“A wealth of data in recent decades has shown that once personal wealth exceeds about $12,000 a year, more money produces virtually no increase in life satisfaction. From 1958 to 1987, for example, income in Japan grew fivefold, but researchers could find no corresponding increase in happiness.”
Blog
NY City Opera’s House-Hunting
New York City Opera has had a rough few years. High among those problems is the company’s stymied search for a new home. “Over just the last few years, the company has publicly debated renovating the State Theater (a plan abandoned after differences with the ballet); building a new home in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center (vetoed by the Metropolitan Opera and Beverly Sills, then Lincoln Center chairwoman); moving downtown near the World Trade Center site (where it lost out to other arts groups); and moving into a reconfigured City Center building (deemed too small for the necessary scenery fly space).”
Blurb This, Mean That
Nobody really believes those hyperbolic blurbs on the fronts of books, do they? And yet, perhaps there’s a way to decipher the blurb code that can give some indication of what’s in the pages?
Government Ranks Israel’s Orchestras
The Israeli government ranks the country’s orchestras based on examintaion by a committee of 13 auditors. “The vote rates only two groups – the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra and the 21st Century Ensemble (which specializes in modern music) – as ‘excellent.’ Three other orchestras were classified as “good” – those of Rishon Letzion, Jerusalem and Haifa – as were the Israel Camerata, the Tel Aviv Soloists and the Israel Baroque Orchestra.” The orchestras that ranked only “satisfactory” or below were told they have to improve.
UK Poll: Survey Says More People Interested In History Than Football
“The Mori poll showed that 73% were interested in history, compared with 59% in sport in general and 48% in football.”
Picking A West End Star On “Reality” TV
Here’s a novel way of picking the star for your new production opening in London’s West End. “More than 3,000 women have aspired to the same dream: to star, at the London Palladium, in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s £3m production of The Sound of Music. The nation is swarming with wannabe Marias. But BBC1’s eight-part reality talent show How do You Solve a Problem like Maria (which starts 29 July), must eventually settle on one woman – a new, unknown Maria. After auditions in Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Manchester and London, 56 contestants have been selected to train at ‘Maria School’ (imagine the yodelling classes).”
Looking For More Black Theatre In Seattle
“There are no steady outlets for an array of modern and historical black scripts. And while black theater certainly can cross over and resonate with nonblack patrons, local stage folk also yearn to attract a larger, more committed black audience for their artistry — even in a city where African Americans make up only 8.4 percent of the total population.”
Have Our Star-Makers Disappeared?
Many fans have put up $750 for tickets to Barbra Streisand’s upcoming concerts. But such super-stardom doesn’t seem to be passing down to younger stars. “In a world that’s about rebelling against your parents, no star draws like those rock-and-roll granddaddies. New ones seem not to be on the horizon. Young talent is out there, but the old vehicles to fame have left the station. Beyond absorbing the latest news from Iraq, the collective consciousness spawned by a once-mass media has dwindled.”
What To Do After Dance?
“Twenty years ago, it was practically heresy for a ballet dancer to even talk about life beyond the footlights. But times have changed. Now it’s common for dancers to receive career counseling, education advice, and even financial aid for college while they’re still performing.”
Is Marketing Responsible For Broadway’s Success?
Broadway has been using a unified marketing approach over the past decade. “Over a turbulent decade when the road business changed, uncertainty after 9/11 shrunk ticket sales, and musicians went on strike, attendance on Broadway increased by almost 27 percent and grosses nearly doubled, to $862 million from $436 million.” But is it really this “destination” ad approach that has made a difference?