End of the year news (that we remember)

The Southern Theater hired a new Executive Director. It's this guy, who used to run the James Sewell Ballet. Meanwhile, the Shubert finally broke ground on their new building, and they hired the Southern's old Artistic Director, Jeff Bartlett, as their dance community liaison. Can you say musical chairs? This guy decided to leave his job as theater critic for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, effective January 15, 2010, and become a program officer for the Blandon Foundation—which actually has nothing to do with the performing arts. And, this national arts management guru and this invaluable local arts management enabler decided to question some of the assumptions that arts administrators (and arts administration master's programs) have been making over the last twenty years. There were a lot of people trying to figure out how to use the Internet both for "grassroots" marketing and for artistic purposes. Grant Richey passed away. Kelly Schaub opened a performing arts bookstore in St. Paul, called Play by Play. People got really upset over here about what makes a good evening of dance. The Playwrights Center is still searching for a new Executive Director since Polly Carl left for Steppenwolf; the Guthrie has not fallen into the river; and not one single Artistic Director of a mid-sized or large theater in town has announced their retirement since, well, when was the last time that happened in this town? That would be news. What important performing arts news have I forgotten?