Author: Laura Collins Hughes

Union To Members: New York City Opera Strike Is ‘Likely’

“A strike may cripple the New York City Opera later this year if its new general manager and artistic director, George Steel, seeks extensive concessions, said the union representing opera singers, stage directors and other production staffers. … ‘Under Steel’s proposal, working at City Opera wouldn’t even be a full-time job,’ Alan Gordon, the executive director of the Guild, said in an interview.”

It’s Time For Theatre To Give Circus Arts A Chance

“Mainstream theatre has a penchant for spotting bright shiny things and appropriating them like a magpie, but it is often less generous in helping other art forms to really develop in their own right. Circus artists are striving to understand what choreographers and theatre directors may demand of them and to help the latter appreciate the real possibilities of circus – in particular, to look at the metaphor and meaning that can lie beneath the tricks.”

Robert Ashley’s Persistent Dream: CSI-Like Opera For TV

“There was a time in the late 1960s when the avant-garde composer Robert Ashley thought that the world was ready for televised opera.” In 1984, with the broadcast of his Perfect Lives, “Ashley was possibly even poised to give birth to a new popular genre — and then he didn’t. … It’s 25 years since [Perfect Lives‘] first TV success, yet Ashley is farther than ever from realising his dream of opera for television. But, even at 79, he’s patient.”

Back To The Classics, Say Children’s Laureates

“Anne Frank is in there, as is Oliver Twist, the four March sisters, William and the Famous Five. But a certain Hogwarts wizard was notable by his absence from the list when the five past Children’s Laureates were asked to hand-pick their ‘favourite ever’ reads. … What is clear is that the classics dominate their tastes, with only five of the total 35 books having been published in the past 20 years and a fifth of the titles dating from the 19th century.”

Hiorns’ Superiority Is Turner Shortlist’s Only Weakness

This year’s Turner Prize shortlist “is one of the strongest in the 25-year history of the prize. With two painters, a draughtsman and a sculptor, not only do these artists actually make things (as opposed to think them, lecture about them, photograph them or film them), but their work is often shockingly, breathtakingly beautiful. … The weakness of the shortlist is a lack of balance: it has three good artists and one great one.”

Please Discard Illusions Re: San Francisco And Architecture

As the American Institute of Architects descends on his city for a convention, John King offers some guidance. “To all of you, welcome. And while you get your bearings, remember this: San Francisco defies expectations in more ways than one. When it comes to architecture, here are seven misconceptions to toss into the recycling bin on your way to the Ferry Building….”

Humor’s High Bar: Being Funny At Book Length

“It’s not so hard to be funny for a thousand words or so, the typical length of a New Yorker magazine Shouts & Murmurs feature, or for the duration of a newspaper column. Dave Barry was almost always funny in the newspaper and succeeded at magazine length many times. Funny for the duration of a book?” That’s a true test — and almost no one passes.

Pol Wields 1891 Law In Fee-Hike Battle Vs. Art Institute

“Ramping up his campaign against the Art Institute of Chicago’s pending 50-percent general admission increase, Ald. Ed Burke (14th) is trying to compel the museum to increase its free hours by enforcing an ordinance that is more than 100 years old.” The law, from 1891, “specified that the Art Institute would offer free admission on Wednesdays, Saturdays and a half-day on Sundays.”