“What’s gone wrong with theater? It isn’t a matter of quality control. I’ve been reviewing performances from coast to coast since 2004, and I continue to be impressed by what I see. Instead, what I’m hearing from regional artistic directors is that they’re being slammed by the on-demand mentality.”
Archives for December 26, 2013
Best Arts Quotes Of 2013
“I have a friend who says there are two problems in this world, and only two: one is how you live with other people; the other is how you live with yourself. What I like about theatre is that it’s the meeting point of those two problems.”
New York Art Gallery Runs Into Trouble With Loan To South Korea
“A New York art gallery is in a $1.35 million legal dispute with South Korea’s Gwangju Biennale Foundation, a case that demonstrates the potential pitfalls of international loans as more fairs and exhibitions spring up around the world.”
Detroit’s Morality Play Pits City Against Art
“I think it’s immoral to play off art and culture against a person’s basic income,” says Michael Mulholland, vice president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 207, which represents about 950 city employees.
Netflix Nation – Do Our Changing Video Habits Bring Us Together?
In 2012, Americans spent more money purchasing online movies than they did physical formats such as DVDs. It’s a historical shift with unknown consequences. If Netflix is capable of bringing everyone together, we should be seeing manifestations of this power anytime now. Then again, the advertisement’s tagline only mentioned, “might.” There was never any promise of “will.”
Where Are The Strong Female Characters Since “Buffy”?
“What Buffy showed us is that having one strong female character per show – even if she’s well-written, interesting and complex – just isn’t enough.”
The End Of Professional Journalism As We Know It?
“The situation in journalism is changing so rapidly that it is difficult to get a sure sense of what is going on. There is a great deal of discussion but it mainly takes place in an endless series of panel debates and blog posts where there are plenty of confident assertions, but not much reliable data.”
They’re Tracking Us (You Might Be Surprised By What They Can Find Out)
“An Acxiom presentation to the Consumer Marketing Organization in 2013 placed customers into “customer value segments” and noted that while the top 30 percent of customers add 500 percent of value, the bottom 20 percent actually cost 400 percent of value. In other words, it behooves companies to shower their top customers with attention, while ignoring the bottom 20 percent, who may spend “too much” time on customer service calls, and may cost companies in returns or coupons, or otherwise cost more than they provide.”
Images Every. So What Do They Mean?
“Amidst the surfeit of images today, the history of iconoclasm reminds us how powerful images can be in shaping and reshaping our relationship to the world. And, more importantly, how ephemeral every image can be.”
Wanna Be A Pop Star? Now (More Than Ever) You Gotta Have A Gimmick
“Even as publications such as Billboard lamented the lowest weekly music sales recorded since the dawn of Soundscan tracking technology in 1991 this past summer, a barrage of high-concept marketing campaigns unleashed in support of some of the year’s biggest albums demonstrated that people are still willing to invest a great deal of time, energy, creativity and (in some cases) money in the increasingly futile pursuit of huge chart returns.”
The Best Nutcracker In The Land (Bet You Didn’t Know There Was A Prize For This, Did You?)
The Debbie Allen Dance Academy’s show, “The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker” that was mounted earlier this month in Los Angeles, beat out nearly 60 other productions of “The Nutcracker.” It’s Allen’s second time winning the award.
An Orchestra Comprised Of The Mentally Ill
It’s billed as “the world’s only classical music organization for individuals with mental illness and the people who support them.”
Is Economic Inequality The Next Fertile Ground For Artists’ Work?
“As wealth inequality becomes a pressing issue in the Western world – particularly the growing gap between generations – it seems like artists are increasingly interested in talking actual numbers.”
Star Ailey Dancer Returns To The Stage At Age 55
A former Alvin Ailey superstar and a current artificial-hip owner, Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, returns to the stage to perform “Revelations,” the company’s best-known work.
Netflix-izing Reading (Data On What/How/When You Read)
“The move to exploit reading data is one aspect of how consumer analytics is making its way into every corner of the culture. Amazon and Barnes & Noble already collect vast amounts of information from their e-readers but keep it proprietary. Now the start-ups — which also include Entitle, a North Carolina-based company — are hoping to profit by telling all.”
Philanthropist Robert W. Wilson, 86, Dies In Suicide
Wilson served as chairman of the New York City Opera and on the boards of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Opera. He donated more than $500 million to charities.