Bass Hall is the cultural capital of downtown Fort Worth. “In its five-year history, the hall has easily fulfilled its promise, becoming a grand symbol of Fort Worth’s commitment to the performing arts and a striking monument to the private and proud family for which it is named. But over the past year, as the recessionary economy ravaged arts institutions everywhere, the hall’s seemingly impregnable facade has begun to show cracks.” With revenue and attendance down, “the current economic hardships hint at a deeper problem – one that has persisted since the early days of the hall and now prompts the fundamental question: Can Fort Worth still afford Bass Hall?”
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Who Can Stand For This?
“Go to nearly any Broadway house, any night, and you can catch a crowd jumping up for the curtain call like politicians at a State of the Union address. And just as in politics, the intensity of the ovation doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of the performance. The phenomenon has become so exaggerated, in fact, that audiences now rise to their feet for even the very least successful shows.”
Theatre – Year Of The Woman? (Playwright, That Is)
Do women make good playwrights? There seems to be some prejudice in the industry suggesting they don’t. “There is no question that most of our celebrated playwrights are male and that female writers are responsible for only a small minority of the plays produced in this country. But these historical trends are starting to change — and the proof is in the listings. Almost all the talked-about plays Off Broadway this fall were written by women.”
The Art (Against) Reagan
Ronald Reagan is revered by his conservative followers as a great president. But “the art of the Reagan era – not just art about Reagan, but art made during his presidency – reflects a more complex memory of the man. The most potent artistic forces unleashed in the Reagan years were overtly political, and little of this overtly political art was or is kind to the old man. The plague of AIDS, and protests of AIDS activists, would create a new and volatile visual language that refreshed the graphic arts; punk rock emerged, in this country, as an angry and anarchic force, often explicitly in opposition to what musicians saw as a geriatric retrenchment into imperial self-satisfaction; and performance art came into its own, defining a new, anti-commercial, wildly independent form of drama. One summary of the Reagan years is that they were immensely productive, artistically, even if much of the art was vehemently opposed to the man.”
Still Dancing At 65
“Dudley Williams is still dancing onstage at 65. Having joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1964, Mr. Williams is the longest active member of the company, perhaps one of the longest active professional dancers anywhere.”
Buy This Book
“This was a year in which the publishing industry kept its literati tendencies in check and infused a Hollywood-style razzle-dazzle into contests and other promotions intended to nudge books into at least a glimmer of the popular culture spotlight. With book sales down from last year, publishers are being forced to abandon their high-brow position above the fray and dive right in with movies, TV and other competing forms of popular culture.”
Rijksmuseum Closes For Renovation – Foreign Visitors Mourn
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is closing for renovations for five years. This will have a big impact abroad. “British visitors are crucial to the museum’s finances, which are more perilous since privatisation of the Dutch museum sector eight years ago. Britons and Americans each contribute 25% of its roughly million visitors a year, followed by the Japanese and French – with Dutch visitors trailing a long way down the list.”
Kirov’s Dangerous New Direction
“Questions about the Kirov Ballet’s direction and management — and their effect on the company’s good name — have dogged the troupe for months.” One of the company’s star ballerina’s defected to the Bolshoi in August, and Artistic and General Director Valery Gergiev says that he is planning a major “restructuring” of the Kirov’s leadership team. All the uncertainty is adding to a growing sense of fear and unrest inside the Kirov, which has struggled for years to make the transition from a state-sponsored troupe to a privately funded ballet company competing on the international stage.
Pittsburgh Symphony Sued For Age Discrimination
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is being sued by its former ticket manager, who claims that she was the victim of age discrimination when she was dismissed without cause at the age of 60, and replaced by a 30-something employee who made a lower salary. The plaintiff “is seeking back pay and benefits, compensatory damages and attorneys’ fees.”
The Composer Who Didn’t Kill Mozart
Ask your average classical music buff how Mozart died, and most will probably answer that he was murdered (or at least driven to the grave) by his jealous rival, Antonio Salieri. This theory has been around for centuries, and was firmly embedded in the modern consciousness by Milos Forman’s 1984 film, Amadeus. But the truth is that Salieri had very little motive to kill off Mozart, and there is nothing but the thinnest anecdotal evidence to link him to the master’s death. Furthermore, Salieri was hardly the hack composer that Amadeus made him out to be, and a newly revived interest in his operatic work is sweeping across Europe.