Tag: 11.12.04

RSC Back On Track

After several years of struggle, the Royal Shakespeare Company has turned around its fortunes, reducing its debt from £2.8m to £400,000 in the past financial year. “Bosses say box office hits and cost-cutting have improved their outlook. Artistic director Michael Boyd said: “If we’re going to innovate and experiment on stage, we need to balance the books first.”

Is “Dan Flavin” A Health Hazard?

Staff at Washington DC’s National Gallery have been complaining of physical ailments because of a new Dan Flavin exhibition. “Ever since the gallery’s Oct. 3 opening of “Dan Flavin: A Retrospective,” staffers watching over the sprawling display of 44 illuminated works by the fluorescent-tube-obsessed minimalist have complained of headaches, anxiety, and nervousness—all allegedly brought on by excessive wattage. A combined 48,600 watts, to be exact. One staffer is said to have passed out.”

Da Vinci Code Tourism

Thousands of Americans are flocking to places in Europe written about in The Da Vinci Code. “Wherever we walk with this book, we get a lot of looks. In France, there is a lot of resentment that — ‘This is what brought you to France?’ — it’s not enough that (France) contains the most beautiful art and gorgeous gardens and historical monuments, but, a book? A novel?”

Fenice Reopens 8 Years After Fire

Venice’s La Fenice opera house reopened Thursday night with a gala performance. “Every detail of the original 18th Century building has been faithfully reproduced and state-of-the-art sprinkler fire protection and an underground freshwater reservoir have been installed to stave off any future disaster. And on Thursday night a glittering gathering of celebrities and politicians attended the first opera performance in the reconstructed theatre.”

Acropolis Museum To Be Finished By 2006

Greece’s new government says it plans to finish a new museum at the Acropolis by 2006, at a cost of 129 million Euros. “The previous, Socialist government had sworn to have the building ready before the Athens Olympics, at a cost of 94 million euros. But nothing happened.” The Greek government hopes that one day the museum will house the Parthenon Marbles.

Canadian Tax Code To Artists: You’re On Your Own (Yay!)

Canada’s artists are now considered self-employed. “Performing artists have had the tax status of independent contractors for many years in Canada. In recent years, however, the Canada Revenue Agency had changed their interpretations of some statutes and concluded that artists were, in fact, employees. While such a move would have given artists some immediate benefits such as EI, it also would have deprived them of numerous long-term deductions that allow them to make ends meet. If performers were employees, they would no longer be able to write off any transportation, housing or other expenses that they incurred while trying to make a living across this geographically vast country.”

The Secret To Pixar’s Success

“In Hollywood, figuring out Pixar’s secret has become a matter of panicky necessity. Since 1995, when Toy Story became the first computer-animated feature film, the company has had an unbroken record of triumphs, as popular with critics as the box office, resulting in 17 Oscars and sufficient millions to make Pixar, movie for movie, the most successful studio of any kind in the history of cinema.”