Actress Marian Seldes will get her second Tony, this one for lifetime achievement, at the June 13 awards ceremony. “Also receiving a lifetime Tony will be Sir Alan Ayckbourn, the British playwright whose [comic trilogy] ‘The Norman Conquests’ won the award for best revival of a play last year.”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Senate Committee Okays Ban On Box-Office Futures
“The setback comes as a surprise — and a victory for Hollywood — because federal regulators only in the last week had given the first stage of approval to the exchanges. Included in the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act financial reform package, passed Wednesday by the Senate Agriculture Committee, is a provision banning futures trading on box office.”
Artist’s Years Of Struggle Included Thievery, Jail Time
David “Choe, 33, has been working day and night on his new show, ‘Nothing to Declare,’ which opens Friday at a pop-up gallery in Beverly Hills. It will be his first local appearance in six years, during which he’s grown from petty criminal to respected international artist.”
Poor Timing? Kelsey Grammer Backs Right-Wing Network
“The Broadway revival of the 1983 musical ‘La Cage aux Folles,’ starring Kelsey Grammer, opened to rave reviews this week, only to encounter what could be a viral storm with news of the star’s online promo for the conservative-oriented RightNetwork.”
A Late Start Didn’t Hurt Pulitzer Winner Jennifer Higdon
“Ms. Higdon, who still speaks with a lilting Southern accent, had almost no exposure to classical music growing up, but taught herself to play the flute at 15 and entered Bowling Green State University at 18 as a flute major. After catching up on theory classes she began composing at 21.”
$1M Raised, Harlem School Of The Arts To Stay Open
“The 46-year-old school closed indefinitely last month because it needed at least $500,000 to stay open. Kate D. Levin, commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, said her office intervened and asked foundations and individuals to help save the school from closing.” Another development for the school: a new board.
No More Field Trips? Museums Will Go To The Kids, Then
“[M]any schools have eliminated or cut back on museum trips, partly because of tight budgets that make it hard to pay for a bus and museum admission, and partly because of the growing emphasis on ‘seat time’ to cover all the material on state tests. To make up for the decline in visits, many museums are taking their lessons to the classroom….”
Students Can’t See, But They’re Learning To Make Movies
Kevin “Bright, the Emmy-winning producer of the smash sitcom ‘Friends,’ is involved in a groundbreaking partnership with the Perkins School for the Blind.” He “has developed a filmmaking course for blind students, teaching them how to shoot, light, direct, and produce.”
Terrence McNally’s Unflattering Love Letters To Opera
“Many classical music lovers do what McNally has done: emphasize the stereotypes of the field in order to bring it across to others who have no idea how to approach this strange beast. This has the effect of pushing away exactly what they want to bring closer.”
Cooper Union President George Campbell Jr. To Retire
“[W]hen Dr. Campbell took over in 2000, the institution’s finances were precarious. The college had been running multimillion dollar deficits for years, and its endowment had sunk to a low of $100 million after Sept. 11. Dr. Campbell took advantage of the college’s real estate holdings, including the Chrysler Building, which it owns, to generate new revenue.”