“Composer Philip Glass and artist Cai Guo-Qiang won the Praemium Imperiale, an international arts prize patronized by Japan’s ruling dynasty, worth 15 million yen ($192,600). The other three recipients were Danish architect Henning Larsen, Japanese ballerina Yoko Morishita, and Italian sculptor Cecco Bonanotte.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Why Some Playwrights Avoid Interviews
Caryl Churchill is one of several prominent playwrights who simply refuse to speak to the press about their work. Mark Lawson understands the point – as Michael Frayn once said, “[I didn’t] spend two years writing a play in order to sum it up impromptu over lunch.”
The Ig Nobel Prizes’ Greatest Hits
Ig Nobel founder and emcee Marc Abrahams explains the awards and names some of his favorites: the discovery of homosexual necrophilia in ducks; the use of magnets to levitate a frog; the study titled “An Analysis of the Forces Required to Drag Sheep Across Various Surfaces.” (He also clues us in on the Ig Nobels’ secret weapon: Miss Sweetie Poo.)
Composer Mason Bates Wins $250K Heinz Award
“At 35, Bates is one of the youngest recipients in the 18-year history of the awards, which are given in five categories: arts and humanities; environment; human condition; public policy; and technology, the economy and employment. Previous winners in the arts and humanities category include composer John Harbison, soprano Beverly Sills and writer Dave Eggers.”
Nathan Gunn To Front Opera Co. Of Philadelphia’s American Opera Program
The baritone/sex symbol has been “appointed director of the opera company’s American Repertoire Council … For the next three years, Gunn function as artistic advisor to the company’s two composers in residence, Lembit Beecher and Missy Mazzoli, and will guide American repertoire choices and assemble both partnerships and creative teams for new works.”
Kennedy Center Honors 2012: Letterman, Hoffman, Makarova, Buddy Guy, Led Zeppelin
“Actor Dustin Hoffman, whose career has included some of the most wide-ranging and memorable roles in film history, and bluesman George ‘Buddy’ Guy , who began playing ‘before the guitar was electrified'” are honorees, along with “comedian and late-night TV host David Letterman; ballerina Natalia Makarova; and keyboardist/bassist John Paul Jones, guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant, all of rock band Led Zeppelin.”
How London’s Dance Umbrella Is Coping With 45% Funding Cut
“This year’s Dance Umbrella could, however, be one of the most creative yet, even though [artistic director Betsy] Gregory has been forced to present a starkly pared-down programme. The festival, which starts next month, will be just 10 days long, rather than the usual month, and will be centred on one location.”
Could Getty, LACMA And Hammer Museums Be Free?
In response to an audience question at a panel discussion last week, the directors of the three museums talked seriously about the issue. (All three are free at certain times and to certain individuals; the Getty offers free admission but charges a hefty fee for parking.)
Attackers Of US Missions In Egypt And Libya Were Angry Over Some Knucklehead’s Muhammad Video
“The protests in both countries were sparked by outrage over a film ridiculing Muhammad produced by an American in California and being promoted by an extreme anti-Muslim Egyptian Christian campaigner in the United States. Excerpts from the film dubbed into Arabic were posted on YouTube.”
Indianapolis Symphony Locks Out Musicians
“The Indiana Symphony Society, which runs the orchestra, announced cancellation of the first two weeks of the ISO season Saturday. That triggered a lockout of the musicians, whose negotiating committee had to remove its items from the theater under escort Monday.”