“TV and theatre is [sic] suffering from a talent drain of black British actors, with many looking to the US for work because of the lack of opportunities in the UK, leading figures have warned.”
Tag: 06.16.11
Giving Modern Dance Workshops In Rwanda
Walter Hull, “general manager of Urban Souls Dance Company, recently returned from a residency at Ishyo Art Centre in Kigali, Rwanda, where he taught, choreographed and conducted empowerment workshops he called ‘My Soul is Urban’.”
How To Film A Graphic Novel, Explained By Marjane Satrapi
The author of Persepolis writes: “The first thing to remember is that it’s not a graphic novel, it’s a comic. People are so afraid to say the word ‘comic’. It makes you think of a grown man with pimples, a ponytail and a big belly. Change it to ‘graphic novel’ and that disappears. No: it’s all comics. Movies are all movies.”
An Awards Show That Was Actually Enjoyable: Ben Brantley On The Tonys
“The television presentation of the … Academy Awards in February made film folk look cheap, synthetic, silly and desperately un-cool.” The Tony broadcast “by contrast seemed like a paradigm of not good taste (that never enters the equation) but of good will, sincerity and – can I be saying this? – something approaching hipness.”
The Struggle Against Audience Noise Is A Losing Battle
Mark Lawson: “I spend much of each week sitting in audiences – theatrical, cinematic, operatic – and there has clearly been a sharp shift in the etiquette. Sometimes the most quiet and attentive patrons I encounter are to be found during my footballing afternoon off from the arts.”
The Bons Mots Of Nico Muhly
On Pierre Boulez: “His opinions are so dumb. But the music! I just love it! All that gorgeous post-Debussy faggotry!” On Wagner’s Ring: “I just hate the way Siegfried treats his poor dad. I can’t bear abuse on stage.” To his interviewer: “Oh God, I can’t bear it when older people pontificate about the way younger people relate.”
Annals Of Violent Children’s Literature XXIV: Head Injuries In Asterix
“A paper published in the European Journal of Neurosurgery, Acta Neurochirurgica, examines the much-loved books in detail, discovering that of the 704 victims, 698 were male and 63.9% were Roman.”
Bloggers Consider Suing Copyright Troll (Yes!)
Righthaven sues on behalf of Stephens Media copyrights, and U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt ruled that such a litigation tactic was impermissible because a “copyright owner cannot assign a bare right to sue.” (.pdf) The decision, and a similar one in Colorado, has thrown a monkey wrench into the litigation-based business model, which the Electronic Frontier Foundation has declared a “sham.”
OK, So The CBC Is Good For The Country. Now Can It Start Being Good For The Arts?
“The other day I complained that the arts have essentially disappeared from CBC-TV. It’s true and the CBC’s assertion that it will air awards shows – the Geminis, the Giller, the new Hilary Weston prize for books and a Christmas special of Handel’s Messiah – doesn’t compensate. The CBC’s role as broadcaster of art-made-for-television, on which it has reneged, is far more important.”
Rebuilding, From Scratch, A 300-Year-Old Polish Synagogue
“The replica, which will be 85 percent of the original size of the building, will be installed as one of the key components of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. … Its elaborate structure and the intricate painted decoration on the cupola ceiling will reproduce a form of architectural and artistic expression that was wiped out in World War II.”