A Toronto production of the “Terracotta Warriors”, a $3.5-million “action-musical,” is packing the theatre with ethnic Chinese patrons. “The production is “part of a new push by theatre producers to target niche ethnic markets in cities (Toronto, London, New York) where culturally diverse populations abound but theatrical representations of them remain scarce. Ethnic marketing is not a new concept itself but its application to theatre is. To put it bluntly: Blacks are a desired and untapped demographic. So are the Chinese and the South Asians.”
Tag: 06.24.04
US Military Base Damages Babylon
The US military has set up a military base right in the middle of the ancient site of Babylon – an extensive archaeological site. Originally sent to protect the site, the base has done “permanent” damage to a valuable piece of cultural heritage.
Clinton Book Sets Non-Fiction Sales Record
“Clinton’s My Life sold more than 400,000 copies in the United States in its first day of release, the most ever for a nonfiction book and double the believed previous record holder, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Living History.”
Holocaust Victims Group Sues Germany
A group is suing Germany for $18 billion, claiming that the country is “making money by keeping artworks stolen from Holocaust victims. The legal action, by the Association of Holocaust Victims for Restitution of Artworks and Masterpieces (AHVRAM), is a first step against several countries.”
Which Shakespeare Is Shakespeare?
The De Vere Society is marking the 400th anniversary of the death of Elizabethan nobleman Edward de Vere. Who was de Vere? The group claims he was the “real” Shakespeare, and claims all sorts of evidence. But other Shakespeare experts dismiss the claims: “They have quite a large following. Like every organisation of this kind, they ignore the basic evidence and construct conspiracy theories.”
Hall: West End Requires US Actors?
Director Peter Hall says that plays are now so difficult to produce in London’s West End, that producers are afraid to mount new plays without a big-name US star to goose the box office. He said “plays, rather than musicals, were proving increasingly uneconomic for West End theatres. But he denied the theatres were in terminal decline, saying early summer was traditionally a difficult time.”
US Congress Proposes Expansion Of Copyright Liability
“Top US Senate leaders from both parties have launched an assault on online music and video file-sharing services, introducing legislation that makes anyone who ‘induces’ illegal copying just as liable for breaking copyright law as someone who makes the copies.” This significantly expands copyright liability beyond the actual copyright violators.
Movie Studios Protest DVD “Cleaners”
“Over Hollywood’s long-standing objections, some members of Congress are endorsing legislation that would allow DVDs to be “sanitized” — stripped of scenes that parents don’t want their children to see or hear — without first requiring the consent of studios or directors. To the movie studios, the bill is merely the most outrageous of a wave of anti-indecency legislation moving through Congress.”
Hermitage Director Blasts McCartney Concert
The director of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has blasted a concert by Paul McCartney outside the city’s Winter Palace. “We prepared for this concert like we would for a flood, all the museum’s departments were put on alert,” the director said, contending that the noise level alone was “damaging” for some of the famous works in the Hermitage collection.”
Ray Bradbury – A Man In The Past
Ray Bradbury made his career on being a man of the future. His science fiction set the tone of the future. At 84, he now seems firmly rooted in the past. Bradbury is famously anachronistic, a science-fiction writer who has never driven a car or used a computer. “I’ve got three typewriters,” he will later tell me. “I don’t need a computer.” When I call, his line is busy, indicating an absence of call waiting.”