The company “has posted a deficit of £2.5 million, with audiences running at 71 per cent of capacity – 9 per cent down on the previous year. Production costs are up £1.5million on 2011, box office income down £1.2 million. Reserves are now standing at under £1 million.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
National Theatre Of Scotland Gets Permanent HQ
“The National Theatre of Scotland is to consolidate its headquarters in a new £5.5 million home for its rehearsal, administration, technical and storage departments in the north of Glasgow. In keeping with the company’s founding ethos as a ‘theatre without walls’ there will be no performance space in the new facility.”
Could Oslo’s Picasso Murals Be Destroyed?
“The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage fears that Picasso’s first monumental concrete murals, which were made between the late 1950s and the early 1970s for two government buildings in Oslo, may be destroyed. The buildings were severely damaged during the deadly terrorist attack in the Norwegian capital in July 2011.”
Artists Speak Out For Better Conditions For Laborers On Abu Dhabi’s Museum Island
“As construction begins on a new $653m branch of the Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi, a group of artists who have spoken out against labour conditions in the Gulf released another letter calling on all the cultural institutions opening museums on Saadiyat Island to ‘seek uniform and enforceable human rights protections for the workers working on their sites’.”
Iranians’ Addiction To Illegal Satellite TV
“News and political talk shows are quickly losing out to channels that bring Persian-language entertainment, especially Turkish soap operas. New programs include a talent show hosted by one of Iran’s most prominent singers, Googoosh, and Iranian dance competitions taped in Georgia. There are movie channels in Persian, shopping channels, even religious channels.”
Cleveland Orchestra On Track For Ticket-Sales Record
“Buoyed by efforts to broaden its audience and attract younger patrons, the Cleveland Orchestra said its 2012-13 Severance Hall season-ticket sales revenue is on track to set a record, driven by the best-ever ticket sales in November and December.”
Superstar Crime Novelist Stuck In Her Own Courtroom Drama
“For more than two decades crime writer Patricia Cornwell has dramatized the life of a fictional medical examiner in her bestselling books. Now she is witnessing her own personal drama unfold in court.”
Sharon Olds Wins TS Eliot Poetry Prize
“Sharon Olds, the US poet whose work has pushed the boundaries of writing about the body, the emotions, and intimacy, was the unanimous choice of the judges for her collection, Stag’s Leap.” The £15,000 award is “for the best new collection published in the UK and Ireland.”
Theatre, Standup Comedy, And The Blurring Line Between Them
Brian Logan: “[I’ve] often found that the best standup is the most theatrical, finding ways to make us laugh beyond the usual motormouth-at-a-microphone formula. And things are moving in the other direction, too. As a theatregoer … I’ve noticed how much of the best theatre is starting to hijack standup techniques, seeking a more direct engagement with audiences.”
Creator Of Rio’s Famous Mosaic Staircase Found Dead
“The ceramic street artist who created one of Rio de Janeiro’s most distinctive landmarks was found dead on Thursday on the spectacular mosaic staircase in Lapa that he decorated with brightly coloured tiles and mirrors over more than two decades.”