“The vivid world of make-believe people is for children only. (If you’re not convinced of the ubiquity of this assumption, just imagine the water-cooler conversation that would ensue if a co-worker casually let slip, “I spent my lunch break imagining how a young girl I dreamt up might respond to being lost in a foreign country.”) It may be considered acceptable for an adult to play video games or fantasy baseball…but evidently in order to become functional adults each of us must renounce our personal Puff the Magic Dragon.”
Tag: 06.05.17
Does Traditional Theatre Marketing Undersell Non-Traditional Theatre?
“Do traditional marketing methods do justice to and serve the product? As the commercial Broadway musical further diversifies and pushes boundaries in terms of form and content, so should our attitude and behaviour in marketing them.”
If The Globalization Of Writing Is So Great, Why Are People Attacking It?
“If the argument for globalism is so water-tight and damn-near irreproachable, why in the area of literature does one find so many supposedly progressive voices constantly bashing the very books that come out of the cauldron of heterogeneity? Why, in other words, are those from the intellectual class so quick to assume the mantle of the God of Genesis, impugning works that should be celebrated for either depicting or inhabiting the qualities of our modern world?”
Here’s Why Some People Are Fascinated By Gross Internet Videos
“Dr. Pimple Popper” (a California dermatologist), for instance, has well over 2 million YouTuibe subscribers. “There’s actually a psychological explanation for loving these videos – or at least voluntarily watching more of them.” Katherine Ellen Foley explains this intersection between disgust and curiosity.
Turkey’s First (And Only) Queer Choir Keeps Hope Alive Through Erdoğan’s Crackdown
“The small coastal city of Mersin … is one of the last places you would expect to find Turkey’s first and only LGBTQ choir, but that choir is on the front lines of the fight for LGBTQ and other minority rights in the country of 80 million.”
Should Arts Groups Continue Accepting Funding From Big Oil?
As Philip Kennicott argues forcefully that money from the arch-conservative, climate change-denying Koch brothers is by now irredeemably tainted, Lyn Gardner looks at the ongoing arguments over arts sponsorship by BP: “Whenever the cultural sector is benefiting from cash injections, the question must be asked: although it may bring benefits to our theatre and audience, is there a price for this sponsorship that is being paid by someone else, somewhere else?”
Dakota Leaders Reconsider Whether To Burn ‘Scaffold’ Sculpture
“The four-day public dismantling of Sam Durant’s sculpture Scaffold, overseen by Dakota traditional and spiritual leaders, is nearly complete in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, after a week of protests, apologies and mediation … But in an interview on Monday, the Walker’s executive director, Olga Viso, said the Dakota were debating whether the wood fragments would indeed be burned, as previously announced.”
We Most Certainly Did Not Damage That Medieval Convent While Filming Don Quixote, Says Terry Gilliam
“A report by the Portuguese public broadcaster RTP suggested recent filming for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote left behind chipped masonry, broken roof tiles and uprooted trees at the 12th-century Convent of Christ in Tomar, central Portugal.” The director – whose years-long quest to complete the movie has been legendarily troubled – denies all: “People should begin by getting the facts before howling hysterically.”
How Can You Tell The Difference Between A Cult And A Religion?
“Cults, generally speaking, are a lot like pornography: you know them when you see them. … Less easy, though, is identifying why. Knee-jerk reactions make for poor sociology, and … often (just as with pornography), what we choose to see as a cult tells us as much about ourselves as about what we’re looking at.” Tara Isabella Burton looks at numerous examples and considers where it’s appropriate to draw the line.
The ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Effect: How a TV Show Changed The Dance World
“For the generation who grew up watching the show, it proved that dance has a place on television. … It’s undeniable that dance today is part of pop culture in a way that it wasn’t a decade and a half ago. This increased exposure hasn’t necessarily translated into more ticket sales for live performances, but it has presented an alternative way of experiencing the art form. … [Yet the show’s] biggest impact was setting the standard for dance on the internet with its ‘snackable, and eminently shareable’ dance clips.”