Watch Out for Free Online File Converters That Are Actually Malware

Lifehacker: Converting a .pdf to a .docx and back again may seem like a quick and easy thing you can do online for free—but that doesn't mean it's safe. A new notice from the FBI Denver Field Office warns that some online document converters are also loading malware onto unsuspecting users' computers, giving bad actors access to your device and your data.

First Immersive AI Dubbed Movie to Release in U.S.

variety.com: A foreign language sci-fi movie is headed to U.S. movie theaters this spring, but audiences won’t have to groan about subtitles. For the first time, an international feature film will look and sound as if it was made in English thanks to artificial intelligence.

“Birthday Candles” at City Theatre

The Pittsburgh Tatler: Playwright Noah Haidle has noted that one inspiration for his play Birthday Candles was Thornton Wilder’s one-act play The Long Christmas Dinner, which speeds through nine decades of Christmas dinners, along with several generations of a wealthy family’s life in their ancestral home, in about thirty minutes of stage time.

An Innovative "Romeo E Giulietta" In Milan

The Theatre Times: In February I caught Antonio Syxty’s staging of Romeo e Giulietta (Romeo and Juliet) at Milan’s Leonardo Theatre in a production by Manifatture Teatrali Milanesi. Syxty’s interpretation, which puts onstage nearly all the original script, has a three-hours running time, with no interval. This means the five acts are left almost intact, notable exceptions being the absence of some characters, such as Lord and Lady Montague, Peter, the Musicians and Citizens.

Regenerative Artistic Leadership Change

HowlRound Theatre Commons: Best Available also speaks to the reality that theatre companies are particularly likely to decompose during artistic leadership change. In “Theatre in Crisis,” the editors of American Theatre magazine highlight reductions in programming and increases in theatre closures between 2020 and 2023. They list thirty-five different theatre companies or festivals that closed in that three-year period.

Athol Fugard was a dreamer, listener and master storyteller – on stage and at home

Athol Fugard | The Guardian: I feel that Athol Fugard and his wife, Paula Fourie, changed my life in the autumn of 2022 when I visited South Africa to spend time with them and their daughter Halle. We were supposed to be working on a book together, and we did; but our time became so much more than that. There were lunches in the house or the restaurant round the corner; walks in the woods; a braai that went on past midnight.

Monopolies, scalpers, and the future of online ticket sales

The Verge: Two years after a Taylor Swift ticketing debacle riled up fans and policymakers across the country, Ticketmaster is still fighting a multipronged battle against efforts to break it up and change the rules of the industry in ways resellers are vying for — in what’s become a multimillion-dollar and nationwide struggle over the future of online ticketing.

Whataburger to debut in-person art museum in Austin, Texas

attractionsmagazine.com: In celebration of its 75th anniversary, the Texas-based food chain Whataburger is turning its digital “Museum of Art” into an in-person exhibit in downtown Austin at SXSW on March 8-9, 2025.

For Its Actors, the New Play SUMO Is a Showcase of 'Beautiful, Powerful Fat Bodies'

Playbill: Sumo wrestlers weigh, on average, over 325 pounds. That's the sheer opposite of the entertainment industry, which tends to privilege performers who are slim. For the actors playing sumo wrestlers in SUMO, a new play by Lisa Sanaye Dring currently running at The Public Theater, they were relieved to discover that the goal (for once) wasn't to become smaller. They had to become bigger. And to become comfortable with showcasing their bodies while wearing just a loincloth on the stage.

Habima Theatre continues leading inclusive productions with ‘Fiddler on the Roof Jr.’

ARTS ATL: For more than 30 years, Jerry’s Habima Theatre in Dunwoody has stood as an example of inclusive, accessible and community-oriented storytelling. The theater exists under the umbrella of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta and was founded with the mission to provide disabled actors and those with special needs a space to pursue their passions. Now going into its 32nd season with Fiddler on the Roof Jr. — running March 6 through March 16 — it continues to stand as an example of what inclusive theater can do.

‘Wicked’ costume designer reflects on formative years at the Guthrie

MPR News: Paul Tazewell is the first Black man to win an Oscar for costume design for his most recent film, “Wicked.” “There was never a Black male designer that I saw that I could see as inspiration,” he said at the Academy Awards during his press room speech. “And to realize that, that’s actually me.”

Thinking outside the box

CanvasRebel Magazine: Having new or innovative ideas is essential to pushing the world forward and so we asked the community to share stories of the most innovative things they’ve done in their career. Our hope is to inspire folks who think only scientists or tech-wizards can innovate – innovation is possible for everyone, regardless of job title or function, industry or geography.

Trump's DEI Attacks Are Creating Destruction for Filmmakers of Color

www.indiewire.com: As the Trump Administration’s attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs continue to be litigated in the courts, the damage is already being done for independent creators. “We are most certainly feeling it, and it’s been quite disheartening,” said filmmaker Tommy Oliver, CEO of Confluential Films and founder and chairman of Black Love, Inc.. He’s backed projects such as “Fancy Dance,” “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” and “The First Purge” director Gerard McMurray’s upcoming horror film “Goons.”

Pittsburgh's Warhol Museum hosts its first show by CMU art students

90.5 WESA: Practically the last thing Andy Warhol did before he left his hometown of Pittsburgh for good, in 1949, was graduating from the Carnegie Institute of Technology. Starting this month, the landmark North Side museum bearing Warhol’s name is hosting its first-ever exhibition by master of fine arts students from Warhol’s alma mater, long known as Carnegie Mellon University.

Pittsburgh Opera’s “Madama Butterfly” Opens Saturday Night

onstagepittsburgh.com: Saturday evening, March 22, Pittsburgh Opera will give this season’s first performance of Puccini’s classic Madama Butterfly. In this new production, the story is moved to a realm “where reality and dreams intersect.” Chris Cox, Director of Marketing and Communications for Pittsburgh Opera, recently took the time to discuss the production with stage director Melanie Bacaling

Step By Step: Part 1 On Working Through A System Design & Tuning Process

ProSoundWeb: This article is the first in a series that follows an example step-by-step through a representative design and tuning process for a mid-sized arena. On the macro level, I follow pretty much the same steps and workflow as I would always follow on a similar job. However, along the way, we will see how the specifics of the day demand adjustments and changes where necessary.

TIOSM: Psychological Benefits of Theatre Education

Wenger | J.R. Clancy: For Theatre in Our School’s Month, we have explored the different elements of theatre education and the importance of theatre education advocacy. This week, we are focusing on the psychological and mental benefits of theatre education on students.

Run Away With The Circus: Meet Trickster from Cirque du Soleil's 'KOOZA'

seattlerefined.com: Kevin Beverley knew that he wanted to be a part of Cirque du Soleil from a very young age. Growing up in Chicago, he took gymnastics classes as a child, then switched to dance because one of his friends did. But it turns out that it was a good move. Kevin says that he became known as "the dancer who can flip."

Festival operators called on to redress inequality in event production workforce

Access All Areas: The creators of Festival and Carnival Lab, a course designed to increase the representation of senior Black producers in the event industry, are calling on festival operators to provide opportunities to its alumni. Launched by the team behind Glastonbury’s Shrangi La and other themed areas at festivals such as Camp Bestival, Boomtown and Shambala, the goal of the programme is to open the industry up to young people who may otherwise be excluded.

Meyer Sound Helps Sound Designer Jonathan Deans Achieve Sonic Vision For Broadway’s "Redwood"

ProSoundWeb: “Redwood,” a new Broadway musical starring Tony Award winner Idina Menzel, has a narrative brought to life through projected visuals and an immersive soundscape created by sound designer Jonathan Deans, who’s leveraging Meyer Sound to help transforms the theater environment into breathing forest.

Helen Hunt Has Wanted to Do Pinter's Betrayal For Years. Now She's Getting Her Wish in Chicago

Playbill: The language of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal is spare and elegant. On the page, it can seem intellectual, even a little cold. But in performance, the play is “an emotional traffic accident and you have to watch,” says Goodman Theatre artistic director, Susan Booth, who helms the show at the Chicago institution February 8–March 30.

Gulf States Have Been Spending Big on Culture. It’s Paying Off

news.artnet.com: As I write, I am in a hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. For three years running, I have found myself visiting the country in February, and this is my second trip to the Middle East this month alone. In early February, I attended the 16th Sharjah Biennial, the longest-running contemporary art biennial in the Gulf. With its pleasant end-of-winter weather, the region has become a frequent destination for international art professionals.

The BBC’s library of classic sci-fi sounds is now available to sample

The Verge: The original BBC Radiophonic Workshop pu t itself on the map by crafting the music for radio adaptations of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the original Doctor Who theme song before shuttering in the late '90s. The Workshop's experimental approach to audio engineering in pursuit of uniqhe sound effects made them early pioneers of the electronic music genre.

Broadway’s ‘Redwood’ partners with outdoor retailer REI

www.broadwaynews.com: The Broadway production of “Redwood” has announced a partnership with specialty outdoor retailer REI Co-op. The partnership echoes the musical’s themes of honoring the symbiotic relationship between human wellness and nature, with a goal of raising awareness on the healing benefits of nature and conserving the outdoors.

‘Black Bag' Costume Designer Ellen Mirojnick Talks Evoking ‘London Coolness' in Steven Soderbergh's Latest Film

www.msn.com: Curating the wardrobe for an actor playing a spy or an agent of espionage is no small feat. Even with decades of inspiration to draw from, the thriller genre leaves room for malleability, especially as far as Ellen Mirojnick is concerned.

The Kennedy Center: A View From Backstage by Mary Hess, Member I.A.T.S.E. Stagehands

www.dailykos.com: Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, and Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil, and Jean-Marc Natel’s Musical Theatre Production of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables were all written in the spirit of freedom and humanity. They all “opened” at The Kennedy Center which promotes “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” in the United States and around the world.

"The Pillars of the Earth": The Evolution of Spanish Musical Theatre. An exclusive interview with Iván Macías. Part I

The Theatre Times: In November 2024, the world premiere of a new musical by composer Iván Macías, The Pillars of the Earth, took place at the Teatro EDP Gran Vía in Madrid. The book, written by Félix Amador, is based on the bestselling novel by Ken Follett of the same name.

19 Tool Tips and Tricks for DIYers

Family Handyman: We sifted through thousands of tips and selected a few that have been most useful on our own projects. Tuck them away in your memory and they'll come in handy for you, too.

Best Burn for Your Buck — LightBurn Pro Tips

Make:: In 2020, I launched a small laser-cut product business with a run of 150 diorama kits that I designed, cut, soldered, and packaged myself. I was confident in my artistic chops at the time, but had never manufactured anything at scale before — and it showed. Three years and several hundred kits later, I’m still finding better tools and ways to optimize my workflow.

MONSTERS, INC. Roller Coaster Will Be First Suspended Ride at Disney (And Will Feat. Vertical Lift)

Nerdist: Things got pretty scary when Disney headed down to Austin for this year’s SXSW. But it was the good kind of scary. During its “The Future of World-Building at Disney” panel, the Mouse House debuted a new animatic concept video for the upcoming Monsters, Inc. roller coasterOpens in a new tab coming to Hollywood Studios. It will be Disney’s first vertical/suspended roller coaster ever.

Kentucky lawmakers take aim at state-specific safety rules

Safety+Health: A bill that would limit enforcement of any new or existing state workplace safety and health regulations that are more stringent than federal OSHA standards is advancing in the Kentucky Legislature.

Our Sewing Expert Swears by This ‘Hardcore’ Sewing Machine

Reviews by Wirecutter: If you’ve taken up sewing as a hobby and mastered using your beginner sewing machine, chances are good you’ve seen people talking about something called a serger. Maybe you’re wondering whether you should get one, or maybe you’ve had one sitting in a box, taunting you in the way that only an unused hobby purchase can. Maybe you’re too intimidated to learn how to use it.

'The Neil Diamond Musical' National Tour Recoups After Five Months

variety.com: After five months on tour, “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” has recouped its investment. The national tour kicked off last year in Providence, where it had the most successful tour launch in the city’s history.

Does Marcel Duchamp Still Matter?

news.artnet.com: A hundred years ago, in 1925, Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) had long returned from New York back to Paris. His Readymade phase was pretty much over, just as he had abandoned painting for more than half a decade already. To the chagrin of many within the budding Surrealist movement, he mostly turned towards chess for the better part of the next decade, playing Olympic tournaments and international championships. Yet of course he wouldn’t be Duchamp if he didn’t continue to revolutionize art, as well as our perception of it.

Best New Workwear for Contractors and Tradesmen: Spring 2025

Pro Tool Reviews: As the calendar turns to spring, it’s a transition season for professional tradesmen and tradeswomen. The cold weather is on its way out, but it’s not going quietly. To help you find the right layers no matter what the weather’s attitude is for the day, we’ve collected some of the best new workwear for contractors that caught our attention. Whether you’re after new work pants, shirts, outerwear, eyewear, footwear, or something else, this guide has something for every man or woman who works the trades for a living.

Costume Designer Antoinette Messam On Her Pioneering Career In Fashion

Essence | Essence: From her parent’s house in Ontario, Canada, the first thing costume designer Antoinette Messam does during our Zoom is open up the curtains to let more light in. It illuminated her glowing, supple skin. This action of ushering in light became symbolic of Messam’s career throughout our time together. Her career has taken her on an impressive journey, and it has led to her working on films with directors who are household names such as Jeymes Samuel.

Raptor rapture

Chicago Reader: Chicago artist Gretchen Hasseʼs work stretches over many media, including video, animation, comics, painting and drawing, kinetic sculptures, robotics, and public murals. She’s also a cofounder of the Logan Square collective gallery space Agitator. But her latest creative obsession, The Dinosaur Opera, is perhaps the simplest to explain.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Producers Set Their Sights on Broadway

www.thewrap.com: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” may currently be airing its 17th season, but as its Emmy-winning host says in one of her most iconic songs: This is just the beginning. In fact, executive producers and World of Wonder co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato told TheWrap they have Broadway dreams for the reality TV show mainstay while celebrating the 1,000th performance of “RuPaul’s Drag Race Live!” in Las Vegas.

Trump Complains About Unions, HAMILTON, Addresses Honors Outside Kennedy Center

www.broadwayworld.com: President Donald Trump is set to speak at a Kennedy Center board meeting today at 5 p.m. to discuss proposed changes to the honoree selection process, according to The New York Times. The resolution under discussion would grant Trump the authority to hire or fire those responsible for selecting honorees.

James Taylor songs will fuel upcoming stage musical

Chicago Sun-Times: Alicia Keys, Dolly Parton and Neil Diamond — step aside. The next musical icon to turn their songs into a stage musical will be James Taylor. Taylor’s songs will fuel “Fire & Rain,” a musical announced Monday, in development with a story by playwright and actor and Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Tracy Letts and direction by Tony Award winner and Skokie native David Cromer.

Art School: At What Cost?

F Newsmagazine: At the start of the semester, students at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago brace themselves for a big bill: there’s tuition, housing, food, technology fees, of course — but at an art school, there’s an added, more hidden cost: the cost of materials for each studio course.

Tool Test: Wood-Boring Bits

Fine Homebuilding: For nearly everyone who works in residential construction, wood-boring bits are the preferred way to make medium-­sized holes. They’re easy to find in stores, they’re not too expensive, and they generally last a long time even with almost everyday use. During framing, wood-­boring bits are used to drill sill plates for anchor bolts, and sometimes to recess their washers and nuts.

Inside 'Amplified, the Immersive Rock Experience' in Las Vegas

www.rollingstone.com: When the brain trust behind Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, the Immersive Rock Experience first came together, they faced a gargantuan task. Not only did they need to comb through seven decades of rock history and create a powerful narrative that would appeal to visitors of all ages, but they had to find a way to utilize the cutting-edge technology of the Illuminarium Las Vegas at AREA15, including the world’s most advanced 4K projection, 3-D audio, in-floor haptics, and 10,000 square feet of immersive space, where even the floor is a screen.

Changing Jobs? Avoid These Mistakes and Transition Like a Pro

Church Production Magazine: Over the past two years I’ve had many conversations with friends considering a job transition. Some of those were resigning and some were fired. Some of those were working in the secular workplace and some in the sacred. Below is the advice I’ve given those friends. The first section applies to any position. The second action is unique to careers in churches. I hope this advice helps you during your next transition.

Dragons to fly in the sky over Universal Epic Universe

www.themeparkinsider.com: Universal Orlando's new Universal Epic Universe theme park promises to be a visual delight. The multi-billion-dollar park will include some of the most detailed attractions created by Universal. And the decorations in the park even will extend up into the sky.

Officials In Charge Of Fyre Festival 2 Island Say It 'Does Not Exist'

brobible.com/culture: You might assume Billy McFarland would go to great lengths to ensure the second installment of his infamous Fyre Festival would go off without a hitch. However, there are already some red flags being raised after officials on the island where the upcoming event is supposedly being held said they’re totally in the dark about the event.

DeWalt FlexDrive Cordless Screwdriver DWHT66719

Pro Tool Reviews: I am among those who loved using DeWalt’s gyroscopic screwdriver. Sadly (for me), it’s only available on the used market, but the DeWalt 4V FlexDrive Cordless Screwdriver continues the trend of innovative design for this underrated tool class. I’ll walk you through what’s unusual about the design, what kind of performance you can expect, and whether or not it’s a worth adding to your tool bag.

Hollywood costume fabricator talks career, Korean influences

Korea.net : The official website of the Republic of Korea: Vanessa (Mi Kyung) Lee, a Korean American costume designer (fabricator) and owner of Super Suit Factory in Los Angeles, has crafted several of Hollywood's most iconic superhero and character suits. Despite suffering from polio, she has an impressive resume including designing costumes for over 100 films like "Thor" and "Red One." The following are excerpts from an email interview with the Korean American from Feb. 7-9.

Drama in the lobby

Chicago Reader: “At the opera, we are used to drama,” says Michael Solomon, director of media relations at Lyric Opera of Chicago. And drama is what many audience members serve with their attire, be it classic, modern, casual, or formal. “I have [received] quite the fashion education by going to the opera,” says Solomon. “Because the opera is a safe place to experiment, I have seen some wild and wonderful looks.”

Rick Springfield Just Found Out He Has Brain Damage Stage Fall in 2000

www.billboard.com: Rick Springfield recently found out that a bad fall he took in 2000 resulted in brain damage. The 75-year-old “Jessie’s Girl” singer revealed to People magazine that after getting a whole-body MRI scan he was told that he still has lasting brain damage from an on-stage tumble during a Las Vegas show 25 years ago.

What’s Next in Lighting? The Most Innovative Moving Heads from LDI

Church Production Magazine: In the AVL world, we only see leaps in innovation occasionally. Most years, the new products that come out are just improvements on last year’s model or a more powerful version of features we’ve already seen. However, this past December at LDI, there were a handful of lighting fixtures that seemed to change or at least challenge the typical mindset of lighting design with moving head instruments. Let’s hit briefly on three of the most notable product launches.

Trump’s Executive Orders and the NEA: A Detailed Timeline

Oregon ArtsWatch: On March 6, a coalition of theatre companies joined with the American Civil Liberties Union to file a legal action against the National Endowment for the Arts, accusing the organization of overstepping its charter in demanding that grant applicants comply with President Trump’s recent executive order attacking transgender and nonbinary people. On March 7, the District Court of Rhode Island agreed, granting a temporary injunction for the current grant cycle while the litigation is still pending.