Michael Feingold writes that it’s time for the role of director to be redefined. “I’m afraid it’s time for the theater to get rid of directing. Now don’t panic. I said directing, not directors. I’m talking about a specific kind of directing, fairly common these days, that functions only as an interference to the work being performed. It’s become a fashion in Europe, and in certain academic circles, where various theoretical excuses have been made up for it. And, as lovers of great theater music know to their dismay, it’s widely prevalent in opera—so much so that directors coming onstage for their curtain call at premieres are shocked when they don’t get booed.”
Tag: 07.30.03
The Skinless Child Of Edinburgh
“Organisers of an exhibition involving the skinless body of a child have insisted it will go ahead today, despite being refused a venue by Edinburgh City Council. The professor, who claims that he turns human bodies into works of sculpture when he injects them with plastic to preserve them, faced criticism from politicians and bereavement support groups who called for a boycott of the exhibition.”
Report: Online Music Sales Won’t Make Up For CD Declines
Sales of online downloadable music are picking up. But a new study says the sales won’t make up for the decline in CD sales. “Online analyst Jupiter Media has slashed its estimates for the amount record companies will be able to generate from online sales in 2003 to $800m (£490m). Although the figure refers only to the more developed US market, it spells bad news for record companies hoping to shore up declining CD sales worldwide.”
Does NY Anti-Smoking Ban Apply To Actors Onstage?
Does a tough new New York State antismoking law mean actors won’t be able to smoke on stage as part of a play? “Passed by the state legislature in March and effective Thurs., July 24, the measure bans the “burning of a lighted cigar, cigarette, pipe, or other matter or substances which contains tobacco” in a long list of situations, including theatres, auditoriums, and museums. The measure closely mirrors New York City’s own tough no-smoking ordinance, and in some ways is even tougher than the local law.” Theatres can apply for a waiver if smoking is required for a performance.
“Fortress America” As Visits To US Sharply Down
Travel to the United States this summer is sharply down. “Both tighter restrictions on getting into this country – and a strong disillusionment with the US abroad – are causing tens of thousands of people worldwide to forgo trips to America. Critics say the decline is evidence of a visa-screening process too restrictive, creating a ‘fortress America.’ But supporters see that process as essential to protecting the nation in a post-9/11 world.”
A Soviet Icon Falls
“Last week, the final guests checked out of the daunting Moskva hotel, for 70 years the gateway to Soviet Moscow, looming over one corner of Red Square. The better rooms of this heroic Stalinist pile may well have been bugged, but they did offer magnificent views over Red Square and St Basil’s cathedral. From the 15th floor the views were the stuff of epic Russian films, while from the corridor windows you could just peep across the walls of the reclusive Kremlin. For some years a debate has raged in Moscow over the future of the 1,000-room Stalinist hotel featured on every bottle of Stolichnaya vodka and built in the early 30s.”
The Mining Town That Reinvented As A Center Of Books
It’s a grand experiment – last month a small derelict mining town tried to reinvent itself as a town of books – opening nine bookstores. “Can books rejuvenate the depressed town and revitalise the local economy? July in booktown saw hostile locals and tarot card wars.
Suing The Opera Company You Love…
What does the lawsuit against the Metropolitan Opera on behalf of one of the company’s biggest donors mean to arts philanthropy? “Anybody who ever bought tickets for a production that turned out disappointing may be inclined to toast the plaintiffs. More seriously, individual donors will sniff an opportunity to increase their already dominant positions, if only after death.”
French Arts Strikers Shut Down Casals Concert
Striking arts workers forced cancellation of a concert at the Pablo Casals Festival in the French Pyranees. The “announcement of the cancellation infuriated the audience. As they left the venue, attendees shouted insults at the intermittents, who reportedly had to wait in backstage areas for over half an hour before being able to leave the area in safety.”
Egypt Asks Museums To Loan Stolen Artworks
Egypt is seeking the loan of artworks that were stolen from Egypt and are now in other museums, for an exhibition next year marking the 100th anniversary of Cairo’s Egypt Museum. “Top of the museum’s list is the ancient Rosetta Stone, which is housed in the British Museum, and a bust of Nefertiti from Germany.”