“The Cleveland Orchestra is facing an annual deficit of $4 million this season that will raise the accumulated deficit to a disquieting $7.5 million.” The numbers are forcing a hard look at some of the orchestra’s operations.
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National Treasure – Scottish Opera
There’s a debate in Scotland over the fate of Scottish Opera. The company has been a big critical success, but it’s broke and in dancer of going out of business or being scaled back considerably. “Scottish Opera is, for those outside Scotland, one of the great cultural achievements of Scotland, and one of the great ambassadors for Scotland’s commitment to high culture. The Scottish Parliament is now the custodian of one of the great cultural institutions of the United Kingdom and people will be looking from all round the world to see how Scottish Opera now fares under this new autonomous government.”
Oldest Book On Display
The world’s oldest surviving printed book is now on display in the British Museum. “The Diamond Sutra, which bears the date 868 AD, was found in a walled-up cave in Dunhuang, north-west China, in 1907, along with other printed items. It consists of a scroll of grey paper printed with Chinese characters, wrapped around a wooden pole.”
Hollywood: My Adult Summer?
Summer, for Hollywood, is usually the season of the big commercial blockbusters, the action movies that get the younger audiences out. But this summer promises to be different. “If it’s not the ‘revenge of the grown-ups,’ it’s certainly ‘the revenge of talent.’ Hollywood is starting to acknowledge the salability of quality.”
Where Is Black Music In West End Theatre?
“Black artists are at the cutting edge of the music industry in Britain, but the West End has yet to play host to a show which celebrates their music. Some have blamed racism, others say that the black community are not theatregoers.”
Shaw, Stratford Festivals Hoping To Rebound
It’s been a tough couple of seasons for Ontario’s Shaw and Stratford festivals. Attendance down sharply, revenues off, deficits mounting… But already in 2004, there are signs that the theatres may be bouncing back from their slumps…
Hotel Movies – Lap Of Luxury
Hotels are setting the standard in luxurious mivie-watching experience. “The Covent Garden Hotel in London has a screening room with 53 stone-coloured leather seats crafted by the Italian company that upholsters Ferraris. You don’t have to stay the night (rooms start at £210) to use it. For £40 per person, groups of 10 or more can have either Champagne and canapés or a three-course dinner before or after a private screening. Having a cinema for your exclusive use must be one of the most luxurious ways of watching a film.”
NYT Foundation Theatre Initiative
“The New York Times Company Foundation has announced a new grant-making instrument focused on not-for-profit theatres: The New York Times Company Foundation Fund for Mid-Size Theatres. As its first gesture, the foundations announced its first set of grants totaling $70,000 to 30 theatre companies..”
SF Mayor Surprises Arts Groups With 25% Funding Cut
“San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom riled some of the city’s big arts organizations Thursday night when he unexpectedly announced plans to cut city funding to the San Francisco Symphony, Opera, Ballet and Museum of Modern Art by 25 percent to help deal with San Francisco’s $325 million budget deficit.”
Ideas: Let Freedom Ring (Sort Of) (Maybe)
The cause of freedom gets thrown about rhetorically quite a bit these days as Anmericans debate the whys and wherefores of war and the balancing of freedoms and safety. These arguments are finding parallels in the arena of culture in the form of debate about intellectual property and copyright. As a “free” society, how much freedom do we want to allow to the products of creativity?