“The Madison Repertory Theatre has officially closed its doors. ‘We are not going to be producing theater again,’ said artistic director Trevin Gay. Friday was his last day on the job. Madison’s premiere professional theater company since 1987 first announced dire financial trouble at the end of January. The Rep canceled the remainder of its season and did not renew space in Overture Center at the Playhouse.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Art As Collateral: Modern, Yes; Contemporary, Not So Much
“News that the renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz has pawned the copyright to her life’s work to help pay her mortgage debts comes at a time when people from every stratum of society are looking to see what cash value their assets may have. With traditional forms of investment income from property and stock markets in the doldrums, is art becoming an increasingly viable option to use as collateral for loans? Recent cases might suggest that it is.”
With $2.6M Deficit, Stratford Fest Asks For Govt. Help
“Facing dwindling ticket sales from U.S. theatregoers and its first deficit since the early 1990s, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival is appealing to government for financial support to help it through the recession. The Stratford, Ont., festival revealed in a press release sent out on Saturday that it had suffered a $2.6-million deficit in 2008 despite a program featuring Christopher Plummer in a critically acclaimed production of George Bernard Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra.”
As Arts Hurt In Recession, Opera Suffers More Operatically
“Many an opera plot is set in motion by a wicked curse that generates terrible heartache and loss. These days, it looks as if the real world of opera has been hit with a curse every bit as pernicious. … Even fundamentally healthy companies are scaling back on the number of productions or performances.”
Only Hollywood Can Save The LAT’s Hollywood Coverage?
As the financially troubled Los Angeles Times significantly reconfigures its Hollywood coverage, Matt Holzman explains what the paper is up against and suggests one key way people in the business can pitch in: “Instead of bitching and moaning about the Times, why not call them with your breaking story or your anonymous tip? If they do something great with it, the [T]imes will become known as the go-to place for the Hollywood low-down and you’ll have helped save our newspaper.”
His Business Reputation Damaged, YSL Bidder Sheds Tears
“Cai Mingchao, the Chinese art dealer who is refusing to pay for $40 million Qing bronzes he successfully bid for in the Yves Saint Laurent auction, said he wept when he realized that his credibility was shot and he may now have to close his business. … In the world of high-end art sales, where millions of dollars worth of items may sell on the basis of a phone call or handshake, defaulting is seen as unprofessional.”
Musicians Point To Drinking Culture In British Orchestras
“It is a hidden, taboo subject, widely known about within the music world but barely discussed. Little research into the area has been done and the full extent of the problem is incompletely understood. But inappropriate use of alcohol in Britain’s great orchestras is, according to musicians, endemic – ranging from drinking a pint before a concert to steady the nerves, to full-blown inebriation on stage.”
Are Women Funny? Sigh. Must We Go Through This Again?
“‘Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for another act. Now, it is a girl, so be nice because she could be a bit … well, crap.’ No, it’s not a comedy routine, but a true introduction I’ve been given on stage before my act. It’s an attitude female standups have come to expect from insecure, chauvinistic hacks with little talent. But from Germaine Greer? Whatever happened to sisterhood?”
In Visa Protest, Russian Pianist Sokolov Drops British Gig
“The cult Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov has cancelled his sole British 2009 concert next month because of the tightening of new visa requirements by the British government to combat illegal immigration and terrorism.” Sokolov, who lives in Italy, said that the “requirements had echoes of Soviet oppression, and that for every trip to Britain he would have to make an arduous and humiliating four-hour trip from his home to have his fingerprints taken in Rome.”
Barnes & Noble Buys E-Book Retailer Fictionwise
“What kind of role Barnes & Noble will play in the digital future became a little clearer this morning with the retailer’s announcement that it has acquired Fictionwise, one of the largest independent e-book retailers, for $15.7 million plus incentives over the next two years for achieving certain performance targets.”