Sunday, March 29, 2020

Worth a Look

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

Performing Artists and the Financial Fallout of the Coronavirus

The New Yorker: On Thursday, March 12th, the morning after the N.B.A. suspended its season and Donald Trump banned travel from Europe, the actor Emily Cass McDonnell was in rehearsals for an upcoming production of Annie Baker’s play “The Antipodes.” In the play, a group of people sit around a table brainstorming for a project, the exact nature of which is never fully defined. In the last scene, as an apocalyptic storm brews outside, the group’s leader arrives and calls the whole thing off. That Thursday, the finale took on an oracular significance when, weeks into rehearsal, McDonnell and the rest of the cast learned that, due to safety measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, their show was being cancelled.

Theatre and the Last Pandemic

AMERICAN THEATRE: So far 2020 has not turned out to be the theatre year anyone anticipated. By mid-March theatres across the United States had closed their doors, canceled the remainder of their seasons, and in most cases announced layoffs and furloughs, all thanks to mandates for social distancing to stem the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Theatre historians writing about the age of the novel coronavirus will recall seasons that never were, shows that never opened, and productions closed mid-run.

Entertainment Technology Companies Turn To Medical Needs

www.livedesignonline.com: “I think we were one of the first industries to come to a screeching halt,” said John Huddleston, director of Live Events for Upstaging, in an interview for WGN9 in Chicago. His Sycamore, IL, company has retooled from equipping large concert tours for the likes of The Rolling Stones, Billie Eilish, and Paul McCartney to making protective masks and plastic room dividers, using a warehouse of equipment, a fleet of semis, and employees to fabricate products. “We’re pivoting to whatever’s in demand,” Huddleston adds. Watch the video interview with Huddleston here.

Philadelphia DA explores new role for arts in the criminal justice system

PBS NewsHour: Mixing art with criminal justice has become increasingly common in the U.S. The work often tackles complex subjects of redemption and reform. Jeffrey Brown recently traveled to Philadelphia for a look at a new program bringing art to an unexpected part of the justice system: the office of the city’s top prosecutor.

top educational guest-bloggers from the industry answer your questions

blog.etcconnect.com: We’re lucky to have so many intelligent people in this industry with an aptitude and willingness to teach. Over the past couple of years, many of these people – lighting designers, programmers, and researchers have given their time to help explain some of the industry’s trickiest topics.

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