“North Shore Music Theatre, trying desperately to survive, announced a new plan yesterday to dramatically cut costs so it can launch a season this summer. But the nonprofit Beverly theater said it must still raise $2 million by July in order to put on six musicals and its holiday production of ‘A Christmas Carol.'” New England’s largest nonprofit theatre is hoping co-productions will be the key to its survival.
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Why I Didn’t Nominate Banksy For The Turner Prize
“I’m not telling you my nominations, obviously. But perhaps I’ll mention an artist I decided not to put forward. A perverse devil in me flirted with Banksy. This really was perverse because I’ve denounced this artist many times. … Perhaps putting Banksy forward for the Turner might give the public a chance to actually engage with his art instead of just hearing about it?”
For 2010’s Young Concert Artists, Less Cash, No Gala
“One highlight of the worthy Young Concert Artists series is its annual Irene Diamond gala concert,” but the organization “will not present the concert next year, because of budget woes and thinning donations. … ‘We’re cutting everything we can do without ruining everything,’ Susan Wadsworth, who founded the Young Concert Artists in 1961, said.” The group will also “lower cash prizes for audition winners to $2,000 from $5,000.”
Why Hasn’t The Recession Killed The Celebrity Book Deal?
“Blockbuster book deals have been around for a long time; well-known politicians and big players in the business world regularly pull in millions of dollars for their books, and recently, comedians Tina Fey, Sarah Silverman and Kathy Griffin scored seven-figure book deals, with Fey topping the list at close to $6 million. But given the current economic climate, some have been questioning whether such big advances make sense.”
Memorize, Memorize, Memorize (And Other Miltonian Tips)
“The more I study Milton … the more appealing he becomes. Although filled with classical allusions, his poems don’t seem nearly as icy as I initially found them. His quirks are amusing; his many contradictions, more so. If you don’t have the extra hours to submerge yourself in Milton’s oeuvre, following are a few tips I’ve gleaned from recent study.”
YouTube’s Carnegie Hall Fantasy Collides With Reality
“[W]hat everyone was really hoping for was a wonderful musical experience to complete the fairy-tale idea that strangers at all levels of ability, from professionals to music students to hobbyists, could come together and join in top-flight musicmaking. Unfortunately, as Wednesday’s concert demonstrated, that’s the stuff of video, not reality. Music, it turns out, isn’t a language universal enough that people can converse in it easily right off the bat.”
Live At Carnegie, YouTube Symphony Acquits Itself Well
“So, after all the buzz about the YouTube Symphony Orchestra altering the audition process forever, after months of interactive computer chat about the world’s first collaborative online orchestra, after 96 winning players were selected from among the more than 3,000 musicians who submitted audition videos and were brought to New York for a group summit and Carnegie Hall concert, how did the YouTube Symphony Orchestra finally play? Quite well, actually….”
Drama Dept. Co-Founder Rosenberg Is La Jolla’s New M.D.
“La Jolla Playhouse has tapped a veteran producer from artistic director Christopher Ashley’s extended creative family to become the theater’s managing director. The Playhouse’s board is announcing today it has chosen Michael S. Rosenberg, 40, to take over the theater’s top administrative job, effective May 4.”
Georgia Votes To Buy An Art Museum (Which Isn’t For Sale)
“The recession forced state lawmakers to slash more than $3 billion from budgets this year, but legislators were able to scrape together $1.6 million to buy and renovate the Albany [Ga.] Museum of Art. Apparently the General Assembly didn’t see the ‘not for sale’ sign on the property before approving the money in the state budget. The allocation has left museum officials befuddled.”
English PEN Mounts Challenge To UK’s Harsh Libel Laws
“English PEN has said it is ‘startled by the extent’ to which the UK’s libel laws are now preventing publishers and journalists from releasing contentious material. Working alongside Index on Censorship, English PEN is building a dossier of cases from publishers, editors, bloggers, NGOs and lawyers to support its case for reform of the libel laws. The work is in response to a report last year by the UN Human Rights Committee.”