“Nearly 100 representatives of the St. Petersburg ballet community have spoken out against the unexpected appointment last week of former Bolshoi Theater star Nikolai Tsiskaridze as acting rector of the city’s venerable Vaganova Ballet Academy.”
Tag: 11.06.13
Can “The Book To End All Books” Possibly Work As A Play?
“In a draughty industrial building in the heart of Birmingham, four actors and a director are trying to do the impossible: turn The Anatomy of Melancholy, one of the sacred monsters of English literature, into a stage show that clocks in at a little over two hours. Where on earth do you begin?”
More Evidence Bilingualism Delays Onset Of Dementia
The research from India “provides evidence that bilingualism slows the onset of three different types of dementia. It’s also the first study to show this dynamic also applies to the illiterate – a finding that suggests the protective effect of bilingualism ‘cannot be reduced to differences in education’.”
UK Performing Arts Producers Cheer Tax Change
“Producers have welcomed the government’s decision to reform taxes for entertainers, meaning employers will no longer pay National Insurance contributions, calling the move a ‘relief'” that could free up more money to be spent on presenting work.
New $20K Prize For Dramatic Sopranos
Elizabeth Connell, the dramatic soprano who died last year at age 65, left in her will an endowment for a competition for developing singers in her difficult-to-fill Fach, with a top prize of $20,000 (Aus) and an audition at Covent Garden. The inaugural event will take place in Sydney in 2014, with Richard Bonynge leading the jury.
Marvel Comics To Introduce Muslim Girl Superhero
Next February will see the debut of Kamala Khan, the teenaged daughter of Pakistani immigrants to Jersey City, who is a devoted follower of the (currently female) Captain Marvel when she discovers her own superpowers.
Conductor Valery Gergiev Defends Himself
“It is wrong to suggest that I have ever supported anti-gay legislation and in all my work I have upheld equal rights for all people.”
What’s The Better Storytelling Medium? Books Or Movies?
“Films are great, but they just don’t have the same…inclusion that books have. You’re merely an observer: you aren’t feeling everything the character feels, aren’t reading every single one of their innermost thoughts, all of their doubts and fears and hopes.”
Texas Voters Reject Plan To Save Astrodome
“The Tuesday vote would have authorized $217 million in bonds to be used in renovations to turn the stadium into an enormous space to be used for conventions and exhibitions.”
Sweden Introduces New Movie Ratings System That Rates Gender Equality
“To get an “A” rating, a movie must pass the so-called Bechdel test, which means it must have at least two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man.”