CMU School of Drama


Thursday, March 31, 2016

'Hamilton' producers defend diverse casting

www.usatoday.com: Since its off-Broadway debut last summer, one key ingredient of Hamilton has been its diverse approach to casting.

"It's the story about America then, told by America now," director Tommy Kail has said of the choice to cast African-Americans, Latinos and Asians as the Founding Fathers and their female contemporaries. In fact, the only major role played by a white actor is that of Britain's King George III.

Determine the Risks, Rewards of a Master's in Fine Arts

US News: Despite the less-than-terrific earnings potential, graduate programs in artistic fields are enjoying relatively healthy growth. More than 17,000 master's degrees in the visual and performing arts were awarded in 2012 – the most recent data available – for example, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That's 2.5 times more than were earned in 1970.

8 Famous Actors Who Learned New Skills for Films

Backstage: Every once in a while, a role comes around that demands just a little bit more from you. Of course you need to learn your lines, get to know your character fully, and get to the emotional truth in each scene, but sometimes you’re ask to perform a skill you just don’t possess. But as a true artist, you have the ability to fully become your character—even if that character is fantastic at double back handsprings and cartwheels.

School of Drama Presents “The Plague in Venice” Directed by Sasha Iliev

www.cmu.edu/news: Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama will conclude its 2015-2016 season with "The Plague in Venice," opening at 8 p.m., April 8 in the Philip Chosky Theater and running through April 23. The production is based on a scenario by Flaminio Scala and adapted and directed by movement mime and mask specialist Sasha Iliev, a guest of the School of Drama.

Morpholio Launches ScalePen for Its Trace App

Architect Magazine: The importance of line weights cannot be underscored in architectural drawings. Whether they are executed through a cherished set of technical pens or pencils, or through a well-loved reference sheet of plot styles taped to one’s monitor, line weights can add a substantial amount of information—depth, hierarchy, space, cut locations, materiality, door swings, reference points—to a drawing without requiring the addition of more objects or text. As Life of an Architect blogger Bob Borson, AIA, puts it: “You can incorporate more information into a single drawing and still have the document be legible.”

How Actors With Disabilities Are Educating Casting Directors

Playbill: Imagine this: You’re an actor with a disability who is going in for an audition with casting directors who have never met you. You’re afraid to let anyone know that you need special accommodations for fear of hurting relationships. At the same time, without those accommodations you might not be able to audition at all. What do you do?

Modern-day tap star Michelle Dorrance’s company performs

Dance + Live Performance | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper: It has been well over a half-century since tap was king in the dance world. For instance, the heyday of Pittsburgh’s tap scene that included the Kelly family (Fred, Jay, Jim, Louise and superstar Gene), whose Squirrel Hill studio is now the home of Bodiography Contemporary Ballet, is a distant memory. Apart from bouts of popularity over the years in the form of Brenda Bufalino, Gregory and Maurice Hines, Savion Glover and touring shows like TAP DOGS and STOMP, tap has flown under the radar of most dance-goers.

In Defense of a General Theatre Education

OnStage: So, you have found that your love of theatre is driving you to pursue it as a profession. The next step is to look for a training program in theater to help you gain access to the professional world. What do you look for?

Almost every major college in the country has a theater dept. There are professional conservatories that promise to train you in your area of interest. All of these programs (or almost all) have great glossy brochures to lure you into studying with them. These brochures and also websites highlight the graduates that are on Broadway or other nationally known theaters, or in TV/film. They will also highlight designers that have won awards and work fulltime in the industry. What about the rest of their graduates?

With Risky ‘A Few Good Men’ Bet, NBC Doubles Down on Live

Variety: The live TV musical was a relic of broadcast’s past until NBC resuscitated it. Now, having announced plans for a live version of “A Few Good Men,” the network wants to do the same for drama.

NBC is betting that Aaron Sorkin’s straight play can, like the recent string of musicals the network adapted for TV, draw large swaths of viewers away from the DVR and to the live feed.

To Our Members

Actors' Equity - Representing American Actors and Stage Managers in the Theatre: Yesterday we published a tweet that made many of you angry. We’ve been monitoring the conversation all night, and we now regret that the message was worded in that way. We at Actors’ Equity are fully committed to diversity, inclusion, equal employment opportunity and universal access to auditions for all of our members.

Hamilton facing backlash after casting call asks for "non-white men and women"

Lainey Gossip Entertainment Update: You know how, when everyone really likes a thing, someone gets jealous or sick of how well that thing is doing, and there’s a backlash? Jennifer Lawrence, Scandal, Paleo? Well, someone decided it was time for a Hamilton backlash—except they really picked the wrong battle.

How to Master Microsoft Office Outlook

lifehacker.com: Microsoft Outlook is the de facto email and calendaring client in most offices—and it can help manage your tasks and notes as well. Beyond just clicking Send and Receive, there are lots of things you can do to improve your Outlook workflow, such as sharing your calendar, auto-filtering emails, and more.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Alas, Poor William Shakespeare. Where Does His Skull Rest?

The New York Times: “Curst be he that moves my bones” reads part of the inscription above Shakespeare’s grave at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. But apparently, someone did.

Researchers led by Kevin Colls, the project manager at the Center of Archaeology at Staffordshire University, have uncovered evidence that they say indicates that Shakespeare’s skull was stolen from his grave by a local doctor in 1794.

Take the Pledge to Protect Your Hearing in 2016

Occupational Health & Safety: Wouldn't a physical injury that's 100 percent permanent—but one that's also very preventable—be worth a New Year's Day pledge to avoid? Of course it is. The injury is noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), which is "caused by exposure to excessively loud sounds and cannot be medically or surgically corrected," according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Shakespeare, the Book Tour

The New York Times: Visitors to this town of about 11,000 on a bluff near the Missouri River have long been surprised to learn that it’s home to a set of rare Stradivari stringed instruments, which are housed in a museum here along with the world’s oldest playable harpsichord, the oldest surviving cello and some 15,000 other historic instruments.

What Is Dither?

Pro Sound Web: To dither means to add noise to our audio signal. Yes, we add noise on purpose, and it is a good thing.

How can adding noise be a good thing??!!!

We add noise to make a trade. We trade a little low-level hiss for a big reduction in distortion. It’s a good trade, and one that our ears like.

A Political Cartoonist Puts His Pen to Theater

The Creators Project: In the city of London—where a property crisis has made many young people almost give up on ever owning a home—youth, hard enough as it is, can suddenly become lonely, almost suffocating, and any dreams to be dreamed are lost in the unyielding cloud of day-to-day survival. Not to mention, it's all the more pronounced under the recently re-elected Tory government.

What It’s Like to See Batman v Superman in Butt-Punishing 4DX

WIRED: The sign outside of the just-installed 4DX theater in New York City warns of “motion enabled chairs” with “strong vibrations”; some “lightning, rain, [and] flashing (strobe) lights”; and a dash of “fog and strong scents.” But after sitting through a recent screening of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in the immersive, audience-rattling moviegoing format—which promises the chance to experience firsthand nearly every punch, jostle, and chin-jut of Zack Snyder’s new superhero showdown—I might add the following heads-up: And by the way, once the movie’s through, your upper butt will feel as though it’s been massaged by a coked-up gibbon.

How to Master Microsoft Office PowerPoint

lifehacker.com: PowerPoint lets you put presentations together in a snap, but your slide shows can be dull and boring if you only know the basics. It’s time to learn how to customize templates, add animations and slide transitions, make slide notes, and more.

Behind the Scenes: The Making-of Huey, Dewey and Louie Topiaries at 2016 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

Disney Parks Blog: Donald and his nephews, Mickey and friends – 70 character topiaries across Epcot – are part of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Your tastebuds will spring to life with offerings from more than a dozen Outdoor Kitchens. Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone hits the America Gardens Theater stage this weekend in the Garden Rocks concert series.

Can You Actually Hate Hamilton? Or Do Your Hate How It's Been Received?

OnStage: The brutal truth is that if you're an actual musical theatre fan, there's nothing Hamilton can do any better because it's a near perfect show. From the basic to the inner details, it's just about flawless. While some musicals barely have one memorable song(seriously, sing me something from Light in the Piazza), Hamilton has at least 10. It's arrangements and orchestrations are innovative and some of the most creative choices I've heard. Its' story arc both inspires and breaks your heart within a single act. And do I really have to mention the lyric work? I find it sad that some out there don't realize the genius stroke of performing words of protest written by patriots in a style of music that was founded in rebellion.

How Broadway Actors Stay Healthy

The New York Times: “You start to question your own mortality in a way because all you can hear is your heartbeat,” says Alex Brightman, the star of “School of Rock,” referring to what he calls his “crazy bath.” It requires him to almost completely submerge himself in a tub with the “hottest possible water you can stand,” an entire bag of Epsom salts and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide up to his ears.

It's Time To Talk About The Misogyny in Theatre

Odyssey: In high school theatre, it is a common truth that the boys are few and far between. There's typically at least twice as many girls in drama classes, and the teachers are also mostly female. As we grow older the balance between men and women actors never changes, but the opportunities for men somehow far outnumber those for women.

Knot of the Week Video: Reinforce Your Angles with Diagonal Lashings

ITS Tactical: When building structures and using lashings, the Diagonal Lashing a worthwhile addition to your toolbox. As spars cross on diagonal angles from 90˚ to 45˚, utilize this variation to increase the stability.

6 Theatre Workers You Should Know

AMERICAN THEATRE: From a sports lawyer who loves theatre to a playwright who was inspired by Chernobyl, these are theatre artists you should know more about this month.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The LRLR Raise Funds for Behind the Scenes at USITT Raffle

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: The Long Reach Long Riders (LRLR) celebrated their upcoming ride through the desert southwest with a raffle and live auction to benefit Behind the Scenes (BTS) during the USITT Conference and Stage Expo in Salt Lake City last week. Sales of raffle tickets, some key donations, and sales of BTS and LRLR-branded swag raised over $15,000 for the charity. The LRLR 2016 ride, dubbed the "Radioactive Ride," starts on June 4th in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The riders cover all their own expenses so everything they raise goes to the charity.

OSHA Issues Final Silica Dust Rule

Durability + Design News: Federal workplace regulators have issued a long-awaited rule aimed at protecting workers from respirable silica dust exposure.

The new regulation requires employers to cut worker exposures in half in general industry and by five times in the construction field, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Thursday (March 24).

"More than 80 years ago, Labor Secretary Frances Perkins identified silica dust as a deadly hazard and called on employers to fully protect workers," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez.

How to Master Microsoft Office Word

lifehacker.com: Microsoft Word is easily the biggest, most popular word processing program available, but it does a lot more than just edit text and TPS reports. If you’ve been telling yourself that you’ll finally learn Word’s ins and outs, now’s the time to actually learn how to edit styles, add a table of contents, and more.

Emily Schwend Wins Prestigious Yale Theater Prize, Both Runners-Up Are Women

Women and Hollywood: Playwright Emily Schwend has won the 2016 Yale Drama Series prize for her play "Utility," a family drama set in Texas.

Schwend will receive $10,000, publication by Yale University Press and a staged reading at Lincoln Center's Claire Tow Theater. The play follows a mother's struggle to keep her broken family afloat during difficult financial and emotional times.

A Great Time for the Industry

InPark Magazine: Electrosonic Inc. recently marked its 50th anniversary. This international leader in audiovisual solutions serves a wide range of markets including theme parks, museums, control rooms, and corporate meeting rooms. Beyond complete integrated systems, Electrosonic provides a comprehensive scope of services including technical design, projector lamp sales, maintenance and operational support.

Dragging Our Art, Crafting Our Drag: The Politics of Drag Performance and Acting

HowlRound: Hello, theatre enthusiasts! Since this is my first blog post in this publication, I thought I would take up a little bit of space and precious word count to introduce myself. I am a dedicated drag performer, amateur actor, and writer. I live my craft (drag) every day, since I am genderqueer and operate in a number of public roles in my day job and various communities. In the past few years, I have pitched drag workshops to various university theatre departments, as well as been increasingly sought out by them to coach their actors in convincingly inhabiting cross-gender (often called) roles.

How Effects Artists Make Fake Wounds Look Real

sploid.gizmodo.com: Even the most dedicated of method actors usually aren’t keen on having half their face blown off for a role. So where do they turn to when they need to look battle-worn and bloody? A very talented props department.

The Concept Art for Las Vegas' 'Mars World' Looks Nuts

gizmodo.com: It’s long been said that space tourism will be big business. Whole spaceports have sprung up (and basically died) in belief of that economic promise. The problem is that shooting people past our bubble of atmosphere, safely and reliably, is still tricky. Not to mention you need to be rich as hell or dead to even consider it.

Casting Call Creators on Their Viral Video That Exposes Sexist Industry Practices

Women and Hollywood: There's no denying that women have faced sexism in the entertainment industry since its inception, but actresses in particular have it especially tough as a result of ridiculous standards of beauty.

Earlier this month, a video from a project called "Casting Call" went viral. The clip draws attention to the frustratingly sexist way women’s roles are often advertised in casting calls.

What Were They Thinking: On the Road Again

clevelandjewishnews.com:Being an actor in a national tour of a Broadway show is quite a gig and not just because it is work in an industry with 59% unemployment. A tour means a regular paycheck for a guaranteed time, which is more than a Broadway engagement can promise. An Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) tour means a bigger production budget, a bigger paycheck, and better travel accommodations than a non-Equity tour. And touring in a bona fide Broadway hit fills houses.

Theater Profile: The American Repertory Theater

Breaking Character: The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is the professional theater at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Diane Paulus, the theater strives to immerse audiences in transformative theatrical experiences. In all its productions and initiatives, A.R.T. is motivated by a mission to expand the boundaries of theater.

Netflix 'Mindhunter' series needs classic cars

TribLIVE: The Netflix original series “Mindhunter,” which will begin shooting in May in Pittsburgh, is looking for some classic cars.

In particular, the producers of the series about FBI criminal profilers are looking for “every day” types of vehicles built between 1962 and 1982, such as sedans, pickup trucks and station wagons.

Monday, March 28, 2016

Reality Check: Six Flags Revolutionizes Coasters with VR

www.themeparkinsider.com: Strapping a virtual reality headset to your face while riding a roller coaster? That's just crazy talk. For years, we've been telling people to keep their eyes open and to watch the track when they ride a coaster. That provides the visual cue your brain needs to help your body prepare for the drops, twists, airtime, and turns it will encounter on these high-speed thrill rides.

WGA Report Shows Little Progress For Women and Minority Writers

Women and Hollywood: Yesterday the Writers Guild of America released a diversity report that sadly shows how little progress has been made for women and minority writers in film and TV.

The report, titled "Renaissance in Reverse?" examined data through the year 2014 and found that while female television writers have made slight advances, the same cannot be said for women writers in the film sector. Advancements for minority writers have also been stagnant.

Hybrid event architecture ideas sparked by Event Camp Twin Cities 2011

Conferences That Work: I expect much will be written about the problems encountered with communications with the remote pods at Event Camp Twin Cities 2011 last week. Rather than concentrate on what went wrong, I thought I’d share some ideas on hybrid event architecture that grew from my on-site experience and a long conversation with Brandt Krueger, who produced the event, the following morning. Without Brandt’s explanations I wouldn’t have been able to write this post, but any errors or omissions are mine and mine alone. I am not a production professional, so I write this post in the spirit of provoking discussion and input from those who have far more experience in this area.

Guest Post: Women of the West Offer New Perspectives on the American Stage

Women and Hollywood: From John Wayne movies to the plays of Sam Shepard, the story of the American West has always been presented as a distinctly male experience. Cowboys and Indians, outlaws and frontiersman, ranchers and prospectors, oil tycoons and cattle barons: the history of film, theater and literature is littered with strong men who stare unflinchingly into the face of adversity.

‘Waitress’ Is Making Broadway History With Its All-Female Creative Team

FiveThirtyEight: The first screenplay Jessie Nelson ever wrote was about a group of waitresses, a job she herself held for 10 years. But after the script was handed off to a team of men, they reworked it to make it “more and more misogynistic,” she said, and the script never made it to the screen. Two years ago, Nelson’s agent found out that the 2007 movie “Waitress” was being turned into a musical, and Nelson pitched her ideas. This time the entire process was different: When “Waitress” begins previews on Friday, it will be the first musical on Broadway to have women in all four of its top creative roles — book; music and lyrics; directing; and choreography.

What's On Your Phone, Steve Hackman?

AMT Lab @ CMU: Conductor, composer, arranger, producer and songwriter Steve Hackman is the newly appointed creative director of FUSE at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, where he conducts and produces an innovative new concert series aimed at interacting with a new young audience. He is also the creative director of :STEREO HIDEOUT:, a music brand that represents the removal of barriers between classical and popular music and the skillful blending of the two. He recently talked to AMT-Lab contributor Sophia Hubeny about his favorite apps.

‘Miss Julie, Clarissa and John’ keeps you on edge of your seat

New Pittsburgh Courier: To call Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s current production an adaption would be a disservice because the world premiere of “Miss Julie, Clarissa and John” is much more than that.

Mark Clayton Southers, Playwrights founder and artistic director, uses the framework provided by August Strinberg’s 1888 classic play, Miss Julie”” and creates a tableau the sets the play on a plantation in the Reconstructionist South. The changes add a new dimension to the original play, set on the estate of a Swedish Count, with class and gender conflicts and a distraught women trying to hold on to whatever remains of the antebellum era.

Brussels Terrorist Attacks: Are Broadway Theaters Safe?

Variety: No one on Broadway wants to talk about security concerns and safety precautions — a silence that’s only amplified by the fact that high ticket prices and a largely affluent clientele make Broadway easy to overlook as a perfect storm of worry: A cluster of small, high-profile targets, right in the middle of tourist-magnet Times Square, where big-name celebrities onstage are increasingly common.

Scenic artists at Oregon Shakespeare Festival can create just about anything

News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR: When a designer comes to Gabriel Barrera with new ideas for a play's scenery, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's scenic artist doesn't back down from the challenge.

"I never think, 'We can't do that.' I think, 'We can do that. We just have to figure out how,' " said Barrera, who is in his eighth season with OSF.

Theater Access NYC Helps Make N.Y. the World’s ‘Most Accessible City’

Backstage: While there’s been heightened visibility of theater actors with disabilities thanks to productions like Deaf West Theater’s “Spring Awakening,” which featured the first actor in a wheelchair on Broadway, it’s equally important to accommodate audience members with disabilities. Enter Theater Access NYC.

Tech Talk with Lighting Designer Amy Lewis

www.broadwayworld.com: Very few audience members know what goes into the technical aspects of a stage production. Without the theatre's technical artists, often the unsung stars of any production, your experience at the theatre would be very different. In a new series of articles about the Technical Theatre artists of Austin, BroadwayWorld will be introducing you to some of the artists behind the scenes... the set designers, lighting designers and costumers whose work is so vital to a successful production.

This Stretch Of Route 66 Plays 'America The Beautiful' If You Go The Speed Limit

jalopnik.com: Even for the speed demons out there, it would be unpatriotic to go anything but the speed limit on a small stretch of Route 66 in New Mexico. That’s due to the fact that if drivers obey the signs, the road will treat them to its own rendition of the song “America the Beautiful.” That’s right. The road will belt it out.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

Here are the top five comment generating posts of the past week:

The Empty Spaces - Or, How Theater Failed America

Theater - The Stranger: Seven years ago, I left Seattle for New York—I abandoned the garage theaters and local arts scene and friends and colleagues—because I was a coward. I'd already tried to sell out once, by working at a shitty Wal-Mart of a tech company, but I knew I would not survive in the theater if I stayed. I fled to New York to bite and claw a living out of the American theater as an independent artist because I was young and stupid enough to think that would actually work.

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Stagecraft

The New York Times: The barometric pressure affects it. So do the whims of air-conditioning systems. Under the wrong circumstances, it could get whooshed into the crowd the moment the curtain rises.

Stage fog is a delicate creature: whether as haze that hangs in the air, a thicker vapor, or the low-lying kind that the lighting designer Natasha Katz calls “Brigadoon” fog — the stuff that wafts like a cloud around the actors’ ankles when it’s kept really cold, and rises higher when it’s not.

Just About All of Hollywood Might Boycott Georgia If Governor Doesn't Veto Anti-Gay Bill 

jezebel.com: A bill passed by the Georgia legislature that would allow “discrimination against LGBT people and others by citing religious beliefs” is currently sitting on the desk of the state’s governor, Nathan Deal. But if he signs it, nearly all of Hollywood’s biggest studios—including Disney, Marvel, and Viacom—plan on boycotting the state.

What I learned from seeing a High School production of Les Misérables.

The Producer's Perspective: So I have a theater. It’s on 45th St. and it’s named after my great grandfather, Delbert Essex Davenport.

Because my name is on the outside of the building, a lot of people think I own the place.

Truth is, I don’t own it. I rent the space.

I’m a guest of a non-profit and charitable organization that fortunately for all of us believes that a theater on 45th St. is an important part of the local heritage and community, instead of another hotel, parking lot or a Starbucks.

HBO’s ‘Vinyl’ Production Designer Makes ’70s-Set Series Sing

Variety: Bill Groom had barely celebrated his fourth straight Emmy win for production design on “Boardwalk Empire” when he was approached to board another HBO series, “Vinyl, ” set in the music scene of 1970s New York, a world steeped in sex and drugs, even as musical tastes were shifting from rock ’n’ roll to disco, punk and hip-hop.

Friday, March 25, 2016

20 Questions: Take Our Microphone Quiz!

Pro Sound Web: Welcome to our quiz featuring 20 questions about microphones and related issues.

This is somewhat subjective and largely intended for entertainment purposes - better known as FUN for short - although there is fact and/or truth in many of the “correct” responses.

The Bard En Pointe | Christopher Wheeldon's Ballet The Winter's Tale

Live Design: This year marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, and his plays are being produced around the world in celebration of the Bard’s bounty, but one of the most breathtaking productions is British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s ballet version of The Winter’s Tale, a co-production by The Royal Ballet and National Ballet of Canada, with music by Joby Talbot.

ENO: The situation looks bleak, but it need not be terminal

Music | The Guardian: English National Opera was founded by Lilian Baylis, the visionary impresario who laid the foundations of not just ENO but the National Theatre and the Royal Ballet. She was 15 years older than John Reith, the first general manager of the British Broadcasting Company, and these great organisations emerged into the same cultural climate in the 1920s and 30s.

National Arts Centre to launch indigenous theatre in 2019

The Globe and Mail: It’s being described as the most significant change to the National Arts Centre since the bilingual, multidisciplinary performing-arts centre opened in Ottawa in 1969.

In 2019, the NAC will launch a new Indigenous Theatre – a department devoted to indigenous performing arts that is intended to be an equal to the arts centre’s long-established English and French Theatre companies.

The Empty Spaces - Or, How Theater Failed America

Theater - The Stranger: Seven years ago, I left Seattle for New York—I abandoned the garage theaters and local arts scene and friends and colleagues—because I was a coward. I'd already tried to sell out once, by working at a shitty Wal-Mart of a tech company, but I knew I would not survive in the theater if I stayed. I fled to New York to bite and claw a living out of the American theater as an independent artist because I was young and stupid enough to think that would actually work.

Celebrating the Best in Themed Entertainment at the 2016 Summit and Thea Awards

Jack Rouse Associates: Blogs: It's time to play the music and light the lights - the 2016 Thea Awards Gala is almost here

Several hundred industry professionals will gather at the Disneyland Resort for the Themed Entertainment Association’s (TEA) annual two-day Summit, March 31-April 1.

HBO’s ‘Vinyl’ Production Designer Makes ’70s-Set Series Sing

Variety: Bill Groom had barely celebrated his fourth straight Emmy win for production design on “Boardwalk Empire” when he was approached to board another HBO series, “Vinyl, ” set in the music scene of 1970s New York, a world steeped in sex and drugs, even as musical tastes were shifting from rock ’n’ roll to disco, punk and hip-hop.

Hackaday Dictionary: Servo Motors

Hackaday: How do you make things move? You add in a motor that converts electrical energy into motion. That’s a simple idea, but how do you know where the motor is? That’s where the servo motor comes in. By adding a sensor and a controller to the mechanism, these motors can figure out how far they have rotated and maintain that setting without any need for external control.

SOUNDPROOFING AND SOUND TREATMENT

Foo Fighters: I read the news story and watched your great video and in it could see glimpses of your garage practice space. With its block walls, concrete floor, open ceiling and roll up door it is like a perfect speaker box for projecting your music to the distant neighbors, they should be grateful, but since they are not, here is a few things you can do help quiet down whats getting outside.

Gravity Sketch app aims to "lower the barriers to 3D literacy"

www.dezeen.com: The team behind a virtual reality tool that allows designers to sketch in three dimensions has launched an iPad app that turns drawings into virtual and physical 3D models (+ movie).

Tech startup Gravity Sketch released the app of the same name today, which can be used to create digital models for sharing, viewing with augmented reality, or 3D printing.

Just About All of Hollywood Might Boycott Georgia If Governor Doesn't Veto Anti-Gay Bill 

jezebel.com: A bill passed by the Georgia legislature that would allow “discrimination against LGBT people and others by citing religious beliefs” is currently sitting on the desk of the state’s governor, Nathan Deal. But if he signs it, nearly all of Hollywood’s biggest studios—including Disney, Marvel, and Viacom—plan on boycotting the state.

David Grindle says great leaders focus on the people and the cause

syracuse.com: David Grindle is executive director of USITT, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, headquartered in Syracuse.

USITT is an association with about 4,500 individual and corporate members from 24 nations involved in stage management, entertainment design, theater technology and related fields.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Old Globe Receives $5M Gift to Create Artistic Directors Fund

Stage Directions: The Old Globe in San Diego received a $5 million gift from Dr. Andrew Viterbi, which will create The Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Fund. This Fund, which supports the theatre’s artistic and arts engagement programs, will name the Globe’s artistic leadership position. Dr. Andrew Viterbi created The Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Fund in memory of his beloved wife, who passed away in 2015 and was a longtime supporter of the arts.

Plays of My Life: Bekah Brunstetter

Breaking Character: To mark the world premiere of her upcoming play, Going to a Place where you Already Are, Brunstetter shares her thoughts about her literary picks and what inspires her.