Said outgoing artistic director Monica Mason in response to a query, “I have not commissioned any female choreographers to make work for The Royal Ballet during my tenure as Director because, quite simply, I have not come across one that I felt was suitable. Choreography is not a gender issue – it is an issue of talent.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Watch Monica Mason During Her Dancing Days
“This week Monica Mason makes her official farewell to Royal Ballet – the company she joined as a dancer in 1958, and which she has directed since 2002.”
Tom Davis, 59, SNL Writer And Al Franken’s Partner
“In 2004, contestants on Jeopardy! were stumped by the clue ‘He was the comedy partner of Al Franken.’ … But the fact is that Mr. Davis helped shape Mr. Franken’s comedy, and vice versa, from the time they entertained students with rebellious, razor-edged humor at high school assemblies in Minnesota.”
Japan May Finally Be Joining The E-Book Revolution
“While consumers in the US and Europe increasingly turn to e-readers, many Japanese have stubbornly refused to part with conventional reading matter. … But that could all be about to change from Thursday, when the Japanese online retail giant Rakuten launches an e-reader it hopes will see off an expected challenge from Amazon’s device later this year, and corner the world’s second-biggest publishing market.”
Cate Blanchett And Andrew Upton On Running Sydney Theatre Company
She: “[It’s] healthy, anarchic randomness [mixed with] rational, militaristic-like precision.” He: “[It’s] the marriage of the business and the art, which isn’t necessarily an unhappy marriage. … Because in the end, you want happy audiences. You want people to come and see your shows. No one’s trying –” She: “– to be Grotowski. It’s just guiding the right audience to the right show.” He: “We haven’t quite cracked that yet, but we’re working on it.”
Stolen Matisse Odalisque Seized In Miami Hotel Sting
Odalisque in Red Pants was reported missing from the Contemporary Art Museum of Caracas in 2002; thieves had put a forgery in the frame and taken the original. “On Tuesday, F.B.I. agents in Miami arrested two people in a sting operation and accused them of trying to sell the long-lost painting, said to be worth $3 million.”
England’s Northern Ballet Launches ‘Try-Before-You-Buy’ Scheme
“In an effort to reach out to new audiences, Northern Ballet is offering customers are chance to watch dress rehearsals before committing to buying tickets for performances.”
How Kickstarter Could Transform (Or Disrupt) Public Radio
“Previously it took years to establish a new show on public radio, and the process involved grant writing and lots of politics. Now radio stations and producers themselves can turn to Kickstarter and show there’s an audience that values their ideas. … [But what] if listeners stopped giving to their local stations and instead just spent all their money to directly fund producers via Kickstarter?”
Arizona Opera Finishes Season With Profit
“Buoyed by a 7 percent boost in single-ticket sales and soldout performances of Aida last spring, Arizona Opera ended its 41st season in the black. The company, which mounts productions in Tucson and Phoenix, also raised two-thirds of its inaugural $7.4 million capital campaign during the 2011-12 season.”
Susan Sarandon Says She’s Done Everything Wrong
“I’ve done everything wrong so there’s really no explanation as to why I’m still around. … I’ve taken movies that people told me I shouldn’t, I’ve taken years off to have children, I’ve been outspoken politically, and here I am. … I’m here because all my plans failed.”