Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: July 12, 2020
By: Laura Deni
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STATE FAIRS ARE BEING CANCELED CAUSING ECONOMIC CATASTROPHE WHILE CORN DOG FANATICS SEEK SUSTENANCE IN PARKING LOTS

It was estimated that Mayor Pete Buttigieg ate roughly 9,000 calories of Iowa state fair food.

Whattaya mean no corndogs, fried Oreos or pork chops on a stick?

That's Unamerican.

The widespread cancellation of state fairs is an economic catastrophe.

The 2020 Iowa State Fair originally slated for August robs the Des Monies tourism industry of $110.

Iowa is the fair where presidential candidates play homage to a butter cow and grease the voters for support.

The Iowa State Fair draws over a million people annually, making it the largest annual event in the state. It's been canceled only five times in its 165 years — the last time during World War II.

Also canceling for the first time since World War II are state fairs of Texas and New York.

"In the current climate of COVID-19, there is no feasible way for the Fair to put proper precautions in place while maintaining the Fair environment you know and love," Texas organizers wrote in a statement.

"While we cannot predict what the COVID-19 pandemic will look like in September, the recent surge in positive cases is troubling for all of North Texas. The safest and most responsible decision we could make for all involved at this point in our 134-year history is to take a hiatus for the 2020 season."

According to the Dallas News there is a devastating economic impact. "Based on a 2017 study conducted by the University of North Texas, the fair delivers an annual economic impact of $410 million to $499 million, making it one of the premier events in the nation. By comparison, the Super Bowl has in recent years delivered to the host city an economic impact of about $400 million."

Mitchell Glieber, president of the State Fair of Texas, said in May that the fair is insured, but like South by Southwest, its policy does not cover a pandemic. The fair has about $13 million in what he called a “reserve fund,” as per its contract with the City of Dallas.

The New york State Fair set an all-time attendance record for the fourth year in a row in 2019 when over 1.3 million people passed through the gates.

The fair was set to run for 18 days for the first time in 2020, an addition of five days to the schedule. REO Speedwgon was contracted to headline.

State fairs are an American tradition dating back over two hundred years.

The Topsfield Fair is the oldest agricultural fair in America. In 1818, men of Essex County formed the Essex Agricultural Society in Topsfield, Massachusetts, with Col. Timothy Pickering of Salem, a Revolutionary War hero, agriculturist, and elder statesman as president.. The first U.S. state fair was that of New York, held in 1841 in Syracuse.

Songs have been written about fairs, movies made and then even turned into a Broadway musical.

At least 25 state fairs have been canceled due to the COVID-19 virus. The Big E, a major fair in Massachusetts that brings together all six New England states, was canceled last week.

The economic impact is devastating and the social impact has ramification that affect society in a profound way.

A backbone of American culture, annual state fairs are more than seeing a life size butter sculpture or discovering that you can buy almost any edible dipped in batter and then fried.

For generations kids have spent an entire year raising animals to be shown at the fair. It's a right of passage as well as the possibility of acquiring bragging rights to having the fattest hog or the best cow.

Women have honed their baking and canning skills - slaving over hot stoves - to bring home a blue ribbon.

Carnival workers - called carnies - are family run, generational businesses, traveling from one fair to another to operate rides, game booths and the "freak" shows.

Entertainment is where many country/western artists got their start and built their fan base.

In addition to its cultural and social significance, the state fair -- a celebration of a region's agricultural heritage -- is a driver of economic activity. The Indiana State Fair, which has been canceled this year, typically hires more than 1,000 seasonal employees.

The economic impact of canceling both Illinois state fairs in Springfield and Du Quoin is expected to be at least $80 million, ABC News affiliate WICS in Illinois reported. The loss to the Des Moines tourism industry for canceling the Iowa State Fair has been estimated at $110 million, according to the Des Moines Register. Marla Calico, president and CEO of the International Association of Fairs & Expositions, told ABC News that there is a "ripple effect" of fairs on the local economy. One ripple stems from the carnival operators and food stands that often travel from festival to festival. "They're buying services in the community, they're getting restocked on supplies, they're getting their vehicles serviced -- the ripple effect of this is immense," Calico explained.

There are also the tourists who fill up hotels -- last year, the Ohio State Fair had nearly 1 million attendees across 12 days coming from every county in Ohio, as well as all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and Mexico, according to a statement from the Ohio Expositions Commission.

Fried food is what greases the fairgoers.

People in Minnesota have gotten creative with pop up food fair booths setting up in parking lots hawking cheese on a stick, corn dogs and lemonade. One advertised to stay open through July 25 is in the VFW parking lot with part of the proceeds going to the VFW.

Wisconsin State Fair Park officials told ABC news that they are enabling their citizens to get their fair fix with cream puff pop-ups throughout the state during the original fair dates, from August 6 to August 16.

The Wisconsin State Fair is the largest event in the state, drawing more than 1 million visitors. The economic hit of canceling that fair is estimated at more than $200 million, Milwaukee President and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Tentatively still on are: the Delaware State Fair plans to open July 23. Wade Shows, the midway operator that also runs the rides at many state fairs, will be there. Some rides, such as the Giant Slide, employ over 100 people.

However, the fair canceled its grandstand concerts and issued a long list of guidelines for fairgoers this week. First rule: If you have a fever, Covid-19 symptoms or have been exposed, stay home.

Other changes include wearing masks, socially distancing wherever possible and limited access to indoor areas. The Delaware fair is also hiring “distancing ambassadors” to remind fairgoers of the rules.

The Washington State Fair is still scheduled to start Labor Day weekend and the Utah State Fair is set for September 10-20, 2020 with STYX and REO Speedwagon headlining th arena on September 15.

The Nebraska State Fair, which has annually been held since the early 1990's, is an 11-day event which will take place in Grand Island beginning August 28, 2020.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

ART AND ABOUT

THE TATE MUSEUMS IN BRITAIN Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives are reopening on July 27, 220.

In the interest of safety:

Timed tickets are required to enter the galleries for both the free collections and paid exhibitions.
All visitors, including Members, Patrons, Supporters and Corporate Partners, need to book online in advance.
One-way routes and safe distancing guidelines are in place throughout the galleries.
Prepare for a bit more walking than usual.
We only accept card or contactless payments in the gallery to minimise touchpoints.
There are also protective screens in place at all desks.
Hand sanitiser is available in key areas.
Digital interactive screens have also been turned off to reduce touchpoints.
Toilets remain open with increased cleaning regimes
All cloakrooms and lockers are currently closed and so please avoid bringing bulky coats or bags

On display: For instance at Tate Modern How Art Became Active is on display. Discover the story of how art became active from the 1960s to now on this route through the Blavatnik Building. You can explore the Performer and Participant display which looks at artists who broke down the barriers between art and real life, with artists including Paul Neagu and Ana Lupas. The Living Cities display explores contemporary city life, with artists such as Mark Bradford and Monika Sosnowska. You will also be able to see ARTIST ROOMS: Ed Ruscha, a multiple room display of work by the influential American artist, known for his bold slogans.?

There will also be an opportunity to see Hyundai Commission: Kara Walker in the Turbine Hall.?

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SWEET CHARITY

CAMILLA, THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL

Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall has become patron of SafeLives. Photo: Clarence House.

has promised to 'lift the corrosive shroud of silence' that leaves domestic violence victims feeling 'shame and blame' as she took part in Women Of The World online festival.

The wife of Prince Charles told how listening to the 'horrific' stories of survivors of domestic abuse motivated her to help tackle the 'taboo' around discussing the issue.

“It’s not a nice subject to talk about and I think that’s been one of its problems. It’s been a taboo subject for so long that people just haven’t talked about it,” Camilla said during the online discussion with WOW Founder Jude Kelly and Suzanne Jacob, the Chief Executive of SafeLives.

“As I’ve said before, silence is corrosive because it leaves the victims feeling both shame and blame. I wanted to lift the shroud of this silence, and get more women, children and men to talk about their experiences. And it is happening in a slow way, but it is such a traumatic experience that I think it becomes sort of locked into a compartment inside them, and it’s very difficult to find the key to unlocking.

"I'm in my 70s now, so I grew up in a time, in the '50s and '60s, when the landscape and the attitudes were very different," she said in the video that was streamed online.

"A huge amount has changed since then, particularly for women. I think then I didn't really notice it so much, because it was just part of the lifestyle."

The duchess emphasized that said she has listened to 'countless women' all over the world.

"It made me see at first hand the inequalities that disproportionately still affect women and girls. And this was particularly apparent in the areas of domestic abuse and sexual assault, two issues that I care very deeply about."

The duchess disclosed she knew both men and women who had suffered, and after speaking to them had left her 'more and more shocked by what was going on'.

Camilla said she was 'proud' to become patron at SafeLives, a domestic abuse charity which she has worked closely with for the last four years.

She recalled attending a charity meeting where a women told of her domestic abuse experiences, after which 'there wasn't a dry eye in the place'.

'The experience was so moving,' the duchess stressed, adding: 'That was the moment when I thought 'goodness I've got to do something to help these people'.

"I remember talking to one of the mothers who'd lost her daughter in the most horrific circumstances and I said 'look, I don't know what I can do to help but I promise I'm going to do everything I can try and bring this out into the open.'"

She added: "It can affect anybody... from any strata of society, it doesn't matter who you are.

"I just want all these people to know that they are not alone and that there is help there. There's help out there."

The duchess said progress was being made and called for domestic abuse to be more openly discussed, more training of volunteers and teaching of young people about 'healthy and loving relationships'.

'Whatever happens I'm going to keep banging the drum until people listen to me, until there's a hole in it,' she vowed. 'The more people, the more brave women I've seen, getting up and speaking about their experiences inspires others,' she also commented.

The duchess also expressed fear that the coronavirus pandemic would have a 'horrific' impact on domestic abuse.

Also taking part in the discussion, Suzanne Jacob, chief executive at SafeLives, warned that the full impact of the pandemic was still unknown.

She said: "The full picture is probably not going to emerge for quite some time to come. We know that people have slipped out of view even more than usual during lockdown, and that's children as well as adults, which is a really frightening prospect."

MORGAN SZYMANSKI a world renowned classical guitarist who was born in Mexico City in 1979, has created an organization that introduces rural children to the performing arts. Thus far, he has offered music workshops to more than 17,000 children.

Szymanski is descended from Coronel Ignatius Constantine Romuald Szymanski Vandernoot, nicknamed Colonel Ski or Old Ski, who was a Polish General who came from a long list of Polish freedom fighters. He served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War after immigrating to New Orleans in the 19th century and whose son, Jean, made his way to Mexico after the civil war. Jean married Mrs. Carmen Castelló Caimares, cousin of Carmen Romero Rubio Castello, wife of the Mexican President Porfirio Díaz. Carmen had come from Scotland to study Mexican textiles, married Morgan's father, and served as the head of the Edron (British) School in Mexico City.

After studying at the National School of Music in Mexico their son continued his musical education at the Edinburgh Music School and the Royal College of Music in London, graduating in 2004. He became the first solo guitarist to be selected by the Young Classical Artist Trust and was the first guitarist to be awarded a Junior Fellowship at the RCM, where he completed his Masters with distinction.

In 2015, he was named by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as one of 100 Mexican artists with international impact.

During his time in the U.K. he worked with Live Music Now! (LMN) a project of international violinist Yehudi Menuhin that takes young performers into nursing homes, hospitals and rural villages to play music. In 2016, Szymanski founded PRISMA (Programa de Retribución e Impacto Social Mediante las Artes), using a crowdfunding campaign that collected money from all over the world. PRISMA is affiliated with LMN, but is more ambitious. The latter focuses only on setting up live musical performances but PRISMA does more and integrates more kinds of art. Fortunately, PRISMA festivals for 2020 were held before the Covid-19 pandemic shut everything down. This year the theme was Mexican folk music and featured two special guests — María Bernal and Angelina Benavides. It also included jazz guitarist Chris Van Buren, Finnish clown Sampo Kurppa, and Mexican violinist Nabani Aguilar.

Just as soon as the Covid-19 epidemic subsides PRISMA will continue to sponsors workshops with schoolchildren living in highly marginalized areas. Artists go into schools to perform. and explain their art, and conducts Q&As with the artists.

Some workshops introduce children to multiple arts. For example, at one Szymanski played his guitar while students painted what they felt listening to the music.

The organization recruits Mexican and international performers in music, visual arts, dance, film, acting and clowning.

One of the artists is British violinist Lizzie Ball, who incorporates her experiences working with Mexican children when she plays in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall.

The performing artists receive only a small stipend. Many times local residents assist by providing food and lodging.

As for Szymanski who plays on a guitar by the Chinese master guitar luthier Yulong Guo, he'll perform September 19 at St. Mary's Parish Church in Cambridge, England in a recital with tenor Mar Padmore to include songs by Dowland, Schubert, Alec Roth and Stephen McNeff. On September 20 the show is at Église Saint-Martin de Grosrouvre in France and on Thursday, September 24, 2020 at The Assembly House, Norwich, England.

HOW DANGEROUS IS A CONCERT? HOUSTON SYMPHONY AND RICE UNIVERSITY BEGIN SCIENTIFIC STUDY

Houston Symphony Orchestra. Photo: Houston Symphony

The Grammy award winning Houston Symphony has teamed with researchers at Rice University to study how air particles are spread during a symphonic concert, thus giving orchestras knowledge on how safe it is to reopen and proper social distancing.

The Texas Medical Association has labeled “going to a large music concert” one of the riskiest activities one can do, with a risk factor of 9 out of 10.

Whether this will be considered scientific verification of previous studies - the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Test and the the Freiburg Institute for Musicians' Medicine - or simply additional information - has yet to be determined, but either way, the study is beneficial.

Last May, Vienna's prestigious Philharmonic Orchestra announced that their study into how far musicians' breath travels when playing instruments showed they faced no added risk of transmitting the coronavirus when performing.

The orchestra's musicians had devices inserted into their noses which made a fine mist visible when they breathed.

The experiment established that "we should not expect air exhaled by an artist to reach more than 80 centimetres' distance," according to a press statement.

This maximum distance of breath droplets was emitted by flute players (3 feet) while for the string section there was no observable change in how far the breath traveled between playing or being at rest.

The study concluded that there was no increased risk for musicians playing together in an orchestra as long as they observed at least a metre's (3 feet) distance from each other.

In Berlin, seven major orchestras, including the Philharmonic and Konzerthaus, turned to epidemiologists at the Charité, Germany’s top academic medical center, to draft some guidance.

Last month, members of the Berlin Philharmonic returned to their concert hall after weeks of isolation. They sat onstage in a loose formation, according to local virus regulations. Only 15 players were onstage at a time. The strings sat two meters apart. The woodwinds and brass sat five meters apart.

Hoping to provide more definitive answers is the new study, funded by the Rice University COVID-19 Research Fund Oversight and Review Committee, awarded nine final grants to faculty working to mitigate the effects of the new coronavirus.

Researchers at Rice, some with collaborators at other institutions, will study social distancing performance protocols for musicians at the Houston Symphony and elsewhere.

The grant committee is led by Marcia O’Malley, the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Mechanical Engineering and a professor of electrical and computer engineering and of computer science. O’Malley is a special adviser to the provost on educational and research initiatives for collaborative health.

Ashok Veeraraghavan, Robert Yekovich and Ashutosh Sabharwal of Rice and John Mangum president and CEO of the Houston Symphony will investigate proper social-distancing protocols for rehearsal and performance by musicians and singers. The team will study the air flow created by wind instruments and singers using high-speed imaging. Their dataset and analysis will be made public to benefit musical organizations and individual musicians.

Veeraraghavan is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Yekovich is dean of the Shepherd School of Music and the Elma Schneider Professor of Music. Sabharwal is department chair and a professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Those results left more questions than answers.

Veeraraghavan and Sabharwal will study Houston Symphony musicians using “Schlieren photography,” which is a visual process that is used to photograph the flow of fluids of varying density. Invented by the German physicist August Toepler in 1864 to study supersonic motion. It is widely used in aeronautical engineering to photograph the flow of air around objects.

Veeraraghavan is co-developer of FlatCam, a thin sensor chip with a mask that replaces lenses in a traditional camera. Making it practical are the sophisticated computer algorithms that process what the sensor detects and converts the sensor measurements into images and videos. FlatCams may find use in security or disaster-relief applications and as flexible, foldable, wearable cameras, and even disposable cameras.

The same team has also developed FlatScope, a flat microscope and software system that can decode and trigger neurons on the surface of the brain.

In this new study. Houston symphony musicians playing a variety of instruments - as well as a singer - will sit in front of the Schlieren camera and perform.

For singing, there are opinions in scientific literature, primarily from studies on breathing and talking that go back to the 1950s, when the primary interest was in stopping measles, according to Wired.

Further complicating the matter - air droplets can hang in the air and be spread later, according to an article published by two health experts at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

“The epidemiological evidence is compelling,” Shelly Miller, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of Colorado, told Wired.

The primary concern lurks in the back of the orchestra: the woodwinds and brass. "There are differences in the way the air flows through the instrument, and in how the players draw their breaths - do the droplets come from the mouth, or deep in the lungs? Some instruments require blowing through reeds, or wider metal mouthpieces. Those factors likely affect what kinds of particles are produced, how long those particles hang in the air, and the amount of infectious virus they ultimately bear. For each instrument, a new set of questions needs to be asked. And until now, no one really has," she charged.

Linsey Marr, an aerosol researcher at Virginia Tech, countered, saying those current regulations may overlook a key area of concern. “They’re looking at one aspect of the airflow,” she explained, referring to air velocity. “They did not directly measure aerosols.” Those smaller particles, which hang around in the air longer, are difficult to capture by measuring air velocity alone. Marr believes they are a key hazard.

Aerosols, which are tiny particles of 5 microns or less in diameter, that can carry the virus. Aerosol particles are so tiny and light that they can remain suspended in the air, rather than quickly falling to the ground like a larger, heavier respiratory droplet.

The Houston Symphony/Rice University study conclusions will be made available to the general public.

SPREADING THE WORD

THE 22nd INSTALLMENT OF BROADWAY BARKS the star-studded dog and cat adoption event, aptly titled “Broadway Barks Across America” for the 2020 season will be streamed for the first time ever on Thursday, July 16th at 7:30 p.m. EDT, free of charge on YouTube and Facebook pages. The streamed event, hosted by co-founder, Bernadette Peters will feature adoptable animals presented by celebrities from across the country.

The event includes such friends as: Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Betty Buckley, Danny Burstein, Kristin Chenoweth, Victoria Clark, Alan Cumming, Ted Danson, Ariana DeBose, Raúl Esparza, Gloria Estefan, Sutton Foster, Victor Garber, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Goldblum, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Joel Grey, Josh Groban, Jake Gyllenhaal, Julie Halston, Jon Hamm, Emmylou Harris, Sean Hayes, Hugh Jackman, Nathan Lane, Laura Linney, Rebecca Luker, Audra McDonald, Malcolm McDowell, Laurie Metcalf, Bette Midler, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Rita Moreno, Bebe Neuwirth, Alex Newell, Mandy Patinkin, Randy Rainbow, Andrew Rannells, John Stamos, Mary Steenburgen, Will Swenson, Michael Urie, Nia Vardalos, Adrienne Warren and Vanessa Williams.

Broadway Barks co-founded by Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters in 1998 has become New York City’s premiere animal adoption event. More than 2,000 cats and dogs have stolen Broadway’s spotlight and the hearts of all who come to Broadway Barks. Approximately 85% of these furry friends have successfully found forever homes.

THE RECORDING ACADEMY AND COLOR OF CHANGE the nation's largest online racial justice organization, have announced a partnership to promote positive social change within the music industry. In addition to the partnership, the Recording Academy has made a $1 million donation to Color of Change.

The organizations will work together to identify key opportunities to drive and influence change in the music industry, and will be dedicated to building power for Black music creators and professionals. This work will span several strategies, including the creation of a Black music advisory group, a membership campaign focusing on the Black music community to drive new voting members to the Academy, an industrywide diversity and inclusion summit and partnership in advocacy and legislative efforts. Additionally, Color of Change will provide advisory support on the development and implementation of the Academy’s previously announced industry Inclusion Rider and Toolkit, which will be introduced in later in 2020.

THE TENNESSEE WILLIAM FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS has launched a new radio show Something Spoken: Tennessee Williams St Louis On the Air on July 11. The program will air every other Saturday at 5 p.m. on Classic 107.3 FM. The festival decided to embark on this new venture because “It is important now to unify, elevate and enrich humanity during this very challenging year,” explains Carrie Houk, Executive Artistic Director of TWSTL.

Each episode of Something Spoken: Tennessee Williams St Louis On the Air will consist of fully produced Williams’ one-act plays along with interviews with scholars, directors and actors.

Broadway legend and St. Louisan Ken Page will narrate and noted Williams scholar Tom Mitchell will offer commentary on each episode. Performers will include: Nisi Sturgis; Rayme Cornell; J. Samuel Davis; Bob Harvey; Anita Jackson; Tony Merritt, II; Elizabeth Teeter; Bradley Tejeda; Rachel Tibbits; Donathan Walters; Kelley Weber; Donna Weinsting and Maggie Wininger. Brian Hohlfeld, David Kaplan and Tim Ocel will be directing.

JEREMIAH LLOYD HARMON & CHRISTINE O'LEARY a night of music and comedy – the Ridgefield Playhouse's first live show since early March will be outdoors – with 2019 American Idol finalist Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon and comedian Christine O’Leary. The outdoor concert, will take place on the field adjacent to The Playhouse, with seating under a tent. Harmon and O’Leary will be reuniting after performing at a star-studded gala event in New York City last year.

Saturday, July 25, 2020 at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, CT.

THE FORD'S THEATRE in Washington DC is launching a monthly virtual play reading series. First up on July 22, a reading of Lauren Gunderson’s Silent Sky, featuring the original cast from their 2020 production. You can watch the reading on their website, Facebook Live, YouTube or Twitter.

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

Knock jokes as we know them today emerged around 1936, and soon became a veritable craze.

Knock knock. Who's there? Hawaii. Hawaii who? I'm fine, Hawaii you?

Knock knock. Who's there? Voodoo. Voodoo who? Voodoo you think you are, asking me so many questions?

Knock knock. Who's there? Nana. Nana who? Nana your business.

Knock knock. Who's there? Mustache. Mustache who? Mustache you a question, but I'll shave it for later

Knock knock. Who's there? Gorilla. Gorilla who? Gorilla me a hamburger.

Knock knock. Who's there? Tank. Tank who? You're welcome.

Knock knock. Who's there? Turnip. Turnip who? Turnip the volume, I love this song!

Knock knock. Who's there? Adore. Adore who? Adore is between us. Open up!

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT PROVIDES $2 BILLION BAILOUT TO SAVE THE ARTS Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the bailout as a “world-leading” rescue package for cultural and heritage institutions. Mr. Johnson said in a statement that the money would “help safeguard the sector for future generations, ensuring art groups and venues across the U.K. can stay afloat and support their staff whilst their doors remain closed and curtains remain down.” The money will go to a variety of recipients, including Britain’s “local basement” music venues and museums, he added. Museums in England have been permitted to reopen but there is no indication when theaters and music venues will be permitted to begin performances.

Last Sunday, UK Theater, a trade body, announced it was starting a fund to help unemployed theater people providing one-off grants of £1,000 to those most in need.

Netflix has provided £500,000 to the fund, Anne Mensah, the company’s vice president, said in a news release, the donation was in recognition of the “pipeline of emerging creative talent” that British theaters supply to the streaming giant.

in related news Germany’s Parliament has also approved a fund of 1 billion euros (about $1.13 billion) to supports its culture sector which is already supported by regional legislatures. Many state-funded theaters in Germany receive 70 to 80 percent of their income from the state, compared with about 20 to 30 percent in Britain, according to published reports.

The Netherlands has committed about €600 million to help sustain its cultural life.

AMERICAN THEATRE CRITICS ASSOCIATION NAMES FINALISTS FOR FRANCESCA PRIMUS PRIZE which recognizes an emerging woman playwright. The prize, administered through ATCA, is named in honor of Francesca Primus, a playwright, dramaturg, theater critic, and ATCA member who died of cancer in 1992.

The Primus Prize has been adjudicated by ATCA since 2002. The award includes a $10,000 honorarium given through the Primus Foundation. The winner, selected from this year’s three finalists, will be announced by early August.

This year’s finalists are:

Jennifer Barclay for Ripe Frenzy, which had its rolling world premiere through the National New Play Network at Boston’s New Repertory Theatre, Atlanta’s Synchronicity Theatre, and Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles

Ifa Bayeza for Benevolence, which premiered with Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul

Stephanie Alison Walker for The Madres, which also had a rolling world premiere with the National New Play Network with Chicago’s Teatro Vista, Skylight Theatre Company in Los Angeles, MOXIE Theatre in San Diego, and Shrewd Productions in Austin, Texas.

E-Book

Soft back Book

E-Book

Soft back Book

This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

FINAL OVATION

JOHNNY MANDEL the five-time Grammy recipient and Oscar and Emmy Award winner died June 29, 2020 in Ojai, California. He was 94.

Mandel composed the “M*A*S*H theme song and won an Oscar for The Shadow of Your Smile, the theme song to the movie The Sandpiper.

He won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) in 1981 for Quincy Jones's song Velas, and again in 1991 for Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole's Unforgettable, and one year later once more for Shirley Horn's album Here's to Life.

Mandel was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music in 1993. He was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010. He was iInducted into the ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame in 2009. He was a recipient of the 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Award, the nation’s highest honor for a jazz artist, by the National Endowment for the Arts. He subsequently received The Grammy Trustees Award in 2018, which is awarded by The Recording Academy to "individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording".

Mandel married Lois Lee in 1959. That marriage ended in divorce. In 1970 he married Martha Blanner; she died in December 2019. He is survived by his daughter Marissa.

NICK CORDERO Tony nominated Broadway star died Sunday, July 4, 2020 following a 95-day fight with the COVID-19 virus which included having his leg amputated. He was 41.

His lengthy battle was documented for fans by his courageous wife Amanda Kloots, whom he married on September 3, 2017, who ended her Instagram post with: "I am in disbelief and hurting everywhere. My heart is broken as I cannot imagine our lives without him. Nick was such a bright light."

Zach Braff, who starred in Broadway's Bullets Over Broadway with Cordero, wrote on Instagram that the actor died at 11:40 a.m. Sunday with his wife and his mother at his side.

Cordero was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on March 30 for what was initially thought to be pneumonia. A first coronavirus test came up negative, though a subsequent test was positive for COVID-19.

His wife reported that he was in critical condition, on a ventilator, and being treated with dialysis and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). On April 18, 2020, his right leg was amputated as a result of complications from his illness. As of May 1, 2020, he had major lung damage and had not regained consciousness after being taken off sedation. By May 13, 2020, Cordero had regained consciousness but was unable to speak.

The Canadian-born actor earned a Tony Award nomination in 2014 for his role in Bullets Over Broadway and also starred in productions of Rock of Ages; Waitress and A Bronx Tale.

He moved to Los Angeles with his family to star in Rock of Ages.

On the small screen, Cordero appeared in several episodes of Blue Bloods and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as ,i>Lilyhammer, and he had a role in the film Going in Style. In June their son Elvis turned 1 while his father was hospitalized.

ENNIO MORRICONE Oscar-winning composer for such films as 'The Mission' and 'Bugsy,' died July 6, 2020 . On 6 July 2020, Morricone died at the Università Campus Bio-Medico in Rome as a result of injuries sustained during a fall. He was 91.

Morricone composed over 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as over 100 classical works. His score to ,i> The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) is considered one of the most influential soundtracks in history and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. His filmography includes over 70 award-winning films in a career that spanned more than 50 years.

A favorite of critics, directors and other composers, Morricone's score to the 1986 film The Mission was voted best film score of all time in a 2012 Variety poll. On his sixth nomination, he finally won a competitive Oscar, in 2016, for his score for Quentin Tarantino's ,i>The Hateful Eight. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had awarded Morricone an honorary Oscar in 2007.

On October 13, 1956, Morricone married Maria Travia, whom he had met in 1950. Travia wrote lyrics to complement her husband's pieces. Her works include the Latin texts for The Mission. They had three sons and a daughter: Marco (1957), Alessandra (1961), the conductor and film composer Andrea (1964), and Giovanni Morricone (1966), a filmmaker, who lives in New York City.

CHARLIE DANIELS Country music and southern rock legend known for his contributions to Southern rock, country, and bluegrass music. He is best known for his number-one country hit The Devil Went Down to Georgia died July 6, 2020 at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee. Doctors determined the cause of death was a hemorrhagic stroke. He was 83.

Daniels was active as a singer and musician since the 1950s. He was inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame in 2002, the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009, and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

He married his wife, Hazel, on September 20, 1964. Together, they have one son, Charlie Daniels, Jr. who survive him.

Next Column: July 19, 2020
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