Tag: 12.09.15

Micro-agressions And Me In The Theatre

“Our collective institutions—artistic staff, marketing departments, etc.—are placating the older white audiences, and are afraid to challenge them, or even educate them. We take their donor money and put them on boards, and we brush their microaggressions off as our old grandma or grandpa who might be a little racist and elitist but are otherwise harmless.”

Top Posts From AJBlogs 12.09.15

You Gotta Know Why
Communities, funders and the environment all shift over time. Arts and culture organizations can get stuck in patterns of doing and being. How might we change so that we remain relevant when our communities change? … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2015-12-09

Skorton Meets the Press: Outreach, Public Input, “Trade Secrets”
In his cautious comments yesterday during an hour-long appearance at the National Press Club, Washington, David Skorton, the Smithsonian Institution’s new secretary, seemed to be guided by his expressed belief that “the first thing in nonprofit leadership is to do no harm. … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2015-12-09

Intimations of the Unseen Haunt the Seen
It’s very dark down here. This is not how we’re used to entering New York Live Arts’ black-box theater: down the stairs, walking along a narrow corridor at the edge of the performing area. There are a couple of people with flashlights, but they don’t fully light the way. Is this a birth canal of sorts? And into what? … read more
AJBlog: Dancebeat Published 2015-12-09

Weekend Listening Tip: Taylor And Clements & A Video
Four young veterans of Seattle’s busy jazz scene will be featured in Jim Wilke’s Jazz Northwestbroadcast on Sunday afternoon. Wilke recorded the new group headed by saxophonist Mark Taylor and pianist Dawn Clement at the recent Earshot Jazz Festival. … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-12-09

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Opera Philly To The Rescue! Production From Defunct Gotham Chamber Opera Will Go Ahead In Harlem

“When Gotham Chamber Opera closed this fall, it looked like one of the casualties would be the New York premiere of Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, the ambitious new work it had co-commissioned with Opera Philadelphia …But thanks to fast work by Opera Philadelphia and the Apollo, which teamed up to save the production, New Yorkers will get to hear [the piece] after all.”

Cleveland Orchestra Gets Very Glad Tidings: More Audience, More Revenue, Bigger Endowment

“In fiscal 2015, its push to remain viable and relevant paid off in the forms of higher attendance, endowment growth, and record-setting levels of philanthropy. … The surplus came despite the release of thousands of free and steeply discounted tickets. … No longer are youthful crowds just a ‘Fridays@7’ or Family series phenomenon.”

In Theatre, Necessity Really Can Be The Mother Of Invention

Lyn Gardner: “Complicite’s early shows evolved as much from a lack of resources as they did from a particular aesthetic, and it’s been the same with plenty of other companies, from Improbable and Kneehigh to Little Bulb and Action Hero. That’s not an argument for artists starving in garrets or being unable to access subsidy and investment … But it is a reminder that need can be a spur to creativity and make artists think about different ways of making theatre.”

And What Was This Year’s Drama At La Scala’s Opening Night?

“It looked like the first night of La Scala’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Joan of Arc had gone off without a hitch.” But no. On a backstage audio recording later broadcast on national radio, “‘I’m here, congratulations maestro, really congratulations,’ Leiser can be heard saying in English. After a pause, he then screams ‘asshole’.”