“The great French director, who died recently, took some persuading to do a play in London – and was seriously ill when he did. But the experience was life-changing, recalls the Young Vic’s artistic director.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
What’s Worse Than Snark? Smarm (Says Tom Scocca)
One of the Web’s more accomplished snarkmeisters argues that the push by some goody-goodies for more niceness on the Internet – for instance, the decision by BuzzFeed’s new books editor to avoid negative reviews, or, in Scocca’s opinion, almost anything Dave Eggers says – is worse than the problem it’s trying to address.
Smarm? What’s Wrong With Some Niceness? (Says Malcolm Gladwell)
And, regarding Scocca’s attack on Eggers in particular, Gladwell looks at everything Eggers has done and says, “You have to be running pretty low on ammunition to look at someone like that and call him full of shit.”
Joy Womack Tells More About The Bolshoi Ballet (And Why She Quit)
Back in Texas for a family visit, the first American to graduate from the Bolshoi’s ballet school fills in some details on the explosive allegations she made (e.g., that she was asked to pay a $10,000 bribe to get cast) and the responses she has received in Moscow since she went public.
Natalia Osipova On The Bolshoi’s Troubles
“My first five years [there] were amazing. … Then, slowly, difficulties started and I decided to leave. I didn’t want scandals: our profession is dancing, not politics. But the Bolshoi is still my home: I am from Moscow. For us, the Bolshoi was something holy. I just hope the theatre will find a way out of this.”
That Letter From Vaganova Ballet Academy To Putin – Was It A Fake?
Last month, after the Russian Ministry of Culture installed the fired Bolshoi star Nikolai Tsiskaridze as director of the historic St. Petersburg school, a sizeable group of faculty wrote an open appeal to President Vladimir Putin to overrule Tsiskaridze’s appointment. Now the Ministry has claimed that the letter is a forgery.
Colin Wilson, 82, Author Of The Outsider
“The author of well over 100 volumes of fiction and nonfiction, Mr. Wilson became a sensation at 24, when The Outsider was published and instantly touched a deep nerve in postwar Britain.”
Could Coca-Cola Be A Religion Of Americana?
“Coke, if I may extend my musings further, is the closest thing that exists to a religion of Americana. Not an American religion, but a religion devoted to the idea of America – which is to say, to those Norman Rockwell scenes of homecoming, fly fishing, and presents under the tree.” Paula Marantz Cohen visits the high temple: The World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta.
Uh-Oh, This Is A Bad Sign For British Arts Philanthropy
“A £600,000 Cultural Investment Fund created by Newcastle City Council to attract match funding for the arts from private donors has failed to attract any money since its launch in July.”
How Poor Are British Actors Equity Members?
“About half of Equity members undertook unpaid work in the past 12 months, with a similar proportion earning less than £5,000 over the year.”