There’s a national election campaign going on in Australia. And what would the official opposition party do for the arts? “Opposition pledged to “ease the squeeze” on the ABC and turn around the decline in film and television production with $175 million in new arts funding. The ABC would get $105 million over four years, while the film industry would get an immediate $70 million injection, followed by a wide-ranging review into structural reform and private investment incentives.”
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Arts Mean Money For Scotland
Scotland is locked in a debate about cultural funding, as high profile arts institutions say they are underfunded. Now a new study that measures the economic impact of the arts: “Every job in the arts community supports nearly another whole job elsewhere in the economy, the study by the Scottish Economic Policy Network revealed. It also shows that more than 4000 jobs are sustained by the annual funding provided by the Scottish Arts Council and in total the arts community supports £72.5m worth of income.”
Preview: Open Before It’s Official
The theatre preview is an odd beast. “Like so much, good and bad, in British culture, the preview is essentially an American import. The American theatre economy can sustain this lengthy period of what is effectively public rehearsal because it has a huge subscriber base. But why on earth should audiences be asked to watch something which in some sense is not deemed ready for public consumption? At best, they run the risk of being short-changed, especially if preview tickets are charged at the same price as those after the official opening.”
Blame Game At The Abbey
Dublin’s Abbey Theatre is hurting: “For its 100th birthday the Abbey announced a sprawling yearlong program of plays by unfurling an enormous banner that spans the width of its facade – almost a whole city block – asking the public, “What will you see?” Judging by the affairs that now threaten to obscure the theater’s centenary, the answer has clearly been “not much.” Much of the blame for the Abbey’s malaise has been laid at the foot of its artistic director, Ben Barnes, who designed the centenary program and has been criticized for an aloof and distant management style. He has made public his desire to leave the theater and move to Canada when his contract expires in December next year.”
UK Might Speed Up Digital Switch-over
“The UK government wants to switch the country to digital television to free up broadcast frequencies and to encourage technology that allows for more channels and a clearer signal.” To that end, it has mandated “switching off” analog signals completely by 2012. “Ultimately, the change could affect between 80 and 90 million television sets. Currently, about half the households in the UK have digital television through either cable, satellite, or the free-to-air service Freeview.”
It’s State Vs State For Movies
American states are battling one another trying to lure entertainment projects. “In recent years, as more state legislatures have enacted tax incentives designed to encourage film, television, and commercial production in their states, the battle between bordering states has intensified.”
Canada’s National Ballet Sees Red
Artistically, the National Ballet of Canada had a great year. Financially… the company finished $790,000 in the red…
US Artists Vs George Bush
It’s not too surprising that many artists are more politically liberal than conservative. What is unusual this election year, though, is that so many artists are actively making their political views known and are working to defeat George Bush…
How Peanuts Saved A Comics Classic
Seattle comics publisher Fantagraphics has always had a lot of critical respect. But its finances were perilous. Indeed, its survival was just about a constant question. But then it “nailed down the multiyear rights to reprint, in its entirety and in chronological order, another newspaper classic: Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts. It’s a blockbuster deal that guarantees Fantagraphics will actually be around for another 12 years. Until this spring, no one at the company was certain if it would be around another 12 weeks.”
Philadelphia Orchestra Contract – More Than Money
The Philadelphia Orchestra and its musicians are locked in new contract talks, and of course money is an issue. “But on another level, more enduring than money, these talks and other forces at play seek a change in orchestra culture that would alter how musicians view themselves as employees. For the music-listening public, and the extent to which the orchestra is perceived as a responsible cultural citizen, the results could be profound.”