“Even the most art-forward of theatre’s institutional leaders are beholden to demanding boards, disapproving patrons, an often hostile press, and a dwindling pool of single ticket buyers. We live in a tough moment to produce theatre—a moment which has maybe lasted about four hundred years, but still. The desire to produce a bulletproof season is, in that context, understandable. And the fear of doing otherwise is significant.”
Author: ArtsJournal2
A New Artistic Director For A Formerly Modest Company In The Midst Of Transformation
“Smith is now two days away from the opening of the first show of his first season at the Flea, Thomas Bradshaw’s ‘Fulfillment,’ a comic drama about New York strivers and a supposedly perfect downtown apartment. The season also happens to be one of the last before the Flea — founded in 1996 by Mr. Simpson and others, to raise ‘joyful hell in a small space’ — itself trades up to a new $21 million home. It’s tempting to spot a sly metaphor.”
How Many People Need To Buy A Book To Make It A ‘Success’ In The U.S.?
“Three thousand’s not bad.”
What Are The Limits Of Culture When Hedda Gabler Starts Tweeting?
“The internet is clearly changing ideas around different art forms and how they are delivered and experienced – and where they are experienced – including pressing issues such as: how do you clap on Twitter?”
That Other Museum (Re)Opening This Weekend
“The earliest Beaux-Arts building in the United States, the Morgan Memorial was conceived and largely paid for by the financier J. Pierpont Morgan, a Hartford native who named it in honor of his father. In 1915, it opened to the public, 73 years after the museum itself was founded by Daniel Wadsworth. (The Wadsworth Atheneum is the oldest continuously open art museum in the country.)”
This Woman Has Sung For Actresses In More Than 1,000 Movies
“Is there anyone you’d like to duet with?”
“Barbara Streisand – I’d love to sing with her.”
As The Broad Museum Opens, Teachers Gather To Protest Eli Broad
“Protesters are expected to gather outside Eli Broad’s new $140 million museum that houses his 2,000-piece contemporary art collection Sunday, to call on the billionaire to halt plans to back a charter school plan that could enroll half of the students in the Los Angeles Unified School District.”
What Will, Or Maybe Should, Happen At The Emmys, After A Rule Change
“I’m prepared to be exasperated Sunday night when the Emmys are awarded. That said, here are my ironclad predictions.”
Women Are Everywhere In Ballet. Except This One Thing…
“Boston’s was one of eight ballet companies started in cities across the U.S. — including Philadelphia, Houston and Washington D.C. — that were launched with a $7.7 million Ford Foundation grant in 1963. Created and nurtured by strong female artistic directors, these companies grew in size and stature, and all are thriving today. But the women leaders are gone; all of these troupes are headed by men.”
Why Are Media Moguls Suddenly Interested In A 50-Year-Old Teen Pop Star Magazine?
“‘Look, you can’t tell kids something is cool. No one’s really been able to reach teen girls,’ Patricof says.’“My kids are addicted to Snapchat, but it’s a tool.'”