14 Things To See Inside The Smithsonian

www.theroot.com: With 21 museums, the National Zoo, and millions of objects in its collections, the Smithsonian is far more than a tourist destination in Washington, D.C. It’s a living archive of American culture, creativity, and resilience. From iconic artifacts to groundbreaking exhibitions, these are just some of the reasons the Smithsonian remains one of the country’s greatest cultural institutions–and why its work continues to matter.

Universal Celestial Goodnight Debuts at Epic Universe

Inside Universal: Universal Orlando has officially debuted Universal Celestial Goodnight, the new nighttime spectacular that caps off each evening at Epic Universe. The new show, presented nightly at park close, features nearly 600 lighting fixtures, over 350 fountains, and seven million LED lights. These elements come together to celebrate each of Epic Universe’s worlds before culminating with a fireworks finale.

AI notetakers add another layer to virtual meeting etiquette

AP News: Launching an artificial intelligence tool to take notes and summarize important information from a virtual meeting can be alluring. Seconds after one of the agents attends an hour-long video conference, it can deliver a recap of key points and outline a to-do list for all the participants.

Karla Boos on Quantum Theater, Her Career and Retirement

pittsburgh-owlscribe.blogspot.com: Karla Boos, founder and Artistic Director of Quantum Theatre, will retire in December 2026 after programming the company’s 37th season. Her departure marks the end of an extraordinary era of creative leadership and bold experimentation, not just for Quantum Theatre, but for the city of Pittsburgh and the national stage.

Lewiston native is understudy for 5 roles in Maine State Music Theatre’s ‘1776’

www.sunjournal.com: At any moment Roger Philippon could suddenly be one of five people who played a critical role in the founding of our nation. That is, if someone gets sick. Philippon, 70, of Lewiston has committed to memory five roles as an understudy in the Maine State Music Theatre’s production of the Tony Award-winning musical “1776, ” now in Brunswick through Saturday, July 11.

Money Problems and Clashes With Staff: Inside Arena Stage Director’s Exit

NOTUS — News of the United States: Ahead of the December 2024 world premiere of “Death on the Nile,” an Agatha Christie adaptation by local playwright Ken Ludwig, Hana S. Sharif made a complicated request. Sharif, the artistic director of the prestigious Arena Stage in D.C., asked her staff to build an intricate revolving mechanism called a “turtle” that would transform a steamship deck into swanky staterooms, like a reptile shedding its shell.

Upon His Return To The Goodman, Nick Offerman Reflects On His Early Days In Chicago Theater

blockclubchicago.org: Offerman has deep roots in the Chicago area: He was born in Joliet, grew up in downstate Minooka and got his professional start on Chicago stages in the 1990s, performing with the long-gone Defiant Theatre, as well as with Steppenwolf, the Goodman and A Red Orchid Theatre.

Why The Best Player Alive Barely Runs

kottke.org: David Epstein, author of the recent Inside the Box (a book about the value of constraints), did a fascinating video on “anticipatory skill” and “chunking” and how players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (who can accurately head the ball even in the dark) use them to slow down a fast, complex game.

Academy Museum Sets 2026 Horror Exhibit with 'Carrie,' Slashers & More

www.indiewire.com: Starting September 26, the Museum’s fourth-floor Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery will play host to rare props, production materials, and interactive displays, ranging from full costumes of horror’s most notorious slashers to an invention to surf the groundbreaking marketing website for the original “The Blair Witch Project”

Appeals Court Rejects Bid to Restore Trump Name to Kennedy Center

variety.com: President Donald Trump’s name will not be returning to the Kennedy Center anytime soon. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday ruled against the arts institution’s motion to stay a lower court’s decision that Trump’s name be removed from the Kennedy Center pending its appeal.

Wynn Al Marjan Island Announces Landmark Partnership With Punchdrunk, The Global Pioneers Of Immersive Theater

Live Design Online: Wynn Al Marjan Island today announced a landmark partnership with Punchdrunk, the internationally acclaimed immersive theater company behind some of the most influential and genre-defining productions of the past two decades, including the global phenomenon Sleep No More. The partnership marks Punchdrunk's first production in the MENA region and signals a bold new chapter for live entertainment in the Middle East.

Fxck you White American Theatre

by Nataki Garrett Myers: In March 2019, I was the subject of an NYtimes article, alongside five other colleagues, about the gates being flung open in the American theater. That article announced my appointment as artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and it featured Stephanie Ybarra, Jacob Padron, Maria Goyanes, Robert Barry Fleming, me, and the best among us, Hana Sharif.

Cody Renard Richard Opens Doors for Future Theater Leaders

OutSmart Magazine: For Houston native Cody Renard Richard, a life in the theater was never part of the plan. “None of my family saw this coming. I don’t even think I saw this coming,” he reveals. “My entire family are cowboys and cowgirls. I was sort of birthed into the rodeo culture.”

Texas Covers Up Beloved "Black Artists Matter" Mural in Austin

hyperallergic.com: Officials in Austin destroyed a prominent street artwork displaying the message “Black Artists Matter” last week following an order from Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

Controversial Anne Frank Musical 'Slam Frank' Releases Soundtrack

www.rollingstone.com: When Slam Frank opened last September at the Asylum, a 150-seat off-Broadway performance space in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen district, it had no marketing budget and no marquee actors in its cast. What it did have was an out-there, provocative storyline — a progressive theater troupe presents Anne Frank as a pansexual Latina with a Black mother, a neurodivergent gay father, an ultra-orthodox Jewish sister, and a gender-fluid love interest as they hide from the Nazis — and a vibrant hip-hop-meets-pop songbook studded with Broadway Easter eggs.

Bose Professional Previews Upcoming Brand Change

Church Production Magazine: Bose Professional, is unveiling a preview of its new global brand identity, 802 Labs, and sharing plans for a phased transition beginning in February 2027. “During the transition, Bose Professional customers and partners can expect continuity across products, support, service, and business relationships.

Interview: 'You Literally Feel Like You're In The Movie!': Stephanie Costi on Reprising Her Role of Sandy in GREASE THE IMMERSIVE MOVIE MUSICAL

www.broadwayworld.com: Recently, we had the chance to chat with Stephanie Costi, who will be reprising her role of Sandy in Grease The Immersive Movie Musical. We discussed what originally brought her to the production, some of her favourite moments from last year and what she thinks makes immersive theatre such a special art form.

What Does Dance Patriotism Look Like Today?

Dance Magazine: At this turbulent political moment, as the nation commemorates its 250th anniversary, it’s a complicated time to be an artist in the U.S. The country’s dance organizations appear to be of multiple minds on how to observe the semiquincentennial. Some companies have thoughtfully programmed works that align with the anniversary. Other groups and artists have chosen to ignore the milestone—or to choreograph through it, making works that grapple with its complexities.

Interview: Director Trevor Barrette Previews THE RULES OF PLAYING RISK at Hudson Village Theatre

www.broadwayworld.com: Trevor Barrette is a prominent multi-hyphenate artist in the Montreal and off-island theatre community, moving fluidly between roles as a director, stage manager, educator, and playwright. Having interviewed Trevor multiple times over the course of his diverse career, I have watched him seamlessly transition from independent creator to a staple of the regional stage.

The drill bit sharpener that led to the legacy of William Sellers

www.thefabricator.com: One Friday a few months ago, when Jim Howe, my boss at Howe’s Welding and Metal Fabrication, asked me to drill 2 ¼-in. holes in some 1 ½ -in. plate (see Figure 1), I knew the task would be slow, requiring multiple bits and a lot of patience. I didn’t know, however, that I was about to fall down a drill-bit-sharpening rabbit hole.

Best Miter Saw for Woodworking, Contractors, and DIYers

www.protoolreviews.com: As one of the core woodworking and carpentry tools, our crew and I have had the privilege of testing dozens of the best miter saw models over more than 15 years. A lot has changed in that time, mostly for the better. If you’re looking to buy, lean on our experience to determine what rises above the rest and is worth your consideration.

The Problem Wasn't the Gear. It was Everything Around It.

Church Production Magazine: Sit on the left side of the room and all you heard was drums. Sit on the right and all you heard was piano. Land somewhere in between and you got both—competing, unblended, bouncing off 880,000 tons of concrete in a 1,600-seat horseshoe that, by any reasonable measure, wasn’t supposed to sound like this.

'Legally Blonde' & The Y2K Costumes That Made It: Stylist Interview

wwd.com/pop-culture: Stylist Jasmine Caccamo sees why the fashion from 2001’s “Legally Blonde” matters 25 years later. “‘Legally Blonde‘ was such a snapshot of the early 2000s because it embraced the era without apology,” said Caccamo, who’s worked with Olympic gold medalist Alex Morgan.

Clear-Com connects Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune teams

AV Magazine: When US TV game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! needed to upgrade their wireless communications, they turned to Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak system. Chris Savage, technical manager and project lead for both shows, oversaw the system design and installation. “Both shows share a control room but have stages that are effectively miles apart due to walls, pathways, and even parking lots,” he says.

Racist comments roiled this student production of 1776 - and strengthened actors' resolve, they say

www.inquirer.com: Seventy-five Philadelphia students thought the stakes were high when they debuted 1776: The Musical in front of a crowd that included former President Joe Biden, former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker at Philadelphia’s High School for Creative and Performing Arts last week.

The Fascinating Backstory to LA CAGE AUX FOLLES’ Creation — and Why ‘Lawsuits Ensued’

www.broadwayworld.com: In the new book A Very Unusual Way: Maury Yeston and His Singular Path to Broadway and Beyond (released Wednesday, July 1), author Joshua Rosenblum recounts how Jean Poiret’s French play La Cage aux Folles — which was adapted into the 1978 film of the same name — was originally going to be developed for the stage by a different creative team.

Best Practices for Protest Sound

SoundGirls.org: Why Sound matters and should not be an afterthought. It helps people hear important information clearly, keeps crowds connected and engaged, supports accessibility, and allows speakers, performers, organizers, and communities to communicate effectively in difficult environments. Poor sound, on the other hand, can create confusion, fatigue, safety issues, and frustration.

Review Roundup: DELIRIUM World Premiere at Boston's Calderwood Pavilion

www.broadwayworld.com: Review Roundup: DELIRIUM World Premiere at Boston's Calderwood Pavilion NEW! Boston Theatre Newsletter Get all the top news & discounts for Boston & beyond. Arlekin has returned to Boston with DELIRIUM, a new adaptation of Eugène Ionesco's Frenzy for Two, adapted and directed by Igor Golyak. Running through July 2, 2026 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA for a strictly limited engagement, Delirium brings together two of the most celebrated international stars Andrey Burkovskiy and Chulpan Khamatova — in a darkly comic, deeply human piece about survival, love, and the fragile architecture of reality.

Getting Active: Amplifying Communities

SoundGirls.org: Community organizers have plenty to juggle when a public rally, street demonstration, or community concert. Volunteers don’t always have the technical experience to set up a PA or wireless mic system. Budgets are often tight or non-existent, and equipment must be cobbled together at the last minute in reaction to recent events. In these situations, audio technicians can offer invaluable advice and create meaningful impact.

Mayor Mamdani's 2027 Budget Includes $323M Funding for NYC Culture

www.broadwayworld.com: Earlier this week NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Council Finance Chair Linda Lee, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget Sherif Soliman and members of the City Council reached agreement on a balanced $125.8 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget.

Adirondack Studios boosts Middle East presence and personnel

InPark Magazine: Adirondack Studios (ADKS), provider of scenic design, fabrication and project management to some of the world’s most iconic destinations, announced the promotion of three senior members of its Dubai team, as well as the creation of registered entities in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

$300 million National Geographic Museum of Exploration opens in D.C.

Sound & Video Contractor: Last Friday saw the grand opening of the National Geographic Museum of Exploration, or MOE, in Washington, D.C. The $300 million project spans 100,000 square feet, and invites visitors to be engaged in 138 years of human exploration. Built on the site of the previous National Geographic Museum, the new museum opened after four years of construction expand the site from 16,800 square feet to its current, larger scale.

Hang It Wherever You Need It: Discover the TAF TC Truss Systems

LightSoundJournal.com: When you need to precisely position suspension points, LED screens, and lighting accessories, TAF TC systems offer the ultimate freedom to place loads exactly where your structure demands. The integrated C-profile for suspension makes installation faster, neater, and highly versatile, seamlessly adapting to compact 290 mm, robust 400 mm, and heavy-duty 520 mm configurations.

Building 'The Stuff' That Dreams Are Made Of- How a Prop Shop Creates Broadway’s Most Magical Items

www.broadwayworld.com: A week before their Tony performance, the candelabra that Amber Gray holds during the Rocky Horror set sat on a counter in Brooklyn for repair. You’ve seen the shimmering pink vial in the hands of Megan Hilty and plastered across Playbills and pole banners in the theater district, or maybe you’ve seen the light-up “Handbook For The Recently Deceased” on the Beetlejuice tour in Sarasota, Florida. Wherever they are now, those props were born in a small, unassuming workshop on the intersection of Meeker Ave. and Apollo Street.

How Ukrainian Playwrights Are Defending Culture

HowlRound Theatre Commons: When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, it claimed that Ukraine had no language and no culture. This isn't just a military assault; it is an assault on Ukrainian identity and culture itself. Playwright and screenwriter Laura Cahill was teaching screenwriting to teenagers in Ukraine when the full-scale invasion began in 2022, at which point she founded Young Playwrights Ukraine.