“He was raised on ballets with large casts and is used to working with stars. Ballet companies practically worldwide ask him to add works to their repertories … When a person has a lust for choreographic adventure, as Wheeldon seems to have, it’s been difficult to imagine him limiting himself to running a small company that’s not yet on completely sound footing.”
Tag: 02.23.10
Cate Blanchett: Value Of Arts Doesn’t Translate To A Graph
“We can justify ourselves with economic indicators and KPIs and graphs and acquittals but it just makes us look like any other industry, and we are not. The arts operate at the core of human identity and existence. They operate at the cutting edge of a science that is now trying to unravel the puzzle of consciousness and identity.”
Writer Tries To Understand Composers — By Becoming One
“As the day of the first class approached, I got a little anxious. Would I be expected to actually write some music? After all, at the final class, [American Composers Orchestra] musicians were going to be on hand to play some of the new compositions. And how could I possibly pull something (music) out of nothing (thin air)?”
Ohio Theatre, An NYC Downtown Mainstay, To Close
“The Ohio Theatre, a 29-year fixture in Soho, will close its doors Aug. 31, according to a Feb. 23 press statement that reads, ‘The new landlord has issued official notice and no further negotiations are scheduled’.” The venue is “where Tony Kushner produced his first play out of college, where Philip Seymour Hoffman made his professional acting debut.”
Mark Morris: My Dinner With Mario
Since the choreographer met chef Mario Batalia a decade ago, “they have become fans of each other’s work. Over a boozy dinner at Mr. Batali’s Del Posto, they talked about art and ice skating, the work of their colleagues, Michelle Obama and much more, often in language too blue for a family newspaper.”
UK Jurors Fought To Block Winning US Embassy Design
“Lord Rogers, the architect of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and Lord Palumbo, the property developer and art collector, felt so strongly about the inadequacies of the winning design, they submitted a ‘minority report’ setting out their case to the US state department in Washington, which commissioned the building.”
NEA Taps Ralph Remington To Oversee Theatre
“The actor-turned-artistic-director-turned-politician has been named director of theater and musical theater at the National Endowment for the Arts.” Remington, a 47-year-old Philadelphia native, founded Minneapolis’ Pillsbury House Theatre and served on the Minneapolis City Council.
Virginia Grise Wins $10,000 Yale Playwriting Prize
David Hare, who chose Grise’s “blu” for the Yale Drama Series prize, “noted that this was a banner year for women, who have often complained that they are slighted by theaters when it comes to production. ‘Of the 12 plays on this year’s shortlist, nine were written by women[,]’ he said, adding that last year’s winner was also a woman.”
Show Goes On In Youngstown Despite Damaged Arts Center
At the Ohio city’s DeYor Performing Arts Center last weekend, “a buildup of snow and ice on the roof led to a collapse of some of the building facade and the fire escape. The fire escape and loose bricks are considered a major concern.” Inspectors have found no structural or interior damage and have approved use by performers and audiences.
A Reader’s Advice To Novelists
Laura Miller: “Readers are what every novelist really wants, so isn’t it about time that a reader offered them some advice? … I can tell you why I keep reading, and why I don’t, why I recommend one book to my fellow readers, but not another. I’ve also listened to a lot of other readers explain why they gave up on a book, as well as why they liked it.”