Last year Scottish Ballet reinvented itself, cutting half its dancers and becoming a modern company. But the new company has won a prestigious award. “Scottish Ballet claimed the Outstanding Achievement in Dance prize from the Theatrical Management Association (TMA) in recognition of its modernisation programme and dynamic performances.”
Tag: 10.19.04
Take A Pill And Forget Me In The Morning
What if you could take a pill and erase memories that were painful? “Some memories can be very disruptive. They come back to you when you don’t want to have them — in a daydream or nightmare or flashbacks — and are usually accompanied by very painful emotions. This could relieve a lot of that suffering.” Research continues. But there are skeptics…
DC Arts Finally Recover Post-9/11
After 9/11, arts institutions in Washington DC struggled to find audiences (and income). But the post-9/11 slup is officially over, with attendance (and income) on the rise. “The upturn is attributed to the rise in tourism, resumption of school field trips, economic security enjoyed by the theater-going public, and rise of the Internet as an easy way to buy tickets, according to managers of many of the region’s 60-plus theatrical companies.”
Getting Rid Of That Unwanted TV…
The TV in your local bar bugging you? Well, now you don’t have to suffer the blare. A new device called TV-B-Gone shuts off any television set in the vicinity. “The device, which looks like an automobile remote, has just one button. When activated, it spends over a minute flashing out 209 different codes to turn off televisions, the most popular brands first.”
Greeks In New York
This season’s big new thing in New York theatre? It’s Greeks. New York is awash in Greek revival plays. “Between the threat of terrorism and the war in Iraq, we’re all apparently in desperate need of a whopping catharsis—or at least a few old-comedy laughs at the rulers driving us to the brink of catastrophe.”
Pushing Your Brain’s “Buy” Button
Is there a “buy button” in the brain? A new study of the brain has scientists wondering. “Some corporations have teamed up with neuroscientists to find out. Recent experiments in so-called neuromarketing have explored reactions to movie trailers, choices about automobiles, the appeal of a pretty face and gut reactions to political campaign advertising, as well as the power of brand loyalty.”
Texas Artists Against Bush
A group of Texas “writers, musicians and arts patrons are placing newspaper ads against President Bush this week, declaring ‘the Texan in the White House doesn’t speak for us’.”
Turner Finalists Show Off This Week
Work of the four artists who are finalists for this year’s Turner Prize goes on display this week.”Among the pieces on display is an interactive digital reconstruction of Osama Bin Laden’s base in Afghanistan, created by artists Langlands and Bell. But one piece of their work has been removed because it features an alleged Afghan warlord who is currently on trial at the High Court in London.”
London’s Contemporary Frieze
London’s Frieze Art Fair opens for its second year, and it looks like a hit. “When the so-called Young British Artists appeared in the 1990s, there was no main conduit to buy their works, but the Frieze Fair has filled the gap, giving international dealers an opportunity to sell their art in one room, under the banner of the art magazine Frieze.”
That Broadway Melody (A History)
A three-part TV series on the history of the Broadway musical runs on PBS this week. “If the series has one major theme, it’s that the Broadway musical has always been subversive, ahead of its time in form and subject matter.”