A 17th Century Ming-era theatre is being bulldozed in Beijing to make way for a new theatre. “We intend to build a modern, professional venue like those on Broadway in the United States, where regular shows are offered all year round and high-end performances can also take place.”
Tag: 04.23.07
Bamiyan Restoration Goes Slowly
“Efforts to restore Afghanistan’s legendary Bamiyan Buddhas are moving forward at a snail’s pace, a far cry from the few days it took the Taliban to destroy the 1,500-year-old statues.”
Toronto Gets A Major New Touring House
Aubrey Dan is launching an ambitious big new theatre in Toronto. “Dancap Production Inc. will launch with a packed theatre season for 2007-08 that includes My Fair Lady, Avenue Q, Jersey Boys, 3 Mo’ Divas and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He is also producer of the current Broadway musical The Pirate Queen and the North American touring production of Marion J. Caffey’s 3 Mo’ Divas.”
“Scream” Thieves Sentenced To Jail
They stole Munch’s iconic painting from an Oslo museum. “The prison sentences range from five-and-a-half to nine-and-a-half years. The men were also told to pay $263,000 (£131,000) in damages. The gang’s driver, Petter Tharaldsen, received the longest sentence for his role in the theft and another unrelated robbery. Bjoern Hoen, who planned the theft, was sentenced to nine years. Stian Skjold, one of the two masked gunmen who actually entered the museum, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years after being acquitted of the crime last year.”
The Most Expensive Movie Ever Made
“Industry insiders claim that Sony spent $350 million or more on production alone. With marketing and promotion factored in, the total price tag will approach half a billion dollars–positioning Spider-Man 3 as the most expensive movie of all time. (Cleopatra, the 1963 epic that has long held the title of priciest picture, had an inflation-adjusted budget of $290 million.)”
Ominous: Shaw Festival Ticket Sales Plummet
“The Star has learned that the Shaw Festival’s advance sales for its all-important mainstage theatre are currently running a frightening 15 per cent behind last year at this point. Shaw went through devastating seasons in 2003 and 2004, leaving it with a $6.5 million deficit, which has been brought down to $3.3 million today, thanks to increased sales in 2005 and 2006, as well as improved fundraising revenue.”
Wanted: National Gallery Chief – Must Raise Money
“For the second time in just over five years, the London gallery is searching for a director. Setting aside who might get the post, what might the job description look like? ‘Wanted: Capable administrator and art world diplomat, able to conjure tens of millions of pounds out of thin air, time and time again.’ To some extent, fundraising is the function of every modern museum manager.”
Reversal On Renoir – Bronzes A Fake?
“Emmanuel Javogue, a US-based dealer who has opposed Renoir’s great-grandson Emmanuel in a long-running dispute over copyright to Renoir bronzes in the US, has now changed his position. He now claims that many pieces he believed were authentic may actually be unauthorised fakes.”
Carlo Maria Badini, 81
He was longtime general manager of La Scala. “His accomplishments at La Scala were significant. He introduced sponsorship and commercial advertising in the playbill and, although purists howled at the time, he did manage to bring the house to financial stability. He also hired Riccardo Muti as music director and formed the La Scala Orchestra. He was especially proud of having convinced Vladimir Horowitz to perform at La Scala.”
Pacific Northwest Ballet Makes NW Connections
“When you consider that Merce Cunningham, Robert Joffrey and Mark Morris were also born here, and first studied dance here, you can’t help wondering if some dance-friendly ingredient flows in the air. You wonder the same again when you recall that Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet has been among America’s foremost ballet companies since the 1980s, reaching international stature in the 1990s. Until this month these and other Northwestern dance strands felt unconnected, and a local complaint about Pacific Northwest Ballet has been that it isn’t Northwestern enough.”