“It isn’t generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the I.C.U. or commuting by bus to three minimum-wage jobs who tell you how busy they are; what those people are is not busy but tired. Exhausted. Dead on their feet. It’s almost always people whose lamented busyness is purely self-imposed: work and obligations they’ve taken on voluntarily, classes and activities they’ve ‘encouraged’ their kids to participate in. They’re busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety, because they’re addicted to busyness and dread what they might have to face in its absence.”
Tag: 06.30.12
Making Theatre Relevant For Device-Addicted Age (A Debrief From TCG)
“The question that no conference could resolve and that still lacks a ready answer is how far theaters can go in embracing new methods without jeopardizing their own values, tastes, and mission. As anyone who works in the newspaper, publishing, or music industries could tell them, there’s really no script to follow when you’re utterly transforming your business model while simultaneously running for your life.”
Putting An Author’s Diaries Up For Auction – Online, Using Facebook To Promote The Sale
Music critic Tim Page brought author Dawn Powell’s books back into print through his critical attention. Now he intends to sell her diaries online to help pay for his sons’ college educations. One rare books dealer: “What he’s doing is highly unusual, and it seems to me based on an unrealistic hope that maybe he could do this in such a way that it would go viral. He’s trying to catch lightning in a bottle. I hope it works.”
Will A Netflix Model (Without The Streaming Drama) Work For The Performing Arts?
“The approach captures an individual’s desire, not commitment, to attend more arts events. Arts marketers know that in order to become a subscriber, an individual must first have been a single ticket buyer, then a multi-ticket buyer. The Netflix model’s purchasing psychology is different; people decide that they can part with a small amount of their monthly earnings to have the opportunity to see art. There is less upfront financial commitment than a subscription and a lot of promise that they will become closer to the art form.”
How Do You Say ‘Home Movie’ In French? Find Out In France/U.S. Culture Swap
“In February the Library of Congress and the French Institut National de l’Audiovisuel announced their plan to exchange some 500 hours of digitized film and television footage over the next three years. This swap, between the French archive and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States, will focus on how each country portrays the other in TV news, documentaries, travelogues, educational and even home movies dating to the early days of film.”
When The Set Starts Moving On Its Own, Dancers Get A Little Nervous
“Presently situated backstage at the Royal Opera House, this is a massive, tripod-mounted entity, several tonnes in weight, with an articulated, illuminated proboscis. ‘I’m not going to call it a robot, it’s much too feminine for that,’ says [Conrad] Shawcross, eyeing the huge, raw-steel creation as it waits behind its safety ropes. [Edward] Watson, who will share the stage with it, is suitably respectful. ‘It’s dangerous’ he says. ‘You could kill someone if you went near it.'”
Michigan Opera Theatre Breathes Sigh Of Relief After Big Debt Payment
After raising $7 million in six months to meet a bank-imposed deadline, the Michigan Opera Theatre is pleased. “For the first time since the full wrath of the recession hit in 2008, MOT has a healthy balance sheet and a secure future.”