“The new interventionism seems to have begun around 1979 as part of a proliferation of new ideas – devised theatre, documentary, attempts at new forms, physical theatre – that had their roots in the 60s. The emphasis on top-down thinking, rather than anything created writer-up, meant that a new form of censorship began to impose itself. This has led to young writers delivering drafts instead of plays, knowing the humiliation that lies in store.”
Blog
Do Plants Hold The Next Engineering Breakthroughs?
Scientists looking for new engineering breakthroughs are “studying plant bionics, which involves cherry-picking evolution’s best biological solutions and applying them to engineering problems. The advantage is that you have these hundreds of thousands of (biological) systems and you know they work because of evolution.”
Why Hasn’t Internet Movie Ticketing Caught On?
“Because of user fees and a confusing tangle of theater alliances, online ticket sellers like MovieTickets.com and Fandango.com, whose purpose is to save people from long waits at the ticket counter, have yet to win the hearts of mainstream theatergoers. But surging revenues from advertising and a possible shift in business philosophy could change that.”
Tharp’s Bob Dylan Musical Coming To Broadway
Twyla Tharp’s latest project, a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Bob Dylan, is coming to Broadway. “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” a musical conceived, directed and choreographed by the Tony Award-winning Tharp, opens this fall.
That Picture Of Mrs Mozart? (Nevermind)
Experts are surfacing to dispute the authenticity of a photo from 1840 purported to be of Constanze Mozart. “There are no outdoor photographs of groups of people dating from 1840, because the lenses invented by Joseph Petzval, which were to make such portraits possible, were not available yet. It was simply not possible in 1840 to take sharp outdoor pictures of people as long as the necessary exposure time still amounted to about three minutes.”
Kansas African American Museum Stalls
Frustrations among some board members of the Kansas African American Museum are building amid reports of a stalled capital campaign, poor attendance at board meetings and a high travel budget.
Meet Wales’ New Poet Laureate
Gwyn Thomas has been named Wales’ second poet laureate. “Thomas stated his intention to use the role to raise the profile of his country’s poets, saying that he hopes to draw attention to the poets of Wales and their work, and try to show that poetry is a unique medium to respond to the world in which we live.”
Turner Prize To Liverpool?
For the frst time in 24 years, the Turner Prize will be staged outside of London. “The 2007 show is likely to open at Tate Liverpool, rather than at its traditional home at Tate Britain – a huge coup for Liverpool, which takes up its role as European Capital of Culture in 2008.”
Greece: We Want It All Back
Thrilled by its success at getting the Getty to return artworks, Geece plans to “reclaim hundreds of looted art works and antiquities from museums and private collections around the world, the government said yesterday. ‘Whatever is Greek, wherever in the world, we want back’.”
Conductor Suddenly Departs Australian Orchestra
When Matthias Bamert became music director of the Western Australia Symphony Orchestra, he was touted as the group’s savior. Now he has suddenly departed, and no one’s talking. “The reason Bamert fell out of favour depends on who you ask, although no one can say on the record because players have received written and verbal warnings not to make any public comment. Before the China tour they signed a code of conduct that reminded them that section 70 of the Crimes Act made it an offence to publicly disclose company matters.”