Tag: 07.14.20

‘Take Me Out To The Ball Game’ Was Actually (In Its Way) A Feminist Anthem

The words that everyone knows are just the chorus. There are verses about a baseball-mad woman named Katie Casey who went to the stadium, sat in the front row, loudly cheered the players and argued with the umpires — all things women did not do in 1908, when the song was written. And the inspiration for Katie was almost certainly the lyricist’s then-girlfriend, a famous actress and suffragette. – Smithsonian Magazine

In The Last Big Pandemic, New York’s Theaters Stayed Open (But It Wasn’t Business As Usual)

“Royal S. Copeland, the powerful health commissioner of New York City when the [1918] Spanish flu crept in, looked askance at pandemic responses elsewhere … [and] was philosophically disinclined to intrude much on ordinary life. He also didn’t want to freak people out.” So the shows went on, but Copeland instituted some major changes in how they did so — and kept the toll in the city relatively low. – The New York Times

Telluride Film Festival Was Trying Hard To Make Itself COVID-Safe. Here’s Why It Was Just Canceled Anyway

The September festival happens in a small, relatively isolated town, and management had planned a new reservation system, distanced seating, more outdoor venues; they’d even sourced a big supply of 15-minute coronavirus tests. “Our audiences go along with what the rules are,” executive director Julie Huntsinger said, “and we thought we could have great compliance.” Here she tells a reporter when and how she realized that wouldn’t be enough. – Variety

Audiences Are Feeling Even More Reluctant To Come Back Than They Were Three Months Ago

“As coronavirus numbers continue to rise in most U.S. states, the willingness of theatre patrons to return to their old theatregoing habits has plummeted, two tracking surveys show. … The earliest date most theatregoers say they’d be comfortable returning, according to [one] report? May or June of 2021.” – American Theatre

Grant Imahara, Co-Host Of TV’s ‘Mythbusters’, Dead At 49

“For more than 200 episodes, Mr. Imahara, lovingly referred to as the ‘geek’ of the show’s build team” — he had been an engineer at Industrial Light & Magic and Lucasfilm — “wowed audiences by bringing tech to life through his ability to design and operate complex robotics that helped test myths in subjects ranging from skydiving to driving stunt cars to firing guns.” – The Washington Post

Some Ideas To Reconfigure Theatres In The COVID Age

“The West End is full of wonderful historic theatres, but they’re now completely outmoded. People are four inches taller than when they were built, so the seats are too small, the sight lines are terrible and a huge number of seats are restricted by columns. The air is bad and the loos and bars are always too small to cope. With the government’s funding announcement, now is the time to make them fit for purpose.” – The Guardian