Audience member faints on opening night of London play during graphic scene

The Independent: The opening night performance of Cleansed at London’s Almeida Theatre saw Sarah Kane’s provocative play live up to its reputation – with one audience member fainting during a graphic scene. First staged in 1998, Cleansed is one of five plays by the late playwright Kane, who died by suicide in 1999 at the age of 28. It is noteworthy for its visceral violence, prolonged nudity, and dark themes.

Dallas Theater Center to merge with AT&T Performing Arts Center

CultureMap Dallas: Two of the most prominent arts groups in Dallas, AT&T Performing Arts Center and Dallas Theater Center, are exploring a merger that they say would expand theater programming, arts education, and support for local artists while keeping both institutions' artistic identities intact.

Live Nation gives first look at Citizens Live at the Wylie as construction continues

WTAE: Soon, Pittsburghers will have a new place to watch concerts, comedy shows, and other live performances when Citizens Live at the Wylie opens Oct. 1. On Tuesday, Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 was invited inside for a first look at the construction progress.

A movement may be over. But nonprofit theatre lives.

hesherman1.substack.com: It hurt. As someone whose career began in and was nurtured by not-for-profit theatre, Oskar Eustis’ declaration last week, “I think the American nonprofit theater movement is over,” hit me and many others like a ton of bricks.

36 women+ playwrights commissioned to create new plays examining the current state of democracy in America

www.whatsonstage.com: A new initiative will bring together 36 acclaimed women+ playwrights from across the world, with each creating ten-minute plays that respond to shared questions about the state of democracy in America.

Public media survives first year since Congress and Trump killed funding

NPR: A year ago, President Trump drove a conservative backlash against NPR and PBS straight to Capitol Hill, where Congress stripped public radio and television stations of nearly all federal funding. When his signature turned that bill into law, Trump ended nearly six decades of bipartisan support for funding public media.

A Homegrown Model: Adult Film’s Evolution from Basement to Backyard to Beyond

The Brooklyn Rail: In the tight confines of a basement in Ridgewood, ten acting students swirled around each other, muttering lines from the plays of Tennessee Williams. “Too loud,” announced Ryan Czerwonko, the class’s instructor and artistic director of the DIY-theater and training company Adult Film. “Whisper.”

Song, Stage & Screen 2026: Musical Theater Conference

gordoncox.substack.com: An annual event organized by the International Society for the Study of Musicals, the 2026 edition of Song, Stage & Screen brought together about 100 scholars from 17 countries and five continents. (This year the conference was held online; next year’s is in Sydney.) The 2026 theme, “Musicals Everywhere,” invited participants to look at musicals through a global lens—which explains how this journalist ended up getting asked to give a keynote alongside professors and grad students from across the globe.

Kids' Night on Broadway Sets August Return; 21 Shows Are Participating

Playbill: Kids' Night on Broadway, a program of The Broadway League that sends kids 18 and under to Broadway shows for free as long as they're accompanied by a full-paying adult, will return August 25.

Interview: Department Chair Robert Caisley On the University of Idaho's Distance-Based M.F.A. in Theatre Arts

www.broadwayworld.com: The University of Idaho Department of Theatre Arts offers a distance-based M.F.A. in Theatre Arts geared toward Working Theatre professionals and seasoned educators. The 60-credit program can be completed in three years, or fewer through an M.A. to M.F.A. conversion option, and offers both synchronous and asynchronous coursework so students can continue working within their local theatre communities while earning their degree.

How a Romare Bearden Masterpiece Inspired August Wilson

The New York Times: The playwright August Wilson, a Pulitzer Prize winner for “Fences” and “The Piano Lesson,” drew inspiration from the piece for “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” a standout in his 10-play Century Cycle, focused on the residents of the predominantly Black Hill District in Pittsburgh.

On-Set Visual Effects Workers on Star Wars Productions Join IATSE

IATSE: A group of U.S. visual effects workers engaged directly by Star Wars franchise productions has joined the IATSE for collective bargaining purposes. The new bargaining unit includes U.S. workers who contribute to titles including, but not limited to: The Mandalorian & Grogu, Ahsoka, and Starfighter.

AI-powered drill press

Woodworking Network: According to the company, the SNIPER is designed to eliminate time-consuming manual alignment by using its Sniper Vision Targeting System to identify the intended drilling point and automatically position the spindle over the target.

Ryan Murphy to Receive Norman Lear Award at Showrunners Breakfast

variety.com: Variety‘s annual Showrunners Breakfast will return on August 14, featuring two spotlight conversations with a curated group of this year’s Emmy-nominated showrunners, plus the Norman Lear Creative Conscious Award presentation to Ryan Murphy.

Anti-Leatherman plier multitool hails from German legacy knifemaker

newatlas.com: When it comes to plier multitools, the classic Leatherman family has served as the de facto format for over 40 years, sometimes even working as a proprietary eponym. But it's not the only style of plier-equipped multitool out there, as German legacy knifemaker Böker reminds with the new Naturensöhne MK II NXT, a streamlined multitool that takes on a single-handle format more similar to a Swiss Army knife. It's built to travel swiftly and lightly across the great outdoors, slicing, sawing and cranking its weight's worth when things need to get done, and done right.

Trump Gutted the Kennedy Center. A Tour Guide Wants You to See It Anyway.

The New York Times: Some days no one turns up for a tour at all. Most days there are only a few, including those curious about all the reports of ruin. When people do come, what do they see?

SDCC Stunner: Hall H On Borrowed Time?

www.forbes.com: As San Diego Comic-Con 2026 wound down on Sunday, the organizers dropped a bombshell at the annual “Comic-Con Talkback Panel,” a forum for attendees to ask questions and vent grievances about the show. As fan after fan raised issues about getting into Hall H, the fabled 7,500 seat auditorium where the biggest studios make their biggest announcements during the show, Comic-Con Chief Communication and Strategy Officer David Glanzer made a seemingly offhand remark that raised eyebrows around the room.

Study Reveals That Creativity Has Been Declining Since the 1990s

mymodernmet.com: While both intelligence (IQ) and creativity (CQ) scores were climbing in the U.S. before 1990, creativity has since taken an alarming downward turn. Research by Kyung Hee Kim, a professor at William & Mary University, found that imaginative creativity for both children and adults has declined significantly over the past few decades.

Flexible PCBs: Not Only For The Few

Hackaday: Flexible printed circuit boards are a fascinating technique for making electronics venture beyond the two-dimensional, but surprisingly they’re not something many of us have worked with. [Jessica Stanley] gave a talk at the recent Electromagnetic Field event in the UK, exploring the different ways to make your electronics bend.

Interactive experience and gaming brand Time Mission announces 15+ location expansion for 2027

InPark Magazine: Time Mission, the social gaming location-based entertainment (LBE) brand, announced plans for its most ambitious expansion to date, with 15 to 20 new locations planned for 2027 and six venues currently under construction across the United States and Europe.

The New Hazlett Theater Has Announced Its First Artistic Director

Table Magazine: Melissa Cardello-Linton, a Pittsburgh native who spent the early part of her career working in live performance in New York, has been named the Artistic Director of the North Side theater. It’s a first for the institution; in the 20 years since the New Hazlett Theater became its own organization, it has never had an Artistic Director.

Trump Orders Warnings Placed at ‘Inaccurate’ Smithsonian History Museum

The New York Times: President Trump on Friday ordered warning signs and exhibits installed outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to alert the public that the museum does not, in his view, accurately reflect American history.

New Hazlett makes big changes amid thorny theatrical landscape

Pittsburgh City Paper | News, Dining, Music, Best Of, Arts, Film: In the wake of a rocky year for some of Pittsburgh’s largest theater companies, the New Hazlett Theater is staking its future on locally produced work. The North Side theater announced the appointment of Melissa Cardello-Linton as the company’s first-ever artistic director as well as the launch of a new program aimed at local, original show production.

Portland mayor supports PSU performing arts center, smaller Keller

Oregon ArtsWatch: The lengthy behind-closed-door deliberations about the future of the Keller Auditorium are finally about to go public, and likely spark even more conflict over whether to replace the downtown performing arts center with a new, city-owned venue at Portland State University.

Award-winning theatre to see at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026

www.whatsonstage.com: A whole host of performers will be arriving in Edinburgh next month as the Festival Fringe kicks off. Among them will be a variety of award winners and newcomers, all looking to show off their latest work to audiences. These are just some of the shows that have already received a stamp of approval.

Best AI Tools for Event Planning (2026)

www.asianefficiency.com: For curated, invite-only events, Luma builds the cleanest event pages and handles guest management end to end. For large public events where discovery matters, Eventbrite’s built-in audience and multiple ticket tiers do more work. Canva handles the visuals, ChatGPT does the planning and strategy, and Notion tracks every detail in between — a full stack that runs about $10/month beyond the tools you already pay for.

Deaf West Theatre to Host First-Ever New York City Gala

www.broadwayworld.com: Deaf West Theatre will present The 35th Anniversary Gala – One Night in New York on Monday, September 28 at Joe’s Pub, honoring Academy Award-winning actor Troy Kotsur, five-time Tony Award-winning producer Eva Price, and Tony Award-winning directors Bill Rauch & Zhailon Levingston.

Judge Extends Pause on Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger for Extra 14 Days

variety.com: Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin is scheduled to hold a hearing on Aug. 3 on a request for a preliminary injunction that would block the deal indefinitely. Paramount is asking for additional time to make its case against the injunction.

Blog: RAGTIME's Immigrant Heritage Night Was 'Fuel to Keep Engaging in the Fight'

www.broadwayworld.com: Just last month, the Vivian Beaumont Theatre hosted a special event in recognition of National Immigrant Heritage Month. On June 23, Lincoln Center Theater honored a remarkable group of visionary leaders for a special evening at Ragtime to celebrate the extraordinary ways immigrants have shaped – and continue to shape – the cultural, intellectual, and civic fabric of this country.

Bosch 12V Max Cordless Pocket Drill

Tested and Reviewed by Popular Mechanics: Bosch has an established reputation for making cordless drills that are small yet capable of handling their fair share of fasteners. (The brand also makes the miter saw we recommend for most people.) Such is the case with the Bosch 12V Max Two-Speed Pocket Drill/Driver, the brand’s most diminutive cordless drill. I spent several weeks testing this drill, using it to handle odd jobs around my house and running it through a series of driving and drilling trials.

‘SUFFS’ Tony-Nominated Director Leigh Silverman

onStage Pittsburgh: Two-time Tony nominee Leigh Silverman carved out time in her very busy schedule on the eve of SUFFS arrival in Pittsburgh Tuesday to talk about the touring musical, its significance, and the state of theater in the United States. Silverman should know.

Boundary Problems

The Theatre Times: For the second time in two years, a flashy, big-budget Romeo and Juliet has opened in New York that’s so bent on pleasing one particular target audience with shallowly conceived staging gimmicks that its storytelling is hopelessly muddled.

Oskar Eustis Is Stepping Down From the Public Theater

The New York Times: Oskar Eustis has been running theaters his entire adult life. He co-founded one, called Red Wing, when he was 17. He has led companies in Zurich (Das Labor), San Francisco (Eureka), Los Angeles (Mark Taper Forum), and Providence (Trinity Rep). And, for the last 21 years, he has been the artistic director of the Public Theater in New York, stewarding Free Shakespeare in the Park, nurturing “Hamilton” and becoming one of the most influential figures in the American theater.

Live Nation’s $2.4M California Wage Settlement Covers More Than 16,000 Workers

TicketNews: Live Nation Worldwide and HOB Entertainment have agreed to pay $2.4 million to resolve a proposed class action alleging the companies failed to properly compensate thousands of hourly and nonexempt employees in California.

RWS Global delivers new shows to Holland America Line’s Oosterdam

InPark Magazine: Four new shows are taking center stage on Holland America Line‘s Oosterdam, expanding the cruise line’s entertainment lineup with fresh productions and collaborations. The four original shows were created exclusively for Holland America Line in partnership with RWS Global. One of the debuts includes a new rock show created by RWS Global in collaboration with Rolling Stone: “Holland America Line and Rolling Stone Present, All Access: The Songs That Shaped Us.”