Stars headlining Broadway productions sometimes don’t make it to the performance. And the problem seems to be getting worse. “Anecdotal evidence does seem to suggest that regular absenteeism has become a more persistent, probably permanent feature of the Broadway landscape. And it may be a symptom – perhaps, too, a cause – of a much larger, more dispiriting phenomenon, the gradual extinction of the musical-theater star.”
Blog
The Prejudice You Don’t Know You Have
A Harvard psychologist argues that people’s prejudice can be measured even when they’re not conciously aware of it. “Implicit prejudice, she argues, can affect our decisions and behaviors without our even knowing it, undermining our conscious ideas and best intentions about equality and justice. Social psychologists are divided on just what the Implicit Association Test measures, arguing that different response times may just reflect an awareness of cultural stereotypes and social inequality.”
Tacoma Actors Guild Shuts Down
Tacoma Actors Guild, that city’s only professional theatre company, is shutting down. “The producing artistic director of eight years tendered his resignation at a board meeting Monday. The rest of the 24 full-time administrative and production staff members will be laid off indefinitely after this weekend. The theater owes between $300,000 and $350,000 to creditors, including at least $30,000 in rent payments to the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts for the use of Theatre on the Square. TAG has lost money in its last four seasons.”
Is Denver Getting Its Own Joyce Theatre?
Colorado Ballet is building a new home. But it’s looking for much more than a place to stage what it already does. “The ballet plans to use this new theater for experimental, small-scale works that might be financially risky in larger, costlier venues. It hopes to expand its lineup from five productions in 2005-06 to as many seven in future seasons. At the same time, the ballet will make the facility available to other arts groups at minimal cost.”
Australian Pops Orchestra To Close?
The Australian Pops Orchestra is going out of business after failing to find a sponsor. “The orchestra, which also performs as the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, will play its final concert on New Year’s Eve. It has a long line of credits, having played behind Jose Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. Managing director Kel McMillan says it is a big disappointment ahead of the orchestra’s 25th anniversary year.”
Canadian Arts Minister Under Attack For Premature Funding
Canada’s heritage minister is under attack for announcing $191 million in next year’s arts funding instead of waiting until the government’s general budget is presented to parliament. “The minister said she had to take the step to ensure arts and culture projects wouldn’t be interrupted next year.”
Virtually Yours – Pit By Pit
Musicians protest the “virtual orchestra. “It produces sounds amazingly similar to orchestral voices. But is it an instrument or merely a fancy mechanical substitute? Musicians who claim to be put out of work by the thing sneeringly call it a machine.” But the device’s inventors call it an instrument, not a substitute for musicians. “You could say that a flute is a machine, because it is a device that must be operated by a person in order to do its job. But we call flutes – and violins and trombones – musical instruments.”
Punishment By Funding (Or Lack Thereof)
Is government funding for theatre being cut in the UK because of unflattering content? “The possibility has to be considered that the government has engaged in punishment funding in a different area: theatre. Consider one obvious difference between museums and theatres. Except for Hogarth exhibitions, the former rarely editorialise politically, while almost every major theatre has staged at least one play ridiculing the Blair administration over Iraq.”
Afghanistan’s Greatest Treasure At Risk Again
Afghanistan’s greatest treasure – the Bactrian Gold -survived the Taliban and looting when the Taliban were deposed. Now “Afghan ministers, desperate to earn prestige and money for the country, want to send the collection abroad. Exhibiting it would be a coup for any museum, and a publicity triumph for a nation better known for narcotics and unrest. Major museums in America, France and Austria have asked to put the hoard on display. Officials in Afghanistan believe the money raised could pay for the restoration of Kabul’s museum. But some experts believe that, with corruption and crime rampant in Afghanistan, it would be dangerous to move the treasure out of the vault.”
The Downloading Accomodations
It’s clear that downloading music and movies (and whatever else) isn’t going to go away. And it’s clear that making enemies of downloaders probably isn’t a good strategy for producers looking to sell their work. So slowly but surely accomodations are being worked out to create new business models for the online world.