Coping With Upcoming Cuts, Sadler’s Wells Programs Naked Dancers and Horses

“Sadler’s Wells launched their 2011 season this morning with a warning that the front-loading of arts cuts to the next two years will cut a swathe through the British arts landscape.” The venue is taking defensive action by offering “a list of attractions for next year including mass nudity, horses on stage and a Pet Shop Boys ballet.”

Cleveland Orch. Launches Major Free/Low-Cost Ticket Initiative

The Center for Future Audiences, launched with a $20million gift and planning for a $60million endowment, will subsidize free tickets for youths 18 and under and steeply discounted tickets offered online for 18-to-34-year-olds. One goal is for the Cleveland Orchestra to have, by its centennial in 2018, the youngest audience in the country.

Arundhati Roy Faces Sedition Charges in India

At a seminar in Delhi last week, the Booker Prize-winning novelist harshly criticized India and called for “azaadi” (lit., “freedom”) for Kashmir, which, she said, “has never been an integral part of India.” The Delhi police, prodded by outraged Hindu nationalists, are investigating Roy for sedition, though the central government is said to be reluctant to prosecute.

Real Men Do Dance, Says Youth Project in Scotland

“As Andy Howitt and Thomas Small will tell you, getting young teenage boys to sign up to the idea can take time, effort and a spark of ingenuity. At the start of 2010, Howitt and Small put their heads together and came up with a project called Ignite. It was a boys-only initiative that rolled out all across Scotland and, come the end of November, the results will be seen on-stage.”