Category: issues

Scottish funding support for the arts has lagged behind the UK. But “Scotland could become a “new Celtic tiger” if politicians committed to boosting investment in the arts by £100m” as recommended by a recent report….

The Saratoga Performing Arts Center is reinventing after a tough year. “Many summer venues are reporting challenges this year. Attendance for the Philadelphia Orchestra’s recent run of concerts at the Mann Center was down a whopping 17.5 percent, despite decent weather and more populist programming. That decline is on top of last year’s 9 percent downturn from the previous year. But the speed and seriousness of the unfolding crises in Saratoga has leaders seeking major changes in the way the center operates. They say that everything from ticket prices to the mix of programming is up for reconsideration.”

So Sony lost a lawsuit for falsely luring people to movies. What’s next, asks Steven Winn. Prepare for an onslaught of cases brought by audiences unhappy with their artistic experiences. Say, San Francisco Opera patrons suing because the supertitles have been moved. “And what’s going on with the Irish coffee? Is that real whipped cream in those cans or what?”

The Russian government says it does not have the $880 million needed to pay for planned renovation work on the Bolshoi Theatre. “The Bolshoi, which has already closed for work meant to last three years, has been told to slash its costs significantly if it wants to proceed. But the project’s chief architect, Nikita Shangin, says he will walk out if the theatre does not get the money.”

Earlier this year the Wichita (Kansas) City Council agreed to set aside an additional $719,000 in next year’s budget for about 27 local arts groups. But that is only a temporary fix, city officials say. The council wants to set up a fund dedicated to the arts.” How to do it? A tax on car rentals, but rental companies are complaining…

After four long years of contruction, Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center has finally removed all the orange barrels and concrete barriers, and unveiled its new look. “The front is now swept and polished with two fountains churning away in front of its grand entrances… Other improvements include a broad staircase facing the Watergate complex, an extended bike path that leads from the center’s front to the Roosevelt Bridge and granite sidewalks, replacing the sometimes slippery marble. New bus shelters east of the center are fitted with polished wooden benches and a wavy canopy. All the roadways and sidewalks are freshly paved, and there is a circle for taxis.”

Southern California’s Orange County Performing Arts Center has reported a $359,000 surplus for its 2004-05 season, the center’s 19th consecutive year without a deficit. The PAC is undergoing a $200 million expansion, which is 60% complete, and managed to hit a new high for contributed income even as construction continued.

For obvious historical reasons, the German government likes to keep a close eye on purveyors of extremist language and exclusionary rhetoric, and watch lists have existed for years to monitor the activities of neo-Nazi skinheads and other hatemongers. But lately, Germany’s increasingly gangsta-oriented rappers have begun to land on these watch lists as well. “German gangsta rappers have made a strong showing on the charts… and shaken a society not used to hearing ghetto tales of death and revenge in its own language. German parents and the news media have expressed shock at hardcore lyrics, which, they say, glorify a dangerous American ghetto fantasy that doesn’t exist in Germany and shouldn’t be encouraged.”

A prominent theatre producer has publicly suggested that the sitting board of the prestigious Edinburgh International Festival lacks the expertise and judgment to select a new director for the festival. The current director, Sir Brian McMaster, will depart in another year, and producer Nica Burns is concerned that those in charge of selecting his replacement will be insufficiently versed in contemporary theatrical realities.