Tuesday, 29 March 2016
Theatre in Scotland is diverse, democratic and outward-looking, but England seems more interested in importing cliches about Scotland than celebrating contemporary Scottish culture, says Matthew Lenton.
With new laws requiring schools to offer a balanced education that includes music and other arts, school leaders in Los Angeles are hoping a new funding formula and the support of Hollywood’s film and music studios will help bring about equality in arts education.
Thursday, 24 March 2016
The move of collections from the National Media Museum to London looks like a reinforcement of the imbalance of cultural spending, and a major acknowledgement of defeat by the Museum, says Francis Hodgson.
Although Mark Wigglesworth’s resignation from ENO is a shock and will upset the organisation at a difficult time, Charlotte Higgins says there is still hope if it can choose the right artistic director.
Tuesday, 22 March 2016
Hettie Judah examines how Glasgow has cemented itself as one of the most attractive cities for artists in the world.
Whilst it is commendable to question whether museum artefacts should be returned to their ‘true’ owners, museums must be careful not to stifle debate and understanding in the process, says Tiffany Jenkins.
Monday, 21 March 2016
How do you get boys interested in ballet? The Royal Academy of Dance’s events – where boys act out scenes with Optimus Prime, Angry Birds and Star Wars instead of fairy tales characters – have resulted in a 16% rise in the number of boys taking ballet exams, says Patrick Sawer.
Yes, arts organisations need to be innovative in the way they target younger audiences. But much like newspapers, they have to remember not to alienate their older base – their most stable source of income, says Chris Jones.
Friday, 18 March 2016
Museums have an opportunity to become more relevant to their audiences if they remember that rebellion is the foundation of interesting art and a moral life, says Holland Cotter.
Thursday, 17 March 2016
David Nice talks to English National Opera’s chorus to find out exactly why they’re campaigning.
David Brownlee contrasts the growth in earned income at the National Theatre and Newcastle’s New Vic, finding that the latter’s model may give it more potential to increase overall turnover in the next five years.
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts has a novel way to stop people checking their phones mid-performance: give ushers lasers to shine at offending audience members.
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
War Horse ended a seven-year UK run on Saturday, marking what has been a global success. Matt Trueman looks back at the financial and social impact the show has had on the National Theatre.
Is theatre made for rural audiences safer and more ‘cosy’ than other work? No, having a community audience often makes for more powerful work, says Lyn Gardner.
Friday, 11 March 2016
In the wake of actor Laurence Fox’s decision to swear at an audience member for heckling, Ben West asks if theatre audiences have become rowdy and undisciplined.
Black Royal Ballet soloist Eric Underwood often has to spend half an hour adding ‘pancake’ to his ballet shoes to make them flesh coloured. Is the lack of properly designed ballet shoes holding the artform back, asks Kirstie Brewer.
Thursday, 10 March 2016
A novel approach to supporting artists long-term is seeing their work collected to be sold in the future with the profits pooled. Braden Phillips reports on the Artist Pension Trust’s initiative.
What opportunities are there for arts organisations to get funding from the housing sector? And where should they look? Jill Richens offers some answers.
Julian Lloyd Webber says no, London does not have a world-class concert hall, and yes, the Royal Festival Hall has questionable acoustics – but the city doesn’t need to change a thing.
Wednesday, 09 March 2016
Jana Perkovic explores the future of dance: immersive, virtual reality environments.