The Bush Administration’s war on terror may not have uncovered any Iraqi weapons of mass destruction or succeeded in wiping out Al Qaeda, but it does seem to have galvanized the British theater scene. From companies which already skewed political to national theaters which are more familiar with King Lear than Kushner, American foreign policy is now the topic of choice. “Theatre has put the war on terror on stage not only because it can but because it must. It is the closest we have to a moral medium.”
Tag: 06.22.04
Jumping In With Both Feet
The new director-general of the BBC isn’t wasting any time in putting his mark on the organization. In his first day on the job, Mark Thompson announced a sweeping overhaul of the way the UK’s leading broadcaster conducts its business. A new board will oversee the BBC’s news division, chaired by Thompson’s deputy. In fact, oversight boards seem to be the way of the (foreseeable) future at the corporation…
Apres Ott: New Direction For Seattle Rep?
What’s behind Sharon Ott’s sudden resignation as head of Seattle Repertory Theatre? “Was Ott too steeped in the “new and controversial” for Seattle? Or did audiences simply not warm to her particular programming choices, in an increasingly competitive arts environment? One thing is clear. Since taking the helm at the Rep from her respected 17-year predecessor, Daniel Sullivan, Ott has shaken up Seattle’s flagship playhouse and steered it in a new direction. Now the question arises: Will the Rep stay the course Ott charted? Or is a different course needed in these uncertain waters?”
Cleveland’s Bronze Age
The Cleveland Museum buys an important Greek bronze. The Cleveland Apollo is “the only one out of roughly 20 large Greek bronzes in the world that can be connected directly to any of the greatest ancient Greek masters.The Cleveland Apollo is the only known large bronze version of its subject in the world. Two life- size Roman marble copies exist at the Louvre in Paris and the Vatican in Rome.”
Cleveland Lands Praxiteles
“The Cleveland Museum of Art has bought what it thinks is an ancient bronze sculpture of Apollo the Lizard Slayer by the classical Greek sculptor Praxiteles. If it is authentic, it will be one of the most important ancient bronzes in an American museum.”
Well Endowed (St. Louis Hope)
After meeting a $40 million challenge grant (with six months to spare), the St. Louis Symphony’s endowment stands at about $90 million. While that’s good for the orchestra, which was in a financial emergecny a few seasons ago, it’s not enough. “A $90 million endowment, although a huge improvement, is not enough to maintain the orchestra at its current high levels.” says the orchestra “Ultimately, the orchestra will need an endowment of $150 million to maintain its current quality.”
Hollywood Bows To Moore Documentary
“Every year, movie studios plant flags on days they consider to be prime real estate to launch their planned summer blockbusters, warning potential competitors to steer clear or face destruction. Backing away from an intended release date is a sign of weakness. But early this month, two movie studios quietly made an inauspicious sort of history by doing something no studio had ever done in the history of Hollywood: They each moved the release date of a feature film to avoid getting trampled at the box office by a documentary.”
Toronto Theatre Doldrums
Ticket sales at Toronto theatres are soft, and producers are worried that the summer tourist season will be a disappointment. “Although theatres everywhere are reporting a dramatic shift in the buying habits of consumers — instead of booking seats two or three months in advance, they now order weeks or even days ahead of time — the Toronto situation is exacerbated by several other factors. Local officials are loath to concede the point, but the reality is that the city is still suffering the aftershocks of the 2003 SARS outbreak, which drove a sharp spike into tourism revenues.”
Chicago Festival Shuts Down Signups After Memberships Double
Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival has had to stop taking new memberships after twice as many people signed up as did last year. “Festival leaders knew people would be interested in the new 4,000-seat Jay Pritzker Pavilion that becomes the Grant Park Orchestra’s home July 16. But they didn’t expect to double their membership, which carries a guarantee of preferred seating, weeks before the opening concert in the new facility in Millennium Park.”
Can’t Get Enough Of That Clinton Sound
Audio versions of books usually account for 8-10 percent of a book’s sales. But Bill Clinton’s audio version is likely to double that. “My Life has a first printing of 1.5 million books. There are 350,000 copies of the audiobook. Yesterday the “My Life” CD was the No. 7 best-selling title among all books at Barnesandnoble.com and No. 8 at Amazon.com (the cassette audiobook was in the mid-20s on both sites). ‘It is accurate to say this is the largest adult audiobook release in both sheer numbers and anticipation’.”