The Week in Review – October 29
CANADIAN POP STARS CELEBRATE HAMLET WITH STRATFORD
Popular Canadian Indie band, Stars, has partnered with The Stratford Shakespeare Festival to work on a show inspired by one of the bard’s best loved characters, The Globe and Mail reported recently.
Working with lead singer Torquil Campbell is literary wonder Anne Marie McDonald who, along with director Alisa Palmer, will create a “meditation on Hamlet” using both existing Stars songs and new collaborations. We look forward to hearing more after the 'secret' workshop planned shortly.
STRATFORD FESTIVAL REMOVES 'SHAKESPEARE' FROM NAME
On the subject of Stratford, the festival will return to its old name and remove the word 'Shakespeare' from its title. The announcement comes in the first few days of Antoni Cimolino's role as artistic director, and is accompanied by a full rebrand of the organization's visual identity.
In a statement reported by the CBC, Cimolino explained, “The name connects powerfully with audiences and allows us to best convey the breadth and depth of the seasons we are planning to present.”
The festival's production schedule will still rely heavily on Shakespeare, however, with the 2013 season including Othello, Measure for Measure, The Merchant of Venice, and Romeo and Juliet.
A new logo accompanies the name change
ARTISTS AND CULTURE WORKERS COUNT THE COST OF SANDY
Our thoughts are with the many thousands of people affected by the devastating hurricane Sandy that hit the Caribbean and US East Coast this week: a tragedy that will take months of humanitarian work to rectify.
Often forgotten in the coverage is the cultural devastation such weather can cause – in particular, the thousands of dollars lost by artists and the community as a result of damage to both public and private artwork. The Guardian profiles the professionals who prevent, assess, and heal damage to collections. In better news, New York’s Broadway opened its doors for matinee and evening performances on October 31, just days after the storm.
CANADIAN CONFERENCE OF THE ARTS CLOSES
One of the most important champions of Canadian Culture, the Canadian Conference of the Arts, closed its doors this week after 67 years of operation, winding down immediately. Founded in 1945 by a group of eminent artists, including painters Lawren S. Harris, of the Group of Seven, and André Biéler, the CCA has been associated with major cultural policy developments throughout its history, including the creation of the Canada Council for the Arts. The lack of its voice is sure to be keenly felt across the country.
A release from the CCA details the full reasons behind its closure.
STAR WARS EPISODE SEVEN ANNOUNCED
Disney announced they have bought LucasFilm for $4.05 billion and, as a result, plan to launch a new Star Wars film, Episode Seven, in 2015. Since the announcement, there’s been wild speculation across the internet about the storylines of episodes 7 to 9, but Disney confirmed that the plot would follow “an original story”.
Further details will be announced in the coming months, but until then, Star Wars fans and skeptics alike will be sure to create their own tributes to the announcement, like the one below.
Who's your favourite Disney Princess now?
Categories: MPMG