1) What the fuck is going on?Everything, nothing, and all points between. The Theatre business in America has been booming . . . Broadway grosses have been hitting all-time highs, and new shows are coming out of Los Angeles, Toronto and numerous other cities. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with the current […]
Author: Ian Mackenzie
Dark days
OK. Let me get this straight: The U.S. economy is on the verge of an unprecedented meltdown. Americans are seriously considering electing John McCain and Sarah Palin. Stephen Harper is poised to win a majority government in Canada. Most scientists agree the environment is fucked. We’re due for a worldwide flu epidemic. Plastic is poison. […]
The definitive, abiding, iconic image of theatre
On Stage Lighting
Have you seen the England-based On Stage Lighting blog? Recent entries include: Lighting Cue Timing – Better Scene Transitions Inside a Moving Head – Primer RDM DMX – A Guide to the Basics They’ve also got a great section called Getting Started Guides – primer-style lighting tips for beginners. Cool.
10 questions: Steven Schipper
1) What the fuck is going on?We’re in deep prep for the 09-10 season. We like to have a penciled version done by Labour Day. We spend the next few months making countless changes toward a final version that comes with a balanced budget that goes to the Board for approval (the budget, not the […]
Town Hall photos . . .
Anyone got any good photos from last night’s Town Hall meeting at the Theatre Centre in Toronto? If you do and are are wondering what to do with them, please pass them along so we can post them here, with full credit, of course. Please email photos here. Thanks!
Why the arts deserve public funding
Today, Globe and Mail writer and novelist Russell Smith offers a rock-solid and highly depressing assessment of the recent sweeping arts funding cuts in Canada: “It’s exhausting to have to have this argument year after year, from its very bottom up, the argument about why extremely wealthy nations should pay for the development and promotion […]
Theatre jobs in Ontario
The Work in Culture website is a great resource for finding arts-related jobs in Ontario – and the balance of job posts often leans heavily toward theatre jobs. Check out the job board here: Work in Culture.
Arts funding cuts
Arts advocates across Canada are continuing to mobilize in the face of the federal government’s recent arts funding cuts. Here are the most recent numbers (data from The Theatre Centre website): • The Prom Art Program – $7,000,000• Trade Routes – $9,000,000• Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund – $1,500,000• National Training Program in the […]
The business of show
Have you been following Rebecca Coleman’s amazing The Art of Business series over at The Next Stage theatre blog? Amazing. Here’s a marketing and business professional who’s actively reaching out to the independent theatre world to share her knowledge and tools. The series so far: Part 1 – IntroductionPart 2 – Putting a Value on […]
A decadent lack of realism
From the Wikipedia entry on Samuel Beckett: “Beckett is one of the most widely discussed and highly prized of twentieth century authors, inspiring a critical industry to rival that which has sprung up around James Joyce. He has divided critical opinion. Some early philosophical critics, such as Sartre and Theodor Adorno, praised him, one for […]
10 questions: Greatest hits – Volume VII
Mike Daisey 1) What the fuck is going on?The wheels of time grind inexorably forward; our culture intensifies and multiplies, growing more complex as it fragments, while the corporatization of all things is the clear watchword of the age. We say what we say faster and make connections more quickly, but the time to make […]
The definitive, abiding, iconic image of theatre
This image is from Leonard Jacob‘s new bookHistoric Photos of Broadway: New York Theater: 1850-1970.
Caution – Gypsy Roaring!
Some vigorous writing going on over at the Hamilton, Ontario-based Gypsy Roar theatre blog. Especially in a recent post called What makes a good theatre piece? A sample: “I like watching shows that mean something. I like a message. I like a moral. I like a political view point. I want a reflection of the […]