Good Improv Performers Adapt To Almost Anything On The Spot. How Are They Adapting To COVID?

“An art form and industry built on ‘Yes, and …’ face a world of ‘no,’ ‘maybe,’ and ‘who knows.’ … Whether it’s reshaping content to fit a new medium, staring down the possibility of permanent closures, or facing their own reckoning with a legacy of racial and cultural exclusion, improv and comedy theatres are learning just how important it is to be able to listen and adjust.” – American Theatre

BBC Doesn’t Deliberately Favor Lefty Comedians. It Can’t Find Any Right-Leaning Ones Who Are Funny.

Earlier this week, The Daily Telegraph reported that the incoming BBC director general planned to cancel left-leaning comedy shows because the broadcaster’s comic programming was unfairly biased. However, a BBC insider tells The Guardian that network execs have been pushing for months for more balance, but “some people aren’t very good. The issue is a shortage of rightwing comics.” – The Guardian

The Venice Film Festival Is About To Open. Will It Be Safe?

Ahead of the event guests have been sent a list of Covid-19 guidelines, including information on passing through thermo-scanners as they enter the festival and anyone found to have a body temperature of 37.5°C or higher will be denied access. The guidance also states that face coverings must be worn at all times, including in outdoor areas. It is not clear how that rule will be enforced, or whether attendees will be allowed to eat or drink while in screenings. – The Guardian

Why We’re Drawn To Stories About Monsters

Loving monsters is a love of chaos, a longing to dance a little with death to better understand the danger. Cryptid violence is more approachable than human violence. It’s easy to ponder ways to control something that is other, a thing. We’ve built entire political and economic structures based upon just that—imperialism, colonialism, racism, sexism. It’s more difficult to figure out how to survive the things we do to ourselves. – LitHub