Connecticut’s Goodspeed Musicals has been offered a sweetheart deal to leave the town it’s called home for 127 years. Maybe the theatre could operate in two venues? “While it would be great to support two theatres, I don’t think it’s possible. We have to choose between the two towns. The clock is ticking: We want to finally get this theatre built so we’re not going to drag our feet in making a decision.”
Tag: 12.03.03
Barenboim – An Artist’s Dilemma
“The question of when an artist must engage in politics remains a painful, personal dilemma. It is an issue that preoccupies Daniel Barenboim, Israel’s most celebrated musician and its most vociferous critic. Barenboim has taken his opposition to Israeli policy to the front line, forming a youth orchestra from both sides of the conflict and teaching twice a year at a conservatory in Ramallah whose 800 students, he admits, are imbued with a hatred of Israel. He has been abused by Israeli politicians and pelted with vegetables in a Jerusalem restaurant. But the more he criticises Israel, the deeper his commitment grows.”
Is Copyright Killing Culture?
“Culture as we know it is increasingly bound up in the very laws that are supposed to nurture it. Copyright law has gone from promoting creativity to hindering artistic expression, thanks in part to the efforts of a few giant corporations that are sitting on billions of dollars worth of intellectual property. Culture is paying the price for these bad laws. In fact, the labyrinth of copyright has already had a devastating effect on an entire art form.”
Ups And Downs At City Ballet
New York City Ballet’s 100th season is underway. “How Balanchine is performed is the central issue at City Ballet, and for years now the record has been worse than spotty. Last season, things were looking up—when they weren’t looking grim. Gala night perfectly symbolized both the ups and the downs. Some of the self-congratulation was justified—there were times when the spirit of Mr. B did come through—but there was trouble, too; Bugaku, one of Balanchine’s most singular ballets, which has been lingering on the endangered-species list, may actually now be extinct.”
Who Owns What After We’ve Bought It?
This idea that companies ought to be able to control music after we’ve bought it is a flawed one. “The issue is one of who owns, or has rights to use our common culture. That means stuff we created ourselves, and only we can decide is worth sharing. And as many of you pointed out, what we call the ‘entertainment industry’ today is merely a distributor, much like the Victorian canal owners were in the last century, in Britain. The smarter Bridgewaters bought into the upcoming railways, while the dumber canal owners didn’t, and died a natural death. Today’s pigopolists don’t “own” the culture simply by claiming that their exclusivity is based on technology – that’s a social contract we don’t buy, and history, in most cases, is on our side.”
Time Out In Chicago
“The publisher of Time Out New York and Time Out London said Tuesday it would start printing Time Out Chicago in September 2004. Aimed at the urban hipster, Time Out’s weekly magazines feature listings of concerts, club shows and other events, as well as articles on the urban arts scene.”
The Secret Lives Of Critics
“When you see the critics at the theater,chatting up the ushers, signing autographs for all who want them, we seem like a mild-mannered bunch; if you tickle us, do we not laugh? But underneath, we’re vicious, vicious! We’re sworn members of a secret organization, a vast writing conspiracy. Compared to the New York drama critics, the Masons look like the Girl Scouts. And this season’s bad reviews are just the beginning.”
American Natural History Museum Cutbacks Lead To Questions About Its Mission
“After a decade in which it doubled both its staff and its operating budget, the American Museum of Natural History is now retrenching. Faced with a drop in visitors and financial support, including a $1.4 million cut in funding from the city, the museum has shed 300 full- and part-time employees since the fall of 2001, bringing its staff down 17 percent, to 1,400. A hiring freeze was put in place after Sept. 11, 2001.”
Music The Over-40 Wants (Not Just Nostalgia!)
So older people are buying more music. But what are they buying? Nostalgia. “Truth is, I can name at least 25 albums released in 2003 that would please any seasoned rock and pop listener who thinks of music as something more than a soundtrack for dinner with undiscerning guests. But most rock fans my age won’t find it easy to hear them because the major labels have concluded we’re an unadventurous lot and won’t bother to try to reach us. Instead of congratulating themselves on finding ways to sell the same old same old, record execs should realize there are thousands, maybe millions, of us who want it rough, raw and risky, brash, bold and beautiful, as exciting as New Year’s Eve.”
Wanna Run For President? Start Writing Now.
There are nine announced contenders for the Democratic nomination for president, and as of this week, all nine have either written a book or had one written about them. “Some are good, some are bad. Some are thick, some are thin. Some are short, some are shorter. Some are direct, some are long-winded. And that goes for their books, too.” But seriously, when exactly did published authorship become a necessity of a serious presidential campaign? And what makes them think that we’re interested in reading their largely predictable tomes?