ArtsWatch

A couple of non-musical observations from the Mann Center this week. At the showing of a new Peter and the Wolf film, one could picture Disney execs slicing out frames showing (you'd better sit down for this) one of the hunters smoking. The scene where the bully throws Peter into a garbage dumpster and stands over him with a gun would no doubt have made it in fine.
And sharp-eyed orchestra fans might have noticed a rare sight on stage: an African American woman. For the first time in about 20 years, according to players, an African American woman has been hired as a substitute in the ensemble. The musician, a violist, is a Baltimore freelancer. Being a sub in the orchestra is a common way of landing a job as a fulltime member, and the orchestra hasn't hired a new African American member since its first three in the 1970s.