State of the Arts in Boston

salzberg · **Posted:** Fri Sep 28, 2007 12:45 pm

The NY State was designed specifically for City Ballet, to Balanchine's specs.

...Which makes me wonder why the sightlines are so phenomenally bad.

Houston Ballet is in the Brown Theatre at the Wortham Center, a space that was designed to accomodate both the ballet and Houston Grand Opera. There were many, many design flaws in the building (not the least of which was the inability to hit a performer with a follow spot if s/he was standing down center) but these have been corrected and it works reasonably well for both.

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1843

Didn't George Balanchine have a lot of input into the design the NY State Theater so that it would be good for presenting dance? Isn't opera mostly presented at the Met Opera House in Lincoln Center? ABT also performs at the Met Opera House - in years past we sometimes saw both NYCB and ABT performances the same weekend at Lincoln Center - different theaters. Rather nice to see all the dance enthusiasts there.

I'm not sure about the SF situation - possibly SFB had some influence on design of the opera house there?

I don't think the person who told me about purpose-built theaters meant they were exclusively for dance, but that dance was an important factor in the design of the theaters. Unlike the Wang, which was built as a movie palace with a few vaudeville-like shows too. Fortunately the stage was expanded some years ago, so the stage is good, but sight lines not so hot.

salzberg · **Posted:** Fri Sep 28, 2007 1:08 pm

ncgnet wrote:

Didn't George Balanchine have a lot of input into the design the NY State Theater so that it would be good for presenting dance? Isn't opera mostly presented at the Met Opera House in Lincoln Center?

The NY State was built to Balanchine's specs, but NY City Opera performs there. There were plans to build a new facility to house NYCO and ABT, but they were derailed by 9/11.

DT · **Joined:** Wed Oct 25, 2000 11:01 pm **Posts:** 31

I think what the person in Boston was talking about was most that most if not all major ballet companies perform in theatres where the other tennants are few and non-profit, as well (i.e. The Opera and the Ballet only) and they are purpose built for the arts and the Arts groups have some control over things like box office and performance dates, as opposed to being built to accommodate multiple tennants, many of whom are out of town commercial Broadway shows or musical acts. The Citi-Wang books everything from ballet to rock concerts to Riverdance.

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1843

Thanks DT, as I recall the context of the discussion, I think yours is an excellent description of what was meant.

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1843

Latest on the Attorney General's investigation into Citi Center management.

From Goeff Edgers in the Boston Globe: AG cites some lapses, but clears Citi Center in $1.2m CEO bonus

and an AP release in the Boston Herald: Coakley’s review of Citi Performing Arts Center exec’s $1.3M bonus ends with no action

(In case you are wondering, the Globe rounded the bonus figure up, the AP/Herald rounded down.)

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1843

This article [url=http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/12/19/study_small_arts_groups_at_risk/]Study: Small arts groups at risk - Boston Foundation says some should consider closing
[/url] by Goeff Edgers in the Boston Globe also mentions difficulties being experienced by large arts organizations in Boston, using Boston Ballet as an example.

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1843

An editorial in the Boston Globe:

Quote:

Choreographing popularity
DANCE IS standing up for itself. Using a new $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the nonprofit Boston Dance Alliance is trying to expand the local audience for dance. “A good evening of dance,” the group’s director, Ruth Birnberg, said in an interview, “is absolutely magical.

more...

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1843

From Geoff Edgers in the Boston Globe:

Quote:

Small arts groups are dying to be heard
Tomorrow night in an alternative gallery space in Cambridge, a self-proclaimed group of “artyrs” will drink Kool-Aid, eat chili, and participate in a “die in.”

It’s a joke, of course, meant to poke fun at the Boston Foundation’s recent report on the state of the arts community. Organized by local theater prankster Ian Mac-Kinnon, the spoof ... plays off the foundation’s suggestion that some small organizations consider an “exit strategy” rather than try to soldier on.

More...

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1843

From Geoff Edgers in the Boston Globe:

Quote:

Council releases Citi Center grant
The Massachusetts Cultural Council voted this week to release a $60,400 grant to the Citi Performing Arts Center that had been tabled last year after questions were raised about the Citi Center’s cutbacks ....

More...

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1843

From Megan Tench in the Boston Globe:

Quote:

Falling to earth
While its ‘Angels’ soared, one small theater company discovered what other arts groups are learning: sometimes bigger leads to big problems
....
[Snappy Dance Theater] last year mounted a heralded 13-day run of its work “String Beings” at the Calderwood. Now there is no telling when or if the company will return, as the group is currently “reassessing Boston’s desire to have a thriving dance scene,” said Martha Mason, Snappy’s artistic director.

More...

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1843

From Robert Gavin in the Business section of the Boston Globe:

Quote:

Mass. sees arts as vital to economy - Director hired to aid creative industries

The Patrick administration today launches an initiative to expand so-called creative industries in the state, appointing a first-in-the-nation “creative economy” director to help expand a diverse sector that ranges from individual artists to cultural institutions to video game makers.

.... the vitality of the local arts and cultural scene is increasingly viewed by development specialists as key to attracting knowledge workers expected to drive 21st century economies.

More...

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1843

In the Boston Globe, Geoff Edgers reports on the future of the Citi Performing Arts Center sans Boston Ballet:

Quote:

Deal may help Citi Center stage turnaround
Programming pact with N.Y. group could erase $1.9m deficit
In its latest push for survival, the Citi Performing Arts Center has signed a deal with Madison Square Garden Entertainment to give the New York institution a Boston branch in which to spread its brand of big-stage entertainment.

Audiences can expect to see more rock concerts, the arrival of Cirque du Soleil’s family production “Wintuk,” and return runs of the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular,” which replaced Boston Ballet’s “Nutcracker” in 2004.

More...

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1843

From the Boston Globe, a couple of articles about local dance venues:

Quote:

Strand repairs worth all the bother
By Meghan Irons

You could say the Strand Theatre is an open and shut case. Closed for several months last year, it reopened in November, only to close again in July. The reason for the closings: repairs to the crumbling 89-year-old facility.
....
[Anthony] Williams said BalletRox is talking with the city about future performances, though, possibly in the springtime.
....
The Jose Mateo Ballet Theater is negotiating to hold shows there next year, a homecoming after an 18-year absence.

More about the Strand

Quote:

World shakers
At Dance Complex open house, newcomers and veterans explore new moves

By Karen Campbell
....
Founded in 1991, the volunteer-run, artist-based Dance Complex has helped anchor Central Square as a regional hub of dance activity. Housed in the historic Odd Fellows Hall on Massachusetts Avenue, the nonprofit complex is open seven days a week, and its six studios host drop-in classes, workshops, rehearsals, and performances by more than 60 teachers and companies representing nearly two dozen countries.

More about Dance Complex

ncgnet · **Joined:** Sun Oct 27, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 1843

Though dance companies are not specifically mentioned in this article they are undoubtedly affected as well:

Quote:

Local arts world wobbles as patrons feel squeeze
By Joan Anderman
....
As the economy veers swiftly and sharply downward, arts lovers are faced with tougher choices about where, and if, to spend their money on entertainment.
....
Many would argue that a concert or a play is a bona fide nonessential, a luxury item compared with a tank of gas or a bag of groceries. But it's also true that art provides the sort of sustenance some feel is more vital than ever in uncertain, high-stress times.

More...

CriticalDance Forum

State of the Arts in Boston

Who is online