Toni Morrison’s latest novel may be set in the 17th century, but the broader questions it probes are informed by the experiences of countless generations of black Americans. And Morrison’s writing process seems particularly character-driven, as if the subjects of her work are driving her understanding of the plot, rather than the other way around.
Tag: 12.04.08
Sundance To Get Sunnier
“The programmers of the Sundance Film Festival on Wednesday announced a schedule of competition films that in their view, reflect an unusual tilt toward the emotional — maybe even melodramatic — side of independent cinema… Alienation is out. Engagement is in.”
Shubert’s Future Finally Visible
“The ascension of Philip J. Smith and Robert E. Wankel to the top of the Shubert Organization Tuesday night ended a 20-plus-year guessing game about the future of the largest theater-owning enterprise in the nation… As it turns out, there was a plan, though it pretty much lacked the high drama and mystery that decades of speculation had invested in it.”
Grease Revival To Close
“The current revival of Grease has become the latest Broadway show to announce that it will close soon after the new year; it will play its final performance at the Brooks Atkinson Theater on Jan. 4.”
A Bit Of Good News In Charleston
“The Charleston Symphony Orchestra announced Wednesday that it had received a challenge pledge worth up to $75,000 from anonymous supporters… Last month, the CSO announced it could be forced to declare bankruptcy if it failed to raise a total of $250,000 by the end of January.”
Speaking Each Other’s Language
“Toronto composer Dean Burry’s newest creation, Pandora’s Locker, is a provocative one-act opera aimed at teenage audiences and commissioned by the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould School.” The work is scored for piano, string quartet, and two DJs with turntables, and aims to do crossover in a whole new way.
Another Orchestra Looks To Educate Its Audience
The Toronto Symphony has launched one of the the early-evening, words-and-music concert series that have been gaining popularity across North America, and judging by the nearly sold out debut, “it looks like the TSO has found a new niche in our crowded calendars.”
Cleveland Orchestra’s Bridge Fund Plugs Hole In Budget (Again)
“For the third fiscal year in a row, a Bridge Fund comprising special contributions has patched what would have been a significant hole in the [Cleveland Orchestra’s] budget. […] The Bridge Fund was a $17 million pot created in 2004-05 for the purpose of covering future deficits. It is one piece of a long-term ‘turnaround’ plan enacted that year by trustees and community leaders to stabilize the orchestra’s books… According to the plan, the orchestra aims to balance its books without the fund beginning in 2010.”