“Going backstage to see mates [after watching them perform in a play] throws up interesting moral conundrums, particularly if you’re an actor yourself and know how things work. If you’ve enjoyed the show, all is sweetness and light: gazes can be returned, questions can be asked and backs can be slapped. But what if it’s the biggest turkey before Christmas?”
Tag: 12.19.08
Turning An Idea Into A Theatre Work
“When it comes to ideas, nurture is as important as nature… If you have the opportunity to develop a show in a small black-box theatre, then it is likely the idea will spread out to fill that space. Similarly, if someone asks you to submit a series of drafts to a literary editor, a predominantly text-based piece of theatre is likely to be the result.”
UK Radio Could Go Digital By 2017
A national commission has suggested that half of all radio listening in Great Britain could be via digital signals by 2015 – a benchmark which could trigger a switchover to digital-only in two to five years.
Vallaraigosa’s MOCA Take: Public Should Have A Say
The mayor of Los Angeles has weighed in on the MOCA mess. “His letter to board co-chairmen Tom Unterman and David Johnson asks that the board take time to thoroughly review its options and set aside 30 days to allow the public an opportunity to provide input before a decision is made.”
Bollywood To Revisit Mumbai Attacks
“Filmmakers in this hub of Indian cinema are already exploring how to bring the trauma of the deadly three-day siege of Mumbai to the big screen… Bollywood stars have responded cautiously to the Mumbai attacks, even though filmmakers were eager to draw audiences back to the theatres at a time when the industry was already hit by global economic woes.”
DC Art Collection Hauls In $23.5m For Endowment
“The Phillips Collection is expected to announce today that it has received $23.5 million for its endowment in the last nine months, including two of the largest single gifts in the museum’s history… The Phillips has an annual budget of $12 million, with the endowment contributing 7 to 8 percent.”
Broadway Going Dark, One Venue At A Time
“One after another, high-profile Broadway productions have been announcing that come January, they will breathe their last… Factoring in holiday shows and star-driven limited runs of straight plays that already had been programmed to end, about a dozen Broadway houses are to go dark — an exodus of several million dollars in weekly ticket revenues, and one of the largest mass exits in one fell swoop in memory.”
Corcoran Gallery To Close For Repairs
“The Corcoran Gallery of Art announced yesterday that it will close for seven weeks, starting Jan. 26, for repairs to its old and leaky roof. The project includes the replacement of nearly 50,000 square feet of glass, a hallmark of the original 1897 Beaux-Arts building.”
Nutcracker Apparently Not Recession-Proof
“If The Nutcracker is in trouble, then things are really looking bad. At least two of the nation’s ballet companies have reported poor sales for that Christmastime staple, a major source of income in the dance world, and are cutting back. The problems are a reflection of the difficulties the recession is causing for performing arts institutions.”
MOCA Director May Be Out; Broad Deal Close?
The museum is officially denying it, but one trustee tells the LA Times that MOCA director Jeremy Strick resigned at an emotional board meeting yesterday. There are also reports that MOCA’s board is leaning towards accepting a $30m donation from Eli Broad which would allow it to stay open without merging with another institution.