“The Royal Shakespeare Company is to reissue some tickets to its production of Hamlet, starring David Tennant, amid fears counterfeits are circulating. Concerns were raised after forgeries were presented at London’s Novello Theatre where the show opens this week.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Ugly Memoirist Wins Libel Suit Brought By Her Mother
“The mother of a prominent barrister faces a legal bill of £500,000 after losing a High Court libel action against her daughter over allegations of abuse in Ugly, the bestselling memoir. … The verdict is both a triumph and a relief for [author Constance] Briscoe, a criminal barrister and one of Britain’s first black part-time judges. Her career was at stake had she lost.”
Museum Director’s Challenge: Living With A Patron’s Ghost
“Alex Nyerges is no stranger to working 16-hour days and wearing multiple hats. As director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, his domain ranges from the art blogosphere to the VMFA’s $130 million construction site — with countless travel obligations, fundraising opportunities and donor visits thrown in for good measure. Oh, and then there’s the ghost.”
Angling For An Oscar Nomination? Here’s How To Get One.
“Every year, entertainment reporters rattle off the type of roles that are usually Oscar bait: Alcoholics-druggies, people with mental or physical afflictions, etc. … But the last decades have offered proof that there are subtler things that can help steer actors into a surefire nomination, and maybe even a win.”
Miami Beach Draws The Line At Art Basel’s Ink Fountain
“Art Basel Miami Beach is known for its aestheticized hedonism. But city officials have barred the installation of artist Cooper’s Roman-style, black-ink-spewing Dark Fountain, which was commissioned for the fair, from a public park. ‘The ink stains,’ says Max Sklar, the city’s tourism honcho. ‘Clothing, cars, the sidewalk–everything.'”
Koch To City Opera: I Already Gave!
“David Koch is funding a renovation of New York City Opera’s home, and that’s enough. His $100 million donation will transform the New York State Theater–home to City Opera and New York City Ballet–into the David H. Koch Theater, and he feels bad about the opera’s financial and administrative mess. But he isn’t planning to bail it out.”
Shubert Board To Pick Schoenfeld Successor
“The Shubert Organization’s board of directors is scheduled to meet tomorrow to select a new leader, who will oversee its 17 Broadway houses and $300 million foundation. Directors will ‘implement the succession,’ Lee J. Seidler, a Shubert director and former Bear Stearns Cos. partner, said in a telephone interview.”
Leckey Wins Turner; Controversy Is Conspicuously Missing
“A witty meditation on the nature of film in popular culture taking in Felix the Cat, Homer Simpson, Titanic the movie and Philip Guston, tonight helped Mark Leckey win what is still acknowledged as the country’s most important contemporary art prize.” As Leckey received the award and the accompanying £25,000 check, “the most controversial thing about this year’s Turner prize was its lack of controversy.”
Bad Reviews Can Shake Even The Thick-Skinned Artist
“Harsh words from critics, now and forever a click away on the Internet, can harrow. This seems pretty plain, I know. But, amazingly, I had never really given this much thought until one day last spring when I wanted to put my head in the oven and kill myself because of a wretched review. … What had become of my poise?”
Understanding The Critical Mind — Or Trying To
“Dancers and choreographers often love to hate critics, especially when they’ve been subjected to a direct hit. Whether it’s the print or web equivalent of a spitball or a spear toss, the sting tends to linger, as does the resentment at being publicly humiliated. … A dancer who has been so stung might well ask, ‘Why are they so mean?'” Well, why are they?