“In a message to one publicist, Purves said that the Times editor John Witherow had ‘decreed that he does not want me to continue as chief theatre critic’ … Purves joined the Times as its chief theatre critic in 2010″ – succeeding Benedict Nightingale – “after an acclaimed broadcasting career spanning three decades.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Theatre Editor Becomes Chief Critic At London Times
Libby Purves, whose contract is not being renewed, “will be succeeded by Dominic Maxwell, her deputy and the paper’s theatre editor. He also currently covers comedy for the paper.”
Will Osmo Vänskä And The Minnesota Orchestra Musicians Go Wildcat At Carnegie Hall?
Tucked at the end of an article about Friday’s fundraising gala for the organization that has locked out its musicians for a year was this: According to the musicians’ spokesman, “there has been ‘soft interest’ from unspecified quarters in the notion of having the players stage their own Sibelius concerts with Mr. Vänskä at Carnegie, free of management involvement, as unlikely as that may seem.”
Who Did The Best Ad Referencing 9/11? New York City Ballet
“Most of the brand talk around 9/11 this year was about marketers doing it wrong. But DDB New York and the New York City Ballet quietly did it right with a wonderful tribute called ‘New Beginnings,’ intended as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a tribute to the future of the city.”
Dallas Symphony Musicians Agree To New Contract
“Musicians will receive a base salary increase of 1 percent in 2013 and a 2 percent increase in 2014. If goals for donor pledges and major lead gifts are realized, musicians will receive an additional 2 percent increase in 2015 retroactive to the beginning of the 2014-15 season.”
Strike Averted At Lexington Philharmonic
“The Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra’s management and musicians effectively called a time-out on their contract negotiations Thursday afternoon and are going on with Friday night’s concert. … Contract negotiations had been going on since April 2012 and reached a crescendo in the past week, when musicians voted to authorize a strike.”
British Stage Unions Call For Local Arts Funding To Be Required By Law
“BECTU and Equity put forward a joint motion at this year’s Trades Union Congress, which called for ‘local authority support for the arts to be a statutory obligation’ and was passed unanimously.”
Russia’s Cinema Fund Denies Money To Biopic Of A Non-Gay Tchaikovsky
“A Cinema Fund official told RIA Novosti that the film simply did not get enough votes from its experts who last week approved a shortlist of movies to receive state funding.” The project attracted controversy this week when the screenwriter denied that Tchaikovsky was homosexual.”
Backstage Drama Before The Met Opera’s Opening Night
The new production of Eugene Onegin that’s opening the new season “has taken an unusually precipitous tumble from sure thing … to headache-plagued.”
Was George Eliot Really Ugly And Horny?
“Still, there’s no getting away from the fascination with Eliot’s romantic life and her looks, both of which presented a challenge to acceptable norms.”