“Toronto directors and performers love to drag their audiences outdoors to the most untheatrical locations. Over the last decade, we’ve seen theatre on the beach, dance in parks, Shakespeare under the Gardiner Expressway, drama in a leaky warehouse, staged history in a hot storefront and choreography over an abandoned railway track… But the truth is, to make theatre, one needs a little night magic, and nothing destroys that magic or makes it more difficult to be established than exposure to the natural or urban environment.”
Author: sbergman
When Do-Gooding Doesn’t Do Much Good
A new film purporting to shine light on the horrific underworld of international sex slavery is getting a decidedly mixed reaction from those who work to undermine such human trafficking operations. On the one hand, making the public aware of the problem is a noble cause. But the film is based on a much-disputed newspaper article, and law enforcement officials worry that the movie’s dramatic license will cause parents to focus on phantom threats to their children.
Are More Bestsellers Good For The Book World?
Book critics and the publishing world seem to be split over whether the decision by the New York Times to split its paperback bestseller list in two is a positive development or not. “These lists do give crucial exposure to new books, but they are also just one more marketing tool for publishers.”
LA’s Black Theatres Waiting For Promises To Be Kept
“On the still riot-marred landscape of South L.A., “potential” has become a hackneyed word, a political euphemism for improvements in black neighborhoods that were discussed after the riots in 1992 but never materialized. Yet there is one unlikely area of redevelopment where ‘potential’ still resonates beyond the rhetoric: theater.”
And They Still Don’t Let Any Of Them Kiss Each Other
“The number of gay characters depicted on TV is falling on network series but rising on cable, a study by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation found.” In particular, cable leads the broadcast networks when it comes to placing gay characters in leading roles.
Huge Art Claim Filed In Holland
“Just as the Dutch government was moving to discourage new claims for restitution of art looted during World War II, the heirs of a Dutch Jewish art dealer have filed one of the largest claims to date for paintings now held in Dutch museums.”
Stieglitz Collection To Be Shared In Return For $$
“Fisk University’s board of trustees has agreed in principle to share ownership of its prized Alfred Stieglitz Collection with the new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas in exchange for $30 million… The founder of Crystal Bridges, the Wal-Mart heiress Alice L. Walton, also pledged $1 million to renovate and maintain the Fisk gallery that houses the collection and to finance an art internship.”
Broadway Contract Deadline Looms
“As representatives from the League of American Theaters and Producers and Local One, the stagehands’ union, continue their contract negotiations, it remains unclear what Broadway will look like this time next week.” A deal could be reached (unlikely,) talks could continue in open-ended fashion (possible,) or the league could move to lock the stagehands out (very possible,) bringing Broadway to a potential standstill.
Connecting Two Avant Gardes
Nico Muhly is not your standard issue composer. The New Yorker gained notoriety for helping Icelandic pop star Björk realize some of her unconventional musical ideas, and the experience seems to have informed his entire compositional style. “Muhly moves readily between the classical avant-garde and indie-pop worlds, interacting with the likes of Laurie Anderson and Grizzly Bear. He swoons not just to a Benjamin Britten passacaglia, but also to Final Fantasy. The distinction in his mind comes not so much from the music, but the scenes surrounding each.”
Because That’s Where They Keep The Money
Arts groups across the US are looking to the ever-expanding suburbs surrounding America’s cities for fresh audience, and new ways to bring performances to them, rather than expecting them to regularly trek into the urban core. The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra has even used a series of suburban concerts to revive its flagging season ticket base.