“Mounting criticism and attention over word that the $25,000 Wendy Wasserstein Prize for playwriting would not be awarded this year because no script by a young female writer was deemed worthy has led to a turnaround.”
Tag: 11.15.10
L.A. Opera Hangs On to James Conlon Until 2013
“Conductor James Conlon will be staying on as music director of the Los Angeles Opera at least through the end of the 2012-13 season … His contract was set to expire at the end of the current 2010-11 season. … As music director, Conlon, 60, has helped to raise the profile of L.A. Opera to an international level.”
The Man Who Changed Documentary Film
Robert Drew’s “truly signal innovation was to recognize the drama in unscripted, unforced moments of life. Documentary films before he came along had mostly been illustrated lectures … Drew thought that real-time imagery could go it alone: Just get a camera rolling and park it on the shoulder of a cinematographer able to melt into the shadows.”
Edinburgh Int’l Fest 2011 to Focus on Asia
“In a move that seems inspired as much by pragmatism as by artistic vision, [festival director Jonathan] Mills announced EIF debuts for four companies from China, Vietnam and South Korea, while indicating that the ‘To the Far West’ theme for next August’s event will also include artists from India, Taiwan and Japan.”
Huddersfield Phil’s Conductor Walks Out Over ‘Disrespectful’ Musician
“Natalia Luis-Bassa, who has worked with the orchestra for seven years, declared that her health was beginning to suffer as certain members increasingly questioned her judgment. She walked out of a rehearsal on Saturday afternoon and did not return,” and she is refusing to return until one of the players is dismissed.
2010’s Word of the Year: ‘Refudiate’
“Refudiate has been named the New Oxford American Dictionary‘s 2010 Word of the Year! Now, does that mean that ‘refudiate’ has been added to the New Oxford American Dictionary? No it does not.”
Warning: UK Arts Funding Cuts Will Hurt Young Artists
“The heads of some of Britain’s most prestigious arts institutions have warned that government plans to slash funding for teaching humanities subjects could drive future designers, artists and musicians overseas and put vital collaborations between science and the arts at risk.”
Shanghai Biennale Rethinks Itself
“Ten years later, the biennale has grown in stature but seems to have lost its way, becoming a platform for big name art rather than an investigation into contemporary practices. This year, the organizers have taken a step back to reassess what the biennale means and what direction it should take.”
Finally – Giller-Winning Book To Hit Bookstores
“Tiny Nova Scotia publishing house Gaspereau Press had made headlines for being unable to meet the high demand for the book, which won the $50,000 Giller Prize last week. The company, known for its hand-crafted books, said today it has sold rights for the book’s Canadian paperback edition to Douglas & McIntyre, who plan to ship stock this week. The first 30,000 copies of the new edition of “The Sentimentalists” will be shipped from Nov. 19.”
The Most-Used Words Of 2010
Spillcam and vuvuzela make the list. “The Texas-based survey uses a math formula to track the frequency of words and phrases in the English-speaking world of more than 1.58 billion people.”