Month: June 2000

The chairman of the Arts Council of England  says there’s a crisis in British theatre. “British theatre is living in the past and is failing to attract young people,” he says, and called on the government to pour an extra £100 million into the arts to help solve some of the problems.  – The Independent (UK)

Almost 500 years after Leonardo da Vinci first put the concept down on paper, a British daredevil tests Leonardo’s parachute – and to the surprise of skeptics, floats “almost one and a half miles down from a hot air balloon. Ignoring warnings that it would never work, he built the 187lb contraption of wooden poles, canvas and ropes from a simple sketch that Da Vinci had scribbled in a notebook in 1485.” – The Guardian

As actors increasingly lash our at critics after receiving negative reviews (Donald Sutherland and Kelsey Grammer, most recently), the role of the critic – and arts journalism in general – is being widely debated. Should a critic be a neutral mediator of experience? Or a subjective arbiter of taste? “The critic is not a straw-poll merchant, a tipster or a second-guesser of audience taste, simply an individual paid to record his or her reaction. Throughout history this has been a source of creative tension between artists and critics.” – The Guardian

The Library of Congress has been expanding its services to the public. That has some in the US Congress wondering if the Congress is being slighted. Congressional testimony Tuesday takes an unexpected turn to focus on where the library’s allegiances are – to the legislators or the public? For every $1 of federal funds allotted for digital expansion and new programs, the library raises $3 of private funds. But, “if push ever comes to shove, the library will honor its commitment to Congress.” – Washington Post

A Carolina startup is offering customers the ability to buy their concert tickets online and print them at home. “The company provides its software for free to venues, allowing businesses to sell tickets online. Consumers are then able to immediately print their tickets after the purchase using any standard printer. Each ticket comes with its own 2D barcode.” – Wired

Boston’s mayor Thomas Menino has announced big arts initiatives. But after 18 months, he still hasn’t appointed someone to head up his cultural department.  “It’s an absolute disgrace that that position has not been filled. The fact that there isn’t a strong (arts) leader you can go to and work with (in City Hall) is an outrage. The city is floundering around without the kind of arts leadership other cities have.” – Boston Herald