Are protectors of literary estates too protective of the work they watch over? “In a theatrical age where the director is king and the quickest way to make your mark and your reputation is to let your ego run rampant on an established text, it is perhaps not surprising that estates and literary executors feel bound to protect the reputations of those who can no longer protect themselves. Unfortunately, these guardians often behave like ferocious guard dogs and are in danger of deterring directors and theatre companies from tackling classic works in new ways and keeping those texts alive.”
Month: December 2003
The Year Theatre Shrank
The essential act of theatre is that it is live and that it happens in front of an audience. But what audience? In the past year, theatre artists have been playing with the idea of theatre created for audiences of one (or two…), theatre created special-sized for those willing to experience it.
Theory Is Dead?
“In the 1970’s and 80’s, legions of students and professors in humanities departments embraced the view that the world was a ‘text’ – that the personal and political were shaped by language and that literary and cultural critics possessed tools as powerful as those of, say, political scientists for understanding the world and effecting social change. While outside observers have long inveighed against theory’s abstruse argot and political pretensions, this year theory seems to have lost much of its cachet, even among its would-be defenders.”
Evolving Palate – When Critical Tastes Expand
Wouldn’t you expect a critic to narrow in tastes as the years go on? Surprisingly not, observes Terry Teaachout. “One of the most surprising things that has happened to me in recent years is that I now like far more music, as well as a wider range of interpretative styles, than I did as a young man. This is not at all what I expected to happen as I grew older.”
Why Some Movies Aren’t Out As DVDs Yet
DVD’s are the standard for watching video these days. And there is a flood of movies newly released with every passing week. “More than 36,000 films are now available on DVD and nearly half of those were released in just the last two years. So why, among this vast stockpile, is there not a single Marx Brothers comedy or Astaire-Rogers musical?”
Charitable Giving Down In US For First Times In 12 Years
“Private contributions to US charities declined last year for the first time in 12 years, according to an annual survey of the 400 largest charities in the country. The report, compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, indicated that donations in 2002 fell 1.2% (adjusted for inflation) compared with an average gain of 12% during the previous five years. The total dipped to $46.9 billion from $47.5 billion the previous year.” And how’d the arts do? Down 26 percent, says the report, but the drop is exagerated because of big one-time gioftes recorded the year before.
Whither Canada’s Arts Ministry?
Canada has a new prime minister, and Paul Martin’s choice to head the nation’s Ministry of Canadian Heritage is already causing arts groups to wonder about the intentions of the new government. “A first-time cabinet minister, Hélène Scherrer is largely unknown among Canadian arts groups… The heritage minister is responsible for a broad range of issues and agencies, including arts and culture, citizenship, multiculturalism and sport.” Scherrer’s background is almost entirely in sports, and her spokesman has already said that the ministry will no longer be the “bank” for the arts that it was under former minister Sheila Copps.
A Museum With No Art
Three years ago, the Calder Foundation announced that Philadelphia would be the site of a $70 million museum dedicated to showcasing the work of sculptor Alexander Calder. “But what looked in early 2001 like a done deal has turned out to be just the beginning of an intricate courtship. Unlike other foundations devoted to the work of a single artist, such as the Warhol Foundation, the Calder Foundation does not have unilateral control over the artist’s estate. Six family members, including Rower, his mother and his aunt, control the artworks that would anchor the museum.” So far, the museum hasn’t managed to reach any agreements with the family to display Calder’s work.
Tchaikovsky vs. Radio City
With the famous Rockettes now touring the country as part of the traveling version of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, local dance companies used to cleaning up at the box office with their annual Nutcracker presentations are feeling a bit besieged. Across the country, companies are jazzing up their traditional Nutcrackers, and adding flashy new sets, costumes, and dramatic elements in an effort to compete with the glitzy Radio City crowd. One Denver company even has its toy soldiers lining up to kick their legs over their heads for a while, just like you know who.
The Rise Of Miami Beach
“At first glance, Art Basel Miami Beach may seem an incongruous group of words. But this bizarre-sounding conjunction of ice-cool Swiss business and hot-blooded Latino glamour is fast becoming the biggest event in the art-world calendar. Now in its second year, the ABMB sees a massive influx of collectors, dealers and global operators converging on the luxury, art-filled hotels of South Beach… While the Florida climate is clearly an attraction, what has made Miami the art world’s most magnetic new destination is its impressive infrastructure.”