Tuesday, May 01, 2018

Worth a Look

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time...

Term of Affection? Ethnic Slur? Theater Union Decides That ‘Gypsy’ Must Go.

The New York Times: They are itinerant singers and dancers. Chorus members. The names below the title. But should they still be called gypsies?

Actors’ Equity Association doesn’t think so. The union that represents stage performers announced this week that it would cease using the title “Gypsy Robe” to describe one of its most cherished insider rituals — the passing of a colorful patchwork garment from one chorus to another on a Broadway show’s opening night — citing the potential offense to Roma people.

The action is prompting a combination of reflection and head-scratching in the tight-knit theater world.


Music Modernization Act Unanimously Passes House of Representatives

Variety: In what is being hailed as a historic day for music creators, theMusic Modernization Act passed the House Wednesday, paving the way for improved royalty payments to songwriters, artists and creatives in the digital era. The bill, HR 5477, passed unanimously with 415 votes. The bill is overwhelmingly supported by the music industry, and has bipartisan support in the house, where it was introduced by co-sponsors Robert Goodlatte (R-VA) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).


The Simpsons' Hank Azaria Says He's Willing to Stop Voicing Apu

Collider: A few weeks ago, The Simpsons accidentally became relevant again, but not in the way the show intended. An episode titled “No Good Read Goes Unpunished” responded to the recent documentary The Problem with Apu, which points out that Apu, while not a malevolent figure, is an Indian stereotype that has been used to mock people of Indian and East Asian descent, so perhaps the show should rethink the character.


German theater asks guests to wear swastikas for Hitler play

The Seattle Times: A theater in southern Germany is proceeding with plans to open a satirical play Friday about Adolf Hitler’s youth in which some patrons will be wearing swastika armbands, despite objections and legal complaints. The Konstanz Theater’s production of George Tabori’s “Mein Kampf ” opens Friday night for a monthlong run.


How trans characters were described in screenplays.

slate.com: Earlier this month, a Vulture feature put screenwriters under a microscope, compiling their introductions for memorable female characters. The descriptions were sometimes worthy of the characters they ushered into the story, as with Carrie Fisher’s extensive and evocative description of Doris Mann in Postcards from the Edge. More often, they revealed a reliance on tired tropes and a fixation on physique—Double Indemnity‘s femme fatale is distinguished by her “very appetizing torso.”

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