The Children’s Theatre Company won a Tony and saw one of its plays go to Broadway. But the company still lost money this year. “The Minneapolis theater, which in 2003 advanced its production of ‘A Year With Frog and Toad’ to Broadway and won the Tony Award as outstanding regional theater, ended its fiscal year with an operating deficit of $350,000 on a budget of $15 million. It’s the first operating deficit in four years for CTC, and it came despite increases in attendance and contributions to the theater’s annual fund.”
Tag: 09.24.03
Michener: Should NY Phil, City Opera Stay At Lincoln Center?
The New York Philharmonic and New York City Opera both want to jump out of Lincoln Center to new homes. But “given the proposed alternatives—for City Opera, a pie-in-the-sky move downtown; for the Philharmonic, a schedule-gobbling takeover of Carnegie Hall—I’m beginning to think that it would be better for the health of the two deserters, not to mention that of the city’s musical life, if they stayed put. Both organizations are doing fine where they are.”
Pittsburgh Musicians Ratify Contract
“The musicians of the deficit-ridden Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra ratified a three-year contract yesterday that calls for a 7.8 percent wage cut for the first two years and a major wage increase in the 2005-06 season. The third-year increase – considered risky by some – will bring the PSO musicians’ salaries to 95 percent of the average of the wages at the Chicago, Cleveland, New York and Philadelphia orchestras, all of whom negotiate contracts in the next year.”
File-Share Company Sues Recording Companies
The company behind the Kazaa file-sharing software is suing recording companies who are trolling Kazaa for copyright violators. “Sharman said the companies used Kazaa Lite, an ad-less replica of its software, to get onto the network. The lawsuit also claims efforts to combat piracy on Kazaa violated terms for using the network. Entertainment companies have offered bogus versions of copyright works and sent online messages to users.”
CBC Gets $10 Million Less
Canada’s CBC is getting $10 million less this year than it had been promised by the government. Viewers and listeners likely won’t see the cuts on-air, but the reduction will impact investment in projects.
Hayley Westenra, Teen Classical Sensation
Singer Hayley Westenra is now 16, and “has a £3 million, five-album deal under her belt, to which, this week, she added the fastest selling debut classical record of all time. Pure, her third album (though the first to be released internationally) sold nearly 20,000 copies last week, beating anything Charlotte Church has managed – or Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli or Russell Watson, for that matter. She is also at number eight in the mainstream pop album charts, wedged between Daniel Bedingfield and the Black Eyed Peas.”
Leonardo Theft, Reconstructed
Want to see how thieves stole a valuable Leonardo painting from a Scottish gallery last month? Here’s a Crimewatch reconsruction of the crime.
Boston’s MFA Alters Expansion Designs
Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts has made a series of design changes to its $425 million expansion plan. “Most dramatically, the crystal spine designed by architect Norman Foster will be lowered from 100 to 70 feet. Locals had raised concerns about shadows that would be cast on the Emerald Necklace behind the MFA. In addition, the museum has agreed to keep Museum Road open.”
Fort Worth Proposal To Slash Public Art Money
In a big surprise, the mayor of Fort Worth, Texas proposes slashing the city’s public art funds. “Mayor Mike Moncrief’s unexpected plan would cut funding for public art from 2 percent to 1 percent in the Feb. 7 bond election, shifting about $2 million in funding.”
Malaysia Lowers CD Prices
The Malaysian government has decreed a new maximum price for CDs sold there. And it’s a significant cut in price from the previous ceiling. Artists are trying to be philosophical: “Without compromising on quality, we can still release a good album. But instead of recording 10 songs at the cost of RM50,000, we can produce five songs under RM25,000. It’s just a matter of choosing between quality and quantity. After all, who said an album should comprise 10 songs? And for this new format to work, the industry should work together and not go against one another.”