Gorsuch, Barrett Sit Out SCOTUS Decision With 2 Liberals Preventing Quorum

Newsweek: Four justices recused themselves from a copyright dispute on Monday, according to an order list released by the Supreme Court. Those recusals mean the case does not have a quorum for a decision.

Microdramas Overtake Mobile Streaming As Legal Challenges Loom

www.forbes.com: Hollywood’s next major format may be designed for a screen that fits in your hand. Microdramas, serialized, vertically shot stories typically broken into episodes of only a few minutes, have moved from an experimental corner of mobile entertainment into a multibillion-dollar business.

'The Pitt' casting call for Pittsburgh production draws tens of thousands of applicants

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The population of the city of Pittsburgh is roughly 300,000. More than 9% of that amount — at least 28,000 people — have signed up to be extras on the third season of “The Pitt,” HBO Max’s hit medical drama that will film in Pittsburgh next week.

Student Blog: Theatre Maker: What does that really mean?

BroadwayWorld: I am a theatre maker. Great. But what does that mean? As a theatre maker, I do it all. I act, I direct. I stage manage and design. I’m a dramaturg, and I produce. And I work on many shows at once. Seems simple, right? The answer is yes. But no.

Keeping Fluid Clean in the Reservoir

Power & Motion Tech: The atmosphere surrounding a hydraulic system sometimes is underestimated as a source of dirt and moisture that can infiltrate hydraulic systems—usually through the reservoir breather. The oil level continually rises and falls as cylinders extend and retract, and system cycles occur. As the oil level rises, air pushes out of the reservoir, and as it drops, ambient air is drawn in through the breather.

Main Character Energy: Raw Cereal Designs Bryson Tiller's Tour

Live Design Online: Bryson Tiller's 61-date Neo Trapsoul world tour is designed to accommodate venues from Red Rocks to Berlin's Velodrom, and a variety of guest artists emerging from a FOMO-inspiring door to backstage. Cort Lawrence, show designer and director at Raw Cereal, spoke to Live Design about its work on the tour.

WANTED to Feature Equal Justice Initiative as Co-Producer

BroadwayWorld: Equal Justice Initiative, the nonprofit organization founded by civil rights attorney and bestselling author Bryan Stevenson, will join the new musical Wanted as a co-producer. Dedicated to ending mass incarceration, challenging racial and economic injustice and confronting America's history of racial inequality, EJI joins the Broadway production inspired by the remarkable family history of Mary and Martha Clarke, two Black sisters in 1890s Texas who passed as white and, according to family legend, became outlaws to save their family.

TCG Announces Leadership Transition Amid Operational Challenges

AMERICAN THEATRE: In a letter to members today, Theatre Communications Group, the publisher of this magazine, announced that TCG, facing significant financial challenges, is undertaking a broader restructuring process. As part of that transition, the contracts of its three co-executive directors—Emilya Cachapero, LaTeshia Ellerson, and Alisha Tonsic—concluded effective Oct. 16. To guide TCG through the months ahead, the board has appointed Shaunda Miles McDill as interim executive director, effective Nov. 1.

How Will SAG-AFTRA's New Agreement Change the Game for Choreographers?

Dance Magazine: This July marked a watershed moment for the dance community: SAG-AFTRA began representing choreographers and assistant choreographers working in film, scripted television, and scripted streaming. The union’s coverage of choreographers is outlined in its four-year TV/Theatrical Agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), ratified on June 4. It includes negotiable rates, pension and health contributions, and the same protected working conditions as dancers, like rest periods and meal breaks.

Interview: Jordan McKnight of RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY®

BroadwayWorld: When people think of the circus, they might think of the animal performers, BUT this is a new kind of show. The Greatest Show On Earth® is a two-hour live talent show featuring the world’s best acts. This action-packed modern circus is filled with heart-pounding stunts, incredible acrobats, and immersive family moments that keep Children Of All Ages© fully engaged. From high-flying trapeze to gravity-defying acrobatics, every act is designed to wow. Performers flip, twist, soar, and launch through the air in a nonstop display of strength, precision, and courage that pushes the limits of what feels possible.

Interview: Director Ann Hearn Tobolowsky of THE HEIRESS at Theatre 40

BroadwayWorld: The classic 1947 American romantic drama The Heiress was written by real-life spouses Ruth Goetz and Augustus Goetz, based on the novel Washington Square by Henry James. The pair adapted it for the screen in 1949, which was directed by William Wyler. Olivia de Havilland won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Catherine Sloper, the plain-Jane daughter of a tyrannical rich man who dominates her life and subjects her to constant comparison to her vibrant mother, who died when Catherine was young.

Building a Reparative Framework for Cultural Equity: Redesigning Creative Business Through Solidarity Economy

HowlRound Theatre Commons: In his 1969 review of Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth, Ayi Kwei Armah—the first Black literary critic to analyze Fanon’s work on global Blackness—highlights a vision of culture as a vital environment for survival and growth rather than a mere product. A decade later, in the 1980s, Armah took a radical step toward cultural sovereignty by founding Per Ankh Publishing, an African publication collective in Popenguine, Senegal. Modeled after the ancient Egyptian "House of Life," the cooperative was established to bypass the extractive nature of Western publishing, which Armah viewed as a form of intellectual enslavement.

Scream! Bleed! Take Off Your Clothes! goes inside the legendary Organic Theater Company

Chicago Reader: As a budding theater enthusiast growing up in DuPage County in the 1970s and early 80s, I learned what was going on in Chicago mostly by reading reviews from Glenna Syse, the theater critic for the Sun-Times. (As proud public schoolteachers and union members, my parents didn’t let the Chicago Tribune in our house, relenting only after Mike Royko moved over to the paper when Rupert Murdoch bought the Sun-Times in 1984.)

Laika's 'Wildwood': Steve Emerson on Stop-Motion VFX

variety.com: Laika’s “Wildwood” took more than five years of stage animation and visual-effects work, with 2,776 shots requiring a carefully orchestrated mix of handmade puppets, miniature sets and digital imagery. But for production VFX supervisor Steve Emerson, the defining challenge of Travis Knight’s fantasy epic was ensuring that the technology served the stop-motion performances rather than overwhelming them.

How New Federal Student Loan Rules Could Affect Acting Programs

Backstage: Twenty-seven percent of American students borrow an average of about $40,000 in federal loans to pay for college. But for students considering certain acting programs, access to those loans could soon be at risk. Under a new Department of Education provision, tying federal loan eligibility to graduate earnings, Congress has a new warning: Buyer beware.

Carnegie Museum of Art plans a major redesign of the Heinz Architectural Center

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: If you were to enter the Heinz Architectural Center at Carnegie Museum of Art today, you’d be forgiven for not even knowing you were there. In its current use as part of the Carnegie International exhibit, running through Jan. 3, it appears as a T-shaped hallway, with two darkened, adjoining gallery spaces and a cordoned-off stairway leading to an area designated for “staff only.”

Plot Luck 2026: Raw Cereal Lights Bryson Tiller

Live Design Online: For Bryson Tiller's first tour in almost 10 years, his brief for production designers Raw Cereal were the words: cool, metallic, robotic, reflective, illuminated, back lit. In place of a complicated stage environment, Tiller asked for a monolith with video and lasers, strong and simple, where he would look almost like the last man on earth.

5 Bosch 12V MAX Tools Under $200 Worth Adding To Your Collection

www.slashgear.com: It can be difficult to determine which power tool brand to choose these days, if only because consumers are positively spoiled for options. If you're looking to keep to the major cordless power tool manufacturers, however, Bosch is one name you're certain to see in all corners of the market.

Quantum’s Magical, Menacing 'radio island' is Theater Finely Tuned

Entertainment Central Pittsburgh: The world premier of Liza Birkenmeier’s new play radio island opened last night in Rockwell Park, cleverly staged (as are most all of Quantum’s productions) in an empty warehouse. Directed by Katie Brook, soon to become Quantum Theatre’s new artistic director in January, radio island is thus the last production to be staged under the leadership of Karla Boos, Pittsburgh’s most adventurous dramaturg, producer, artistic director, actress, designer and audience development director.

Student Blog: Sophomore Year 'Ins' and 'Outs' - Moving Past the Comfort Zone in College

BroadwayWorld: I spent most of my freshman year of college adjusting to a completely new lifestyle: navigating dorm life with a roommate, figuring out meals according to the dining halls, and taking classes just to fulfill my gen-ed requirements.

Why Cycles Matter More Than Hours When Estimating Battery Life

Power & Motion Tech: The average human life expectancy in the USA is about 687,000 hours. That number is accurate, but it is also completely useless for estimating your individual lifetime. Car makers don’t warrant engines in years of ownership; they warrant them in miles, because a delivery van and a leisure car can be the same age and in a very different state.

Vekoma: 100 years in motion

InPark Magazine: As Vekoma celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2026, the company has considerably more to recognize than being in business for a century. Its history is one of continual reinvention – from agricultural machinery and industrial steelwork to one of the world’s leading roller coaster and attraction manufacturers.

Make It or Send It Out?

Sign Builder Illustrated, The How-To Sign Industry Magazine: For many sign and graphics shop owners, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with producing a job entirely in-house. From the initial design to the final installation, having control over every step of the process can make it easier to maintain quality, meet deadlines and keep customers happy. However, just because your shop has the equipment and expertise to complete a project doesn’t necessarily mean producing it yourself is always the smartest business decision.

From Theaters to Living Rooms: Women+ Playwrights Take on Democracy Ahead of Election Day

BroadwayWorld: Tomorrow, theaters, community groups, and other organizations across the country will begin presenting short plays about democracy by women+ playwrights. The project, entitled Women+ on the Edge of Democracy and spearheaded by the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in partnership with the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, enlisted 34 women+ playwrights to write the plays.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

Student Blog: How to Balance Doing Everything Without Burning Out

BroadwayWorld: We are officially 9 weeks into the fall semester, and I am burnt out. So I thought it would be a good time to look back on how I got here. Coming back to school was great, and I was so ready to get started. I had a million things I wanted to accomplish this semester. I did really well accomplishing those same things over the summer, so why would this fall be any different?

Student Blog: Lifelong Lessons Learned from Theatre

BroadwayWorld: I’ve been acting in the theatre industry since I was four, and I've had the opportunity to perform in productions ranging from school to professional and regional work across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. From a very young age, I learned crucial skills that will stick with me forever and have little to do with talent, acting, singing, or dancing ability.

Broadway’s ‘School Girls’ will be available for streaming during final week of performances

www.broadwaynews.com: Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) and the League of Live Stream Theater (LOLST) will stream a live capture of Broadway’s “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” during its final week of performances. “School Girls” is currently playing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, where its limited run began previews on Sept. 8 and opened on Sept. 28.

DEI Law Prompts School to Cancel 'Little Shop of Horrors'

www.mediaite.com: A suburban Dallas school district claimed a state law that references “social transitioning” prompted it to cancel a high school production of Little Shop of Horrors after a female student was cast in the role of Seymour, the nerdy flower shop assistant at the center of the tale.

More than half of theatre workers taking jobs outside of sector to survive – survey

www.thestage.co.uk: More than 50% of respondents to an Equity survey have had to take work outside of the sector to survive, with only a quarter thinking they will be working in the industry in three years’ time. The findings are part of a survey of more than 2,100 Equity members, with general secretary Paul W Fleming saying the results highlight “a precarious workforce”.

 

“The Wave,” Fascism Cautionary Drama, Restored at OCVTS in New Jersey

hesherman1.substack.com: School Violence Awareness Week at Ocean County Vocational and Technical School’s Grunin Performing Arts Academy in New Jersey will come and go this month without one of its tentpole events, performances by students of The Wave (aka The Third Wave), a play designed to show how easily societies – and high schoolers – can fall under the sway of Fascist ideologies.

Presidential Crowd Work in ‘FDR’s Very Happy Hour’

AMERICAN THEATRE: Almost alone among American presidents, our 32nd, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is still remembered not for a single incident or tic but for a cluster of iconic landmarks and attributes: the New Deal and World War II, the ivory cigarette holder and pince-nez glasses, fireside chats in an arch mid-Atlantic accent, the wheelchair.

Student Blog: Lifelong Lessons Learned from Theatre

BroadwayWorld: I’ve been acting in the theatre industry since I was four, and I've had the opportunity to perform in productions ranging from school to professional and regional work across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. From a very young age, I learned crucial skills that will stick with me forever and have little to do with talent, acting, singing, or dancing ability.

Stream The Stage Managers’ Association 2026 Del Hughes Awards

Live Design Online: On Monday October 26th, 2026, the Stage Managers’ Association (SMA) will present its annual Del Hughes Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Art of Stage Management at the National Opera Center’s Marc A. Scorca Hall in NYC. The event will also be live streamed: register for free virtual tickets here: Del Hughes Award live stream.

What Walt Disney Taught Tim Downey About Building Communities

Builder Magazine: Walt Disney might not be the most obvious influence for a real estate developer. For Southern Land Co. founder and CEO Tim Downey, however, Disney’s obsession with the details that shape an experience has provided a blueprint for four decades of business.

AV Sustainability Summit urges education and collaboration

AV Magazine: Marjolein Koens-Schaddelee presented the keynote Designing AV for a Net Zero Future. The MD of AVEX made an analogy between sustainable practices and owning your first home; they both involve a sense of freedom with responsibility. She made the point that the AV industry needs to adopt a system approach rather than focus on individual behaviours and told summit attendees that it’s OK to fail, and that we can pick ourselves up and try something else.

Sound artist May Wilcher on finding community at Open Improv Lab

90.5 WESA: Sound artist May Wilcher was a self-described “homebody” before she started attending Pittsburgh Sound Preserve’s Open Improvisation Lab. “I’ve just been interested in weird stuff for a long time.” Wilcher said. “If you are at the margins, you won’t feel so welcome in, like, a standard musical environment.” Open Improv Lab is an every-other-Monday night gathering at Bantha Tea Bar in Garfield, where — as Wilcher puts it — “there are almost no rules.”

More than half of theatre workers taking jobs outside of sector to survive – survey

www.thestage.co.uk: More than 50% of respondents to an Equity survey have had to take work outside of the sector to survive, with only a quarter thinking they will be working in the industry in three years’ time. The findings are part of a survey of more than 2,100 Equity members, with general secretary Paul W Fleming saying the results highlight “a precarious workforce”.

Mae Jemison, Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson Will Co-Produce Broadway's Galileo Musical

Playbill: Former NASA astronaut and the first woman of color in space, Dr. Mae Jemison; scientist, educator, and television host Bill Nye; and astrophysicist, author, and Hayden Planetarium Director Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson will be co-producers of the forthcoming new Broadway musical Galileo, scheduled to begin previews November 10 at the Shubert Theatre prior to an official opening December 6.

Broadway’s ‘School Girls’ will be available for streaming during final week of performances

www.broadwaynews.com: Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) and the League of Live Stream Theater (LOLST) will stream a live capture of Broadway’s “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” during its final week of performances. “School Girls” is currently playing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, where its limited run began previews on Sept. 8 and opened on Sept. 28.

She Kills Monsters May Be Seen at Copley High in Ohio

hesherman1.substack.com: After more than a month of turmoil following the announcement that Copley High School in Ohio’s fall show, Qui Nguyen’s She Kills Monsters, would be canceled, despite rehearsals already being underway, it’s now likely that show will be seen on the high school’s stage – although the high school won’t take responsibility for it.

Visualization: from creative vision to buildable reality

blooloop: They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” The world of themed entertainment is no exception. Visualization, the process of translating words and abstract concepts into something that can be seen, explored and evaluated, is one of the most crucial tools in experience design.

Poor Theatre in a Rich Town

HowlRound Theatre Commons: My mom worked at Wal-Mart for fifteen years as a cashier. During this time, she experienced unsafe work environments, unpredictable scheduling, unreliable hours, and, of course, low pay. She was making $11.25 an hour when she retired in 2021. Growing up, my dad’s white-collar job kept us financially stable, but I was always aware of the financial reality my mom’s job represented for many other people.

Student Blog: How to Balance Doing Everything Without Burning Out

BroadwayWorld: We are officially 9 weeks into the fall semester, and I am burnt out. So I thought it would be a good time to look back on how I got here. Coming back to school was great, and I was so ready to get started. I had a million things I wanted to accomplish this semester. I did really well accomplishing those same things over the summer, so why would this fall be any different?

B.C. union launches petition seeking film tax-credit change

Vancouver Sun: A petition backed by B.C.’s International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 891 union is calling on Ottawa to change how the production services tax credit is calculated. Article content The move, the union says, would make B.C. and Canada more competitive for film and TV production.

From Magnetic Tapes to Intelligent Digital Archives

TV Tech: There was a time when preserving an audiovisual recording meant protecting a physical object. Film reels, magnetic audio tapes, U-matic, Betacam, VHS, Digital Betacam and other professional formats demanded careful handling, controlled environments and, above all, working playback machines.

Real World Gear: The Latest Subwoofers

ProSoundWeb: Initially developed to extend low-frequency response in the 1960s, subwoofers have grown to become the most ubiquitous specialty enclosure. For years, dedicated subs accompanied modular full-range loudspeakers with predictable tops-to-subs deployment ratios, depending on the type or style of music: two-to-one for pop music, one-to-one for rock and one-to-two for reggae and rap. This was as complicated as subwoofer math initially got.

DEI Law Prompts School to Cancel 'Little Shop of Horrors'

www.mediaite.com: A suburban Dallas school district claimed a state law that references “social transitioning” prompted it to cancel a high school production of Little Shop of Horrors after a female student was cast in the role of Seymour, the nerdy flower shop assistant at the center of the tale.

ANNIE to Offer Sensory-Friendly Performance at Goodspeed

BroadwayWorld: To make live theatre accessible to all, Goodspeed Musicals will be offering a special Sensory-Friendly Performance for the 50th Anniversary production of Annie on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 6:30 p.m. The Tony-winning musical made its pre-Broadway premiere at The Goodspeed in 1976 and now makes its triumphant return to The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Conn.

Sparks Audio Launches New ClipMap For Pro Tools Workflows

ProSoundWeb: The macOS and Windows application reads .ptx files directly, allowing users to access session content without Pro Tools installed. ClipMap can open multiple sessions in browser-style tabs, enabling engineers, mixers and editors to compare mixes, locate alternate takes and retrieve sound effects or other material without repeatedly switching between projects.

Jimmy Awards set 2027 date

www.broadwaynews.com: The Broadway League Foundation has announced the date and venue for the 18th annual Jimmy Awards, which celebrate the achievements of high school musical theater students across the country. The ceremony will take place on June 21, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre.

Los Angeles Film and TV Shoot Days Keep Plunging As Officials Scramble

www.hollywoodreporter.com: L.A. saw a nearly 5 percent drop in shoot days from June to September compared to the same period last year and an 11 percent drop compared to the previous quarter, according to the latest report from permitting office FilmLA issued on Wednesday. The total is 36 percent below the five-year average, highlighting the fierce competition between states and other countries to host Hollywood.

How Netflix's 'East of Eden' Dressed Good and Evil, According to the Costume Designer

www.esquire.com: “There’s more beauty in the truth, even if it is dreadful beauty,” John Steinbeck writes in his sprawling California epic East of Eden. It’s an idea that runs through the biblically inspired 1952 novel: what lies beneath the surface will, eventually, find a way out.

How many shots are in the average movie today?

stephenfollows.com: Last night I had the absolute pleasure of watching American Graffiti (1973) at the ActOne Cinema in Acton, and then listening to Mark Kermode quiz Walter Murch about how he built its sound. Murch edited Apocalypse Now and The English Patient, and he wrote In the Blink of an Eye, which is probably the best book there is on film editing.

Immersive Displays: ClearLED Powers 360° Research Environment In Bristol

invidis: The University of Bristol’s Digital Futures Institute (BDFI) has installed a custom 360-degree LED display as part of its Reality Emulator, an immersive research environment designed to visualize complex datasets, simulations and virtual worlds.

What Is Non-Literal Casting, and When Is It Okay?

AMERICAN THEATRE: A central idea we’ve found ourselves contemplating at Cherry is that of authenticity. Alongside the three pillars—diversity, equity, and inclusion—that organizations throughout our society are working (with varying degrees of real commitment) to adopt, the casting world often adds “authenticity” as a fourth. (The website of the U.S.’s most significant casting service leads with “Breakdown Services champions authenticity and diversity in casting.”)

'Verity' Costume Designer on Dakota Johnson & Anne Hathaway Looks

Marie Claire: Verity, the Amazon MGM Studios adaptation of Colleen Hoover's popular psychological thriller, became a fashion film the moment that Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson joined the cast as Verity and Lowen, respectively. Costume designer Jacqueline Demeterio used that to her advantage.

Three Dramatic Writing Alumni with Pittsburgh Productions

CMU Drama: This season, three alumni of the School of Drama’s Dramatic Writing program are returning to Pittsburgh with productions at three different professional theater companies, bringing their distinctive voices, creative vision, and years of professional experience back to the city where their journeys began.

When Will Women of Color in Leadership Be Enough for the Theater Community?

kaylakimvotapek.substack.com: It has officially been one year since I stepped into my first-ever role as an Executive Director of a national organization. A position that so many producers and arts manager spent their entire careers dreaming about becoming. I know, because I was one of them.

Before Wicker the Movie, Did You Know There Was a Wicker Husband Musical?

Playbill: Wicker the movie—starring Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, and Peter Dinklage—is out October 23 and already, early reviews are calling it "the horniest, most tender film of the year." We at Playbill know all about falling in love with a man made of straw—we do support the ending of the Wicked musical after all.

Feature: EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT Brings San Francisco's Fillmore District to Life at SFBATCO

BroadwayWorld: San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company (SFBATCO) is celebrating the rich cultural history of the city's Fillmore District with the world premiere of Every Saturday Night (A Harlem of the West Musical).

Should Workers Get to Bargain on AI?

Asian Pacific Post: There’s an argument playing out at bargaining tables across the province. Crystal Braunwarth, co-chair of the BC Federation of Labour’s AI committee, says unions across British Columbia are hearing workers voice their concerns about artificial intelligence entering the workplace.

Festival at UT Austin to Honor Terrence McNally’s New-Play Legacy

AMERICAN THEATRE: The Terrence McNally Foundation, in partnership with Texas Performing Arts, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and Rattlestick Theater, has announced the Terrence McNally Festival, a pop-up festival that will run Jan. 29-31, 2027, in Austin. The three-day festival will bring together distinguished theatre artists, emerging playwrights, and leading scholars for a weekend of performances, new play readings, and academic exploration.