Category: issues

So what is the take home message here? Racism, inappropriate outbursts, and sexual misconduct lead to a more successful career? Hopefully not, but the data clearly displays that the publicity surrounding these events helped to increase ticket values.

“Taking its cue from the airline industry, more arts groups are adopting dynamic pricing, in which the cost of a theater or concert ticket escalates for hot-selling shows, while slack demand brings bargains. The concept … has arrived in a big way on the L.A. scene with its adoption by Center Theatre Group.”

“After a dozen years of discussions, planning and failed fund-raising efforts by arts groups, the city of Myrtle Beach” – a family seaside and golf resort – “is considering building a performing arts center. … But some in the arts community are not happy with the city’s latest proposal to get the money.”

“Fourteen years on from the Smarties Prize, Rowling’s creation remains a cultural touchstone. For many of her fans, young and old, the arrival of the final film in the $6.4 billion franchise, four years after the publication of the final book, is a moment of closure as significant as the break-up of the Beatles.”

“People are silently firing up their smartphone screens in darkened theaters everywhere. At the movies. During plays. At concerts. And it shows no sign of going away. That compulsion is real, and there are a number of societal, psychological and physiological reasons more and more people are reaching for their smartphones without giving it a second thought — frequently to the irritation of those around them.”

The Colonial “has weathered world wars, economic downturns, and changing tastes. But it now faces an unexpected shutdown because of failed negotiations between Emerson College, which owns the Colonial, and Broadway Across America-Boston, which has presented such popular touring musicals as “Mamma Mia!” and “Sweeney Todd” while leasing the 1,704- seat theater over the last decade.”

“Society has long debated how to assess the arts: What is their role? How do you know if a work is good and who chooses? Admittedly, deciding that a work is excellent is difficult, at times controversial and far from a science. But the absence of certainty had not been a problem with consequences for public funding, until recently.”

“Potential users of the site include the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Writer’s Festival, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Bell Shakespeare, The Biennale of Sydney and Australian Theatre for Young People.” Sydney Dance Company and Sydney Theatre Company are already nearby, as are several major art galleries.

The Luminato “festival was created to promote its home city and build its cultural prestige around the globe. Or, as the manifesto of the co-founders puts it: ‘to shine Toronto’s light on the world and the world’s light on Toronto.’ You can’t say it much clearer than that.”