“No respectable historian would claim that if Newton had never been born we would still be ignorant about gravitation. Yet we still refer to the regularities of the behavior of physical bodies as ‘Newton’s Laws,’ the general regularities of simple inheritance as ‘Mendelism,’ and the science of biological evolution as ‘Darwinism.'”
Author: Matthew Westphal
National Ballet Of Canada’s ‘Iron Butterfly’ Takes Her Leave
Chan Hon Goh, a star at the company for two decades, “never fully recovered from the injuries she sustained in [a 2006] car accident, and says it has forced her to recognize she can no longer push herself as she once did. ‘I need intensive physiotherapy and massage in order to dance,’ she says. ‘It’s a vicious circle; I push, and everything seizes up again.'”
Charlotte Symphony Selects Music Director
Following a two-year search, the orchestra has chosen Christopher Warren-Green, who is currently at the London Chamber Orchestra and takes over in Charlotte in 2010. “[H]e joins the ranks of the Charlotte non profit as it faces funding cuts by the Arts and Science Council and expected cuts by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, where they offer educational concerts.”
Another Year Of Boffo Broadway Box Office
“Broadway musicals and plays grossed approximately $943.3 million during the 2008-9 theater season, a slight increase over the previous season and enough to set a new record for total grosses, according to data released this evening by the Broadway League.”
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Back On The Big Screen?
“Buffy creator Joss Whedon isn’t involved and it’s not set up at a studio, but director Fran Rubel Kuzui [who owns the rights to the property] is working on a relaunch with Vertigo Entertainment, which specializes in English-language remakes of Asian films … The new Buffy film, however, would have no connection to the TV series, nor would it use popular supporting characters like Angel, Willow, Xander or Spike.”
The Do-It-Yourself Diva
Mezzo Sarah Connolly badly wanted to record Purcell’s Dido, which she felt nobody else sang the way she thought it should go. With no record label behind her, she put together the cast and raised the money herself. Same with her Handel “Heroes and Heroines” CD. “I know I don’t pay sufficient court to the media. I don’t chase them, and consequently they don’t chase me … I can out-diva anyone, but promotion is not my main priority.”
Oh, Forget Arts Journalism, Let’s Become Mechanics
“The trades suffer from low prestige, and I believe this is based on a simple mistake. Because the work is dirty, many people assume it is also stupid. … The work is sometimes frustrating, but it is never irrational. And it frequently requires complex thinking.” Compare that with, say, middle management in a big organization, or any number of “knowledge worker” jobs …
Former Royal Ballet Star Lucette Aldous To Be Honored Down Under
“Seasoned balletomanes with long memories will argue that Lucette Aldous is one of the most beautiful dancers ever to have performed on the Australian stage. … Next month, Aldous’s contribution to dance will be recognised at the Australian Dance Awards when she receives its lifetime achievement award.”
Staff Cuts At Utah Museum Of Fine Arts
“Effective last week, the University of Utah museum cut three of its 15 full-time positions and reduced the working hours of remaining full-time staff by 20 percent, said Gretchen Dietrich, the museum’s interim director.”
Rupert Christiansen: Forget About Getting Youth To See Opera
“What this [statistic] suggests to me is that more young children are being dragged along by their well-intentioned parents and fewer want to come of their own accord. My conclusion is that opera has less and less to say to teenagers: it remains an art form that people come to appreciate later in life, and it may be better just to accept this and stop trying to sell it to the young like a salutary dose of cod liver oil.”