“The dramatisation of Noel Streatfeild’s Ballet Shoes has only just been announced, but speculation is already rising as to whether it will galvanise a new generation of hopeful ballerinas and recreate the much-vaunted Billy Elliot effect for girls.”
Tag: 07.24.07
The Woman Who Will Save Southbank?
Jude Kelly is artistic director of a surging Southbank in London. “I can think of no one in British theatre who is cast so often as hero and villain as Kelly. She is admired for her insistence that the arts are for all, but vilified for being a symbol of the tick-box funding culture of the past 10 years, which encourages mediocrity rather than creativity. It doesn’t help that she sometimes uses the doublethink artspeak of someone who has spent too many years filling in application forms for grants. But she welcomes the speech made recently by the new culture secretary, James Purnell, that suggested the arts must be valued for themselves.”
Study: Many Parents Don’t Understand Bedtime Stories
“One in 10 parents struggle to understand the bedtime stories they read to their children, a survey by adult learning organisation Learndirect has found. Almost a quarter (23%) skip passages they cannot read or invent words to get to the end of a sentence, the poll found. A third of parents also admit to difficulties in helping their children with their maths homework.”
Edo deWaart Named Santa Fe Opera Chief Conductor
“De Waart’s initial contract at Santa Fe is for four years, and he will conduct at least one opera each summer, beginning with Britten’s Billy Budd next year. With the title of Chief Conductor (rather than Music Director), de Waart will be primarily responsible for the company’s orchestra.”
UK Rejects Extending Copyright Term
“On Tuesday, the U.K. rejected a plea to extend copyright for music to 70 years, saying the change would also require revamping laws for the rest of Europe. Artists such as Richard and McCartney are facing the expiry of copyright on their early hits, such as Richard’s 1958 song Move It and McCartney’s early Beatles hit Please Please Me. At the same time there is unprecedented demand for their back catalogue through digital downloads.”
English National Opera’s Virtual Backstage
ENO is opening the virtual curtain on its new production of “Carmen”. “ENO Interactive will host video footage of the auditions and rehearsals, along with production diaries, interviews and downloads of songs from the show. Users can ask questions and write reviews, and the site will collate related content from around the web. ENO hopes the site will engage people who do not usually go to the opera.”
A Redo Of Denver’s Concert Hall
Denver’s missing cultural piece is a thorough overhaul of the Colorado Symphony’s home. “The overhaul of Boettcher, which is part of the Denver Performing Arts Complex, would address three main deficiencies: inadequate public spaces, inferior backstage amenities and troubled acoustics. It would include the addition of a wraparound, multistory glass lobby on the building’s Speer Boulevard side and a reconfiguration of the facility’s 2,634 seats.”
The Barnes Saga, Chapter 187 (Our Story So Far…)
“Many who have followed the brouhaha over the Barnes blame the institution’s Merion neighbors for complaining about the Barnes years ago, and wonder why, as founders of Friends of the Barnes, they are now fighting to keep it in Merion. The neighbors say they have been misunderstood.”
Floods Notwithstanding, Dance Festival To Go On
“The organisers of a major dance festival in Warwickshire have said they are confident it will go ahead this weekend, despite the recent floods. More than 50,000 people are expected to pile into the Long Marston airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon for the Global Gathering event from Friday.”
In Quick Change, Seattle Symphony Turns Red To Black
“The Seattle Symphony has dodged a huge fiscal iceberg, it announced Monday, citing extraordinary fundraising efforts that fended off a projected $2.5 million deficit on a $22.5 million budget for the 2006-07 season. Instead of a big shortfall, the orchestra is expected to balance its books for the first time in several years….”