Are Boards Of Directors Up To Leading Our Arts Organizations?

In light of recent high-profile controversies, questions have been raised in the industry about what boards and their trustees actually do – and whether the current model is suited to the challenges presented by the modern theatre industry. What is clear is that in Britain’s subsidised theatres and theatre companies they are absolutely pivotal in defining the shape of the sector.

Regime Change: When Arts Organizations Change Leaders

Who appoints artistic directors, and how? How does regime change work, behind the scenes? How do you turn a struggling institution around, or (even more daunting) live up to your predecessor’s apparently faultless reputation? And what happens when – one thinks of Emma Rice’s brief, ill-starred tenure at the Globe – pretty much everything seems to go wrong?

Diversity Dominates Hollywood Box Office In 2018 So Far

Films with women or minorities in lead roles have led the box office 11 out of 12 weekends this year, according to data from Box Office Mojo, a site that tracks box office revenue. In the same 12-week period in 2017, only five weekends were dominated by films with women or minorities in the lead. “Hidden Figures” led for two weeks, “Get Out” for one and “Beauty and the Beast” for two.

Audiences Are Really Like Murmurations Of Starlings

Matt Trueman: “A few years ago, I learned how birds fly in flocks. It’s a complex science. When they murmur, seemingly so completely in sync, starlings are in fact steering themselves independently: each to its own. There’s no leader, no one follows, but the flock falls into line because each bird reacts to those around it. … If one flinches, those next to it follow suit; climb and the whole flock climbs with you. Every individual impulse ripples through the group and it grows as it goes. Audiences are the same.”

Those Brown Spots On The Murals In King Tut’s Tomb? No Reason To Worry, Say Getty Conservators

“For decades, visitors to the world-famous tomb of King Tutankhamen in Egypt have noticed ugly brown spots covering the wall paintings lining the burial chamber. And for years the Egyptian authorities worried that these blotches might be microorganisms fueled by humidity and the sweaty bodies of tourists. Now, scientists from the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles have completed an analysis – determining that the spots are not alive and not a threat to any of the tomb’s illustrious attractions.”