The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, in Waterford, Conn has decided to reinstate its annual cabaret conference this summer. “The goal of the new and expanded conference is to “keep pushing the envelope” of cabaret and performance, and that this is another way to “keep the O’Neill at the modern edge.”
Month: April 2005
Will Indecency Law Pass Congress?
Proposed indecency legislation that includes heavy fines against performers might pass in Congress. “No one wants to be in a position of being in favor of indecency. But very few [in Congress] want to risk trying to state their position in 30-second TV ads — trying to explain the First Amendment and self-censorship and that there are better ways of protecting kids with V-chips and software. It would take a lot of money to reply.”
MP3 Blogs – A Future In Court?
“MP3 bloggers, as they are known, are people who hunt down and post musical gems — usually hard-to-find or niche MP3s — for others to discuss and, for a limited time, download.” They’re getting an audience, and it’s growing. But legally are such blogs going to pass muster?
Marketing The Smithsonian – It’s Big Business
“Last year such marketing ventures grossed $156.3 million, returning $26.7 million in profit to the museums — nearly half the Smithsonian’s unrestricted funds, to be spent any way it pleases. Marketing has become so important that the Smithsonian now knows from surveys that the kids in the school groups that fly through the National Air and Space Museum each have about $5 to $10, and just about that many minutes to spend them. That’s why the gift shop at the world’s most visited museum is stocked with budget-friendly items such as military dog tags and marbles designed to look like planets. That’s why last year 200,000 packs of freeze-dried astronaut ice cream were sold.”
Washington Ballet Cancels Tour Over Meal Money
The Washington Ballet, embroiled in a bitter union dispute, has canceled its first foreign trip in five years because it couldn’t reach an agreement with its dancers over meal money.
How To Choose Piano Competition Contestants
Thirty-five pianists have been chosen for the Cleveland International Piano Competition. “The pianists – 11 women and 24 men – hail from 17 countries: China (seven), the United States (five), Russia (four), Japan (three), Bulgaria (two), France (two), South Korea (two), Australia, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Serbia, Sweden, Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia. The competition’s new screening process began with 243 hopefuls from 43 countries. After viewing applications, competition officials invited 143 pianists to tape videos in Cleveland, Akron, New York, Tokyo, Munich or London.”
Chick Lit Moves Down A Generation
“Since the late 1990s, teen chick lit — think Bridget Jones in high school — has been gaining popularity, reaping profits for publishers and booksellers, prompting established adult authors to target younger audiences and giving teens and tweens (9- to 12-year-old girls) their own heroines. Teen chick lit is still growing each year by double digits.”
In Canada – It’s A Mystery
Mystery novels are hot in Canada, and the genre is filling publishers’ lists. Some “40 per cent more mystery novels were published this year than the year before, and there has been a 50-per-cent increase in juvenile mysteries. And the number of nominations for the Arthur Ellis Awards, the CWC’s annual mystery prize, has spiked dramatically. This year 67 novels were submitted to the fiction category, 43 for best novel, and 24 for debut works.”
Chang To Lead Iowa Writers’ Workshop
Lan Samantha Chang, a Harvard University professor and award-winning fiction author who specializes in stories of Chinese-Americans, has been named director of the nation’s most prestigious writing program, the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop.
Tuning Out Michael Jackson And The “Ick Factor”
It seems that there really is a point at which audiences don’t want all the lurid details. They’re turning off salacious coverage of the Michael Jackson trial. “As the trial in Santa Maria, Calif., has become more graphic — particularly in the last week, when a former security guard testified in detail about a sexual act he claimed to have seen Jackson perform on a naked 10-year-old boy more than a decade ago — what some have called the story’s ‘ick factor’ has lowered the appetite of listeners, viewers and readers nationwide.”