Black Theatre United Launches BTU Collective; Appoints New Board Members

Playbill: Black Theatre United (BTU) has launched a new collective, The BTU Collective; and has also appointed a number of new board members. The organization, founded in 2020, aims to educate, empower, and inspire through activism in the pursuit of justice and equality.

Coming Soon: Lonely Hops

www.noproscenium.com: Birch House Immersive's annual Valentine's Day show Lonely Hearts returns to Chicago for its ninth year this week in the for of Lonely Hops, which moves the action to Forbidden Root brewery’s Cultivate Ravenswood brewpub, which becomes the Pfeltenhopps Brewery in the world of the show.

From Redcoats To Rococo Madness—Costuming ‘The Artful Dodger’

www.forbes.com: The second season of The Artful Dodger opens in a frenzy of action as Lady Belle Fox (Maia Mitchell) runs through Port Victory hoping to save her love, Jack Dawkins aka the Artful Dodger (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) from the hangman’s noose. Belle’s dress is a gorgeous dusky rose color, with yards and yards of skirt, and when I sat down with costume designer Marion Boyce to talk about her work on this new season I had to start by asking about the objectively beautiful gown.

Haiti’s Hand-Painted Winter Olympics Uniforms Are a ‘Story of Resistance’

news.artnet.com: Just weeks before the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan on February 6, Olympic officials blocked Haiti’s plan to feature a painting of revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture on its team uniforms, prompting a race against time that culminated in a radically altered, hand-painted redesign—the first in the games’ 100-year history.

Christie to sell video processing business to former owners

AV Magazine: Christie is to sell its broadcast and professional video business to its former owners Clark Williams and Jeff Wilson. The company announced an agreement in principle to sell the business to Vista PHX Crop, a new firm created by the former Vista Systems owners and industry veterans.

AEO People’s Awards celebrates industry winners as attendance rises by more than 44%

Event Industry News: The Association of Event Organisers (AEO) has celebrated the winners of the AEO People’s Awards, recognising outstanding people and teams from across the events industry, as attendance rose to a record 370, up from 257 in 2025.

dBTechnologies At Heart Of Audio Upgrade Villa de Matel Chapel In Houston

ProSoundWeb: The 150-seat Villa de Matel Chapel on the campus of Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word’s Motherhouse in Houston, Texas has a new sound reinforcement system incorporating a range of dBTechnologies loudspeakers in a project by Houston-based design and integration firm AV Design Pros.

Presidents on Broadway

New York Theater: Only four of the 45 presidents of the United States were born in February, but they include the two most revered, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who are also the two most frequently depicted on Broadway. Both are in shows currently. The other two February presidents, Ronald Reagan and even William Henry Harrison, have also been on Broadway.

Inside Ed Sheeran’s World Tour with CAST’s WYSIWYG

LightSoundJournal.com: Lights Control Rigging (LCR) is one of the UK’s most respected lighting rental companies, trusted by globally recognized artists and major event producers alike. Among its most ambitious projects is Ed Sheeran’s monumental world tour, a groundbreaking in-the-round production that redefines how audiences experience live performance.

Musical Comedy Is Their Jam: Quinn Patrick Shannon and Connor McCanlus Team for PMT's 'Annie'

onstagepittsburgh.com: For 50 years, into every musical theater generation, there must be an Annie. One must see it, mount it or perform in it. It’s an unwritten role. The show that launched countless renditions of Tomorrow was not on Connor McCanlus‘ dance card as a performer. Until now. Oh sure, he had seen it, on stage and screen, and like most of us, revered Carol Burnett’s portrayal of the comically cruel Miss Hannigan.

Kerry Washington Pushed to Shoot ’Imperfect Women’ in Los Angeles

www.hollywoodreporter.com: Washington, Elisabeth Moss and Kate Mara teamed on Tuesday to debut a first-look at Imperfect Women during Apple TV’s press day at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar. The trio joined showrunner, creator and executive producer Annie Weisman, who moderated their panel in front of 300 journalists, influencers and content creators, in what marked the first lengthy chat about the eight-episode series.

The Museum of Broadway to Open SO IN LOVE…WITH BROADWAY Exhibition

www.broadwayworld.com: The Museum of Broadway will present a new special exhibit that will encapsulate the great love stories of Broadway through unforgettable costumes, accessories, lyrics and more.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

Olympic Figure Skating Costumes Aren’t Cheap. Just Ask The Designers.

www.forbes.com: If Alysa Liu can continue her improbable comeback, shrugging off a two-year hiatus to win figure skating gold at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, she’s poised to cash in: Americans who top the podium at the 2026 Games will receive a $37,500 bonus from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. But while that would be a healthy payday for most Winter Olympians, the 20-year-old medal favorite has already sunk around that much into an often-overlooked expense for her sport.

How Disneyland got built in just one year

Boing Boing: Disneyland Handcrafted is a new documentary about the construction of Disneyland from July 16, 1954 to its opening date on July 17, 1955. The fact that this groundbreaking park was built in one year is mind-boggling. Today, it can take five years to construct one Disney theme park ride!

How Industrial Robot Safety Was Written In Blood

Hackaday: It was January 25th of 1979, at an unassuming Michigan Ford Motor Company factory. Productivity over the past years had been skyrocketing due to increased automation, courtesy of Litton Industry’s industrial robots that among other things helped to pick parts from shelves. Unfortunately, on that day there was an issue with the automated inventory system, so Robert Williams was asked to retrieve parts manually.

Miscommunication Between Artist and Olympic Figure Skater Highlights the Mess of Music Copyright

www.vice.com: On February 8, 2026, Canadian artist Seb McKinnon publicly questioned the use of his song “The Return” after learning U.S. Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn choreographed her free skate to the track. McKinnon posted on X/Twitter, claiming Glenn used the song “without permission” and that it “aired all over the world.” He then asked, “What? Is that usual practice for the Olympics?”

Bad Bunny’s sensational Super Bowl 2026 stage design was a celebration of Latin America

Wallpaper*: The Puerto Rican superstar certainly delivered on that pledge with his sizzling show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. But it wasn’t just hits like ‘Tití Me Preguntó’, guest appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, and the musician’s signature hip thrusts that sent the crowd wild — the multi-faceted stage design allowed Bad Bunny create a powerful portrait of Latinx culture.

 

Bob the Drag Queen's road to Broadway

Out.com: The greatest thing you’ll ever learn on Broadway is the power of persistence. Just ask Bob the Drag Queen, the RuPaul’s Drag Race winner who is fulfilling his dream of headlining on the Great White Way. He’s now starring as Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge! The Musical — though his path to playing the “Spectacular, Spectacular” owner of a Parisian cabaret, where a composer falls in love with a courtesan to a soundtrack of modern jukebox hits, was unconventional.

Olympic Figure Skating Costumes Aren’t Cheap. Just Ask The Designers.

www.forbes.com: If Alysa Liu can continue her improbable comeback, shrugging off a two-year hiatus to win figure skating gold at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, she’s poised to cash in: Americans who top the podium at the 2026 Games will receive a $37,500 bonus from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. But while that would be a healthy payday for most Winter Olympians, the 20-year-old medal favorite has already sunk around that much into an often-overlooked expense for her sport.

David Lynch Club Silencio Nightclub Frieze LA Takeover: Dates, Details

www.rollingstone.com: The first iteration of Club Silencio appeared in Lynch’s seminal 2001 film, Mulholland Drive, where both the fictional nightclub and the word (Spanish for “silence”) played a pivotal role in the plot. Lynch eventually decided to re-create the club in real life, opening the doors to Silencio in Paris’s 2nd arrondissement in 2011.

SoundGirls Online Mentoring for Recording Arts

SoundGirls.org: SoundGirls is excited to offer three online mentoring sessions with Jasmine Mills, to be held via Zoom as part of our mentoring program. These sessions will take place once per month over three months and will focus on recording arts with space for questions, discussion, and career guidance in a small-group setting.

How Disneyland got built in just one year

Boing Boing: Disneyland Handcrafted is a new documentary about the construction of Disneyland from July 16, 1954 to its opening date on July 17, 1955. The fact that this groundbreaking park was built in one year is mind-boggling. Today, it can take five years to construct one Disney theme park ride!

A Look at Black Broadway, 1820 – 2026

New York Theater: For every well-known showcase of Black Broadway – “Porgy and Bess,” 1935; “A Raisin in the Sun” 1959; last year’s “Purpose,” winner of both the Tony and Pulitzer — there are little-remembered milestones ranging over the past two centuries. The gallery below, in honor of Black History Month (which several federal agencies now have banned employees from celebrating), samples the history of theater by, for and with Black Americans, taken from collections at the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress, and the Museum of the City of New York

2026 Oscars Sets Production Team for ABC Telecast

hollywoodreporter: Also returning to this year’s production are music director Michael Bearden, production designers Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley, lighting designers Bob Dickinson and Noah Mitz and supervising choreographer Mandy Moore.

How Industrial Robot Safety Was Written In Blood

Hackaday: It was January 25th of 1979, at an unassuming Michigan Ford Motor Company factory. Productivity over the past years had been skyrocketing due to increased automation, courtesy of Litton Industry’s industrial robots that among other things helped to pick parts from shelves. Unfortunately, on that day there was an issue with the automated inventory system, so Robert Williams was asked to retrieve parts manually.

JBL debuts updated Intellivox Active beam shaping speakers

AV Magazine: Harman Professional Solutions is debuting the updated JBL Professional Intellivox Active Digital Beam Shaping Column speakers at ISE. Featuring Dante networked audio support, the 13 new models are the next-generation replacements for the Intellivox DSX, DS and HP‑DS ranges.

Lowy Concert Hall launches substantial sound upgrade with L-Acoustics L-ISA

LightSoundJournal.com: Opened in 1957 with a design by the founding architects of the State of Israel, Dov Karmi and Ze’ev Rechter, Lowy Hall instantly became a cultural cornerstone that would define Israel’s musical landscape for generations. As the home of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the wood-lined concert hall within the Charles Bronfman Auditorium has hosted some of the world’s most celebrated performers, from Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, and Leonard Bernstein to leading international orchestras.

Minions Olympics ice skater! What happened, how to watch

attractionsmagazine.com: Universal granted the “Minions Olympics ice skater,” Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté, permission to skate to music from the “Minions” movies during the Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Miscommunication Between Artist and Olympic Figure Skater Highlights the Mess of Music Copyright

www.vice.com: On February 8, 2026, Canadian artist Seb McKinnon publicly questioned the use of his song “The Return” after learning U.S. Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn choreographed her free skate to the track. McKinnon posted on X/Twitter, claiming Glenn used the song “without permission” and that it “aired all over the world.” He then asked, “What? Is that usual practice for the Olympics?”

‘An Unbelievable Mess’: Artists Are Stymied by Trump Travel Bans

The New York Times: The travel bans — along with escalating costs and delays in the always-fraught visa application process — represent a looming crisis for the American performing arts sector, as many overseas musicians, theater companies and others face new and seemingly insurmountable obstacles to travel. Some, assessing the risks, are electing to avoid coming here altogether, according to talent agents and the American promoters and producers who are now contemplating holes in their calendars.

Thermoforming: Shaping Curvy Grilles With No Supports

Hackaday: Although hobbyists these days most often seem to use thermoplastics as a print-and-done material in FDM printers, there’s absolutely nothing stopping you from taking things further with thermoforming. Much like forming acrylic using a hot wire or hot air, thermoplastics like PLA can be further tweaked with a similar method.

Sara Bareilles Musical The Interestings Will Make World Premiere in 2027

Playbill: The Interestings, a new musical adapted from Meg Wolitzer's 2013 bestseller featuring a score by Waitress composer-lyricist-star Sara Bareilles, has set a world premiere in Berkeley Rep's 2026-2027 season, to be presented in association with Matt Ross. Previews will begin January 31, 2027, at the California theatre, with opening night set for February 17.

7 Legendary Broadway Backwards Performances to Celebrate 20 Years

Playbill: Broadway Backwards has been flipping the script on the musical theatre canon for 20 years, transforming beloved showtunes into bold celebrations of visibility, joy, and pride. Across two decades, familiar lyrics have taken on new meaning, fueled by daring storytelling and pure theatrical electricity.

The motors and gearing of different robotics

www.motioncontroltips.com: Industrial six-axis robotics often integrate frameless motors at their axes. Over the last decade, permanent-magnet brushless servomotors have come to dominate. Increasingly common in six-axis robotic assemblies are frameless and direct-drive variations.

Shakespeare and Italy

Folger Shakespeare Library: The Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics got us thinking about Shakespeare and Italy. Shakespeare’s plays are well stocked with merchants of Venice, gentlemen of Verona, and other Italian characters. One-third of his plays are based, or partially based, in Italy. Florence, Milan, Padua, Rome, Sicily, Venice, Verona—these Italian settings play a crucial part in his plots, making them characters in their own right.

5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Sondheim

The New York Times: To call Stephen Sondheim America’s greatest musical dramatist is to make him into a monument. He was that, of course, bringing to Broadway, in his lyrics but also his music, the psychological acuity and convincing characterization of theater at its most elevated.

Live Nation, Azoff-Aligned Lobby Throws Weight Behind Unfinished California Price Cap Legislation

TicketNews: A new California proposal being marketed as the “Fans First Act” is arriving with an industry-backed public-relations rollout – including full-throated backing from Live Nation Entertainment and its allies – even as the actual legislative language remains largely undefined.

Adafruit Warns New Ghost Gun Laws Could Have Unintended Consequences for 3D Printers

gizmodo.com: In a series of blog posts, the open-source hardware company Adafruit criticized the recently introduced legislation in Washington state and New York, calling the measures misguided, overly broad, and potentially harmful to the open manufacturing industry.

Disney names parks head Josh D'Amaro to succeed Bob Iger as CEO

PBS News: Disney has named its parks chief Josh D'Amaro to succeed Bob Iger as the entertainment giant's top executive. D'Amaro is the Disney Experiences Chairman, spearheading efforts for the company's theme parks, cruises and resorts.

Seized, subverted, shuttered: a year in Trump’s assault on the Kennedy Center

US news | The Guardian: The Brentano String Quartet had finished their performance when a special guest dropped in backstage: the US supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “We thanked her for everything she had done for our country,” recalls violinist Mark Steinberg. “It was a nice moment.”

Relational Dynamics in Theatrical Partnerships

AMERICAN THEATRE: In this moment of collective upheaval, the existing hierarchies within theatrical practice are reaching their shelf life and it’s time to unearth alternatives. It’s becoming difficult to build deep and meaningful relationships when resources are scarce and we’re all fighting for the same donors, investors, and audiences.

Major UK festivals report significant economic impact

Access All Areas: New economic impact reports show major UK festivals continue to generate significant financial benefits for host towns and regions. Warwick Folk Festival and Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival (pictured) have both released findings from independent economic impact assessments, highlighting the contribution of the festivals to local economies through visitor spending, tourism and employment.

Who Makes Snap-On Sockets And Where Are They Manufactured?

www.slashgear.com: Snap-on is one of the most recognizable names in the professional hand tools segment. Primarily known for its wide range of sockets, the company has, over time, expanded its product portfolio to include wrenches, power tools, and storage solutions. Snap-on is known for its premium pricing, super expensive tool boxes with many of its tools priced well over $200.

Sony at ISE 2026: Empowering Creativity, Enhancing Spaces

LightSoundJournal.com: Sony demonstrates in Barcelona how its technology enables creativity to flourish and transforms the way people connect, learn, and collaborate across corporate, retail, education, and production spaces, debuting several exciting new products and solutions, including the Crystal LED S Series and the BRAVIA Professional Displays BZ-P series, along with the new end-to-end immersive Spatial Reality Display (SRD) system in collaboration with Ameria.

ISE 2026 Mid-Show Updates: From Drone Shows to Free Throws

Sixteen:Nine | All Digital Signage, Some Snark: Our editors are still roaming the halls of ISE 2026 in Barcelona – here are some cool and curious things they spotted in the halls. For daily updates, subscribe to our free invidis Global Newsletter which is published daily at 8am Barcelona time.

Electro-Voice Introduces Next-Generation EVF & EVH Series Point-Source Loudspeakers

ProSoundWeb: Electro-Voice has announced the introduction of the next generation of EVF and EVH point-source loudspeakers comprised of four new models offering higher acoustic output, improved pattern control, and a simpler model selection process. They’re being spotlighted at the 2026 ISE Show at Fira de Barcelona.

WHAT OUR MEMBERS DO: Melanie Escano, Assistant Editor

cinemontage.org: I’m an assistant editor on “Chicago Med.” I process dailies, organize and mark scenes, add in temporary sound effects, mock up simple visual effects, score temporary music, export producer/studio cuts for review, troubleshoot technical issues, turn over the locked show for sound, music, and color departments — and my editor, Dorian Harris, ACE, gives me scenes to cut. I’m always grateful for that opportunity.

The Smith Center's 2026-27 Broadway Series brings fresh Tony winners to Vegas

Las Vegas Weekly: The Smith Center for the Performing Arts’ 2026-27 Broadway Las Vegas Series has everything. It has elves. It has robots. It has musicians performing in Spanish; we know you love those. All it doesn't have is Mary Todd Lincoln—although, remarkably, she’s available as an add-on.

Seeing Things: How Glenn Cote and the ‘Alien: Earth’ Team Got Those Special Effects

cinemontage.org: FX’s “Alien: Earth” series captures all the vintage charm of the original 1979 “Alien” film while adding fun, new flavors to the franchise: the “Ocellus” eyeball alien creature, the carnivorous plant-like alien called the “Orchid,” the USCSS Maginot spaceship, cool new tech like Morrow’s Swiss Army-style cyborg arm, and lab equipment for transplanting consciousness — all requiring visual effects.

Pittsburgh Symphony’s 2026–27 Season Balances Familiar Faces and New Directions

onstagepittsburgh.com: The PSO’s newly announced 2026–27 classical season leans into what the ensemble does best: deep artistic relationships, ambitious programming, and a growing interest in how symphonic music fits into contemporary cultural life.

How Hollywood Choked Sora 2’s Rise

by Erik Barmack: For a few wildly hyped weeks — roughly late September through early November 2025 — it felt like the internet had finally crossed some invisible line with respect to AI video.

Kennedy Center president warns of ‘skeletal teams’ during ‘total renovation’

The Washington Post: Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell warned of upcoming staff cuts and the reality of “skeletal teams” in a Tuesday night email to his staff that also touted a “total renovation of the building beginning in early July.”

Cadac Consoles Introduces CM-SYSTEM Dynamic Routing Control

ProSoundWeb: Cadac Consoles has announced the debut of the new CM-RT12 MegaCOMMS router that provides large-scale dynamic routing control across the latest-generation CM-system fiber-based ecosystem. It’s being showcased at the 2026 ISE Show at Fira de Barcelona at booth 7E550.

The wrenching beauty of Jean-Baptiste Lully at the Palace of Versailles

The Independent: The Palace of Versailles has always been about artifice. Nothing is quite true, its spectacle invented and reinvented for its age. Ironically, in our days of access and equality, it is probably far more a successful part of Parisian life than at any time since the great days of Louis XIV and the end of the 17th century. It hosts balls and garden parties, firework and fountain displays, and a fine series of concerts and opera performances.

Playwright Tracy Letts on reviving ‘Bug’ on Broadway

Chicago Sun-Times: When Tracy Letts penned his play “Bug” 30 years ago, it seemed to come at a specific moment when conspiracy theories had become more integrated into mainstream society. Letts, who would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize (for writing the play “August: Osage County”) and two Tony Awards (for acting and best play), said he grew up in a time when conspiracies were passed person-to-person “urban legend style.”

CODA Audio launches ViFORCE at ISE 2026

TPi: WIDE BAND Cardioid is a paradigm shift in pattern control and sonic integrity brought about through a period of intensive R&D at CODA Audio. This unique, Patent Pending technology comes to market first in ViFORCE and its slimline partner subwoofer, the SUB FORCE 35.

Cohesion ecosystem supports Halsey's For My Last Trick Tour

TPi: Halsey’s 2025 summer tour For My Last Trick, in support of her acclaimed fifth album The Great Impersonator, was a show to remember, combining Broadway-style theatrics, automated prop sets, a giant LED wall, a pyro package and more beneath an Art Deco-inspired false proscenium. This dramatic and cinematic amphitheater tour, her highest-selling one to date, was supported by Cohesion on each of its thirty coast-to-coast stops.

Students Compete to Showcase Art on Sphere’s Exosphere

www.ticketnews.com: Public voting is now open for the Third Annual Sphere XO Student Design Challenge, giving fans the opportunity to help select which Las Vegas-area student artworks will be featured on Sphere’s Exosphere in celebration of Pi Day.

Vari-Lite debuts Neo X console at ISE 2026

TPi: Vari-Lite and Signify have revealed the Neo X5 CRE — an affordable, compact lighting console designed specifically for space-constrained environments such as control rooms, studios, and medium-sized performance spaces.

Towering mushrooms adorn Grand Palais for Chanel couture show

www.dezeen.com: French fashion house Chanel filled Paris's Grand Palais with Alice in Wonderland-style mushrooms and real trees, which created a runway for the brand's Spring Summer 2026 haute couture show.

The “Screen / Stage” Programme At The Between.Pomiędzy Festival 2025

The Theatre Times: The “Screen / Stage” program was created as a space for shared viewing, discussion, and reflection on digital forms of contemporary theatre. Positioned at the intersection of live performance and digital mediation, the initiative invited participants to engage with recorded stage productions not as passive spectators, but as active commentators and critics. By combining collective viewing with moderated discussion, “Screen / Stage” explored how theatre functions across formats, cultures, and traditions, and how meaning is shaped through performance, adaptation, and craft.

Upcoming Webinar – How to Stay Calm, Focused, and Effective on Any Gig

SoundGirls.org: Join us on Monday, February 23, 2026 at 11:00 AM PDT as we host Jessica Chranowski of Pure Life Therapy. Free – and Online – Register Here In collaboration with SoundGirls, this workshop is for people who love working in entertainment… and are sick of feeling fried, foggy, or on edge just to prove they can handle it.

The Joffrey Ballet Celebrates Seventy with "American Icons," a Tribute to American Dance

www.newcitystage.com: This season marks the seventieth anniversary of the Joffrey Ballet and the thirtieth year the company has called Chicago home. The spring program honors American choreographers; appropriate for a ballet company that made its name touring the United States while pushing the boundaries of classicism in dance.

Darren Aronofsky Is Teaming Up With…AI?

The Mary Sue: If you needed more convincing that Darren Aronofsky is only in the movie business to make people uncomfortable, then buckle up, because his next spectacle once again pushes the envelope in a way nobody asked for: A web series about the Revolutionary War, produced with AI.