The Segal Centre is launching The Stage Forward Fund, a new initiative that aims to support new work, create viable careers in the performing arts, and ensure Jewish creative voices thrive. Artistic and Executive Director Lisa Rubin is celebrating her 10th season at the centre, which will feature a diverse range of productions, including a cannabis-themed play by Matt Murray and a Yiddish theatre production of Michel Tremblay's classic "Di Shvegerins". The fund includes three streams: New Work Development, Artist Advancement, and Jewish Creative Leadership, with recipients Ally Brumer and Debora Friedmann receiving mentorship and production support.
https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/nation/entertainment-roundup-comedy-is-king-gsp-gets-hot-and-segal-centre-announcement/article_df2d53e1-0e82-5690-86dd-f7de9bc058b1.htmlThe Artists In Residence (A.I.R.) nonprofit organization is appealing to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to reconsider its decision to cut funding. A.I.R.'s executive director, Camacho-Light, stated that despite losing $30,000 in federal support, the organization will continue to provide vital support and resources to women and nonbinary artists. The nonprofit has already raised over $5,000 through public donations and plans to quadruple stipends for fellows and add more professional development opportunities. A.I.R.'s mission remains unchanged, despite facing challenges, with Camacho-Light emphasizing the need to address rampant inequity in the arts and broader society.
https://hyperallergic.com/1012186/a-i-r-gallery-seeks-communitys-help-after-losing-30k-nea-grant/Kentridge's work is returning to the GS Art Theater on May 30 with a new performance, "Shostakovich 10: If I Could Dream Another World," featuring the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Roderick Cox.
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-05-13/opinion/meanwhile/William-Kentridges-poetic-theater-blurs-boundaries-of-art/2305375Marina Abramovic's performance piece "The Artist Is Present" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 2010 was a celebrated event where she sat silently opposite visitors, inviting them to sit with her for contemplation. The performance lasted 736 hours and saw over 1,500 people interact with her. Abramovic revealed that before starting, she experienced intense fear, but once in front of the audience, it disappeared, replaced by a sense of presence and connection with both her own mind and body, as well as those around her.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14702101/Artist-multiple-orgasms-public-museum-reveals-exhausting-effect-her.htmlThe National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has been instrumental in supporting theater productions, generating jobs and revenue for local businesses. In 1967, the NEA funded Arena Stage's production of "The Great White Hope," starring Jane Alexander and James Earl Jones, which won the Pulitzer Prize. The endowment also helped establish a repertory company at the Arena Theater in Washington, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. Recently, organizations are seeking public donations to fill fiscal holes, with the Mellon Foundation announcing an emergency $15 million fund for state humanities councils. Private fundraising efforts have been successful, such as at the Portland Playhouse in Oregon, where donors stepped in after losing a $25,000 NEA grant, but experts warn that relying solely on private funding is not a long-term solution due to donor fatigue and changing philanthropic priorities.
https://apnews.com/article/national-endowment-arts-humanities-grants-cuts-trump-bb91093e7166c53b69770a3b880afe6bTyrus Wong, an immigrant artist of Chinese descent, played a crucial role in bringing Disney's Bambi to life. His artwork and character designs significantly influenced the film's visual style. Karen Fang's new book sheds light on Wong's contributions, highlighting his impact on animation.
https://www.khou.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/great-day-houston/the-untold-story-of-tyrus-wong-the-artist-who-brought-disneys-bambi-to-life/285-fe52a8ac-2c82-4328-a921-7695e50421abGoa's cultural calendar is vibrant and packed with festivals celebrating local music, food, and traditions rooted in Portuguese and Konkani heritage. The state's most anticipated festival, Goa Carnival, takes over the streets with colourful parades, live music, and dancing, while Shigmo celebrates Hindu cultural roots with folk dances and processions. In June, Sao Joao is celebrated with a splashy festival honouring St John the Baptist, where locals jump into wells to symbolise the saint's leap of joy. August sees Bonderam, a quirky festival on Divar Island with mock battles, floats, and traditional music. December brings the Feast of St Francis Xavier, a deeply spiritual celebration at Old Goa's Basilica of Bom Jesus, while the Serendipity Arts Festival showcases theatre, visual arts, culinary heritage, music, and more in Panaji.
https://www.ndtv.com/travel/best-cultural-festivals-to-attend-in-goa-8372992#pfrom=home-ndtv_lateststories_topstoriesImgHeartbeat Opera, an upstart US opera company, has found success with stripped-down productions that have won over New York audiences. Founded by Dan Schlosberg and his team, the company's first performance took place in a yoga studio with just 30 people present. Their minimalist approach to operas, such as reimagining Kurt Weill's "The Seven Deadly Sins" with an upright piano and violin, has resonated with New York audiences.
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3309667/why-upstart-us-opera-companys-stripped-down-productions-have-found-audience?module=top_story&pgtype=sectionKoyo Kouoh, the first African woman to curate the Venice Art Biennale, has died at age 58. Born in Cameroon in 1967, she was appointed by La Biennale's board of directors in December 2024 and was set to present the title and theme of the 2026 exhibition in Venice on May 20. Kouoh was the executive director and chief curator at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town, South Africa since 2019. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has expressed her condolences for Kouoh's "premature and sudden passing", noting it leaves a void in the world of contemporary art.
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250511/p2g/00m/0et/032000c