“It’s an imaginative, empathetic exercise, and we could probably all do with a little bit of that. Particularly in this time of social media and polarisation and fake news stories and who we choose to follow making us more extreme. We’re growing further apart. Here is one of the few places we actually have a communal, social experience. Now, more than ever, theatre has not just a possible role but an obligation to preserve these pockets of unmediated, unpoliticised, social, communal, empathetic works.”
Tag: 11.23.16
Art In A Time Of Crisis (What To Do?)
How should artists respond in times of crisis? Leonard Bernstein suggested burrowing deeper into art. “A generous interpretation of Bernstein’s words suggests that musicians can transform art’s political impact by doing what they’re already doing – only better. But I’m skeptical of the idea that a more perfect art can really bring into being a more perfect union. Bernstein makes vague allusions to Kennedy’s presumably political “goals,” but the only goals he names are musical ones: intensity, beauty, and devotion. Are these really the ultimate aims of musical performance in a time of violent crisis?”
Lucinda Childs Is 76, And She Thought She’d Left The Whole Running-A-Dance-Company Thing Behind, But –
“‘I sort of thought, well that was interesting, and it was great, and I had the 30 years in SoHo,’ she said before a rehearsal in Brooklyn last month. ‘I’m sort of moving on.’ That worked for a while.”
Metropolitan Opera Guild Wants To Have The Mother Of All Rummage Sales
The Guild “is seeking permission in court to sell off a memorabilia collection – with an estimated value of more than $1 million – that includes a gold cigarette holder that belonged to the bass Ezio Pinza; a jeweled baton owned by the composer Richard Wagner; and a silver, ivory and diamond pen that was used by the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer.” But they’ll need a court’s permission to do it.
When Ballet Dancers Get Inked
Dancers can cover their tats with makeup, but there are some challenges: “Covering tattoos in more exposed areas isn’t easy. Dancers not only sweat, but they have to lift, catch and clutch one another, which means damp body parts and makeup rubbing against expensive, difficult-to-clean costumes.”
Why Are Costume Designers Shafted When It Comes To Representation – And Money?
Basically: “Given our gendered views on who makes clothing and how much their time is worth, it is telling that in the female dominated, garment-based field of costume design, designers are expected to act not only as designer, but also (still) as laborer.”
This Year’s National Book Award-Winning Author: Write The Book That Terrifies You
Colson Whitehead had his idea for The Underground Railroad many years ago, but he says he wasn’t ready to write it until now. “I always have these ideas, and I think, ‘That would be really good; if I was a better writer, I could pull it off.’ And then I try to become a better writer to do it justice.”
How The Artistic Director Of Alvin Ailey Got His First Pair Of Dance Shoes
Robert Battle’s family didn’t have a lot of money when he was in elementary school, so when his mom made sure he had his dance shoes before starting lessons, it was a big deal: “I would even sleep with them. Just by putting them on, I had the keys to what I was hoping to become.”
What’s It Like To Be The Barefoot Contessa With A Fairytale Marriage And A Huge Cookbook Empire?
Is this massive profile about a cookbook author? About a long marriage that is idealized online? About a celebrity? About the election? About race, class and gender – and balsamic vinegar? (Yes.)
Venice Has Become A Replica Of Itself
Today, visitors outnumber Venetians by 140 to 1. If tourism development continues apace, the city center may soon have no residential lodging at all. Among the institutions that have closed since 2000 along the Grand Canal: the National Research Council, the Mediocredito bank, the transport authority, the local education agency, the German Consulate. Souvenir shops have replaced grocery stores. Luxury hotels have replaced medical offices. “A tourist monoculture now dominates a city, which banishes its native citizens and shackles the survival of those who remain to their willingness to serve.”