The Ambassador Theatre Group has asked ticketholders to the revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? “that no food be consumed during the performance.” (This may have been at the request of star Imelda Staunton, who has publicly complained about the practice.) This request is evidently unusual enough that ATG later felt the need to stress that food has not been banned outright.
Category: AUDIENCE
Imelda Staunton And Critic Agree: Eating In Your Seat Is A Crime Against Theatre
Michael Billington: “I’ve only lately become aware of how popular this is. … Some theatres, I’ve discovered, even encourage the practice by supplying a meal-and-drink package, as if their patrons might die of hunger or thirst during the arduous business of watching a play. Does it matter? I think it does.”
The Louvre’s Vermeer Show Is A Chaotic Mess
Demand so high it crashed the ticketing website. Frustrated crowds queued up for hours past their scheduled viewing time – which they can arrange only after tickets have been purchased. Angry patrons treating innocent security staff so badly that the latter are threatening to strike. But a Louvre spokesperson says, “We should be happy to see that crowds can also show up for an Old Masters exhibition, and not just for contemporary shows.” (Yes, what a surprise that must have been for the museum that houses the Mona Lisa.)
Finding: Dancers Can Deliver Effective Healthcare
“Dance to Health is capable of generating better outcomes and being associated with lower overall costs of managing falls compared to the primary prevention programme or no intervention,” the report finds. It describes the classes as faithful to their healthcare objectives and an “enjoyable challenge” for the dancers.
Study: Older Adults Process Music Differently Than Younger Adults
Many of our brain’s executive functions become impaired as we get older, but this didn’t turn out to be the case for sensing a lack of harmony. Both groups detected the unexpected endings equally well. The older people employed a wider region of the brain, though. “Recruiting a broader region perhaps compensates for the expected impairment that often takes place with age.”
Study: Why Males Are Less Interested In The Arts
“Society-wide cultural norms … define highbrow culture as belonging to the feminine sphere,” notes a research team led by Ghent University sociologist Susan Lagaert. In a newly published study, she and her colleagues present intriguing evidence of how that assumption affects the behavior of adolescents.
Movie Boring? Okay – How About Playing On This Jungle Jim?
“Mexico-based movie theater chain Cinepolis is betting it can lure more families back to the multiplex with its new in-theater playground concept, Cinepolis Junior, which makes its U.S. debut at two Southern California locations next week. The remodeled auditoriums at Cinepolis USA’s Pico Rivera and Vista theaters each feature a colorful play area near the screen in front of the seats, a jungle gym, and cushy beanbag chairs.”
Claim: Livestreaming Arts Performances Is Diversifying Audiences
As a result, audiences have engaged with art forms often considered ‘elitist’ by some individuals, such as opera or ballet. “It’s vital that people feel that the arts are for them – given all the benefits they can bring to our emotional and social wellbeing – and if we can help break down some of those barriers by the range of films we show in cinemas, then we’re delighted.”
Is A Slump In Chinese Movie Box Office Because Audiences Are Getting More Selective?
“China used to be a market where the screen count was growing so much, people would kind of go see anything, or see a lot of things. But it’s become a much more mature market, like the rest of the world. It’s more sensitive to content.”
Surprise? African-American Viewership Of Oscars Was Way Up This Year
“Nielsen data shows an average of 4.17 million black viewers were tuned into the 89th Academy Awards telecast, an increase of 30% over last year. The overall audience for the Oscars was 32.9 million, a 4% decline from the previous year and the lowest since 2008. The Oscars averaged an 18.68 rating in African American homes, which is the highest number among the segment since 2014. The rating among black homes was higher than the overall rating of 18.39.”