Michael Billington: “‘Expressionist’ is one of those handy terms that we critics use rather promiscuously. … Now it is widely applied to anything that is non-realistic. But, however randomly deployed, it has its value. And what is striking is how applicable it is to much of today’s theatre. In the past week I have seen three productions that all, in different ways, could be labelled expressionist.”
Tag: 11.25.10
Has An Older Generation Of Writers Frozen Out Those Immediately Below Them?
Amanda Craig: “We have worked in the shadow of the Amis-McEwan-Barnes-Rushdie generation, and the recession of the 1980s, and by the time we published, usually in our mid-thirties, a second wave of younger talent had risen up and overtaken us.”
Frederick Zenone, 74, Cellist Who Mediated Labor Disputes With Orchestras
While he was a section player in the National Symphony in Washington, DC, he “began participating in labor contract negotiations involving other orchestras and opera companies throughout the country.” Among the precedents he helped set were getting musicians the right to ratify their labor contracts and to share in recording royalties, and establishing the Code of Ethical Audition Practices.
Feminist Art From Saudi Arabia (Yes, It Can Happen)
“A quiet evolution is taking place here inside a vast warehouse near the Bosporus and at an inland convention center where rarely seen Saudi Arabian art – including some with feminist themes – is on display.”
‘Museum of Broken Relationships’ Opens in Zagreb
“[The] sometimes heart-rending tales or even just simple sentences accompanying each item bring it all to life. For example, alongside a French identity card a Slovene has written: ‘The only thing left of a great love was citizenship.’ … From Switzerland someone has donated an unopened packet containing a candy G-string. ‘He turned out to be as cheap and shabby as his presents’.”
The Filmmakers Anxious To Get “Film” Out Of Movie-Making
“At a time when digital shooting offers greater convenience, lower cost and, most important, greater artistic control, it’s fascinating to watch how some of our most acclaimed filmmakers are anxious to hasten the demise of actual film.”
Detroit Symphony Musicians Reject Contract Offer
“The players have complained that management for months has refused to budge from its $33-million financial package, but the additional $1 million put on the table Wednesday wasn’t enough to maintain a top-tier symphony, cellist and spokesman Haden McKay said.”
Canada Debates New Copyright Law
“A House of Commons committee studying Canada’s proposed copyright act agreed Thursday that balance is the key to protecting the rights of artists, while not handicapping consumers in their use of digital technology.”