What, exactly is theatre? A festival sets up the question by inviting a diverse bunch of testifiers. “Connected in diverse ways to the performing arts, the Enquirers are an intriguingly mixed bunch, ranging from the artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company to a 14-year-old pupil at Holland Park School, and from a Buddhist monk who is the caretaker of the London Peace Pagoda to the chair of the British Council. Groups as well as individuals have been recruited. The liberating twist is that testimony need not be given as a conventional talk. It can be presented as a performance piece, or an installation, or however the testifier sees fit.”
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NY City Ballet’s Low Point (We Just Saw It)
Robert Gottleib is unequivocal about New York City Ballet’s unleashing of a Boris Eifman Balanchine tribute: “Eifman’s Musagète may not be the worst ballet ever put on by New York City Ballet—the last 20 years have offered it lots of competition—but its premiere last Friday was without question the lowest point in the history of the company (and I’ve been following its fortunes since the beginning, in 1948).”
Challenging Patents For Rest Of Us
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is targeting ten patents it believes have been issued in error and whose technology -in wide use – is not patentable. “These patent owners have been threatening people that just can’t defend themselves. They’re trying to claim ownership over some fundamental part of software of the Internet that people use every day, and they’re threatening small companies or individuals that can’t afford lawyers.” The list includes Clear Channel’s claim of patent on a process for making concert recordings available after concerts.
Maine Ballet Seeks New Home
The Maine State Ballet wants to convert a brick warehouse into a new performance home. “The company, which has operated for 23 years without any debt, will begin a $3 million capital campaign to pay for the new home and start an endowment fund for long-term financial stability.”
A Link Between TV and Puberty?
Though there’s still no definitive link between watching TV and an increase of violence, there may be one between TV-watching and puberty. “Girls are reaching puberty much earlier than in the 1950s. One reason is due to their average increase in weight; but another may be due to reduced levels of melatonin. Scientists at the University of Florence in Italy found that when youngsters were deprived of their TV sets, computers and video games, their melatonin production increased by an average 30 per cent.
The Secret Of London’s Success (Hear That US?)
London has become one of the great world cities just a decade or so after pundits were predicting her decline. What’s the evidence? “An amalgam of the world language, an open culture, two of the world’s top 10 universities and a vibrant cultural and intellectual life. Example: Britain now publishes more book titles than any other country. Further example: there are more Chinese students in the UK than in any other country, again more than the US. Of course, this is a UK phenomenon but it is one that is skewed disproportionately to the South-east.”
Is London’s Success Harming The Rest Of UK?
Yes, London has become a powerhouse. But is it to the detriment of the rest of England? “In the last decade, the island of Britain has become split effectively into two provinces: the megalopolis of London, and everywhere else. The seeds of this north-south divide go a long way back, but the final transformation of the British Isles into an appendage of Greater London has really taken place since the start of the 1990s.”
Bellevue Art Museum Gets A New Leader For Comeback Plan
The Seattle-area Bellevue Art Museum, which suddenly closed last year, has gone out and found itself some serious new leadership to help it reopen. “Michael Monroe, the former curator-in-charge at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, which specializes in craft such as ceramics, textiles and glass work, will become chief curator and executive director.”
Grand Estonian Grand
Ten years ago, the Estonian Piano Factory was in such disrepair it almost went out of business. But after a young entrepreneur bought the company and revamped the instruments’ design, the company turned around. “Today, 90 percent of the approximately 500 Estonias handmade each year end up at U.S. dealerships. Estonias account for a fraction of U.S. sales, which were 40,000 grands and baby grands, and 57,000 smaller upright pianos in 2003.”
Philly Stage – It’s A Hit!
Philadelphia theatres had a good year. “At a time when much of the nonprofits arts community is hurting for support, most producing theaters in the area took the decent business of the season before and, if they didn’t build on it, were at least able to match it.”