An intervention by St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman “has precipitated a new offer from management, which still cuts musicians pay, but not by as much as previous proposals. Late Friday afternoon the musicians said they don’t think the offer is legal.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
SPCO Supporters Consider Starting New Orchestra
“The group, called Save Our SPCO, has formed an exploratory committee to examine the feasibility of establishing ‘a new organization to host a world-class chamber orchestra in St. Paul,’ in the event that players and existing management are unable to resolve their labor-contract dispute.”
D.H. Lawrence’s Poetry Published Uncensored For First Time
“Now a new edition of Lawrence’s poems, many rendered unreadable by the censor’s pen, will reveal him as a brilliant war poet whose work attacking British imperialism during the first world war was barred from publication.”
Kabuki’s Flagship Theater Reopens With High-Tech Fittings
The Kabuki-za in Tokyo’s Ginza district was torn down in 2010 because it was too vulnerable to earthquakes. Now rebuilt and temblor-proofed, the theater has kept its traditional layout but added such items as a 54-foot-deep pit and portable screens displaying subtitles.
Off-Broadway Theater Head Sends Out Sorta-Not-Quite Apology For New Play
In the letter to one group of subscribers, Tim Sanford of Playwrights Horizons “tap-dances between expressing understanding for those who found the play not to their liking and a carefully marshaled argument for its merits. He expresses affection and support for the play repeatedly, but also seems to back away from it at other points.”
Damage But Not Disaster From Fire At London’s Cuming Museum
“Nobody was injured in a fire that began [Monday] at the Cuming Museum in Southwark, but the blaze has destroyed the museum’s roof and two of its displays. It is believed collections in storage may have also suffered water damage.”
Peabody Awards 2013 To Game Change, Doctor Who, 60 Minutes, Louis CK, Girls
Among other honorees for the best in electronic media – in addition to the usual New York Times, NPR, CBS and HBO – are local coverage of the Newtown, CT massacre; Michael Apted’s Up series of films; Lorne Michaels; Marina Abramovic; and SCOTUSblog.
Science Fiction’s Latest Movement: A Non-Movement
“Science fiction and fantasy have always been genres prone to movements and manifestos … Cyberpunk, New Wave, Steampunk, New Weird … Now, however, a new generation of writers seems to be coming to the fore – a generation without a manifesto or a unifying purpose.”
Hollywood’s History Of Putting Gay Rights On Trial
Bob Mondello: “With the Supreme Court hearing arguments this week on same-sex marriage, I’d like to point out a parallel evolution in what I see as a Hollywood mini-genre: films in which gay characters are either taken to court or seek redress in court for issues involving their sexuality” – from Leopold and Loeb to the AIDS crisis.
Why Did Oliver Stone Go Into Film? Humid Weather
“I couldn’t write in Vietnam, the rain was too thick, there was no paper, everything got wet. I bought a little Pentax, and I started taking amazing pictures and I really loved the visceral aspect of the thing … And I think that combination of visceral and still cerebral in some way was a beautiful marriage for me. After the war I went back to film school.”