Paint Quality Tiers Explained: Is Premium Paint Worth It?

www.familyhandyman.com: Paint pros explain what changes between budget, mid-tier, and premium paint, plus when paying more can actually make sense for a project. Anyone who’s ever ordered from a paint counter has probably faced the same paint quality question: good, better, or best?

Over $900M requested through BlackRock Future Builders program, skilled trades demand grows

Woodworking Network: The first national Request for Proposals (RFP) from BlackRock Future Builders has closed after drawing more than 1,000 applications from organizations across the country, highlighting the growing demand for resources that help connect more Americans to skilled trades careers.

Review: Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s “Ballet Under the Stars” is the Perfect End-of-Summer Family Event

onStage Pittsburgh: Although Taylor Swift declared that August “slips away like a bottle of wine,” the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater proved that there is still much enjoyment to be had before the sun sets on another summer season. The Pittsburgh Ballet Theater principal dancers and troupe members took the stage at Hartwood Acres Sunday night for their annual end-of-summer showcase entitled Ballet Under the Stars. Folding chairs and blankets adorned the lawn as audience members of all ages gathered for this beautiful tradition.

Seattle Opera to Host Annual Opera Center Open House This September

OperaWire: Seattle Opera and Classical KING FM will host their annual Opera Center Open House on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Opera Center. The free event invites the public behind the scenes of both organizations, with live performances, facility tours, hands-on activities, and appearances by community partners throughout the afternoon.

Connecting the dots—the Benefits of Collaborative Set Design

TDF: When the pandemic disrupted life, especially in the theatre, three set designers embarked on a remarkable collaboration that jump-started their careers post-shutdown. In 2020, Andrew Moerdyk, Kimie Nishikawa and Santiago Orjuela-Laverde, immigrants from South Africa, Japan and Colombia respectively, formed the NYC-based collective dots. The lowercase moniker, as per Moerdyk, signifies “how many individual dots/points/pixels come together to form a single beautiful image.”

Harvard's American Repertory Theater puts on revival of Ionesco's 'Rhinoceros'

NPR: The American Repertory Theater at Harvard University premiers a revival of Eugène Ionesco's landmark play, "Rhinoceros." NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks to director Diane Paulus and actor John Turturro.

Dolly Parton Turned Down Elvis. That May Have Been Her Smartest Move

www.hollywoodreporter.com: There’s a famous story in industry lore about how, back in the ‘70s, Elvis Presley’s team had come to Parton with an offer for The King to cover “I Will Always Love You.” It was a potentially life-changing offer, even for an already famous Parton, to have one of the world’s most beloved artists turn a song she’d written into a likely smash hit. But it came with strings attached: While Elvis didn’t write a word of the song, his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded he get 50 percent of the publishing credit.

XReal Xbx a01+ Review: Affordable AR Glasses Bring A Portable Theater To The Masses

www.slashgear.com: It would not be hyperbole to say that XReal glasses have been an absolute game changer for me. I travel a lot for work, and travel (in-car, in-airplane, or otherwise) also tends to be downtime. Spending hours in a small seat, designed for people much smaller than my 270-pound frame, means that I often cannot spend that time doing anything productive, which is to say, I can't just pop open a laptop and do some writing while flying across the Atlantic Ocean.

Inside 'The Shards' 1980s TV Dance Off With Homer Gere, Kaia Gerber

www.hollywoodreporter.com: Midway through this season of The Shards, the Ryan Murphy adaptation veered sharply away from its Bret Easton Ellis-penned source material and onto the dance floor. The set was inspired by 1980s teen dance shows like Dance Party USA, a cable phenomenon that aired weekdays from 1986-1992. The Shards devoted an entire episode — titled “Murder on the Dance Floor” — to recreating this genre when it dropped its starry ensemble played by Igby Rigney, Homer Gere, Kaia Gerber, Hayes Warner, Graham Campbell and Daniel Day onto Murphy’s recreated stage, where jealousy, an on-set brawl and, eventually, a murder overshadowed the competition’s final results (Susan, Gerber’s character, was the dancing winner; much to the dismay of her best friend, played by Warner).

5 Best Musicals to See During NYC Broadway Week

www.timeout.com: The only thing better than seeing live theater is seeing live theater without going into debt for it. As that is an increasingly rare circumstance, things like NYC Broadway Week take on added heft. Like Restaurant Week or Black Friday sales, this is the chance to tell yourself you're losing money if you don't buy 2-for-1 tickets to 25 Broadway shows. That's just math.

State cultural agencies launch online survey to help measure size and needs of Oregon’s creative sector

Oregon ArtsWatch: According to the two organizations, the findings will inform a statewide analysis of the creative economy and help identify opportunities to strengthen Oregon’s creative industries and cultural organizations. Creative activities include arts and culture, music, film, media, design, publishing, heritage and preservation, culinary arts, and related fields.

JCPS confirms ‘Ragtime’ production not canceled, apologizes for miscommunication to students

www.wave3.com: Jefferson County Public Schools issued a response after posts on social media claimed a production by duPont Manual High School’s Youth Performing Arts School was canceled. A video posted on TikTok by the page “SaveRagtime502” claiming the production had been canceled has received more than 231,500 likes and 11,100 shares. The video claims the cast and crew received word from JCPS that the production was canceled because the “material would offend too many members of our community.”

National Endowment for the Arts chair visits Portland; Kennedy Center funding plummets

Oregon ArtsWatch: While the Trump Administration has been busily slashing national spending on arts and culture and waging something of a cultural war against “woke” art — see the State Department’s move to sell off a “woke” painting by Kehinde Wiley, the artist who painted former President Barack Obama’s official portrait — Mary Anne Carter, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, has been touring cities nationally this summer, visiting with arts leaders and getting a feel for the lay of the cultural land.

Underbelly's Big Brain Tumour Benefit Raises £20,000 for Cancer Research

www.broadwayworld.com: Underbelly's 8th Annual Big Brain Tumour Benefit has raised £20,000 for Professor Richard Gilbertson's lab at The Cancer Research Centre in Cambridge, helping to fund new treatments for the most aggressive forms of brain tumours in children.

‘Lanterns’ Stunt Coordinator Breaks Down Episode 2's Highway Chase

www.forbes.com: Lanterns episode 2, “Trust Fall,” sees John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) attempt to escape alien captors on the highway while maintaining custody of Hal’s (Kyle Chandler) lantern and trying to keep his conjured bird alive.

TITANIQUE Will Host Fan Night With Giveaways, Sing-Alongs, and More

www.broadwayworld.com: Titanique on Broadway will host a special Fan Night on Thursday, August 27th at 7:30 PM. In celebration of its final weeks on Broadway, and worldwide success, "TI-STAN-IQUE FAN NIGHT” will feature surprise guest appearances, a giveaway-prize-a-palooza, a sing-along extravaganza, and a special performance for fans dressed in their Titanique best.

Has Broadway lost its way?

It's Been a Minute : NPR: Actors are performing some of the most demanding shows in Broadway history, but the take-home pay isn't quite matching up. Meanwhile, producers are facing skyrocketing costs and shrinking margins. And I don't see anyone jumping for joy at how high these ticket prices have gotten. Is Broadway at the risk of taking its final bow? To understand whether or not Broadway is broken or maybe just broke, I'm here with Broadway Sensitivity Specialist Ann James and entertainment lawyer and Broadway producer Marc Hershberg.

Most Importantly, The Child Should Experience How Theatre Can Make Kindness, Patience, Courage And Curiosity Matter

The Theatre Times: Laouni Bellil (Mascara, Algeria) is an emerging talented – theatre actor, storyteller and director specializing in children’s theatre, puppetry and storytelling. He holds a B.A. and M.A. from the Drama Academy at the University of Oran, where his artistic and academic work focused on the development and direction of puppet theatre for young audiences. Over the past decade, he has led and facilitated numerous theatre workshops for children across Algeria, including in Oran, Algiers, Mascara and Adrar.

Village Theatre Box Office and Front-of-House Workers Unanimously Join IATSE Local 15

IATSE: 13 Box Office and Front-of-House workers at the Village Theatre’s Issaquah and Everett locations have voted unanimously to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 15.

Interview with Taiwanese Playwright Yu-Hsuan Chou

thetheatretimes.com: Even with solid training in xiqu, or Chinese opera, Yu-Hsuan Chou tried to leave traditions behind when she first entered contemporary theatre. “I was there to learn how to write musicals. What’s the point of returning to the old stuff?” Yet, unlearning might not be the most clever move for her, in hindsight, since her plays are often praised for their capacity to reinvent old forms in new styles. “Why did I want to tie my own hands then?” she asks self-deprecatingly.

Sue Frost discusses industry challenges, new approaches and her key to selling word-of-mouth shows

www.broadwaynews.com: As a young girl, Sue Frost fell in love with musicals on television. “‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Cinderella’ and then there was ‘Funny Girl,’” Frost remembered. She didn’t grow up in a theatrical household. Frost essentially found her love for theater — and what would become her career — flipping through channels.

TCG to Publish Flynn Center, Blackburn Prize’s ‘Women+ On the Edge of Democracy’

AMERICAN THEATRE: The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Vermont has announced that Theatre Communications Group will publish Women+ on the Edge of Democracy, an anthology of more than 30 short plays and monologues from prominent women+ playwrights commissioned as a reflection on the state of democracy in America during the country’s semiquincentennial year. This project is in partnership with the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the largest and oldest international playwriting prize celebrating women+ playwrights. The anthology will be available for pre-order in September, and will be published on Nov. 3.

The Kind Mind Uses Arts Education to Make Space for Mental Health Conversations

Playbill: As Remi Bader spoke about her experience with mental health, Maya Days reached over and touched her arm. It was a small gesture, but for Stacie Karp Weisbrot, founder of The Kind Mind, it captured much of what she hopes the organization can create: a space where people can speak honestly about difficult experiences and find connection in the process.

Why This "Radically Reimagined Revival" of a Wendy Wasserstein Play Was 30 Years in the Making

TDF: When asked what inspired her to mount the first major NYC revival of Wendy Wasserstein’s An American Daughter, producer and star Jean Lichty is blunt: “The defeats of Hillary and Kamala.” While there are better known and more beloved Wasserstein works—the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Heidi Chronicles and Uncommon Women and Others come to mind—Lichty believes An American Daughter, largely dismissed three decades ago by critics during its Broadway run at Lincoln Center Theater, speaks uncannily to this moment.

Washing strangers’ feet at Houghton Festival

Huck: It’s lunchtime on the Friday of Houghton Festival, and my thumb is in between a stranger’s toes. As I crouch down and splash water on his feet, and dust dribbles off onto a silver plate, he shows me his collection of Nintendo DS games. He’s got Mario Kart, Nintendogs and Animal Crossing, along with a host of other nostalgic classics and niche digs from the 2000s in a case that flips like a CD wallet.

Report: Developer exits Mattel theme park project in Arizona

www.themeparkinsider.com: That's the indoor amusement park that has been under construction in Glendale, Ariz. There are also plans for a second installation in the Kansas City area. But the initial Mattel Adventure Park has missed multiple expected openings since its announcement, and the entire resort project surrounding it has become, well, a topic of conversation in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Nat Geo's 'Lion' Cinematography Interview with Sophie Darlington

www.indiewire.com: We live in a world where pretty much anything can be rendered photorealistically, from animals to aliens to Avatars. That puts pressure on documentary filmmakers, especially those who focus on the natural world, to craft imagery that does more than look glossy or large-scale enough for a screensaver. Great nature docs use dynamic, idiosyncratic imagery to make us feel like we’re in nature rather than absorbing content.

Everything to Know About the New Musicals With Broadway…

www.broadwayworld.com: While plenty of Broadway icons showed up at The Festival over the weekend in Kingston, New York, there were also performances from people and works you may not know — at least not yet! During Saturday’s jam-packed lineup of programming, seven new musicals gave theater fans a taste of their show during an almost two-hour set on the Broadway Direct mainstage. Some of them are from writers who are early on in their careers, while others are by theatermakers who have already been on Broadway.

Cirque du Soleil performer sues for $16M after she breaks 11 bones in fall before Portland crowd

oregonlive.com: A Cirque du Soleil aerial acrobat who broke 11 bones after plunging to the ground in front of a stunned Portland audience in 2024 has filed a $16.75 million lawsuit against the traveling circus company — claiming that it failed to place safety mats beneath her.

Dolly Parton Musical Still Planned For Broadway 'As Was Dolly's Wish'

www.hollywoodreporter.com: The Dolly Parton musical is moving forward with previews as planned after the death of the country legend. “As was Dolly’s wish, the Broadway production of DOLLY: A True Original Musical will begin previews Dec. 7 at the St. James Theatre in New York City,” the producers said in a statement Tuesday.

Six Flags plans corporate HQ move back to original home

www.themeparkinsider.com: The company announced today that it will relocated its official corporate headquarters from Charlotte, N.C., to Arlington, Texas next year. Charlotte was the official HQ for the former Cedar Fair company, which merged with Six Flags to form today's Six Flags Entertainment Corporation.

The Wildest Sci-Fi Movie Of The Year Is Getting Released In A Ridiculous Format

www.inverse.com: Na Hong-jin’s Hope made a splash at the Cannes Film Festival, with critics praising the sci-fi action thriller’s nonstop action sequences. The movie, about a rural police chief and his rookie deputy who must defend their village from a mysterious alien creature, does suffer from dodgy CGI, but lengthy, impressive chase scenes more than make up for it.

Miss USA 2026: Wildest Outfits From the State Costume Contest

Business Insider: Despite the hiccup, the 2026 Miss USA pageant kicked off on Monday with the state costume competition. The contestants took the stage in dramatic costumes that represented their states, wearing feathers, sheer bodysuits, and daring backpieces.

Theatre Washington Announces Theatre Week 2026

AMERICAN THEATRE: Theatre Washington has today announced Theatre Week 2026, a three-week celebration of the D.C. area’s vibrant, diverse, and world-class theatre scene, which will run Sept. 24–Oct. 11. The annual event offers residents and visitors $25, $45, and $65 tickets to more than 30 productions across the region. This year’s lineup includes free performances at a metro station and an airport, opportunities to connect with the region’s theatre community and learn about advocacy, and programming to bring theatre directly to audiences across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.

Halloween Meets Día de los Muertos at Disneyland Resort

theknockturnal.com: Forget the summer heat forecast—fall has officially arrived at Disneyland Resort. This year, the season brings two distinctly different celebrations together, with Halloween Time taking over the resort through Oct. 31 and Plaza de la Familia honoring the traditions and spirit of Día de los Muertos through Nov. 2.

Dolly Parton’s Broadway Musical Will Proceed Following Her Death

www.thewrap.com: “As was Dolly’s wish, the Broadway production of ‘Dolly: A True Original Musical’ will begin previews December 7 at the St. James Theatre in New York City with opening set for January 19, 2027, what would have been her 81st birthday,” a spokesperson for the production told TheWrap on Tuesday.

Aliens at 40: from wearable cameras to exoskeletons, here are the technologies the film predicted

theconversation.com: Director James Cameron’s acclaimed sci-fi movie Aliens turns 40 in August. It’s a sequel to Ridley Scott’s claustrophobic breakout hit Alien, made in 1979. Where the original featured one terrifying creature, Cameron’s movie features hundreds – and pits them against a squad of space marines.

Exclusive: For Gus Birney, Doing a Play With Mom Constance…

www.broadwayworld.com: The mother-daughter duo is performing in the world-premiere production of Drew Larimore’s The Cannibals of McGower County, a Southern Gothic thriller playing at TheaterWorks Hartford through Sunday, August 30. It’s not the first time that Birney, 27, has performed alongside her mother, 68 — but this time feels different.

THE DANCE AND THE RAILROAD by David Henry Hwang to be…

www.broadwayworld.com: Two workers. One strike. A shared dream. Asian American theater collective Artists at Play and Latino Theater Company will reunite for their fourth collaboration in four years with a rare revival of The Dance and the Railroad, a haunting and deeply moving early work by David Henry Hwang.

Stagehand 101: Tho Shalt Not Disconnect Energized Cables

richardcadena.substack.com: When the show is over and the load out starts, the more stagehands there are, the finer the line between complete chaos and controlled chaos. It’s up to the crew chiefs to channel the energy into positive territory, but sometimes it’s like herding cats.

Trump's tariffs on Canadian plywood take effect

www.archpaper.com: The Trump administration’s tariffs on Canadian plywood and laminated veneer lumber went into effect on August 22. Softwood lumber was excluded from the tariff because it is already subject to Section 232 measures under the protectionist Tariff Act of 1930, which regulates trade between the U.S. and its neighboring countries.

Solid State Logic To Present New System T V4.3 Update At IBC 2026 In Amsterdam

ProSoundWeb: Solid State Logic (SSL) announced that it is expanding its Open Sound Control (OSC) integration as part of a V4.3 update to its System T platform at IBC 2026 at RAI Amsterdam (stand 8.B45). Providing the ability for external systems to control System T console parameters via the open and extensible OSC protocol, the upgrade gives third-party equipment seamless access to the SSL ecosystem, supporting ad hoc workflows and offering enhanced flexibility and interoperability in modern production environments.

Plays Are Meant to Be Seen, Not Heard

AMERICAN THEATRE: During my time at the MFA program that brought me to this country, professors told us to leave school with one or two “calling card” scripts that we would be confident sending out. For me, that was my play Machine Learning: It got me into The Lark’s 2018 Playwrights Week, then into festivals in New Jersey, Vermont, Texas, and San Diego, and it even won me a Princess Grace Award in 2022. But I only really saw it come to life with actors, design, and paying audiences seven years into its life, when it premiered at Central Square Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in January 2024.

American Dance Guild to Present 70th Anniversary Festival…

www.broadwayworld.com: The American Dance Guild (ADG) will commemorate its 70th anniversary with Celebrating the Past. Inspiring the Future, a four-day Performance Festival taking place Thursday, October 22 through Sunday, October 25, 2026, at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. The festival will bring together more than 30 works representing a wide range of aesthetic, cultural and generational perspectives in contemporary dance.

Why AI Filmmaking Will Fail: James Gray on Film's 'Vinyl' Retro Moment

www.indiewire.com: When it comes to AI, director James Gray doesn’t mince words. The auteur called the current push for AI-driven filmmaking “obscene,” but he told IndieWire in a recent interview he has increasingly come to believe that it is a movement that will ultimately fail.

Disneyland's Cast Members Work Behind the Scenes to Create Magic

variety.com: In a 400,000 square-foot warehouse in Anaheim, Disney cast members create magic. It’s the facility where cast members create decor for the park — right now they are putting the finishing touches on Halloween and have already started winter holiday-scapes — fix everything from restaurant appliances to the iconic spinning teacups

Preview: Bridges and Stages 10-Minute Play Festival Is Back and on the Move to the North Side

onStage Pittsburgh: The Becoming Arts Collective marks the return of the Bridges and Stages 10-Minute Play Festival for its second year by introducing a new partnership at a new site, The New Hazlett Theater. The 26 new plays, selected from dozens of submissions, will be presented August 28-29 at the North Side venue.

Emergency request aims to keep Trump’s name off Kennedy Center

NPR: Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, filed an emergency motion late Thursday evening asking a federal judge to stop the trustees of the Kennedy Center from putting President Trump's name back on the front of the arts complex. She also asked the judge to stop the trustees' plan to rename the physical site of the center the "President Donald J. Trump Plaza."

Disney patent could let attractions adapt to what guests want — or want to avoid

Attractions Magazine: A newly published patent application from Disney Enterprises describes a system that could learn what guests enjoy — or find uncomfortable — and use those preferences to recommend attractions, provide real-time warnings and, on compatible experiences, adjust elements including sound, lighting and motion. Disney even envisions giving thrill-seekers more of certain effects, such as increased G-forces on an individual simulator, within predetermined safety limits.

TV’s Neurodivergent Casting Reckoning

www.hollywoodreporter.com: Television’s portrayal of neurodivergence has long suffered from a persistent blind spot. By casting neurotypical actors to play stereotypical — and often heavily coded yet undiagnosed — white male savant archetypes, Hollywood built a rigid standard that has largely erased women, people of color and the broader diversity of real-world neurodivergent experiences.