Monday, August 30, 2010

Opera

"The Electric Palace in Bridport has begun fundraising to buy the satellite equipment it needs to show a season of live opera straight from New York."

Lighthouse in Poole is showing the ralays and charging £25 a ticket. Pity the place at the town end of the seafront will ignore the whole thing. No doubt Swanage will meekly follow in about a decade's time



Posted by Anonymous to swanageview at 11:54 AM
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17 comments:

Anonymous said...

its wrong, but its called a free market

30/8/10 9:44 pm
Anonymous said...

Sorry, what do you mean by a "free market" in this context? If you want to look at it in those value laden terms an increasing number of cinemas are identifying a market opportunity in opera relays and investing a relatively small amount to offer it to their audiences. I was expressing the view that those managing the local "culture bunker" will ignore this opportunity. Perhaps black hole is a better term than bunker for something so singularly incapable of casting a little light into our lives. Almost as incapable as they are at competing for our money in the arts/entertainment market.

30/8/10 10:41 pm
Anonymous said...

You can also stream it online, for a fee.

How about this: the opera lovers of Swanage form a club; raise funds to pay for the hire of each broadcast through subscriptions, and ask the Mowlem to make their facility available in exchange for (a) goodwill and (b) use of the bar or other facilities. Add to it a themed dinner at the restaurant and its owners might back the deal. That is how the free market works - by getting off your keester and making it happen.

God, you people are so dependent on the powers-that-be providing things for you for free. How pathetic. Get up and DO something.

30/8/10 11:56 pm
Anonymous said...

A. the Mowlem is not exactly noted for doing things for goodwill apart from letting schools use the stage. You obviously know nothing about them.

B. Since the bar takings accrue to the bar operators adding to them is no incentive. Again you have not made yourself aware of the facts.

Downloading streams is a lot cheaper than the ticket prices being charged for opera relays in cinemas so this is hardly an issue of wanting something to be provided for free, more, as I have said, a business opportunity which I suspect will be missed. The Everyman in Hampstead charges £35 a seat and the lowest I have found, in Leamington Spa, is £28. Once more you have given an ill-judged opinion priority over the facts.

31/8/10 10:16 am
Anonymous said...

why doesn't the Mowlem participate in the Purbecks Film Festival?

31/8/10 10:19 am
Anonymous said...

Quite. Because they charge too much.

31/8/10 10:23 am
Anonymous said...

and PAC doesn't?

31/8/10 10:26 am
Anonymous said...

10.16 - a half glass empty sort of 'thinker'. This person trashed the Mowlem and offers no viable alternatives.

31/8/10 1:12 pm
Anonymous said...

I take it you mean Lighthouse which has been its name for some years.

Organisers of a whole range of events have been unable to obtain acceptable letting terms from the Mowlem for years now. I am surprised you are posting on a Swanage blog without knowing of this. The Mowlem is used about days/evenings for live professional events and about 30 for amateur ones. I am not alone in thinking this could be improved on if there was a more proactive letting policy but the people who run it are not accountable to anyone except themselves for the use of the theatre.

31/8/10 1:13 pm
Anonymous said...

"the people who run it are not accountable to anyone except themselves for the use of the theatre."... except perhaps to the Charity Commission.

31/8/10 1:50 pm
Anonymous said...

A toothless watchdog if ever there was one. The terms of the trust are that they provide a library and reading room for the benefit of the inhabitants of Swanage. That is the Community Room. There is nothing in the terms about providing a theatre

As for a viable alternative. Open the thing up. Have a membership who elect the trustees instead of them selecting replacements for themselves. It is a community facility and should be answerable to the community. I believe this is now popular in government circles circles.

31/8/10 2:50 pm
Anonymous said...

....round and round in circles, the fools go with their argument...

1/9/10 12:10 am
Anonymous said...

How about a response from the trustees on this site? The town deserves it - there is a wall of silence which gives the impression the place is run for the benefit of the trustees and not the town.

1/9/10 10:56 pm
Anonymous said...

According to the Mowlem's ad in the Purbeck Gazette (p48 Sept issue) The Daily Arthur Band are playing! Who is supporting? McCann Terry? They cannot even get their own listings correct as it should be Davey Arthur. At least the actualy know what films are on this month which makes a change. When are the trustees going to sack the management and put someone with half a brain in their place.

3/9/10 2:39 pm
Anonymous said...

What makes you think the trustees let the "management" manage the place? What management did you mean, the administrator or the theatre technician. It is run as a kind of personal fiefdom.

3/9/10 3:44 pm
Anonymous said...

All the local dramatic and music groups and festival organisers, together with the council (who surely have an interest in improving the entertainment in the town) need to come together and meet with the trustees. These people have got into the routine of keeping the Mowlem in darkness and must be encouraged to change their ways. Talking is the only way forward.

6/9/10 5:52 pm
Anonymous said...

I have to give that suggestion a cautious two cheers. If the trustees had been more willing to find out what theatre users want and can pay for we would not be in this fix. I understand they have asked local users to put on a fundraiser for the place for free.

6/9/10 9:59 pm

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