“Edinburgh Festival Theatre’s £2 million extension scheme has been given the green light by the local authority. Edinburgh City Council has agreed to guarantee a loan of £250,000, to help make up a shortfall in funds.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Two Late Buñuels Emerge From The Vaults
“Long out of circulation, The Exterminating Angel (1962) and Simon of the Desert (1965) will be released on Tuesday by the Criterion Collection. They remain among the most free-spirited of Buñnuel’s films, fully recovering the nonnarrative liberty of his earliest work.”
Salt Lake’s Ballet West Imposes One-Week Unpaid Leave
“[The] furlough for administrative staff during the week of April 13 through 17 was announced the same time as the company’s 2009-10 season, which includes a full-length… Swan Lake, newly conceived by artistic director Adam Sklute… Ballet West has no plans to scale back its current season, or upcoming productions.”
Contractor Blamed For South Miami-Dade PAC Delays
“County Inspector General Christopher Mazzella’s report faults [general contractor Tower-OHL Group] for failing to properly schedule work and causing inordinate delays on the center, which is made up of two buildings and includes a 966-seat theater.” The complex is intended to anchor redevelopment of an area that has never fully recovered from Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Atlanta Ballet And OSHA Settle Case – Maybe
The company’s executive director says that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration “has withdrawn punitive action” over a teenage dancer who fell into the orchestra pit during a 2007 Nutcracker and injured her spine. An OSHA spokesperson, however, says that the case is still open.
Obama Poster Artist Arrested In Boston
No, it’s not over that copyright claim by the AP. Shepard Fairey was taken to jail Friday on his way to the kick-off party for his first solo exhibition – on charges “that he had tagged property in two locations with his street art campaign featuring Andre the Giant and the word ‘obey.'”
Another Casualty: Connecticut Opera Cuts Remainder Of Season
The company’s board decided at the end of January to cancel this spring’s two productions, Daughter of the Regiment in March and La Bohème in May, due to a severe drop in ticket sales and donations. “But even if someone wrote a check for $500,000, [the company’s managing director] said, she couldn’t say if part of the season could be salvaged.”
The Cuts Hit Kansas City Lyric Opera (But They’re Not Deep)
Faced with the economic downturn, the company has frozen administrative salaries, opted for relatively inexpensive works (not yet announced) to stage next season, and will give four rather than five performances of each opera. But there’s no reduction in the number of productions planned, and there are no salary cuts or layoffs expected.
Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center Hangs On With Limited Budget Trimming
With a hiring freeze, reduced musicians’ fees and other “nips and tucks,” the Kimmel is reducing its current year budget by 11½ percent to $36 million in order to avoid a deficit. But “[n]o cuts in programming, operating hours, existing staff or salaries are being instituted” and no major pledges have been withdrawn.
Bucking The Trend, Oregon Symphony Offers Bigger Season In ’09-10
“Buoyed by record-breaking ticket sales in the past two seasons, the Oregon Symphony is barreling into its 114th season with violins blazing… with more of everything: more stars, more concerts, more matinees.”