“[Artistic director Domonic] Dromgoole argues – and honestly seems to feel – that the kind of theatre the Globe does is emphatically not about pleasing the critics, but involving the audience. As such, he says, you shouldn’t think RSC or the National when you visit the Globe, but Punchdrunk or Improbable – groups who, in their different ways, enfold the audience into the action. They haven’t had an easy ride from the critics either.”
Tag: 04.15.09
Ode To A Sheet Music Store Icon
“Although it always operated on a much smaller scale, Patelson’s (affectionate patrons inevitably add the possessive) was something of a sheet music version of The Strand. Many times it was impossible to find what you were looking for there, but inevitably other things found you.”
Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, 58, Godmother Of Queer Studies
“[She] broke new ground when, drawing on feminist scholarship and the work of the French poststructuralist Michel Foucault, she began teasing out the hidden socio-sexual subplots in writers like Charles Dickens and Henry James. […] Several of her essays became lightning rods for critics of poststructuralism, multiculturalism and gay studies – most notoriously ‘Jane Austen and the Masturbating Girl’.”
Fresh Ideas, Or, The Chilling Effect
“Refrigeration delivered a paradigm shift by removing the site of production from the sight of consumers. The idea of freshness emerged to fill the conceptual ellipsis that resulted … Self-sufficient agrarians did not define freshness, because they watched their chickens lay and slaughtered their own cows.”
Saint Louis Art Museum Makes Cuts To Save $1.5 Million
“The Saint Louis Art Museum has offered a second round of early retirement offers and implemented other cost-cutting measures in an effort to save $1.5 million. The museum said Wednesday it faces a variety of challenges in this recession, including a decline in revenue from the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District, reduced funding from its endowment, lower levels of annual giving, lower income from its shop and restaurant, depressed consumer spending and a drop in attendance….”
Boston Symphony Calls Off Next Year’s European Tour
“Not surprisingly, the Boston Symphony Orchestra has decided not to tour Europe in 2010. The jaunt had reportedly included planned stops in Paris and Vienna.” The BSO says it “will not resume international touring activity until [an economic] recovery is well under way.”
Why I Didn’t Nominate Banksy For The Turner Prize
“I’m not telling you my nominations, obviously. But perhaps I’ll mention an artist I decided not to put forward. A perverse devil in me flirted with Banksy. This really was perverse because I’ve denounced this artist many times. … Perhaps putting Banksy forward for the Turner might give the public a chance to actually engage with his art instead of just hearing about it?”
Why Hasn’t The Recession Killed The Celebrity Book Deal?
“Blockbuster book deals have been around for a long time; well-known politicians and big players in the business world regularly pull in millions of dollars for their books, and recently, comedians Tina Fey, Sarah Silverman and Kathy Griffin scored seven-figure book deals, with Fey topping the list at close to $6 million. But given the current economic climate, some have been questioning whether such big advances make sense.”
Memorize, Memorize, Memorize (And Other Miltonian Tips)
“The more I study Milton … the more appealing he becomes. Although filled with classical allusions, his poems don’t seem nearly as icy as I initially found them. His quirks are amusing; his many contradictions, more so. If you don’t have the extra hours to submerge yourself in Milton’s oeuvre, following are a few tips I’ve gleaned from recent study.”
Drama Dept. Co-Founder Rosenberg Is La Jolla’s New M.D.
“La Jolla Playhouse has tapped a veteran producer from artistic director Christopher Ashley’s extended creative family to become the theater’s managing director. The Playhouse’s board is announcing today it has chosen Michael S. Rosenberg, 40, to take over the theater’s top administrative job, effective May 4.”