Photos: A New Cats Takes the Stage in London

Playbill: London's new reimagined revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats is at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre ahead of a U.K. tour, and Playbill has a first look at the production, directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie (Jesus Christ Superstar, King Kong).

A History of the Wildest Sneakers and Streetwear Pieces Worn by Superheroes and Villains in Film

www.complex.com: There’s a long history of onscreen adaptations of legendary comic book characters wearing streetwear and sneakers, starting as far back as Michael Keaton in Batman Returns (1992), long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe became a thing. Whether it be custom pieces produced by major brands for the movie, or a sly incorporation of existing pieces into costume design, superhero movies frequently have something there for the sneakerheads and streetwear fans.

What will hi-fi look like in 2076? We asked some of the most influential experts in the industry

What Hi-Fi?: As celebrating milestone anniversaries typically involves reflecting on the early years, it’s only natural that, as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations this year, we have backpedalled to the ’70s with the dedication of a Led Zeppelin documentary.

Review Roundup: Andrew Stein's DISRUPTION Opens Off-Broadway

www.broadwayworld.com: Disruption, a new play by Andrew Stein, directed by Hersh Ellis, just opened at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center.

How the War Changed the Way I Work with Teenagers in Theatre

HowlRound Theatre Commons: For more than ten years, I worked in Ukraine’s extracurricular arts education system. Unlike in the United States, where art education is often integrated into schools, Ukraine has a separate network of public educational institutions under the Ministry of Education and Science that provides art education after the regular school day. I worked at the largest extracurricular arts center in Dnipro, one of Ukraine’s longest-established institutions of its kind, with a history spanning nearly ninety years.

'Heated Rivalry' Sets Hard Line With Fans While Filming Season 2

www.thewrap.com: In an Instagram message to the gay romance drama’s fevered fanbase on Tuesday, production company Accent Aigu Entertainment thanked viewers for their continued support into Season 2 of the surprise hit while drawing a hard line with in-person disruptions to filming.

Handling The Weird Things: Designing The Special Effects For Beetlejuice

Live Design Online: Beetlejuice, which has been delighting audiences from Broadway to the West End and all across America, is a showcase not just for its talented cast and creatives but for the zany tricks and special effects that make life in the Netherworld so engaging for audiences. The special effects designer for the show, Jeremy Chernick, has worked on more than fifty Broadway productions and on theatre, opera, dance and immersive experiences.

Change Arts Launching Queer Theatre Festival on Fire Island

Playbill: CHANGE Arts is launching an annual queer theatre festival that will bring new plays, readings, and other special events to Fire Island, with events planned both in Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. The inaugural Fire Island Theater Festival will be held September 23-27.

Feature: Indonesian Musical Theater: 2026 Overview (Part 1)

www.broadwayworld.com: Indonesia has a long history of theatrical forms that integrate musical elements to the performance. From traditional art forms such as Lenong and Ludruk, to the birth of Komedie Stamboel during the colonial era, up to the modern influence of American musical theater, thespians throughout the nation have always been exploring how music can add another layer to theatrical works.

My agonizing (and relieving) decision to leave DC theater

DC Theater Arts: There may be a few days in your life when you get everything you want. Those days feel immediately bittersweet; a new dream blossoms, but an older dream has to wilt and perish. This past March, I had one of those days. It was an overcast Tuesday. I’d gotten up early to take an Amtrak from NYC to DC, and on my taxi ride back to Virginia, I saw I’d missed a call from a Connecticut phone number. This was a promising sign. In February, the David Geffen School of Drama (DGSD) at Yale had flown me up to New Haven, where the staff of the Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism M.F.A. program interviewed me.

Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter Thoughts On Artificial Intelligence

brobible.com: Nothing has received more attention in recent years than artificial intelligence. Nada. Every single day there are new stories proclaiming ways AI will fundamentally alter the ways in which we live our lives and inhabit the earth. The industry is predicted to reach a $3.6 trillion valuation within the next seven years.

‘Worlds of Fun' Workers Vote Overwhelmingly to Join IATSE Local 31 in Kansas City

IATSE: In a victory for entertainment workers in the region, employees at Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City voted 21–1 on July 7, 2026 to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 31. The newly formed bargaining unit covers 37 workers across Technical Services, Wardrobe and Stitchers, Costumes, and Creative Services.

Guerrilla Recording Is As Simple As One, Two… Eight?

ProSoundWeb: Guerrilla = Someone who operates in an independent and irregular manner. Often a guerrilla is not well funded, and must make do with limited resources without making compromises in quality and effectiveness. Guerrilla Recording = Recording in an independent and irregular manner using limited resources without making compromises in quality and effectiveness.

Anna D. Shapiro Named Dean and Director of Juilliard Drama Division

Playbill: Tony-winning director Anna D. Shapiro has been named the next Richard Rodgers dean and director of Juilliard's Drama Division. Shapiro, who will lead Juilliard's actor and playwright training programs, will meet with students, faculty, and staff at the start of the new academic year in September. Following a period of transition, she will begin her full-time tenure July 1, 2027.

EDINBURGH 2026: ELF LYONS Q&A

www.broadwayworld.com: BWW catches up with Elf Lyons to chat about bringing Elf Lyons is The Woman On The Edge to the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Antitrust Trial Set for March 2027

www.thewrap.com: The Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger’s legal battle with a group of 12 state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America is headed to court, with an antitrust trial set for March 2027 — and a corresponding ticking fee of $1.06 billion.

Kim Taylor-Coleman Re-Elected President of Academy Foundation Board

www.indiewire.com: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday continued its string of annual election announcements, this time sharing that casting director Kim Taylor-Coleman was re-elected president of the Academy Foundation Board.

Mark Fleischer Exits Along With Pittsburgh CLO: 'It's Been an Honor to Work Here'

onstagepittsburgh.com: As Mark Fleischer says goodbye to Pittsburgh, his work home for the past 12 years, longer than any other, he is leaving with pride mingled with the same frustration and anticipation many of us are feeling, as Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera is no more.

Interview: Spotlight on Des Moines Playhouse

www.broadwayworld.com: It's hard to believe that August is already here, and with that comes a new season of shows at our local theatres. As I contemplated how to shine a light on our local theatres this season, the first idea was to do a series of spotlights on each theatre. The questions I decided to use look at what each theatre brings to the community, what a person can do if ticket pricing is an issue, and, with funding for the arts going down, how people can support these theatres.

International Schools Dominate Student Academy Awards

www.thewrap.com: Film schools from outside the United States dominated the 2026 Student Academy Awards, which announced its list of winners on Wednesday. Schools from Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom won nine of the 12 awards, with the U.S. schools that once won the lion’s share of awards earning two wins in the documentary category and one in alternative-experimental.

Rocky Horror Show musical director sent threats to self to end production and avoid cast drama

Boing Boing: You'd think someone involved in The Rocky Horror Show couldn't get enough drama. But the musical director of a production in Vermont got so fed up with cast theatrics that he sent a series of threats to himself in a successful effort to shut the show down. Kenneth Grenier, 26, of Hyde Park, was cited for making false reports, according to Essex police.

Beth Leavel Will Be Inducted Into Muny Hall of Fame

www.broadwayworld.com: Tony Award winner Beth Leavel, who stars as Katie Connelly in the Muny production of Meet Me In St. Louis, will be inducted into the Muny Hall of Fame, honoring her contributions in more than a dozen Muny productions over four decades.

Interview: Faeron Wheeler of ONE-ACT PLAY FESTIVAL at The Masque Theatre

www.broadwayworld.com: We’ve been building the Festival each year, getting smoother and smoother with our operations. This is obviously great for the entire production team! I also think that we have really hit our stride with the range of scripts that were available to choose from for the Festival. The variety in this year’s lineup is wonderful - something for everyone.

Lollapalooza 2026: Year of the Flood Review

consequence.net: Festivals are concerts on Hard Mode. Acoustics and attention work differently outdoors, distractions abound, and no matter who you’re seeing, most of the crowd probably came to see someone else. Veteran performers of coffee shops and clubs are met for the first time by indifference, and they can surprise themselves by leveling up — or bombing — in ways they never imagined. And sometimes it rains.

Ballet Preljocaj Upgrades to ETC Halcyon Titanium Ultra Bright Moving Lights

LightSoundJournal.com: Ballet Preljocaj, one of Europe’s most prestigious contemporary dance companies, has selected ETC Halcyon Titanium Ultra Bright moving heads to modernize its lighting inventory and transition from legacy HMI technology to LED. Following a comprehensive market comparison, the company identified the Halcyon series as the ideal solution to meet the rigorous demands of its international touring productions.

Feature: GIRLSTORIES LEADERSHIP THEATRE at Powerstories Theatre

www.broadwayworld.com: Powerstories Theatre is thrilled to announce the return of its presidentially-recognized Girlstories Leadership Theatre, launching a new season in September 2026 with renewed vision and inspiring leadership.

What's the ONE Exhibit Tool You Can't Work Without?

ExhibiTricks: The Museum Exhibit Design Blog: There's that old party game where somebody asks, "If you were stranded on a desert island and could bring only one book (or album, or snack), what would it be?" I've always thought exhibit developers deserve our own version.

What Does Christopher Nolan Think About Film Criticism?

brobible.com: Christopher Nolan took a cutting shot at film criticism during his promotional tour for The Odyssey. According to Nolan, the belief that identifying a storytelling mechanism therefore invalidates it has become a “fundamental flaw” in modern criticism.

Maxi Gilbert Selects 67 Claypaky HY B-EYE K25s for La Oreja de Van Gogh Tour

LightSoundJournal.com: For the new tour by Spanish pop icons La Oreja de Van Gogh, Lighting Designer Maxi Gilbert chose 67 Claypaky HY B-EYE K25 fixtures, placing them at the very core of his technical design. The production deliberately prioritizes light over LED walls to shape the stage architecture and drive the show’s visual narrative.

Pledge-of-Support Partners Make Donations at USITT 2026

Behind the Scenes: Behind the Scenes was honored to receive generous contributions from five Pledge-of-Support Partners during special check presentations at the 2026 United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Conference & Stage Expo in Long Beach, California.

The Day I Pleated With Iris van Herpen

hyperallergic.com: “Hands are like a language,” Iris van Herpen says as we pleat a textile together inside the recreated atelier at the center of Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses. “Each pair that joins me in creating this dress will influence the DNA of the garment.” A first of its kind, the live installation at the Brooklyn Museum invites visitors to work alongside the Dutch fashion designer in creating a garment that will evolve over the course of the show’s run.

Immersive Horror Play 'A Ghost in Your Ear' Sets New York Premiere

variety.com: Jamie Armitage‘s immersive horror show “A Ghost in Your Ear” has set its New York premiere at Audible‘s off-Broadway Minetta Lane Theatre following a sold-out London run earlier this year.

Variety's New Leaders: Class of 2026

variety.com: Leadership can mean leveraging one success to create the next — and navigating hundreds of crucial steps in between. It can also mean being the best team player you can be, finding the right story, signing the right client, packaging the right product or developing the right promotional campaign.

Guest Column: The Fee You Didn't Know You Were Paying

Event Marketer: Open the exhibitor services manual for your next show and scroll past the carpet and the electrical order forms. Somewhere in the labor section sits a line item called the EAC fee. It is sometimes listed at upwards of $350. At some shows it is charged more than once for the same contractor. Very few exhibitors can explain what they are buying.

'Come From Away,' the Acclaimed Musical About a Small Town’s Response to 9/11, Gets Its First Pittsburgh Production

Table Magazine: When the United States closed its airspace on September 11, 2001, thousands of planes had to land — and, in the confusion and shock of the moment, it didn’t matter much where. Hundreds of planes found the nearest available airport or made for regional hubs; about 240 were diverted into Canada.