Sarah Sloat gives us a rundown.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Where The Devil Is Australia’s Cultural Policy?
“While the Gillard government has a September 14 election in its sights, there is still no date for the release of its national cultural policy,” which had been expected months ago.
Two Theatres Used By Shakespeare Could Host Plays Once Again
“The Curtain theatre in Shoreditch, once home turf for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, was discovered last year … [and] would be transformed into a 250-seat open-air amphitheatre … Meanwhile, just around the corner, it could soon be joined by a six-storey theatre with a 235-seat auditorium, on the site of a performance space known simply as the Theatre.”
Bolshoi’s Double-Bill Rite Of Spring Is Back On
Moscow’s centennial celebration of the Nijinsky-Stravinsky work was to include both a reconstruction of the original 1913 ballet and a new version by choreographer Wayne McGregor – until he withdrew following the acid attack on Sergei Filin. Now the celebration is back on, with a new setting of Rite put together from scratch in weeks. In a Q&A, acting artistic director Galina Stepanenko explains.
New International Opera Awards To Launch This Spring
“Details of a new awards initiative for opera have been announced, with the inaugural prize-giving ceremony to be held in London on April 22. The International Opera Awards have been conceived by businessman Harry Hyman as ‘the first truly international set of prizes in the operatic world’ and are being supported by Opera magazine.”
The Erotic Sonnets Of John Donne
“Ask not for whom the earth moves. Donne was, in fact, a rake and a bawd before he became a preacher and, in the fullness of time, the dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral.” And some of his verse is very bawdy indeed.
Persistence (And A Little Chutzpah) Earn Young Playwright His Off-Broadway Debut
How did Paul Downs Colaizzo do it? By, among other things, cold-calling a marketing firm for a job, lobbying erstwhile colleagues to get his script into a play-reading festival, and befriending one of American theater’s hottest directors by walking up to him on the sidewalk.
Keanu Reeves Knows The Future Of Cinema
In an essay for The Guardian, the actor and (now) documentary filmmaker discusses celluloid, digital video, where the two meet and where they clash.
Rehabilitating King Macbeth (If It’s Working For Richard III …)
Scottish parliamentarian Alex Johnstone: “The reign of Macbeth, set in the context of the time, was successful and outward looking. To many, however, it is characterised by paranoia and murder because of Shakespeare’s portrayal. The proposal is to form an authoritative trail of important places connected with Macbeth … to allow people to draw a distinction between the fictional and factual character.”
Mariinsky Theater’s Plans To Jump Into The Biggest Of Big Leagues
With a second theater soon to open alongside the historic original and a newish (2006) concert hall, Mariinsky mastermind Valery Gergiev hopes finally to satisfy the huge demand for tickets, presenting shows for up to 20,000 people each weekend.