How such a promising tenure at Spain’s Teatro Real went so sour; the problems with the Paris Opera and Paris audiences; why he constantly worked with some collaborators and refused others entirely; what he believed was most important about opera. (in French)
Tag: 03.08.16
In The UK, Rural Theatre Takes Risks
“It made me smile to see one comment from a user who liked the place because it was where he went both to see standup comedy and to give blood. Nobody would ever say that about the National Theatre – but maybe we should be able to. Otherwise, theatre becomes separated from the everyday lives of ordinary people and hidden away in cathedrals to art that have no connection to the real world.”
Canada’s National Film Board Vows To Bring About Gender Parity – And Change The Film Landscape
“If the NFB’s enforced parity seems like a reasonable solution, it is because the larger industry is so heavily male that women filmmakers have begun calling for radical change, believing that the shortage of female directors behind the camera and the absence of strong female stories on screen are linked.”
Theatre’s 18th-Century Thunder Machine Rumbles Once More
“The ‘thunder run’ in the British theater’s ceiling is a rare example of cutting-edge Georgian technology that involves balls rolling down a wooden chute to conjure the roar of a tempest.” (includes video)
Binge-Watching Makes Us Depressed, Says (Depressing) Study
“[The study] found that, of 408 participants, 35 percent qualified as binge-watchers, and those binge-watchers reported higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression than their non-binge-watching counterparts.”
‘I’m Judgy McJudgerson’ – Audra McDonald Can’t Give Herself A Break
“Over dinner one evening, she tears up talking about [her six Tony Awards], as if she had gotten them fraudulently. … So vigilant is she about not seeming grand or entitled that you can’t help wondering what phantoms she’s boxing.”
Can Hollywood Fix Its Muslim Problem? (Does It Really Want To?)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry recently met with studio execs on “how to counter [the] #Daesh narrative”. (Daesh = ISIS) The problem is that, for several generations, the way Hollywood has portrayed Muslims has played right into that narrative.
28 Reasons New York Theater Is In A New Golden Age
“16. Old ladies!
Lois Smith, who has been acting on Broadway since 1952, … is having a golden age of her own at 85, and she’s not the only one. … We’ve got Phylicia Rashad, Linda Lavin, Judith Light, and even Cicely Tyson showing up year in, year out.”
Julie Kent Has Big Plans For Washington Ballet
“On Kent’s dream list of ballets to add to the repertoire are works by English, Russian and American masters, such as Frederick Ashton, Alexei Ratmansky and Martha Graham. She aims to group them into programs by their nationality, to explore ‘the similarities, and what makes an English or a Russian masterpiece, and the chronologies.'”
Here Are The Women Who Are Changing Classical Music
It will take longer for the work of women composers to establish itself in the repertory, but the sheer amount and rich variety of creativity now underway is inspiring.