“No one can underestimate the havoc wrought in Chile by the Pinochet military dictatorship from 1973 to 1990. ‘Culture,’ in the words of my dramatist friend Benjamin Galemiri, ‘was seen by Pinochet as an act of terrorism.’ Under the dual threat of state censorship and physical intimidation, many artists were silenced.” But now, Chilean theatre is reawakening…
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A Scottish Theatre Crisis
Scottish theatre has plenty of talent and produces much good work. But theatre is so underfunded, the country’s theatres are starving for oxygen. “When dairy farmers are milking their cows, they increase their ration. If the cows do not get enough, they move on to their own body mass. That’s the state of Scottish theatre. We don’t have enough resources to maintain the body.”
A Record Movie Summer
North American movie box office hit a record this summer. The industry took in an “all-time summer haul of just under $4-billion from the first weekend in May through Labour Day. That’s up 3 per cent from the previous record of $3.9-billion set last summer. But like the summer of 2003, higher admission prices meant fewer tickets were sold. Exhibitor Relations estimates moviegoers bought 637.8 million tickets domestically this past summer, down 0.76 per cent from 2003.”
Hollywood Delivered This Summer?
“The feeling within Hollywood at summer’s end was that despite some uneven results, on the whole this season’s movies delivered, unlike last year, when a raft of sequels like “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” came in for critical bashing and complaints during exit polls.”
Venice Protests Over American Films
Protests are being staged at the Venice Film Festival to protest the domination of American movies this year. “Anti-capitalist protesters have set up a Global Beach camp nearby to denounce the prevalence of Hollywood stars and the cost of screenings.”
Doyle: “New” Ireland’s A Joke
Writer Roddy Doyle is amused at the Irish obsession with writing about being Irish: “Being Irish has changed ‘about 17 times’ in the last hundred years. He finds the image put out by the tourist board of Ireland these days hilarious in its cheek, particularly since all around the world people have swallowed it. ‘It’s a big con job,’ he says. ‘We have sold the myth of Dublin as a sexy place incredibly well; because it’s a dreary little dump most of the time. Try getting a pint at one in the morning and you’ll find just how raving it actually is’.”
At The Tate: Do-It-Yourself Labels
Tate Britain is inviting visitors to write their own labels for art in the galleries. “The 30 most vivid contributions will go up on the walls, beside the efforts of the curators, in time for British Art Week, starting on September 20. More will be added, and may remain for as long as the paintings stay on display. This is the first time the gallery has invited members of the public to join a contentious debate about how to label art.”
Turkey Nixes Noah’s Ark Search
“A Honolulu businessman’s plan to take an expedition to Mount Ararat in search of Noah’s Ark ended this week when the Turkish government refused to permit it because of security concerns about the area, which borders Iran and is 150 miles from Iraq.”
In Hartford: A Museum Solution Across The Street
Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art had ambitious plans to shut down for two years and “create a spectacular new $100 million building.” But when that plan was abandoned, it opened new possibilities and a bit of reinvention of the museum’s operation…
A Dallas Concert Hall Turns 15
Dallas’ primary concert hall turns 15. “After a decade and a half, the Meyerson definitely doesn’t squeak like a mouse. Acoustically, it is the best hall of its generation, with a sound as sumptuous as warm brandy and a silk jacket. Architecturally, it remains a mixed bag, a good example of Mr. Pei’s elegant classical modernism but also aloof and somewhat intimidating, a piece of sculpture meant to be admired rather than embraced. Promises of hefty economic benefits – the association predicted that the new hall would generate at least $25 million in new tax revenue and 500 housing units – proved delusional.”