“Scottish Opera plans to halve the working hours and salaries of its acclaimed orchestra in a radical scheme to save money, … paying the [54] musicians for 26 weeks’ work a year.” The company, which went dark in 2005-06 in order to avoid collapse, presents four to five mainstage productions a year.
Tag: 08.23.10
The Murals of Philadelphia: Urban Renewal Through Art
“There are more than 3,000 murals in Philly today; it’s a challenge to walk through Center City without passing a painting. The murals are collaborations between the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and local citizens – who get involved to beautify their communities, connect with neighbors and fight graffiti and crime.”
Financial Crisis Is Easing for Orange County’s Arts Groups
“The going remains tough, but the financial outlook is improving somewhat for Orange County’s two leading performing arts presenters. The Orange County Performing Arts Center and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County both have announced modest operating surpluses for their recently concluded 2009-10 seasons.”
This Filmmaker’s Eye Is a Camera (Literally)
“When Canadian filmmaker Rob Spence decided to have his badly damaged eye removed from its socket, he chose to replace it not with a prosthetic, but with a wireless camera. The decision, he says, was easy.”
Andrea Bocelli to Sing at the Met (Relax, It’s a Concert)
“Over the course of his career Andrea Bocelli has sold millions of records, helped to close out the 2010 World Cup in a grand finale concert, performed ‘Jingle Bells’ with the Muppets and been praised by no less an authority than Celine Dion. But he has never performed on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.” This oversight is now being remedied.
At Edinburgh, Some Companies Ask, ‘So What If We Show Teenagers Being Sexy?’
“More plays than ever at this year’s festival are giving us a teenager’s-eye view on life. Are they providing insight or exploitative voyeurism?”
Alonzo King Knows He’s Hard on His Dancers
“He says he’s not interested in the ‘weak, whining, complaining self’ but instead when people ‘forget about themselves, drop the ego and have a sense of expansion … I don’t want them to play Simon Says with me. I don’t want sycophants – I want to work with geniuses’.”
The Human Centipede: The Most Horrific Movie Ever?
English tabloid The Sun called Tom Six’s new horror flick “sadistic and vile” and asked if it’s “the sickest film ever?” Lots of commentators are echoing the sentiment; so are the movie’s marketers. Ah, but what about The Exorcist? Antichrist? The Passion of the Christ? (Gigli?)
Study: Our Essential Technology – It’s Not TV Or Landline Telephones Anymore
“Just 42 percent of Americans say that TV sets are essential; just 3 in 10 believe this in the 18-29 age range. For landline phones, 62 percent of Americans — down from 68 percent last year — believe landline phones are something the could not do without.”
Hal Prince Talks About The State Of Modern Broadway
“I think there’s a mistake being made. We haven’t encouraged the young composers and lyricists as we did the earlier generation. In the course of my career, I did the first show with Bock and Harnick, and then with Sondheim, and then with Jason [Robert] Brown [‘Parade’], who is a young and very, very gifted fellow. It’s hard to get those people on Broadway now, and one of the main reasons is money and also the nature of producing.”