“Members of the public can now apply to become judges of the 2016 Olivier Awards, after the Society of London Theatre opened applications. Alongside professional panellists, members of the public are required to judge four different categories: theatre, affiliate – which covers smaller, non-West End theatres – opera and dance.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Matthew Bourne’s Proudest Achievement? Following Up “Swan Lake”
“It became this massive hit and everyone was saying, ‘How can you follow that?’ It did what dance shows don’t normally do. It went into the West End and Broadway. It was almost impossible to follow it up, to try and build on that audience that loved that piece and show we could do more.”
Hilary Mantel’s “Assassination Of Margaret Thatcher” Story Brouhaha Starts Up Again
BBC Radio 4 announced that the historical fantasy would be read on the popular Book at Bedtime broadcast, and the folks who fussed when the story was published this fall have resumed fussing. Says Mantel, “You’d think they’d learn. I was bemused when Lord Bell suggested the police should interest themselves in the case of a fictional assassination of a person who was already dead.”
“Morally Treasonous And Spectacularly Dishonorable”: Sony Hackers Are Bad, But Media Who Report Info From Hack Are Worse
Aaron Sorkin: “I understand that news outlets routinely use stolen information. That’s how we got the Pentagon Papers, to use an oft-used argument. But there is nothing in these documents remotely rising to the level of public interest of the information found in the Pentagon Papers. … Every news outlet that did the bidding of the Guardians of Peace is morally treasonous and spectacularly dishonorable.”
Sony Hack: “Variety” Editor Feels Qualms About Revealing Info, But Rationalizes Anyway
Andrew Wallenstein: “Let’s get real: The hackers are playing the press as pawns. Journalists are essentially doing their bidding by taking the choicest data excerpts and waving them around for the world to see, maximizing their visibility. … While I found a lot to question about the rationales, ultimately I’ve arrived at an uneasy peace with why the leaks just can’t be ignored.”
Could Sony Sue Media Outlets For Reporting Hacked Info?
Over the weekend, star attorney David Boies wrote numerous news outlets on Sony’s behalf to warn that any leaked Sony documents should be destroyed, not published. Could the entertainment giant win a lawsuit over this? Probably not, argues law professor Eugene Volokh – if the media respect certain boundaries.
Software Glitch Drops Amazon UK Marketplace Prices To One Penny; Sellers Panic
“There were Christmas shopping bargains galore on Amazon’s website over the weekend … for about an hour. Because of a technical glitch, the prices of thousands of items crashed to 1p – giving eagle-eyed customers a pre-Christmas treat while leaving scores of small family-owned businesses nursing heavy losses, with some warning they could enter the new year facing closure.”
Mark O’Connor Vs. Suzuki: A Violin Teacher Responds
In the wake of O’Connor’s sharp attack on both the Suzuki method of violin instruction (O’Connor has just published his own primer) and Shinichi Suzuki himself, longtime teacher Kate O’Brien, an ex-Suzuki instructor, weighs in candidly on the method’s strengths and weaknesses.
Philadelphia’s Largest Professional Chorus To Disband
“The Philadelphia Singers’ board voted to shut down after learning in November that the William Penn Foundation had turned down a request for a three-year grant for general support; after its executive director resigned; and in view of $125,000 in debt, said Michael Martin Mills, board vice president.”
Indianapolis Museum Of Art To Drop Free Admission
“The Indianapolis Museum of Art, which hasn’t charged an admission fee since 2007, will begin charging adults $18 for entry to the museum and gardens starting in April … The museum briefly imposed a $7 adult admission fee in 2006, but dropped the policy a year later” after attendance fell.