“There is certainly a place for video projection in theatre and it has expanded theatre’s vocabulary in all sorts of ways. One thing it can’t do, however, is create credible settings for onstage action. Using video technology for settings is nothing but the 21st-century equivalent of the painted backdrop, only with none of the humility about its limitations.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Who Says Latin American Art Is ‘Derivative’?
“Mari Carmen Ramírez, the curator of Latin American art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, … wants to shake up the politics of art history, to prove that Latin American art, far from being derivative, has had its own identity, its own breakthroughs.”
Minnesota Opera, At Long Last, Names Music Director
“Music director is a title that’s been missing from the Minnesota Opera’s personnel list for decades. After a 13-year search, the company has chosen Michael Christie, the 37-year-old music director of the Phoenix Symphony and former head of New York’s Brooklyn Philharmonic.”
NEC Fires Conductor Benjamin Zander Over Hiring Of Former Sex Offender
The New England Conservatory has dismissed Zander, something of a cult figure among maestros and a faculty member for 45 years, from his post leading the school’s Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. The issue is Zander’s hiring as a videographer a convicted sex offender after his release from prison.
Nikolai Tsiskaridze Gets To Keep Bolshoi Teaching Gig
“In what is the latest move in the ongoing turf war at the Bolshoi Theater, ballet star Nikolai Tsiskaridze got to keep his teacher job at the theater despite his strained relations with the Bolshoi management.”
British Plan For King James Bible In Schools Hits Snag
“A plan by the education secretary, Michael Gove, to send a copy of the King James Bible to every school in the country – each including a personal inscription from him – has run into trouble after government sources reported he has been told to find private funding for the project.”
Afghan Calligrapher Produces World’s Largest Koran
“An Afghan calligrapher has worked for five years to create the world’s biggest Koran, a bid to show the world that Afghanistan’s rich cultural heritage and traditions have been damaged but not destroyed by 30 years of war.”
Birdsong – Another New Crimefighting Tool?
Like many cities, large and small, Lancaster, California has seen a drop in crime rates in recent years. But Lancaster’s mayor gives credit to the recorded chirps and twitters of birds that his city broadcasts through 70 speakers along half a mile of boulevard.
Has Edgar Allan Poe’s Toaster Disappeared?
Every year for decades, on Poe’s birthday, an unknown man would leave three roses and half a bottle of cognac on the author’s Baltimore grave. But the “Poe Toaster” hasn’t turned up since 2009, and aficionados are about to declare the tradition over.
Spider-Man Producers Countersue Julie Taymor
“The fight between Julie Taymor and the producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is getting uglier. On Tuesday, producers said they have filed a countersuit in federal court against the director, accusing her of failing to fulfill her contractual obligations on the Broadway musical.”