Hundreds of Californians rallied in San Francisco Wednesday to protest state legislature plans to eliminate arts funding. “Beating drums, reciting poetry and waving signs, the crowd of artists and arts lovers danced, chanted and cheered as speakers urged the state Legislature to spare the 27-year-old California Arts Council. Legislators are considering slashing the agency’s budget to help close the state’s $38.2 billion deficit.”
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New Symphony In San Jose
It’s unlikely that the San Jose Symphony – which closed almost two years ago – will reopen for business. So a new orchestra has been formed from an orchestra created for the area’s ballet company orchestra. “The latest incarnation of the symphony is yet another attempt to keep symphonic music in San Jose. San Jose Symphony, which had been in existence for 123 years, closed in October 2001. Symphony San Jose Silicon Valley was formed under the auspices of Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley 10 months ago and employed the old symphony’s musicians. That symphony, which last year played four concerts, is now changing its name to Symphony Silicon Valley and becoming a separate non-profit organization.”
Carol Shields, 68
Carol Shields, one of Canada’s most acclaimed writers, has died of cancer at the age of 68. “Since the publication of her first novel, Small Ceremonies in 1976, Shields wrote numerous works of fiction – including the 1993 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Stone Diaries – plays, short story collections and poetry. Her books have also won a Canada Council Major Award, two National Magazine Awards, the Canadian Author’s Award, and a CBC short story award.”
Star Turns – Gotta Have ‘Em
The secret of box office success for touring shows? Stars. No matter who they are. “There are, for example, fading sitcom stars, former pop teen idols from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, or, in some cases, their extended families. When it comes to casting a touring musical in the American hinterlands or a self-dubbed world-class city like Toronto, any one of the above can headline a show and be guaranteed audience and media adoration.”
Mob Appeal
“The fad for ‘flash mobs’, where hundreds of people gather at a place in the city, perform a bizarre if harmless mass action before scattering without trace, has spread in less than a month from its origins in the New York art scene to cities across the US. Now the movement is to come to Britain with a series of “flash mobs” in London, and if the craze picks up in Britain as quickly as it did in America.”
Aussies Flock To Illegal Screening Of Banned Movie
Some 200 people in Sydney gathered this week for an illegal viewing of the American film “Ken Park” which has been banned in Australia. “A copy of the film, which was downloaded from the internet, was screened last night at a secret Sydney location without police action to close it down. The crowd of more than 200 had been told of the screening by email and word of mouth over the past 24 hours in a bid to avoid publicity and police scrutiny. The independent film was refused classification in May because of its depictions of teenage sex, incest and auto-erotic asphyxiation.”
If It Can Go Wrong…
No matter the planning and professionalism of those involved, mishaps happen often in the theatre. Indeed – being live pretty much guarantees something will fail. John Heilpern recounts some of the more memorable snafus he’s seen or heard about…
Congress/Big Media Battle Over Deregulation
There’s a growing force in Congress to try to roll back the FCC’s relaxed new regulations on TV ownership. But just as members of the Senate attempt to derail the new regs, lobbyists for big media companies are streaming in to Washington to oppose the rollback…
Ending Cal. Arts Funding Is Shortsighted (And Costly)
A proposal to zero out the California Arts Council will make recovering it difficult later. “Eliminating the Arts Council in a bad budget year is like taking your car to the junkyard because you can’t afford to buy gas this week. Times will get better, and when they do, re-creating a state arts council will be far more costly and complex than keeping the existing one in place.”
Delaying Hall Might Put Austin Arts Groups On The Street
Because of funding problems, a long-awaited new performing arts center in Austin, Texas might be delayed. And that could be a disaster for the city’s performing arts groups. “It remains to be seen whether the opening of the Long Center will come before the University of Texas must close Bass Concert Hall for safety improvements in 2006. If neither large hall is open, the city’s symphony, opera and ballet and major touring shows will be left without a suitable home.”