The Louisville Orchestra, which was expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy yesterday, instead delayed its decision until today, in what may be a last-ditch effort to reach an agreement with the orchestra’s musicians to avert a shutdown. “The orchestra is out of cash and owes two banks $1.3 million in past-due loans, plus a pair of unmet payrolls to its musicians, conductors and administrative staff.” Negotiations between musicians and management broke down last weekend, with management insisting that drastic salary cuts were needed, and musicians livid over what they said was a last-second moving of management’s goalposts.
Tag: 06.17.03
Stealing Harry By The Trailer-load
Thousands of copies of the new Harry Potter book were stolen from a trailer in Northern England. “A trailer containing around £1m worth of books was stolen from Newton-le-Willows trading estate on Merseyside at around 10.30pm on Sunday. The trailer was recovered yesterday in Salford, Greater Manchester, minus its load.”
Execs Needed In Milwaukee
Executives of several of Milwaukee’s high-profile arts groups have stepped down recently, leaving something of a power void at the top levels of the city’s cultural scene. The latest to resign is Judy Smith of the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, who has reportedly been exhausted by a massive fundraising effort she was spearheading. In fact, many of the Milwaukee execs have left their posts not because of controversy or dissatisfaction with their work, but because they were simply burned out by the intensive fundraising work required during an economic downturn.
Books, Books, More Books…Does Anybody Read Them?
“The bulging bookshelf has become a tradition in most British households – a sort of intellectual trophy cabinet, each spine potentially revealing something about the owner. For some, the bigger the bookshelf, the bigger the brain. Research has shown that few of us ever look at our old books, but at the same time would never dream of throwing them out.”
Florida Arts Cuts = Unhealthy State
The state of Florida recently cut its arts budget by $22 million. Now arts groups across the state are trying to figure out what that means to them. “I think the Legislature made a very disturbing statement in terms of priorities, that the arts are disposable. One sign of a healthy state is one that supports the arts.”
Brantley: Growing Up With Theatre
As theatre critic of the New York Times, Ben Brantley is the most powerful theatre critic in America. He says that stories of Broadway’s decline over the years have been overblown. “The so-called golden era of Broadway was actually pretty short-lived. We are always lamenting its decline and saying it is no good now, but I don’t necessarily think that is anything new. Theater in general is certainly less glamorous then when I first came to New York as a kid, but I am also looking at it through adult eyes. I sit through some bad stuff, but when I get to sit through some of the good stuff, it is still rewarding like nothing else.”
Lincoln Center To Philharmonic: Not So Fast
Lincoln Center isn’t just sitting around after the New York Philharmonic announced it will leave for Carnegie Hall in 2006. The performing arts center says that the orchestra has a lease that runs through 2011 and that leaving early breaks the lease. “Lincoln Center intends to be firm and clear about its rights.”
New Harry Not Expected To Swamp Publishers Again
The last Harry Potter book threw the publishing business into turmoil when a second printing of 3 million copies was ordered within 48 hours of the book’s release. “Some publishers were as much as six weeks late taking delivery on their fall lineups because the printers who make their books were too busy producing ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.’ Even though it has an all-time record first U.S. printing of 8.5 million copies, ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ is not expected to upset the publishing business as its predecessor did. Book sales overall are low so there is more press capacity available, and because the book is overdue, North American printers have had more time to figure out how to handle it.”
What’s The Male Version Of Chick Lit?
Chick Lit is a big thing. But is there a male equivalent? Not really, writes Steve Almond. “The last time I checked, 70 percent of readers were women, and I’d put the percentage who read relationship fiction (the broader province of Chick/Dick lit) to be in the high 90s. Almost the entire crowd at the panel on Singledom was female. And the vast majority of my own readers — from what I can tell — are women. This is because women are more likely to struggle, in a conscious way, with the problems that beset romantic relationships, to talk about these problems, and to seek out writing that makes them feel less alone with the psychic tumult of affairs of the heart.”
ABT Director Resigns
The executive director of the troubled American Ballet Theatre has resigned. Elizabeth Harpel Kehler was the third director to resign in three years. “Her predecessor, Louis G. Spisto, was forced to resign in 2001 amid accusations of mismanagement. Wallace Chappell served from October 2001 to August 2002, when he was moved by Ballet Theater’s new chairman into the newly created position of director of strategic initiatives.”