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Matthew Rhys Claims Second Bafta Cymru for The Beast in Me
4 days ago•Source: BBC
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7.555 min•14 days ago
MOCA Appoints Public Media Veteran Jonathan Abbott as CEO and Director
Jonathan Abbott has been appointed the new CEO and Maurice Marciano Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles, effective September 24, 2026. Abbott, a 15-year veteran of public media who served as president and CEO of GBH in Boston, replaces interim director Ann Goldstein. The appointment follows a year-long international search and aims to stabilize the institution ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2029. Abbott will work alongside Chief Curator Clara Kim to expand the museum’s audience and strengthen its community ties.
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Stockhausen’s Licht Debuts in Berlin Opera, With Helicopters and Camels
The Deutsche Oper Berlin opened its season with Karlheinz Stockhausen’s epic Mittwoch aus Licht, staging a lavish, surreal production that features helicopters and dancing camels as part of a space‑themed ritual, marking the house’s first season under new artistic leadership and the second time the work has been staged; the performance showcases highly complex choral and instrumental writing paired with striking video and sound design.
Uncovering a Hidden Modernist Pair: Marguerite and William Zorach
Gallerists uncover rare works by Marguerite Zorach and her husband William, revealing a pioneering American modernist partnership formed in Paris in 1911; newly recovered embroideries and batiks, along with revised attributions, spotlight their collaborative practice and prompt renewed attention at Independent 20th Century Fair.
Fairchild Reimagines Shakespeare’s 'Lovely Boy' in a New Dance Theater
Dancer-actor Robbie Fairchild debuts Lord Chamberlain’s Men at Fall for Dance, offering a 30‑minute preview of his first work as director‑choreographer‑star. The piece treats Shakespeare’s elusive “lovely boy” as a figure from the playwright’s troupe whose forbidden longing informs Romeo and Juliet, drawing on Judi Dench’s tutelage, input from Nicholas Hytner and Will Tosh, and guidance from Christopher Wheeldon, with music by Tchaikovsky and spoken text to convey emotion rather than proof. Fairchild frames the project as a plausible fiction rather than a historical claim, aiming to illuminate queer longing in Shakespeare’s world.
Annie Dillard Remembered for Pursuing Contact Through Writing
Obituary-style tribute noting the death of American author Annie Dillard, highlighting her 13 books, the 1975 Pulitzer Prize, the 2015 National Humanities Medal, and her devotion to making intimate contact with readers through transcendent writing.
Narrative Art Comes to Life as Lucas Museum Debuts in Los Angeles
Open in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art houses more than 1,300 works—from Norman Rockwell and Banksy to Star Wars concept art—organized around 'myths' and universal storytelling themes like love and work. Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson and designed by Ma Yansong, the 300,000-square-foot museum elevates illustration as narrative art, with Steven Spielberg on the board. After two decades and roughly $1 billion from Lucas, it opens to the public Sept. 22, inviting visitors to believe in creative possibility.
Thrifted estate-sale painting eyed at $250K in NYC auction
A rare 1950s Gertrude Abercrombie painting, found for $30 at a Michigan estate sale, is expected to fetch up to $250,000 at Freeman's Auctions in Manhattan; the piece, Alderman Merriam's Shells, depicts nine seashells tied to Chicago alderman Robert Merriam and was authenticated by art historian Susan Weininger.
Snapple-Backed Staten Island Ferry Becomes a One-Night NYC Comedy Voyage
Pete Davidson and Colin Jost staged a one-night comedy show on a decommissioned Staten Island Ferry, renamed Snapple Island Ferry for the event and sponsored by Snapple; a lineup of NYC comics performed on a hot, stationary boat, with Jost poking fun at the ferry’s impulsive purchase, as authorities and investors continue to debate the vessel’s future beyond the evening’s laughs.
SNL Bets on Fresh Voices: Grace Reiter and Belo-Osagie Step into the Spotlight
Grace Reiter and Saidah Belo-Osagie will join Saturday Night Live for Season 52, blending traditional sketch cred with strong social-media reach. Reiter is known for The Chair Company and viral online content, with a Netflix project, Minimum Wage, on the horizon; Belo-Osagie is a Nigerian American comedian with directing credits at Tribeca/Gotham, a festival‑hit short, and a rising TikTok profile. Their arrivals reflect SNL’s shift toward digital incubators and help fill the void left by Ego Nwodim’s departure.
Hawke Drives a Gritty Wilderness Gold Heist
Padraic McKinley’s debut The Weight follows Ethan Hawke as a Depression-era prisoner forced to shepherd a team of fellow inmates on a perilous gold-haul across Oregon’s mountains, with Russell Crowe as the warden. While the movie delivers adrenaline-drenched set pieces and Hawke’s commanding performance helps keep the ride engaging, the screenplay leans on blunt racial optics and narrative devices, making it a largely thrilling but uneven wilderness thriller.
Skywalker Grill Debuts on the Lucas Museum Rooftop
Skywalker Grill opens Sept. 22 atop the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, offering comfort-driven American dishes made with ingredients from George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch and a view of downtown. The restaurant stays open after museum hours, includes a casual lobby cafe and bar seating, and reservations are already in high demand as the museum launches.