So you’re thinking of going to the Russian theatre but you’ve heard some dicey stories? “Theatre audiences in Russia will soon be able to buy insurance against a terrorist attack or some other catastrophe befalling them during the performance.”
Tag: 10.05.06
Man The Barricades – Les Miz In The Record Books!
“This weekend Les Misérables will prove the doubters wrong and set a benchmark when it becomes the world’s longest-running musical. Apart from the 21 years it has been running in London, a further 56 professional companies have opened it in 38 countries and 223 cities. With more than 38,000 professional performances worldwide, an astonishing – and estimated – 54 million people have seen it.”
Lauder Raising Money For Klimts?
Ronald Lauder has raised $190 million. Could he be thinking of trying to buy more Klimts for his Neue Gallerie when they come up for auction? “Each one would have something to add to the Neue Galerie’s collection, but if the buyer is not the Neue Galerie, I hope they will end up in other museums.”
A New Robert Frost? Um, Okay…
Why was there such a flurry of excitement when a Robert Frost poem was recently discovered? “There are a number of unpublished poems that scholars know of, residing in several libraries, that he never chose to publish.”
Google Goes Literate
Google is launching a Web site “dedicated to literacy, pulling together its books, video, mapping and blogging services to help teachers and educational organizations share reading resources.”
Music Downloads Bolster Recording Biz
“Physical album sales so far this year totaled 370.5 million units, down 8.3% from the 404.2 million racked up in the year-ago period. However, digital album sales climbed 115%, with 22.6 million sold through September. Downloaded tracks soared 72%, to 418.6 million.”
Mexico To Churches: Make Records
The Mexican government is asking churches to catalogue their artwork. “Mexico has a wealth of colonial art, including paintings, sculptures, stained glass and sacred objects, spread among its churches. But a demand for such works among collectors has made the contents of rural parishes a tempting target for thieves.”
Is Poetry Still Relevant?
“People were perhaps put off by the way it was taught, searching for meaning and sociological context. Poetry isn’t about that, it goes straight to the heart, the brain, the guts if you like.”
Penumbra In The Black
The Penumbra Theatre, the Twin Cities’ leading company focusing on African-American work, operated with a surplus for the third season in a row. “Penumbra also announced that by June it will retire its debt, which ballooned to more than $500,000 in 2002. The debt, described as an albatross, triggered the company’s restructuring program.”
Stratford ’07 Will Salute Departing Director
Richard Monette is retiring after 15 years at the helm of Canada’s beloved Stratford Theatre Festival, a fact you won’t be able to miss if you attend any of Stratford’s 2007 performances. In fact, the entire 2007 season, unveiled this week, is a tribute to Monette’s achievements.