“Young Italian movement group Dewey Dell are dedicated to forging a new form of theatre integrating music, choreography and lighting, but are so depressed by the Italian economy they are saddened when considering the future.
Month: May 2012
Virtual Reality Games Help Treat Soldiers’ PTSD
“[A recent] clinical trial compar[es] virtual reality with standard exposure therapy – which helps patients relearn their responses to stressful situations by focusing on the traumatic event in a controlled environment.” The effects of virtual reality treatment appear to last longer than those of talk therapy.
How Technology Could Change Theatre Criticism For Good
“While words alone can create a rich tapestry of critical response, imagine how much richer this might be with the addition of images, video, audio, geotagging, experimental forms such as Pinterest – the list goes on. Despite having such options at their fingertips, the majority of those writing theatre criticism for the web remain trapped in the conventional print review format.”
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, 20th Century’s Great Champion Of Lieder, Dead At 86
“His Protean career was surely unique, as he sang and recorded more vocal music than any who came before. … More than that, he was an inspiration to the vast number of singers who have followed his example in this field, and made the singing of lieder a common experience, not to forget the audience he created for this kind of music-making.”
Forget Smell-O-Vision! Now We Have Edible Movies
“For hot on the heels of 4D, scratch & sniff and dress-up cinema comes the latest immersive cinematic experience, and this time it’s comestible. … In your seat, you find a tray of numbered cups and parcels. During the screening, in the style of a dolly bird parading the scores at a boxing match, an usherette holds up corresponding numbers indicating what to open when.”
Bring Back The Sitting Ovation!, Says Ben Brantley
“Because we really have reached the point where a standing ovation doesn’t mean a thing. Pretty much every show you attend on Broadway these days ends with people jumping to their feet and beating their flippers together like captive sea lions whose zookeeper has arrived with a bucket of fish. This is true even for doomed stinkers that find the casts taking their curtain calls with the pale, hopeless mien of patients who have just received a terminal diagnosis.”
English Arts Orgs Get £30M To Develop Fundraising Capability
“The money is being distributed through [Arts Council England’s] Catalyst programme, which is aimed at helping cultural organisations to increase their fundraising potential. Overall, 173 organisations have been given more than £30 million to develop their fundraising capacity and make themselves more attractive to potential donors.”
Scotland Changes Arts Funding To Focus On One-Time Projects
“The agency’s new funding strategy puts far greater emphasis on theatre groups, art centres, galleries and festivals competing against each other for subsidies for one-off projects from next April to help it cope with a £2.1m cut in its funding from the Scottish government.”
Herbert Breslin, 87, Manager Who Made Pavarotti’s Career
Anne Midgette: “When in 2002 an offer to write a book with this character fell into my lap and I began sounding out people in the business about it, I started to get the impression that he was universally hated. But there was a lot more to Herbert’s story than that.”
Dickens And Browning And Lear: What’s In A Reputation?
“This year sees the bicentenary of Robert Browning, Charles Dickens and Edward Lear. No need to over-think the glorious posterity of the Inimitable. He was simply a genius who created a whole world for ages to come. But with Browning and Lear it gets more complicated. … What are the qualities that make a writer endure and flourish?”