“In the past five years, 21 Christian films have opened in wide release, meaning in more than 600 cinemas in the United States. All 21 are rated as ‘rotten’ on Rotten Tomatoes … And yet, Sony, Fox and other studios have established divisions for the express purpose of faith-based cinema. Why? Because these movies are produced with a different mindset than your standard narrative fare – and each of the 21 films made substantial profits.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Top Posts From AJBlogs 11.04.15
What is Audience Engagement? (Part 2)
It’s commonplace to talk about the need for “audience engagement” – but what does the term actually mean? Let’s pick up from yesterday’s discussion. … read more
AJBlog: Audience Wanted Published 2015-11-04
Both Sides, Now
Both Sides, Now: Short-Term Income vs. Long-Term Engagement in the Arts By Jill Robinson, TRG Arts. This post is part of a series of collaborations with TRG … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2015-11-03
Spectator sport
Georgian theatre going was not for the faint hearted. Dandies in the pit, doxies in the boxes, light fingers filching your pockets. If it wasn’t the fire that got you, it was the riots. … read more
AJBlog: Performance Monkey Published 2015-11-04
“Masterpiece” Theater: Sotheby’s & Christie’s Tout Megabucks Wares at Auction Preview
Hyperbole is always the order of the day when the auction houses unveil their wares at their press previews for the big evening sales of Impressionist, modern and contemporary art. But the back-to-back presentations by the Big Two auction houses on Friday (“Taxi!”) were even more boastful than usual. … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2015-11-04
Taubman Was No Havemeyer: Sotheby’s Rough Night
A lot was riding on Sotheby’s “Masterworks” sale from the Taubman Collection tonight, and it was a rough ride. … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2015-11-04
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Colin Welland, 81, Screenwriter Of ‘Chariots Of Fire’
“The success of Chariots of Fire was perhaps as improbable as that of Mr. Welland, who had once abandoned his dreams of acting to teach art. … Among his other credits was the screenplay for the 1989 film A Dry White Season, … [and] with Walter Bernstein, … the 1979 John Schlesinger film Yanks.”
‘It’s Relentless. I Did 50 Days In A Row Without A Break’: A Dancer’s Diary
“In the first of a new series exploring dancers’ lives, Xander Parish of the Mariinsky Ballet gets into the role of Romeo, explains how to be the perfect partner and considers his hectic schedule.”
How A Composer Keeps Working Through Hearing Loss
“Jay Alan Zimmerman discovered he was losing his hearing when he was in his early 20s, trying to make it as a musician on Broadway in New York. As his hearing worsened, Jay considered other professions, but ultimately he couldn’t imagine a life without music. … Jay has to decide if he wants to be a part of the experimental phase of [a] new treatment, or if the potential risks are too great. Meanwhile, he’s found ways to keep composing with the little bit of hearing he has left.” (podcast)
Shakespeare’s Globe Performs ‘Hamlet’ In Syrian Refugee Camp
“Aiming to visit every country in the world to commemorate the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, and the 400th anniversary of his death, it has visited 136 countries out of 196. The only country the company could not get permission and insurance to visit was Syria, so they performed in the Zaatari refugee camp on the Jordanian border to an entirely Syrian audience.” (photo journal)
Why ‘Measure For Measure’ Is *The* Shakespeare Play For 2015
“[Isabella’s] willingness to be a martyr for chastity – and Angelo’s moral crackdown, backed by capital punishment – would seem less quaint to the Tea Party wing of the Republicans, at the Vatican, or in countries and cultures subject to Islamic sharia law. And so the conflict in the Vienna of the play between sexual licentiousness and censoriousness has an obvious contemporary topicality, while the play’s broader exploration of the nature of justice is perennially relevant: at the Globe, the production is part of a season under the umbrella theme of ‘Justice & Mercy’.”
After Years Of Cutbacks, Arts Education In L.A. Schools Is In Tatters: District Study
“For the first time, L.A. Unified in September completed a detailed accounting of arts programs at its campuses … Arts programs at a vast majority of schools are inadequate, according to district data. Classrooms lack basic supplies. Some orchestra classes don’t have enough instruments. And thousands of elementary and middle school children are not getting any arts instruction.” (complete results of study here)
Major Gallery In Moscow Forced To Close After Hosting Benefit For Political Prisoners
“The prominent Russian art gallery owner Marat Guelman is being evicted from an exhibition space in Moscow after hosting a charity auction for political prisoners … Two days [after the event], Guelman was served with an eviction notice from the company that rents out the building housing his gallery at Moscow’s acclaimed Winzavod art center.”
China’s Cartoonists Are Disappearing As Regime Cracks Down On Dissent
Rebel Pepper (néWang Liming), who went into exile in Japan following the confiscation of his social media accounts and searches of his house, was one of an ever-rarer breed in the People’s Republic …