Phish at the Sphere: Recapping a Spectacular First Weekend

www.rollingstone.com: Those of us sitting near him at Night Three of Phish’s nine-show, three-weekend run at the Sphere in Las Vegas had seen the telltale signs coming hours before: He’d never seen Phish before; a friend brought him to the show; he was a metal guy but open-minded.

Met Museum eliminates dead spots in historic auditorium

AV Magazine: The auditorium was opened in 1954 as a purely acoustic hall, designed primarily to showcase instruments from the Met’s own collection with no amplification intended. At the time, the 700-capacity venue was equipped with early-generation powered column speakers positioned only on the left and right sides of the room.

oozing inflatables shape this milan installation by USM and snøhetta

www.designboom.com: Snøhetta partners with USM Modular Furniture to create Renaissance of the Real, an otherworldly installation during Milan Design Week 2026. It unfolds in the garden of Fondazione Luigi Rovati as a lightweight space that frames the relationship between structure, body, and perception.

Report on Touring From Arts Council England Finds Dance and Drama Declining and Musicals 'Flourishing'

www.broadwayworld.com: A new report conducted by Arts Council England has found that the number of plays touring England has fallen 64% since 2019, which had indicated that changes must be made in the industry.

Candela Opens Applications for Fourth Annual Playwrights Summer Fellowship

www.broadwayworld.com: Candela proudly announces the opening of applications for its Fourth Annual Playwrights Summer Fellowship, a.k.a. Summer Jam, taking place July 12-19, 2026 at the Dramatists Guild of America's Mary Rodgers Room in New York City.

Surviving Coachella: Why Artist Safety Is A Contractual Negotiation

www.forbes.com: For the modern artist, the economic reality is uncompromising: touring is the cash engine. In a world where streaming royalties are structured like digital municipal bonds – slow, steady, and fractional – mega-festivals like Coachella are the high-yield assets. A single opening or headline slot can often be worth more than a year of catalog royalties, tempting artists to sign the festival contract with the biggest number and ask questions later.

Live Nation Pushes to Kill Antitrust Case Before Jury as Closings Arguments Begin in New York

TicketNews: As closing arguments began Thursday morning in the Justice Department’s antitrust trial against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the sharper endgame battle was unfolding outside the rhetoric of summations: Live Nation is still pressing to persuade Judge Arun Subramanian that large portions of the case should be stripped away before jurors are allowed to decide it.

Review Roundup: Lily Allen Brings WEST END GIRL Tour to North America

www.broadwayworld.com: Lily Allen is now on the road with her concert tour for West End Girl, her critically acclaimed album that arrived at the end of last year. The live show sees the performer present an elaborate extravaganza that taps into Allen's theatricality and that of her album, which has a definite narrative.

Did you Know that These Broadway Shows Are Inspired by Magazine Articles?

www.broadwayworld.com: Musicals and plays based on movies? Many. Based on books? Also plentiful. Based on true stories? Of course. But musicals and plays based on or inspired by magazine articles? These are a rare breed.

Artist hand-stitched a dress entirely from preserved autumn leaves

Boing Boing: An artist named Amanda Meyer created an incredible dress out of autumn leaves. Meyer soaked the leaves in a glycerin solution to preserve them — glycerin replaces the water inside each leaf, keeping it pliable and colorful rather than letting it dry out and crumble — and then hand-stitched them all together. It took her 30 hours to complete.

7 ProPresenter Macros that Simplify Your Sunday

Church Production Magazine: Every Sunday morning, the booth feels like mission control. Slides, cameras, lights, and lyrics all need to move in rhythm, and one mistimed click can break the flow. Imagine the click of a slide in ProPresenter could operate like 3 people seamlessly working together: it can. That’s why more churches are leaning into one of ProPresenter’s most underrated features: macros.

Five things we know | Shakespeare's Life

Folger Shakespeare Library: Happy birthday month to William Shakespeare! Shakespeare was probably born on April 23, 1564, but we don’t know for sure. The earliest reference to him appears in the parish register for Holy Trinity Church in an entry for his baptism on April 26, 1564. Tradition celebrates his birthday three days before his baptism. In honor of Shakespeare’s birthday, here are five things we do know about his life.

Drama League Awards announces 2026 nominees

www.broadwaynews.com: The Drama League has announced the nominees for its 92nd annual Drama League Awards. Nominees were announced on April 20 by Natalie Venetia Belcon, who won a Tony Award in 2025 for her performance in “Buena Vista Social Club,” and Corbin Bleu, who currently appears in Broadway’s “Great Gatsby,” in a livestreamed ceremony from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

New SeaWorld San Diego drones show launching this May

attractionsmagazine.com: It is official: one of San Diego’s summertime traditions is being reimagined from the ground up. SeaWorld San Diego has received unanimous approval from the California Coastal Commission to replace its long-running fireworks shows with a nightly choreographed display featuring up to 1,000 illuminated drones soaring over Mission Bay.

PGA Sustainability Toolkit Launches With Focus on Bottom Line

www.hollywoodreporter.com: The Producers Guild of America has unveiled a new sustainability initiative that is aimed at helping producers make the business case for eco-friendly decisions on film and television sets.

Benj Pasek, Shaina Taub, Joshua Harmon Musical Unorthodox Will Make World Premiere in Boston

Playbill: Benj Pasek (Dear Evan Hansen), Shaina Taub (Suffs), and Joshua Harmon (Prayer for the French Republic) have written a new musical together, Unorthodox, that will make its world premiere in 2027 at Boston's Huntington Theatre, part of the company's newly announced 2026-2027 season.

Pittsburgh artists, locally inspired art to be part of NFL Draft

triblive.com: Pittsburgh will be woven into every aspect of the upcoming NFL Draft, which will be held Downtown and on the North Shore from April 23-25. On Tuesday, the NFL announced locally inspired art that will add another dimension to the ‘Burgh representation throughout the event.

Q&A: Matthew MacKenzie on Strife and Indigenous sovereignty in storytelling

Intermission Magazine: Strife, MacKenzie’s newest work, continues that line of inquiry, focusing on Monique, an oil-patch worker navigating a family and community reckoning after the violent loss of her brother, Nathan, an Indigenous climate activist. As she grapples with her grief, she is drawn into a recurring dream in which she reconstructs his bones under the guidance of a spectral Owl — a presence that blurs the boundaries between the physical and spiritual worlds.

Why Two River Theatre Is Shifting to 7:30 PM Curtains

www.broadwayworld.com: Not long ago, I found myself doing that familiar pre-theater math: watching the clock at the end of the workday, checking train times, wondering if there was time to grab a quick dinner, and thinking, “Can I actually make this curtain without it feeling rushed?” It is a small thing, but it can make the difference between a great night out and a stressful one.

‘They said: You’re out of your mind’: Luca Guadagnino on directing controversial opera The Death of Klinghoffer

Opera | The Guardian: In a rehearsal room perched above the labyrinthine backstage of Florence’s starkly contemporary Maggio Musicale Fiorentino theatre, Luca Guadagnino is showing the women of the chorus how to make a second-act entrance. Dressed in a slouchy cardigan and slacks, the Italian director runs forward and stops short at a line of tape indicating the rim of the stage.

NAB Show Preview: Streaming's next phase and the push to operate smarter

NCS | NewscastStudio: Streaming is no longer a growth story in the way it was five years ago. The race to launch platforms and accumulate subscribers has given way to a more measured set of questions: how to run streaming operations efficiently, how to generate sustainable revenue across a fragmented audience and how to deliver reliably at scale.

Maryland Extends Theatrical Production Tax Credit Program Through 2032

www.broadwayworld.com: Maryland has extended its Theatrical Production Tax Credit Program through June 30, 2032, reinforcing the state's commitment to growing its arts economy and attracting major national touring and pre-Broadway productions.

Utopai Studios’s new PAI model redefines AI-assisted filmmaking process

www.animationxpress.com: Utopai Studios today announced a major update to its storytelling AI platform PAI, including an industry-first ability to render three-minute videos in 4K and a significant advancement to its story agent, designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across shots, scenes, and edits.

Tour Acrisure Stadium ahead of the Pittsburgh NFL Draft!

Steelers - Made In PGH: The 2026 NFL Draft is set to be one of the biggest events in the history of the Steel City—expecting between 500,000 to 700,000 fans—so Pittsburgh is on the clock! Whether you’re planning to watch from the comfort of your couch or to be in the front row on the North Shore, Acrisure Stadium’s On-The-Clock Tours will get you in the Steelers spirit before draft week.

Interview: Playwright Evelina Fernández on The Storyteller of East LA

www.broadwayworld.com: Dedicated to her mother, the newest work by Latino Theater Company resident playwright Evelina Fernández, The Storyteller of East LA, celebrates the sustaining power of love, compassion, storytelling, and the resilience of family. Jose Luis Valenzuela directs its world premiere at The Los Angeles Theatre Center in downtown Los Angeles from April 18 through May 17. A series of six previews began on April 9.

Shakespeare's Globe hides 113 L-Acoustics fills with L-ISA

AV Magazine: Shakespeare’s Globe on London’s South Bank is a meticulous reconstruction of the open-air Elizabethan playhouse where the playwright premiered Hamlet, Julius Caesar and King Lear.

From Farm Shop to High-Tech Powerhouse: A Blueprint for Rapid CNC Scaling

Modern Applications News – Metalworking Ideas For Today's Job Shop: Every Friday through Sunday in Wichita, Kansas, there's a distinctive location in the city where employees have left the building, the lights are out, but spindles hum nonstop, producing parts to exact spec, all weekend long. This is all made possible by one company's vision to take its manufacturing capabilities to the next level through technology.

Clear-Com Releases New Arcadia & Eclipse HX Updates

ProSoundWeb: Clear-Com has announced updates to the Arcadia Central Station as well as enhancements to the Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System, which is now running the latest EHX v15 software that delivers expanded configuration capabilities, increased system capacity, and enhanced network resilience while also enabling the introduction of ARC (Access, Resource, Configuration). Both developments will be spotlighted at the upcoming 2026 NAB Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center at booth C5807.

15 Chicago Theaters Cut Ties With Jeff Awards

www.broadwayworld.com: At least 15 Chicago theater companies have publicly cut ties with the Joseph Jefferson Awards after the organization named Invictus Theatre Artistic Director Charles Askenaizer "Best Director" at its Non-Equity ceremony on March 23, 2026. Askenaizer is the subject of an ongoing independent investigation into allegations of emotional abuse and harassment. He has denied the allegations.

Cash-strapped DePaul closes the curtain on Downtown’s historic Reskin Theatre

Chicago Sun-Times: For nearly 120 years, the Merle Reskin Theatre has hosted everything from “Pygmalion” and “Life With Father” to “Mirror of Most Value: A Ms. Marvel Play,” which opens mid-May for a two-week run. What’s playing after May? Darkness. And not the 2021 Andre Wright play with the same name either.

High School Musicals Are Missing Half Their Cast . . . And It’s Not Who You Think

Ken Davenport: I went to a high school musical recently. And it was great! The kids were talented, the energy was electric, the whole thing reminded me exactly why I got into this business in the first place. But then I picked up the Playbill . . . and I noticed something. I saw the future stars of Broadway. I did not see the future staff of Broadway.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Will Perform Pittsburgh Premiere of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

www.broadwayworld.com: Ben Stevenson OBE's ballet retelling of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, will make its Pittsburgh premiere, presented with live music from the PBT Orchestra. PBT will perform the whimsical, family-friendly ballet May 15-17 at the Benedum Center as the closing production of its 2025-26 Dream Season.

Goodbye to AV over IP 1.0: the goalposts have moved

AV Magazine: That is the picture that emerges from new research into the views of 370 end users and 100 integrators in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The research shows AV over IP adoption at an inflection point.

Teatro San Carlo Under Investigation for Mishandling of Funds; Jonas Kaufmann Responds

OperaWire OperaWire: According to La Repubblica, 12 individuals are under investigation including former Superintendent Stephane Lissner, former Director General Emmanuela Spedaliere. According to reports, the alleged offenses include fraud, embezzlement, and forgery.

Brittany Graham: Bringing scripts to life, one costume at a time

The Pitt News: For Brittany Graham, costumes are more than clothing — they are a way to tell a story. As the assistant costume shop manager in the Department of Theater Arts at Pitt, Graham has built a career around helping characters come to life, whether on stage or on screen.

Review -The Second City’s 'Laugh Harder, Not Smarter' at City Theatre

onstagepittsburgh.com: Last night, I found myself laughing—a lot. Sitting in the audience at City Theatre, watching The Second City’s Laugh Harder, Not Smarter, I was carried along by the show’s fast pace, the performers’ agility, and the audience’s contagious energy—although the man sitting right next to me did not laugh once—gently reminding me that everything in art, as in life, is deeply subjective.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

Coachella horror as massive light fixture rains down on fans mid-concert: ‘Blood all over’

nypost.com: A night of high-energy beats at Coachella took a frightening turn when a heavy lighting fixture plunged down on the audience — striking at least one concert-goer in the head and leaving her bloodied. leaving at least one attendee bloodied.

Easter play crane malfunction sends Jesus actor too far into the sky

Boing Boing: The stunned crowd quickly forgets about the performance and watches the ascending actor in awe and horror. A crane malfunction caused this, which must have been quite terrifying for the actor. It looks as if he was never going to stop — or perhaps not until he reached the Artemis crew.

PADDINGTON THE MUSICAL Eyes 2027 Broadway Transfer

www.broadwayworld.com: Paddington the Musical is eyeing a 2027 bow on Broadway, Deadline reports. The production's lead producer, Sonia Friedman, revealed following the show's seven wins at the Olivier Awards, that she is hoping to bring the show to New York next year.

Coachella stage closes after stage light falls on attendee

www.sfgate.com: Every year, electronic music heads at Coachella flock to Do LaB, a festival within a festival known for its curated lineup and surprise big-name acts; past guests have included Skrillex and Billie Eilish. DJ and producer John Summit was one of this year’s surprise sets, touching down a little after 8 p.m. Friday night. About halfway through this performance, onlookers report that a heavy light fixture fell from the stage, injuring at least one person in the audience.

Elliot Page Will Introduce All-Trans Production of AS YOU LIKE IT in London

www.broadwayworld.com: A new production of Shakespeare's As You Like It will be performed in London this summer, featuring an entirely trans and non-binary cast. The production is presented by Trans What You Will Theatre and will run 22–24 July 2026 at The Space Theatre.

 

Merging Technologies Announces Pyramix DAW Upgrade

ProSoundWeb: Merging Technologies has announced the release of Pyramix 16, a new upgrade to its digital audio workstation that’s available in three versions — ELEMENTS, PRO and PREMIUM — all offering new features, improved performance, and deeper integration options.

SAG-AFTRA and Studios to Resume Negotiations on April 27

www.hollywoodreporter.com: After the writers’ union wrapped a surprise deal with studios and streamers over the weekend, SAG-AFTRA announced that it will return to the bargaining table by the end of the month. The performers’ union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers resume negotiations on April 27

What are the 3 types of non-contact presence sensing?

Control Design: My first exposure to proximity switches was after college as a design-and-build engineer at a fiber optics plant. The switches were end-of-travel and home switches on linear slides of a production machine. I then noticed that they were being used for door-lock indication, speed detection of flywheels and gears and many other use cases throughout the different manufacturing lines.

The Puppet Co. welcomes Danny Pushkin as new Artistic Director

DC Theater Arts: The Puppet Co. welcomed a new Artistic Director, Danny Pushkin, this April. The Puppet Co. had been operating with an artistic council after the previous Artistic Director, Elizabeth Dapo, resigned in May of 2024.

New Seattle improv program offers more than performance skills

The Seattle Times: Among the tools that have helped Seattleite Saya Jenks manage anxiety most effectively, here’s one that might seem unexpected: improv. The theatrical art of performing or enacting scenes with no script has also helped her create community when moving between cities, recover from the social isolation of the pandemic and learn to “embrace failure” and be “OK with things not going perfectly,” she said.

How 'taking chances' got 'Titaníque' from a basement theatre to Broadway

NPR: The parody musical "Titanique" opened on Broadway last night. The spoof of the James Cameron film "Titanic" was first staged in a tiny basement theater. Jeff Lunden spoke with the creators to learn how it stayed afloat.

Volux Lighting Back at ULTRA 2026: The PHYTON Makes Its World Debut

www.limelightwired.com: For the second consecutive year, Volux Lighting showed up to Miami Music Week with something to prove. And for the second consecutive year, they delivered. This time around, the RESISTANCE Megastructure at ULTRA Music Festival 2026 served as the global launchpad for the Volux Lighting PHYTON, the company's IP66-rated hybrid-profile moving head, marking the first time the fixture has appeared on an actual production since its announcement.

'The future of immersive technology lies in the impossible'

AV Magazine: New research reveals that rule-breaking moments such as floating 10 storeys above a city skyline or passing through a solid wall are a crucial feature, and the future, of virtual reality (VR).

Thoughtful Planning and Design from First Stitch to Final Wear

Disney Experiences: One thing almost every Disney Experience has in common? Costumes! From cast member attire to the magical threads worn in stage productions and in our parades, there’s so many different costumes in rotation at any given time. From programs in our parks to thoughtful design from Disney Live Entertainment, we’re celebrating Earth Month by spotlighting costuming efforts around the globe.

Elliot Page Will Introduce All-Trans Production of AS YOU LIKE IT in London

www.broadwayworld.com: A new production of Shakespeare's As You Like It will be performed in London this summer, featuring an entirely trans and non-binary cast. The production is presented by Trans What You Will Theatre and will run 22–24 July 2026 at The Space Theatre.

The V&A catalogue row shows China’s censorship now travels through cultural supply chains

theconversation.com: When people think about censorship, they often imagine an obvious ban: a book prohibited, an exhibition closed, or a speaker silenced. But the recent revelation that London’s Victoria and Albert Museum changed exhibition catalogues at the request of its Chinese printer points to something subtler.

Feed Your Soul at War Streets Art Salon

Pittsburgh Magazine: The menu at Clarise Fearn’s Central North Side business includes charcoal, air-dry clay, floral candlesticks and watercolors. Come hungry — for a creative experience.

Live Nation Seeks Pre‑Verdict Win as Judge Orders More Trial Records Unsealed

TicketNews: Live Nation used a pause in witness testimony to press its latest effort to narrow the antitrust case against it before jurors can weigh the full record, filing a motion for judgment as a matter of law (1362 – embedded below) that argues the states have not presented sufficient evidence to support their claims. At the same time, Judge Arun Subramanian issued a notable ruling on trial secrecy (1368 – embedded below), ordering a broad set of materials to be publicly filed with only limited redactions for competitively sensitive pricing and payment information.

SAG-AFTRA to Resume Talks With Studios in April

variety.com: SAG-AFTRA will resume its negotiations with the major studios on April 27, thanks to an early agreement with the Writers Guild of America. The performers’ union broke off talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on March 15.