The Tragedy of Coriolanus, Act III, Scene II
The Year of the Tiger is forecast to be a tumultuous, ruthless, and vigorous year. Passivity will not do me any good during a Metal Tiger year. My favourite quote these days is: “it’s time to make it this year or leave the kitchen.” True to that statement, the year has already begun with some activity relating to my career. As a person born in the year of the Rabbit (Wood Rabbit to be specific), I have to outsmart the Tiger – especially a Metal one since Metal destroys Wood – in order to succeed.
In the past, I’ve eschewed all manner of divination and forecasting, regardless of their origin (Eastern or Western). Hindsight is 20/20, and as I’ve aged, I’ve noticed that often these generalizations have come to fruition in some way. They are still generalizations – horoscopes, general astrology, etc. – but they do provide a foundation for further research and exploration which the Sagittarius in me is content to learn from and use. Knowing that there will be conflict for me this year and in which arena, I may arm myself accordingly in preparation.
The big news in film industry in the Czech Republic is, of course, the planned 20% tax incentives for investors of foreign film projects shot within the country. The incentives are currently being reviewed by the European Union (EU) Commission. If it is approved, then the incentives could be implemented as early as February 2010. Czech Radio has reported that George Lucas is waiting for these incentives to be approved (and conversely, disapproved) by the EU Commission before committing to a shooting location for his upcoming project, a Star Wars TV series. While these incentives would be no-brainer boost to the Czech economy (as they were in the past), history has already shown that there is a no-brainer in the Czech government that has the authority to destroy 10 years of hard work in one night. The last time similar tax incentives were about to be approved by the Czech government, President Václav Klaus vetoed the bill, causing many foreign film productions to move to other locations (such as Budapest) for shooting. Revenue from foreign film productions shot in the Czech Republic went from $250 million to just $35 million in the past five years. Thankfully, reports state that these new tax incentives only need approval from the EU Commission to be implemented.
While I can not predict whether these new tax incentives will directly help my acting career, I can write that they would boost an industry that I have a vested interested in. For now, I have other projects to content myself with, namely Romeo and Juliet. I believe actors learn most of their craft from their involvement in theatre productions. R & J, a co-production between The Prague Shakespeare Festival and The Bear Educational Theatre, is raising the acting level of all the cast involved, as well as facilitating the type of camaraderie that can’t be quantified with a number or price tag. Plus we have brand spanking new rapiers for the production. Yes, boys and grrls, there’s going to be fighting on our streets of Verona.
