“Works by Wassily Kandinsky from the State Russian Museum in St Petersburg that went on show in Riyadh on Tuesday at Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s controversial ‘Davos in the Desert’ are a teaser for a major exhibition on the Russian avant-garde artist to be held in the desert kingdom as part of expanding ties between Russia and Saudi Arabia.” (Khashoggi? Who’s that?)
Tag: 10.24.18
Marcelo Gomes Talks About His Post-ABT Career And The Support He’s Gotten Since The Accusation
After 20 years with American Ballet Theatre, Gomes resigned last December after someone (not with the company) accused him of sexual misconduct eight years earlier. In a Q&A, he discusses building a life as a freelancer and the colleagues who’ve been inviting him to perform with them.
After 14 Months’ House Arrest, Trial Of Russian Director Kirill Serebrennikov Finally Begins
The award-winning stage and film director is accused of embezzling from the Gogol Center, the award-winning avant-garde theatre he runs in Moscow. Reporter Oliver Carroll provides some background on both the director and the charges — which many observers say are trumped-up — and points out some basic weaknesses in the prosecution’s case.
Bauhaus Suffers Backlash After Cancelling Performance By Left-Wing Punk Band
“In an open letter issued Wednesday, artists, curators, and academics decried the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation’s decision to cancel a performance by the leftist punk band Feine Sahne Fischfilet. Originally scheduled for November 6, the concert was called off earlier this month because the band advocates for ‘politically extreme positions’.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook: Our Personal Data Is Being Weaponized Against Us
Referring to the misuse of “deeply personal” data, he said it was being “weaponised against us with military efficiency. We shouldn’t sugar-coat the consequences,” he added. “This is surveillance.” The strongly-worded speech presented a striking defence of user privacy rights from a tech firm’s chief executive.
Orange County Arts Center Remakes Plaza Open To Community. One Year Later: Is It Working?
The Julianne and George Argyros Plaza opened on Oct. 28, 2017, with 11 hours of pomp, partying, speeches, music and a dance company that defied gravity on a wall high above the crowd. Helped in part by a gift from the Argyros family, the Segerstrom Center’s rather drab and empty public plaza was transformed into an attractive and inviting outdoor space with an imposing stage, plenty of seating, a dramatic fountain and many other amenities, all planned to send a message: “linger here for a while.”
Cleveland Orchestra Fires Concertmaster, One Other Musician After Harassment Investigation
“The investigators found that Mr. Preucil and Mr. La Rosa engaged in sexual misconduct and sexually harassing behavior with multiple female students and colleagues over a period of years while employed by the Orchestra,” the orchestra’s statement read.
Masked Dancers Of Nepal Celebrate End Of Monsoon
“Indra Jatra, an eight-day festival celebrated mostly by the Newar community, the native residents of Kathmandu, is also known as the festival of deities and demons. It especially honors Indra, the Hindu god of rain, to mark the end of the monsoon. The masks and dances can be fearsome, entertaining and awe-inspiring, depending on the performers’ movements.”
American musical theater mythology: What does it say? What can it say? How much do we care?
A look at two works, now playing in New York, set in the much-mythologized Old West: Puccini’s Girl of the Golden West at the Met and a revisionist Oklahoma! at St. Ann’s Warehouse.
What Makes A Great Stage Actor?
“Though critics and audiences might often agree when naming their top performers, it can be difficult to define what characterises the very best actors. Leading theatre figures tell Lyn Gardner what it takes to reach the top and how today’s leading lights compare to past greats.”