CMU School of Drama


Sunday, September 17, 2017

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

OMG...I Had a Productive Production Meeting

OnStage Blog: Can a production meeting actually be productive? Yes, that can happen, things can run smoothly and an agenda can be followed closely. It’s a great feeling to leave the meeting with such a sense of accomplishment.

What Role Does Social Media Play In The Theatre?

Theatre Nerds: There’s no denying that technology and theatre have a complicated relationship. While some shows, such as “Dear Evan Hansen” and “The Encounter,” have embraced social media, others have sworn against it. Let’s be real, no one wants to get Patti LuPoned during a show (yes, it’s a verb now). So, then, what role does technology and social media play in theatre, both in the audience and onstage?

The Lego Movie Sequel Will Be All About Gender Bias

The Mary Sue: After receiving criticism for the serious dearth of female characters in The Lego Movie, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and executive producer Chris McKay all promised there would be more women and girls in the sequel. Back in 2014, Lord said “It’s important to us that the movie plays broadly and that we inspire young women as much as we inspire young men.” McKay told the Daily Mail, “I’m not sure our movie passes the Bechdel test entirely and I think that it’s important.” These kinds of open-minded, self-aware, non-defensive responses to criticisms regarding representation are unfortunately rare, and they’re heartening to hear.

Reaching the Right: Can Arts Touch Conservative Audiences?

Clyde Fitch Report: In my last post, I suggested that the US performing arts sector is not doing a particularly good job of reaching politically conservative Americans. Excellent work is being produced on today’s stages — addressing issues important to many liberals, such as social justice, inequality and environmental sustainability — but this art is not getting to those whose perspectives we might want to influence. So instead of effecting change, we have projects like Michael Moore on Broadway in The Terms of My Surrender, which essentially rants to the NYC progressive choir.

Lawyer: Without The Monkey's Approval, PETA Can't Settle Monkey Selfie Case

Techdirt: Ted Frank is a well-respected lawyer who has heroically dedicated much of his career to stopping bad legal practices, including sketchy settlements in class action lawsuits. Now he's taking action in another case involving a sketchy settlement: the monkey selfie case. As we highlighted earlier this week, while it was no surprise that PETA and photographer David Slater worked out a settlement agreement to end the ridiculous lawsuit PETA had filed, it was deeply concerning that part of the settlement involved PETA demanding that the original district court ruling -- the one saying, clearly, that animals don't get copyrights -- should be thrown out.

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