There should be no problem identifying a writer as black, but identifying a play as “black” (as in “black theatre company” and the like) seems to suggest exclusion, in the same way as “disabled theatre company” almost appears to start with special pleading, each modification seeming to enforce the idea that theatre companies are, unless otherwise stated, white and able-bodied.
Tag: 07.01.08
The Positive Side Of Celebrity Worship
“This habit of latching onto the personal lives of the famous is widely derided as a sad attempt by lonely people to make up for the lack of intimacy in their own lives. But Jaye Derrick sees it differently. Her research suggests these ‘parasocial relationships’ –that is, a “relationship” where the other person doesn’t know you exist — can actually be a positive influence, es pecially for people with low self-esteem.”
Report: British Museum Director Turns Down Met Museum’s Top Job?
British Museum Director Neil MacGregor was approached to be the next head of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, and has preferred to keep his London job for another five years, the British Museum said.
Architecture’s Surprising Green Revolution
The green revolution in building design is “unleashing architectural inventiveness not seen in 100 years. Climate change has lent urgency to building-industry efforts that have simmered quietly for years.”
Christopher Rouse On The High Cost Of Writing Opera
“It’s so much work. You spend years on this sucker. Then you have to deal with casting, and you have to deal with all of the egos and all of that. And yes, indeed, you do have to work with the singers, you have to work with the stage director, you need to work with the scene people, the lighting people, the musicians, the conductor, all of these extra people. And then it probably will be staged once, get ho hum reviews, and disappear forever. Uh, I don’t know. There are other things I guess I’d rather be doing.”
Bayreuth To Stream Live Its Opening Night (But There’s A Catch)
“It will be the first video recording of a Bayreuth performance since 1991, and the first ever in front of a live audience.” It will be filmed with robotic cameras. And it will cost $77 to watch over the internet.
The Age Of The Shrinking Movie Star
“I am big. It’s the pictures that got small,” Norma Desmond famously griped in “Sunset Blvd.” Now the reverse appears to be the rule: The pictures have gotten oversized while the stars are shrinking.
Museums Group Condemns Art-Renting Practices
“The Italian branch of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has just produced a paper denouncing the practice of charging money to lend a work. This is not about wide-ranging projects such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi, where the Gulf state is paying e1bn over 30 years into an endowment fund for French museums not just to lend works of art but effectively create a whole museum culture.”
Palo Alto Children’s Theatre Director Fired
“City officials fired Palo Alto Children’s Theatre Director Pat Briggs on Monday, her attorney said. Effective immediately, the decision ends Briggs’ 47-year career as the theater’s top official.”
Curator: 1/3 Of Brooklyn Museum’s Coptic Sculptures Are Fake
“Its collection of late Egyptian sculpture was, until now, the second largest in North America. Brooklyn curator Dr Edna Russmann, who is concluding a study of the works, warns that other museums which acquired Coptic sculptures in the past 50 years are likely to face similar problems.”