He achieved worldwide renown during his 46 years at the helm of Moscow’s Taganka Theater, which he founded in 1964. He now works at the city’s Vakhtangov Theater, where his adaptation of Dostoevsky’s Demons is running this week in honor of his birthday. His next project: Borodin’s opera Prince Igor at the Bolshoi.
Tag: 09.30.12
New Twist On “Ideas” Talks
“In a world where people are more connected than ever through technology, where the internet has created an information democracy, giving people access to ideas from around the world, including the most accomplished, untouchable experts and leaders, there is still a booming business for in-person conferences where the high-powered come in search of inspiration.”
Rochester Philharmonic Caught In Spiraling Turmoil
There’s a $700,000 deficit, low morale and high staff turnover, the withdrawal of a $1 million pledge, factionalism on the board, and a controversial CEO who wasn’t on speaking terms with the music director until an arbitrator came in. Said a consultant’s report, “Any organization that is faced with such a level of dysfunction is endangered.”
Down With Entrance Applause! Clap When An Actor Has Earned It
Kate Taylor: “I don’t object to entrance applause on the grounds it isn’t proper etiquette. … I don’t object on the grounds it breaks the illusion of theatre. … Instead, I object to entrance applause because it is a nasty manifestation of a celebrity-obsessed culture that, tautologically, takes an actor’s fame as a measure of his achievement rather than judging his current performance.”
In Praise Of Entrance Applause: It’s A Part Of The Art Form
Kelly Nestruck: “When a famous performer … walks on stage, the waking dreamworld is broken for a moment whether you want to admit it or not. Entrance applause seems to me a natural acknowledgment of that rupture, especially since so many of us really go to the theatre for two reasons: to see a particular actor and to see the show they’re in.”
The Troubled, Censored History Of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
Elia Kazan forced Tennessee Williams to provide a whole new, tamer last act for the Broadway premiere, and the Paul Newman-Elizabeth Taylor movie version was famously bowdlerized. The play’s early history in England was worse; its first London audiences had to pretend to join a private club.
The Pessimistic Movie Critic
David Denby: “There’s a certain grandeur, a certain ambition [that] has just gone out of studio filmmaking. And they openly say they’re only interested in spectacles made from comic books and games, or maybe young-adult fictions and genre films. “
Mirvish And Gehry Team Up With Plan To Transform Toronto Arts District And Build Canada’s Largest Development
“The Princess of Wales theatre would be sacrificed as part of Mr. Mirvish’s broader plan to transform Toronto’s King Street theatre district into an arts hub that would include two large art galleries in addition to the planned 2,600 condo units in three towers with as many as 85 storeys each.”
California Moves To Free, Open-Source Textbooks
Students (and parents) everywhere rejoice. But what will happen next?
From Book To Movie, In One (Not So Easy) Swoop
David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas, volunteers to help at the first reading of the movie script (which he didn’t write).