“Theatre artists understand the transient nature of life. Like little gods, we create serial worlds with dazzling architecture and lush music. We set fresh beings in motion, clothed as we see fit as they strive to fulfill their hopes and destiny in the brief time allotted to them. Then we destroy that world – literally smashing it into pieces, quickly if the reviews aren’t good. Many theatre artists repeat this process hundreds of times in their own lives. I wonder how this process affects our worldview. Why does it make us cling to things less than those who pursue more conventional careers? Why do we become inured to temporariness, missing out on long-term commitments?”
Tag: 11.28.15
When Your Art Becomes Part Of The Dialogue In A Popular TV Show
“Patterson is a multimedia artist who explores social issues, including race, class and gender, through a female lens. Her artworks, which often weave intricate patterns, jacquard photo tapestries and glitter, are prominently featured in the current season of the TV show ‘Empire.'”
India’s Film Board Asks For Cuts To Latest Bond Flick
“The film board demanded trims to two kissing scenes in ‘Spectre’ and also ordered that some salty language be cut. Sony Pictures acceded to the order, but the episode angered many in India who believe it illustrates increasing prudishness by the film board as well as a disturbing trend toward rising intolerance in the country.”
The Man Who Wanted To Be An Orchestral Violinist But Perfected Record Players Instead
“At his father’s insistence, though he would have preferred music school, Mr. Pickering attended Newark College of Engineering (now part of the New Jersey Institute of Technology) and after graduating went to Juilliard.”
Setsuko Hara, Star Of Kurosawa And Ozu Films
“Not long after working with Ozu on his penultimate film, ‘The End of Summer’ (1961), she left the cinema abruptly, implying, in her final news conference, that she had acted in films only to help support her large extended family. She lived the rest of her life in seclusion in Kamakura.”
Is Racial Miscasting In Hollywood Finally Going To End?
“Following outcry — and often apologies — over casting choices this year in ‘Aloha’ and ‘Pan,’ the studio and director behind the upcoming fantasy epic ‘Gods of Egypt’ have issued mea culpas for choosing an almost all-white cast to portray Egyptian deities in the movie.”
Advice For The Winner Of This Year’s ‘Bad Sex’ Award, From One Who Knows
“First, be sure to send an immediate message to the head of your workplace, if you have one, to initiate damage control. Because the coverage will soon be explosive: Photos of your face will appear on websites from Vietnam to the Czech Republic. I hope you didn’t opt for that fashionably roguish author photo, because the ‘bad sex’ headline will make it seem like the mug shot of an international sex criminal.”
U.S. Museums Are Finally Getting – And Acquiring – The Work Of Black Artists
“It’s pretty hard to explain by any other means than to say there was an actual, pretty systemic overlooking of this kind of work.”
The Gentrification Of D.C. Is Killing A Longtime Go-Go Tradition
“For almost 40 years, go-go has musically defined the nation’s capital. The beat has provided a proud cultural and musical tradition attracting generations of fans. But in recent years, gentrification has threatened the musical genre’s hold over the city. ‘The state of D.C. is not D.C. anymore, it’s not Chocolate City,’ says Anwan ‘Big G’ Glover of Backyard Band.”
Why Is ‘Macbeth’ So Great Onscreen When It Often Bombs Onstage?
“Film’s ability to glide from the supernatural panorama to the eyes of the protagonist is a boon for a play in which the outer world uncannily mirrors the unconscious life of the protagonist.”