“If the Hollywood frenzy raises questions about originality — has theater become just a derivative cog in brand machinery? — the stage adaptations may simply be too financially rewarding for the studios and Broadway to cut back. And adaptations can be artistically creative.”
Tag: 08.01.13
Sustained Boos For Bayreuth’s Latest Controversial “Ring”
“When Frank Castorf, the avant-garde German director responsible for this confounding concept , took the stage with his production team, almost the entire audience, it seemed, erupted with loud, prolonged boos. It went on for nearly 10 minutes, by my watch, because Mr. Castorf, 62, who has been running the Volksbühne (People’s Theater) of Berlin since 1992, stood steadfast on stage, his arms folded stiffly, he sometimes jabbed a finger at the audience,essentially defying the crowd to keep it coming.”
Why The Future Of Classical Music Is Bright
“The National Youth Orchestra of Canada reminds us why we were drawn to classical music in the first place. They revive for us the heart and soul of this special art form, and present it with skill and the exuberant joy the young seem to have as their birthright.”
Are Artists More Eccentric Than “Regular” People? (Not Hardly)
“Look, there is actually no such thing as an Artist type. Artist is just an economic designation, a box you tick on a form. We are all people and we are all creative. In the end, the only thing that drives writers to drink is taxis.”
Reading The World Takes Work
“Seeing the digital world for what it is – tangible, material, and made by us – is the first step. But we also have to learn how to describe it, how to read it. The most effective explorers of that world, the people we work with at Lighthouse (media artists, critical engineers and speculative designers) are giving us tactics, tools and prisms that can make this world more legible.”
Remembering Andrew Carnegie’s Library Legacy
“Andrew Carnegie was once the richest man in the world. Coming as a dirt poor kid from Scotland to the U.S., by the 1880s he’d built an empire in steel — and then gave it all away: $60 million to fund a system of 1,689 public libraries across the country.”
New York City Allots $50M To One Not-Yet-Built Arts Venue With Ties To Mayor
“It is New York City’s biggest cultural capital grant this year – and an unusually generous contribution to an arts group that has yet to hire staff members, stage a performance or set a construction budget.”
Spotify Keeps Growing, Loses More Money
“After five years, the streaming music service Spotify has established itself as a financial force in the music industry, with more than $500 million in revenue last year. Yet its losses have also grown as the company expands around the world and tries to attract paying customers.”