“Opera Australia has ordered an independent review of its organisation after a 10 per cent drop in ticket sales and a $4 million writedown of its capital fund value as a result of the economic crisis.”
Tag: 06.10.09
Some Regional Theaters Move Back From The Brink
“They came close to the abyss yet somehow survived. It’s not that such groups as North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Mass.; the Magic Theatre in San Francisco; and About Face Theatre in Chicago have returned to rock-solid ground. But each has entered into a process that could enable its survival.”
Robert Colescott, 83, Gleefully Satirical Painter
“[H]e was well known for pitting the painterly against the political to create giddily joyful, destabilized compositions that satirized, and offended, without regard to race, creed, gender or political leaning.” He was also, in 1997, the first African-American to represent the U.S. at the Venice Biennale.
Washington State University To Cut Theatre & Dance Dept.
“The Washington State University Department of Theater and Dance will not survive the budget ax by merging with the University of Idaho program in nearby Moscow. WSU Provost and Executive Vice President Warwick Bayly said Tuesday the department, which has 105 students and was listed for elimination in a preliminary budget last month, will be cut.”
Nobuyuki Tsujii’s Albums Have Shot Up Charts In Japan
“Albums by a blind Japanese pianist have surged up the country’s online charts since he won a prestigious US award at the weekend, online retailer Amazon Japan said Wednesday. Nobuyuki Tsujii, who is 20 years old and has been blind since birth, on Sunday became the first Asian and the first blind pianist to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas.”
A Car Parked Outside The Opera House? Bad Advertising!
“Walking past a new-model vehicle with its showroom sticker affixed to the windshield to get into concert halls and opera houses is a common international phenomenon. Last time I was at the tony Salzburg Festival, a flashy Audi, if I remember correctly, was parked in front of the Grosses Festspielhaus. And now the pristine, white new Opera House in Oslo, a year-old and already a landmark, has a pristine, white Mercedes messing up the building’s sculptural minimalism.”
Sweden To Disband Century-Old Film Censorship Board
“Sweden is putting a blue line through film censorship. The government has decided to close the board of film censors, Statens Biografbyra, in 2011, 100 years after it was founded. From then on, any film will be able to be released in Sweden, as long as it does not break laws governing such things as child pornography.”
St. Louis Symphony Players Get New (And Healthy) Contract
“At a time when other major orchestras are giving ground in a sour economy, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has a new contract that contains modest gains and no givebacks from the musicians union. … The new contract [also] gives management the ability to broadcast concerts on local radio and public television without permission from, or payments to, musicians.”
More Good Ideas For Helping Oregon Ballet Theatre
Trisha Pancio of Portland Center Stage suggests “Eight things nobody has tried yet to save the ballet.” For example, here’s no. 3: “Tutu trick or treat? Like Unicef but for ballet? Couldn’t the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence… spend an evening or two going door to door in tutus to collect for the ballet?”
Opera Australia Plans ‘Top-To-Bottom’ Review Of Operations
The board chairman “said a ‘fresh set of eyes’ would look at how the company could be more efficient with its government funding (currently $21.9 million [Aus] a year), but the review will also look at management structures, programming schedules, repertoire, and marketing strategies.”