Tag: 05.11.05

The Motherlode Of Hamlet (Online)

It’s taken a team of scholars 10 years to “compile every piece of scholarship and criticism about Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and then to link it, line by line, to the text in an online database. The mammoth project, supported by some $1-million in grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, is nearing completion — although editors plan to add to it as they find more material.”

UK’s Regional Theatre Movement

It wasn’t too long ago that British theatre meant London’s West End. No more. “Regional theatre is becoming bigger, bolder and better, led by some extremely talented artistic directors, making use of the extra £25m pumped into regional theatre as a result of the Arts Council Theatre Review. Over the last few years, visionary artistic directors working at regional theatres have actually set the agenda for national theatre as a whole, and have done so with huge box office success.”

Oklahoma Legislature Votes To Move “Gay” Books To Adult Library Section

Oklahoma’s House of Representatives has passed a “nonbinding resolution calling for gay-themed children’s books and other age-inappropriate material to be moved to the adult section of public libraries.” The measure was introduced “after complaints from the parents of a 6-year-old who had checked out “King and King,” a book about two young princes who fall in love, from a library in the Oklahoma City suburb of Bethany.”

Aussie Orchestras Await Funding Fate

Will Australian states agree to demands by the federal government in order to qualify for funding for orchestras? “Only South Australia’s Government has confirmed it will meet the new benchmarks, ensuring the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s financial future. The federal funding also could be withheld if orchestras baulk at implementing industrial relations reforms recommended in businessman James Strong’s review – but that is not expected.”

The Art Of Giving Up Stuff

A Corcoran student stands outside the gallery with nothing. It’s a performance piece: “The piece began in January when Melissa Ichiuji started giving up things: coffee, television, soda and medication, followed in February by fast food and alcohol. As the seasons changed, she gave up cosmetics and chocolate, meat and magazines. Since the beginning of May, she’s had: no newspapers, no music, no mirrors, no cell phone, no e-mail, no driving, no sex, no books, no family or friends or running water. No appliances, no speech, no clocks, no shoes, no food, no shelter. The idea is to let go of things that matter to the woman as a meditation on what matters most to the artist and, by extension, the audience.”

Daniel’s ENO Reign: Not Happy

Paul Daniel’s reign at English national Opera has not been a happy one, writes Rupert Christiansen. “Insiders reported that his relationship with the orchestra never really coalesced. Daniel has a Blairish desire to be thought a cool kind of a guy, but fiddlers and flautists are not so easily fooled, and Daniel never earned the respect that another of his predecessors, Mark Elder (a far steelier character), had commanded as music director in the 1980s. But this is less than half the story…”

Tate Modern And London’s Artworld Dominance

What has Tate Modern meant to London in its five years? “Today London is acknowledged to be the centre of the art world, a role that once belonged to Paris and then New York. No other city comes near us for the number and quality of its exhibitions, contemporary art galleries, and important young artists. Maybe all that isn’t entirely due to the existence of Tate Modern, but a lot of it is.”