“Much of the work going on owes more to contemporary dance and experimental theatre than it does to sawdust and elephants. British circus is holding its own despite the fact that it’s not operating on a level playing field: it receives far less funding – indeed, only a few crumbs from the table – and lacks resources….”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
With Return Of Louvre Frescoes, Another Victory For Egypt
“French President Nicolas Sarkozy presented one of the slabs, or steles, to his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak, who was on a visit to Paris. The Egyptians had demanded the return of the Pharaonic fragments and had broken off ties with the Louvre.”
Harold Bloom Aside, Why Speed-Read Literature?
“Did the world’s great novelists really spend years agonising over the pitch and rhythm of their sentences so some time-efficient post-modern reader could skim over the text like a political spin doctor searching for soundbites in the transcript of a ministerial speech?”
Turning 70, Gone With the Wind Finally Earns Respect
“[A]ffection and respect are different things, and it is perhaps only now–70 years after its initial release on Dec. 15, 1939–that this film is acquiring a patina of venerability.” Which doesn’t mean the complicated emotions the movie raises have diminished.
Is Blogging On Visual Art As Bad As All That?
The Creative Capital/Warhol Foundation’s Arts Writers Grant Program, “according to its website, ‘aims to support the broad spectrum of writing on contemporary visual art, from general-audience criticism to academic scholarship.’ The list of 2009 recipients reflects that goal” — except in one area. “As writers on art, bloggers just don’t seem to measure up.”
Kathleen Turner To Play Molly Ivins In New One-Act
The premiere of “Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins,” by Margaret Engel and Allison Engel, will be directed David Esbjornson this spring at the Philadelphia Theatre Company.
This Fall, Broadway Has Been Busy But Brutal
Though there have been rare wild successes, more shows have experienced devastating failure. “The landlords aren’t hurting. For the moment, every Broadway theater has a backup tenant and a backup for the backup. … For producers, however, it’s another story.”
Sapphire, Reggie Wilson Among $50K Fellowship Winners
“The 50 grants of $50,000 each were given by United States Artists, a Los Angeles-based arts-advocacy group that’s awarded the fellowships since 2006. The recipients, who hail from 18 states … include sculptors, playwrights, filmmakers, radio producers, choreographers, songwriters, poets and fashion designers.”
Atlanta Symphony Names Concertmaster
“The ASO and music director Robert Spano have picked 25-year-old Norwegian-born violinist David Coucheron. He replaces violinist Cecylia Arzewski, who served as the orchestra’s most prominent member for 18 years.”
Activists Hang Protest Banner On Sydney Opera House Sail
“Julien Vincent, a climate campaigner for Greenpeace, … said the climbers had taken special effort to ensure the Opera House sail was not damaged.” Police escorted the five climate-treaty advocates down and charged them with trespassing.