“While pop music critics wonder at the dearth of anti-war anthems (the Beastie Boys’ ‘World Gone Mad’ may be the first major exception) and films and non-news TV churn out their usual comfort-food diet, theatres nationwide are doing what theatre does best: awakening us to our present condition, with live bodies on the line, in real time and shared space, and challenging us to dialogue, reflection, even action.”
Tag: 03.21.03
Artists – Activism In Slow Motion
“Art-world activism is everywhere, however, albeit at rather low volume.” But where it does penetrate the public conciousness, it seems not many people care. Reasons?
Bringing Art To The Hinterlands
“Masterpieces from the Tate collection, including The Rock Drill – an icon of 20th century sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein which expresses his revulsion at the carnage of the first world war – will be loaned to regional museums through a scheme funded by a £440,000 heritage lottery grant announced yesterday… The loans project, launched in 2000 on a modest budget, has been a spectacular success and resulted in some exhibitions in the regions – notably one on Constable in Sheffield – which were more admired by critics than major exhibitions at Tate Britain.”
Broadway Expecting War Woes
“A battered Broadway’s spring season officially begins March 27 with the arrival of Urban Cowboy, a musical based on the John Travolta-Debra Winger movie. And it could also be the start of even more uncertainty for Broadway theater if the war continues into April and beyond… Most in the industry expect some immediate negative impact, just as there was during the 1991 Gulf War. Already, a revival of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which had been struggling at the box office, will fold April 6, after a short, two-month run and a loss of $2.5 million.”
Winnipeg Sym Can’t Make Payroll
The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, which has been facing a severe cash crunch for many months, announced this weekend that it would not be able to make its Friday payroll. The orchestra is $800,000 in the hole for the current season, and may not be able to continue presenting concerts without a quick influx of donated cash. A $250,000 loan from the federal government has been approved, but the WSO won’t get the money until it raises another $750,000 on its own. “The orchestra began the season with a $1.8-million accumulated deficit. Even if it gets the money it needs to finish the season, it expects to almost double the deficit to $3.3 million.”
Winnipeg Musicians Will Play For Free
The musicians of the cash-strapped Winnipeg Symphony have announced that they will continue to woprk, at least for the time being, despite not receiving paychecks on Friday. “You have to separate the issues,” according to a spokesman for the musicians. “There’s a long-term relationship with the audience… and the business issues.”
How Much Bailout Is Too Much For The ENO?
“The beleaguered English National Opera is worth saving ‘but not at any cost’, the Arts Council of England has said at a meeting discussing ENO’s cash troubles.” The issue of whether the ENO ‘deserves’ a bailout is a delicate one, but some council members have been disgusted by revelations of finanial mismanagement and continuing fiscal irresponsibility at the company. At the very least, any bailout package from the Arts Council is likely to include stipulations that the ENO clean up its act, and provide evidence that it is doing so.
Kermit Moving To Disney?
Disney says it may buy the Muppets. “Disney had been on the verge of buying the company more than a decade ago, but the deal collapsed after the death of founder Jim Henson.”
UK Radio Follows Song Guidelines
British radio stations are editing their playlists, avoiding songs that contain “offensive or insensitive material” during the war with Iraq. “We need to match the mood and tone of the nation, which seems to be changing on an hourly basis.”
An Adult Cover-up For Harry
So you love Harry Potter, but you feel kind of funny toting around a kid’s book? Harry’s publishers have the solution – two covers – one for kids, the other for adults. “Bloomsbury Publishers unveiled the designs Thursday. The adult edition of ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ features a somber black and white picture of a phoenix, while the children’s version of the boy wizard book is illustrated with a more vibrant red and orange bird rising from flames.