses because this may no longer seem the norm, my characters need to meet, to row, to fight, to make love – and in a thriller, to murder. There will be insufficiently little exciting plot, in other words, if they can’t interact as they did pre-Covid.'” – The Guardian

Why Regional Theatre Matters

The loss of any regional theatre, whether it is Nuffield Southampton announcing it has gone into administration or the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh taking the painful decision to hibernate until next spring, is an immediate tragedy for that local community. But it has consequences beyond the immediate loss of art, including the damage done to the social fabric of that place and the local economy. – The Stage (UK)

How Pro Dancers Can Make TikTok Work For Them

“It’s paradoxical but true: On TikTok, a platform driven largely by dance, people with little to no dance background are becoming megastars — and highly-trained dancers can seem like fish out of water. … But with canceled performances creating more free time for dancers, TikTok can be a great way to keep performing and stay engaged with an audience. We spoke with four pros who’ve built large followings on the app about how trained dancers can find TikTok success.” – Dance Spirit

How Creativity Works

Creativity can seem like a tool for solving problems: We need a new word for the ocean! But creativity doesn’t just solve problems; it also makes or discovers new problems to solve. Hundreds of years ago, nobody knew the old words for ocean weren’t cutting it, until someone said “whale-road.” And everyone was like, “Wow! It is a whale-road!” Creativity always hides itself — it makes itself disappear. – The New York Times

Hollywood Unions And Studios Finally Agree On COVID Safety Guidelines For Restarting Production

A 22-page white paper with dozens of requirements and recommendations, delivered to Govs. Gavin Newsom (CA) and Andrew Cuomo (NY) as well as the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, was drawn up by a 50-member committee with representatives of studios, the trade guilds, and the unions SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, DGA, and the Teamsters. – Variety

Despite Pandemic Lockdowns And COVID In Its Company, ‘Phantom Of The Opera’ World Tour Keeps Running

Performances are canceled and theaters are dark all around the world, but the long-touring Broadway production of Phantom has continued to fill a 1,600-seat house in Seoul for eight shows a week. The show even survived a three-week hiatus after some cast members contracted coronavirus. “The musical … is believed to be the only large-scale English-language production running anywhere in the world. And it has remained open not through social-distancing measures — a virtual impossibility in the theater, either logistically or financially, many say — but an approach grounded in strict hygiene.” – The New York Times

Nelson-Atkins Museum Caught In Protests Controversy After Kansas City Police Use Its Grounds As Staging Area

This past Friday night, as the KCPD prepared to confront people demonstrating against police violence in Minneapolis and elsewhere, security guards on duty at the closed museum agreed to police requests to park squad cars there — and the Nelson-Atkins got some harsh criticism online when photos of those police cars hit social media. Museum director Julián Zugazagoitia says that when he found out about this after midnight, he asked the KCPD to vacate: “It is exactly the opposite of what the Nelson stands for, what the museum stands for, what we want to do as work and what we have been doing as work.” – KCUR (Kansas City)

Amid Protests Over George Floyd’s Death, Smithsonian’s African-American Museum Launches Online Portal To Look At Race In The U.S.

“‘Talking About Race‘ is a Web-based initiative that uses videos, role-playing exercises and question-based activities to explore the origins and definitions of race and identity. Built on the museum’s long-standing educational work, the project was released Sunday to respond to the current crisis, according to [the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s] director of teaching and learning.” – The Washington Post