It was pretty bad, overall. Some parts were okay. There were some good books. There were some bad actions. There were some much-needed reckonings. – LitHub
Tag: 12.23.20
How Literary Theory Took Over The 1980s
“As deconstructionist reading started becoming more widespread, disseminated in the United States, a lot of people noticed the similarity—rightly so—between the reading style and New Criticism because of the close reading and the attentiveness to language. That was a major thing that happened that actually influenced the course of English study in the United States for a couple of decades—and, actually, still.” – LitHub
How The COVID Relief Money Will Help Performing Arts Venues
“Under the federal plan venue operators, promoters, music managers and talent agencies can apply for non-repayable, two-part grants that cover as much 45% of a venue’s 2019 revenue, capped at $10 million in the first round, followed by a supplemental grant in spring 2021 valued at 50% of the original grant. To qualify, applicants must have been in business on Feb. 29, 2020, and show 2020 revenues decreased by at least 25% on a quarterly basis compared to 2019. Venues will be able to begin applying for the funds in the coming days with priority given to venues that faced 70–90% revenue losses in 2020.” – Billboard
Colosseum In Rome To Get Retractable Floor, Just Like It Had Originally
Well, this new one will probably be higher-tech, but yes, the Italian government has requested bids to construct a retractable floor along the lines of the one the ancient venue had until about 1,000 years ago. Plans are for construction to start in 2021 and be completed in 2023, after which concerts and theater will be performed there. – Artnet
Composer ‘Blue’ Gene Tyranny Dead At 75
Born Joseph Gantic, raised as Robert Sheff, and having acquired the name he was known by during a brief period as a member of Iggy Pop’s band, he performed Charles Ives and John Cage while still in high school, worked with Robert Ashley and Laurie Anderson, and made a career composing and performing music that, as Steve Smith puts it, “deftly balanced conceptual rigor with breezy pop sounds.” – The New York Times
Upright Citizens Brigade Closes Yet Another Theater
“Almost exactly eight months after the closure of their [last remaining] New York venue and improv training center, the Upright Citizens Brigade has announced the end of their Sunset Theater in Los Angeles.” The company’s four founders (Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Matt Besser, and Matt Walsh) said in their Twitter announcement, “We have been unable to make mortgage payments during this extended shutdown.” – Vulture
Broadway Star Rebecca Luker Dead Of ALS At 59
An operatically trained soprano whose clear and youthful voice was a natural for such roles as Maria in The Sound of Music and Christine in The Phantom of the Opera (which she understudied and which became her first lead role on Broadway), she was a three-time Tony nominee, for work in Show Boat, The Music Man, and Mary Poppins. Her last Broadway appearance was as Alison’s mother in Fun Home in 2016, and she worked until late last year before announcing her ALS diagnosis this past February. – Playbill
How The Vienna Philharmonic Has Pushed Through The Pandemic
They went on a tour of Japan last month; since they got home, they’ve started a Bruckner symphony cycle under Christian Thielemann and played Strauss and Webern program under Zubin Mehta. Chairman Daniel Froschauer and general manager Michael Bladerer talk with a reporter about the orchestra’s commitment to playing together live and why it’s important. – The New York Times
Dürer May Not Really Have Written That Famous Lament On Martin Luther’s Arrest
“Considered one of Dürer’s best-known writings, the Lament on Luther could instead have been the work of a contemporary monk that was slipped into the artist’s diary, possibly for political reasons, according to what the National Gallery describes as ‘very convincing evidence’.” – The Guardian