That’s right, the Colorado Ballet has turned to crowdfunding to get new Nutcracker costumes; the old ones were created for the San Francisco Ballet in 1986, and Colorado Ballet bought them in 2005. “For years, the team has done what it can to try to maintain the set and costumes, using vodka to try to extract the sweat from the costumes and glue and tape to keep some of the props together.” – Denver7
Author: ArtsJournal2
Egypt Officially Criminalizes Climbing The Pyramids
The new laws also criminalize all kinds of antiquities theft. “Earlier this year, an Egyptian man climbed to the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza, removing parts of a 19th-century wooden mast that was installed to measure the height of the pyramid, and throwing stones at security forces.” Then there was the Danish couple that claimed to have, er, peaked on one of the peaks. – Hyperallergic
Laid-Off Marciano Foundation Workers Target LAXart Board Member
A small art nonprofit, LAXart’s mission includes social consciousness. The protesting workers were laid off after they unionized and the Marciano Art Foundation abruptly closed. They asked LAXart to tell board member Olivia Marciano, who had been the artistic director at the Marciano Art Foundation, either to explain or get off the board. – Los Angeles Times
Hong Kong Music Festival Canceled Because Of Protests
The Clockenflap festival was supposed to run Nov. 22-24, but after yet another death in the protests (and no signs of that stopping), the organizers canceled one of the most high-profile music festivals in Asia. – The Guardian (UK)
Music For The Birds
Or actually, from the birds. Composer Diane Moser: “My goal was to become a member of their band, so to speak. I listened deeply to their singing, and carefully infiltrated their ensemble.” – New Music Box
Baltimore Art Museum Will Only Buy Art By Women In 2020
Baltimore Museum of Art Christopher Bedford: “This how you raise awareness and shift the identity of an institution. …You don’t just purchase one painting by a female artist of color and hang it on the wall next to a painting by Mark Rothko. To rectify centuries of imbalance, you have to do something radical.” – The Baltimore Sun
The Effort It Takes To Appear Real And Effortless On The Stage
Mary-Louise Parker, of Fried Green Tomatoes, Weeds, and Angels in America fame, has returned to Broadway in a play that requires her to be onstage (and speaking) for the entire 90-minute span. How does that work? “‘It requires a lot of technique,’ she said. ‘It most requires it because I don’t want you to see the technique. I want you to feel like there’s a person standing there talking — just talking.'” – NPR
Boston Children’s Theatre Dumps Its Executive Director, Says It’s Time To Clean House
This comes after its longtime artistic director, Burgess Clark, resigned and was then accused of sexual misconduct by many former students. The theatre has canceled its holiday production and said its financial situation is “even more precarious than usual.” – The Boston Globe
The Secret Life Of The Audiobook Star
Sore throat? All the time. Bored with what you’re reading? No doubt. Even when it’s your own work. And let’s not talk about the difference between words authors know how to write and words authors know how to read. – The Guardian (UK)
In The UK, Money Means Co-Productions, And That Means Regional Theatres Will Lose Their Identities
Or at least that’s the warning right now. Bristol Old Vic’s artistic director Tom Morris: “It is harder to make shows that are specific to your audience, though it doesn’t mean it’s impossible, and it’s harder to make shows specific to your region. Not impossible again, but I think we’re at an interesting tipping point.” – The Stage (UK)