“The occasion may have been the formal inauguration of a major government arts facility. But with dancers shaking, drums pounding, and a gospel children’s choir shouting into the sun-filled air, the atmosphere at the long-awaited opening of the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center in Cutler Bay on Sunday afternoon was more like a community pep rally slash church picnic slash throw-down family party.”
Tag: 10.03.11
The Problems Of Choosing A Nobel Literature Laureate
Swedish Academy permanent secretary Peter Englund “talks about the difficulty of balancing literary quality and cultural significance, the Academy’s undercover translation project, the awkward lack of women laureates and whether Philip Roth will ever win the Nobel prize.”
War Horse Income Makes Up For Budget Cuts At England’s National Theatre
“The theatre’s annual report showed in detail just how much of a cash cow the production has become – and how the forthcoming play One Man, Two Guvnors could prove just as lucrative. ‘We have not had to make any cutbacks because of the Arts Council cuts,’ the NT’s director, Nicholas Hytner, said.”
Alexander Grant, 86, Royal Ballet Star And National Ballet Of Canada Head
“[His] portrayal of childlike suitors, muddled husbands, English eccentrics, pirate chiefs and Shakespearean rustics made him one of British ballet’s most beloved stars … [He] also played an influential role in international ballet … [serving] as artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada from 1976 to 1983.”
Eight Of London’s Major Theatres Joining Forces For Olympics Festival
“Composer Jonathan Dove, playwright Tanika Gupta and directors Peter Brook and Rufus Norris are among the artists creating productions for World Stages London … [The] event is a collaboration between Battersea Arts Centre, the Bush Theatre, the Lyric Hammersmith, the Royal Court, Sadler’s Wells, Somerset House, Theatre Royal Stratford East and the Young Vic.”
Tatyana Lioznova, 87, Directed ‘Soviet James Bond’ Films
“[She] immortalised a fictional spy often referred to as the ‘Soviet James Bond’; in fact, Maxim Isayev had more in common with the screen depictions of John le Carré’s quick-witted George Smiley than Ian Fleming’s explosive hero.”
Theatre Needs Theatre Critics (And Vice Versa)
Lyn Gardner: “Without Osborne and Pinter, Kenneth Tynan would have been just another mid-20th-century critic admiring the French window sets. But does it also work the other way? I think it must: I’m not convinced that it’s possible for a strong theatre culture to thrive in a place or an area of work where there is little or no critical attention.”
Spray Paint Wars: Banksy Graffiti Classic Vandalized By Rival Graffitist
“One of Banksy’s most famous works has been defaced in what may be the latest episode of a long-running spat with a rival street artist. The image above a shop in Bristol … has now been defaced with black paint.”
Hot, Sexy Librarians: A Beefcake Calendar
“[The] twelve men of the amazing 2012 Men of the Stacks calendar … are all professional librarians, and they are all, from the looks of it, extremely well-read.” (Ahem.)
“Direct-To-Fan” Services Transform The Music Business
The “direct to fan” connection has existed in various forms since the earliest days of the Web. But musicians and managers say that only in recent years, with the rise of companies like Topspin and its competitors — among them Bandcamp, FanBridge and ReverbNation — have the tools become sophisticated enough to run all aspects of a band’s online business.