Maybe it’s easier to say what it isn’t than what it is. “There has been a strong tradition among the genre’s commentators to reject imposters and poor substitutes: genuine essays must not be confused with stories, and formulaic school writing … and worst of all, scholarly articles.”
Tag: 06.28.17
The Academy – The ‘OscarsSoWhite’ One – Adds Hundreds Of People In An Attempt To Diversify Its Ranks
The Academy added The Rock, Jordan Peele (director of “Get Out”), Barry Jenkins (director of “Moonlight”), Gal Godot (um, Wonder Woman), and even Betty White (of “The Golden Girls,” which rather brings up a question of why she wasn’t in it before now). Good work, good work, but “even with the big names and numbers, the overall change in the demographics of the academy has been incremental.” Whoops.
Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad Returns To His First Vocation: Composer
“Mr. Abumrad, 44, is a lifelong pianist, and studied composition at Oberlin – where there were some ‘leftover lefties from the ’60s who were teaching 12-tone still, for some reason,’ he said in a recent interview … As [he] has become one of the most innovative radio producers of his generation, he continues to moonlight as a composer.”
The Ballet That Helped Wreck Relations Between The USSR And Mao’s China
In a spirit of solidarity (or so they thought) with Communist rebels in Nationalist China, the Bolshoi developed The Red Poppy in 1927, and it became a huge hit all over the Soviet Union. When Mao and his delegation visited Moscow shortly after the Chinese Revolution, the Bolshoi enthusiastically revived The Red Poppy as a tribute. As writer Eveline Chao explains, the visitors from Beijing were not flattered.
‘Theater Audiences Are A Key Partner In The Work Of A Democracy,’ Says Director Diane Paulus
“The act of showing up is a civic ritual with great power. The ancient Greeks knew this. In their theaters, which seated over 10,000 people, audiences wrestled collectively with stories of utmost importance to the state. … However, I think that audiences’ most important political power stems from a slightly different concept. …”
Oscar Voting Pool Becomes (A Bit) More Diverse As Academy Adds Largest New Class Ever
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced “that it would increase the Oscar voting pool to 8,427 people – a record high – by extending membership invitations to 774 entertainment industry professionals … If all the invitations are accepted, female membership would rise to 28 percent, from 27 percent. The percentage of minority members would climb to 13 percent, from 11 percent.”
What If You Took The Things Non-Classical Fans Think They Hate About Classical Concerts Away? This Festival Is Trying It
Cheltenham Music Festival artistic director Meurig Bowen writes about Classical Mixtape, an event he’s designed “to face head-on all those perceived barriers” – six of them, in particular – “that people come up against with classical concerts.”
Why Would Somebody Steal A Ballet Company’s Touring Dance Floor?
The trailer containing the St. Paul Ballet’s portable stage floor, used for more than two dozen community outreach performances annually, was stolen from outside its headquarters over the weekend.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 06.28.17
Four functions/dysfunctions of managers
A former professor of mine used to say that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the world into kinds of people, and those who don’t. Now, as a professor myself, I would add a third kind: … read more
AJBlog: The Artful Manager Published 2017-06-28
What A Way To Go! Fantasy Coffins from Africa
It may be summer, but it’s school days at Jack Shainman Gallery in Kinderhook, and the revelation this year is – fantasy coffins. These fascinating works, three made by a Ghanaian artist named Paa Joe, are unlike … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2017-06-28
Music Theater Where Truth Can Appear
The last time we looked it was a work in progress. That was a year ago. William Osborne and Abbie Conant had been working on it for so long, Osborne said at the time, that … read more
AJBlog: Straight|Up Published 2017-06-28
Nigel Redden Steps Down From Lincoln Center Festival After 20 Years
The director said “he plans to concentrate on his other job, leading the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, S.C.” What will happen to the Lincoln Center Festival? That’s unclear; “keeping the festival world-class and fresh, year after year, is a challenge, and some critics have warned that Lincoln Center’s was growing stale.”