CMU School of Drama


Thursday, June 29, 2006

New job: Theatre Artisan/Designer

New Conservatory Theatre Center, a not-for-profit organization, seeks versatile Theatre Artisan/Designer: Duties include scenic design, construction and painting. Sound, lights or costume design a plus. Must be able to execute, and understand technical blueprints. The TA is part of a 3 person in-house Technical Team that also shares maintenance of theatre facilities, all shops, lobby, theatres, dressing rooms, etc.; pre-show tech supervision duties; ongoing production maintenance; production load-in and strike; supervise stage managers; guest designer support services; and youth programs tech support.

Qualifications: B.A in theatre arts preferred. Be able to work with diverse artistic, ethnic, youth, and LGBT communities; ability to lift 50 lbs; have a valid CA drivers license.

F/T 26 - 28K with benefits. Resumes with cover letter to: Jackie Jordan, Operations Manager, NCTC, 25 Van Ness LL, SF, CA 94102. Or e-mail to jackie@nctcsf.org. No phone calls please.

Employer Profile

ORGANIZATION
THE NEW CONSERVATORY THEATRE CENTER
www.nctcsf.org

PROFILE
The New Conservatory Theatre Center’s mission is to champion innovative, high quality, theatre experiences for youth, adults, and artists to effect personal and societal growth, enlightenment and change. We provide theatre training to empower youth to express themselves, celebrate difference, and gain self-esteem. Our vision is to develop and produce performances to educate youth and those who guide them with particular focus on challenging issues, new ideas, and making choices to positively impact their lives; as well as developing and producing gay theatre that gives voice to, entertains, and promotes exploration in order to celebrate diversity and foster communication.

New job: TD for Bay Area Playwrights Festival

I am looking for a technical director for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival (to replace someone I previously hired who has taken other work.) I was invited to join this site by Sophia Fong who has held this job previously.

The full scope of the job is as follows:
* Design, hang & focus rep lighting plot
* Oversee load-in of lights, rear projection screen and simple rehearsal furniture
* Work with visual arts curators to install artshow in theater lobby and transform slides of visual artwork into powerpoint presentations
* Coordinate and staff 7 three-hour technical rehearsals for staged reading performances, including creation of lighting and slide cues
* Oversee all technical needs and mishaps (on-call basis)
* Oversee load-out

Because I am filling this position at the last minute, I am open to distributing the duties among more than one person, although my preference would be to hire someone who can fulfill the whole job. The technical aspects aren\'t really very difficult - what is more critical is having a capable big-picture thinker in the role who can help create a smooth flow to a complicated festival.

The key dates are:

Early-mid July - 2 productions meeting to be scheduled
Sun 7/23 & Mon 7/24 - Load in & light hang at Magic Theatre
Tue 7/25 - Art Installation @ Magic Theatre
Wed 7/26-Sun 7/30 - 10 to 12 hour days with tech rehearsals & shows
Mon 7/31 - off
Tue 8/1-Sun 8/6 - Rehearsals & shows (lighter schedule on Tue 8/1-Thu 8/3)
Mon 8/7 - Load out

I can\'t really offer $ figures until we have a more complete conversation about your availability and what functions you could perform, but I can say that I have a sense of being able to offer a TD $800-1200 depending on how much of the work they can complete.

Please feel free to call me directly on my cell phone at 415/828-1440 at any time to discuss this position further.

Christine Young
Associate Artistic Director
Playwrights Foundation
Dates: Jul 10, 2006-Dec 31, 1969

Philly Fringe Comes Alive for 10th Year

Backstage: "The Festivals run from Sept. 1-16 in venues throughout the city. They are widely considered to be two of the leading presenters of contemporary performance by international, national, and local artists who utilize theater, dance, performance art, music, poetry, and puppetry, and various combinations and permutations of the mediums. "

Seeking Stardom, Actors Flock to YouTube, MySpace

Backstage: "Brooke Brodack isn't an actor or a writer; she's even wary of calling herself a filmmaker. Under 'Work Experience' on her résumé, she'd list jobs as a waitress and receptionist for local businesses in her Western Massachusetts town. It's surprising, then, that the 20-year-old recently signed an 18-month development deal with former MTV veejay Carson Daly's production company to create content for his network late-night talk show and other projects. "

Opel Directs Reading of New Musical, 'Homework,' With Lenox, Mayes, Larsen, Thoms and Bodnar

Yahoo! News: "The show was inspired by a collection of parenting and motherhood songs written by deVaron. She has also penned new songs for Homework."

'Rumor' has it: play produces loads of laughs

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Not only is producer-director Joe Reilly's daughter, professional actor Annie Reilly, part of the cast, but Stuart and Joy Pankin, two long-time favorites at St. Vincent, are back in town after three years to perform in the play with their son, Andrew."

Theater Preview: Gritty 'Ubu' follows 'Oedipus' from new Klasikos company

Post Gazette: "Who is Klasikos Theatre?

That was the question at the Post-Gazette theater desk last week,"

'Lord of the Rings' stage show closing in Toronto

Post Gazette: "'We're doing respectable but were not sold out. The scale of this show needs that,' producer David Mirvish said at a news conference. 'The costs are 50 percent more than 'The Lion King' to run so it [the theater] must be full.'"

Cirque du Soleil rolls in with a cast of 45 and 20 truckloads worth of mesmerizing show

Post Gazette: "One of the top-grossing summer tours is coming to Mellon Arena this weekend with a 130-foot two-sided stage that will split Pittsburgh's silver igloo in half. It will immerse the audience in a mega-rock production with 540 feet of projections (think four IMAX screens)."

I Was Tom Cruise, Band Geeks, Alumni and Even The Kitchen Sink Among Titles for 10th FringeNYC

Playbill News: "FringeNYC will celebrate its tenth annual festivities in 2006 at lower Manhattan playhouses. The shows and events will take place over two weeks, as usual, will include artists from around the world."

Fw: technical directors

> I'm a choreographer looking for a tech director and lighting designer
> for a modern dance performance this October -- two weekends, Oct
> 20-21 and 27-28. I have a set designer (Mellie Katakalos) but am
> still looking for a tech director.
>
> Would you be able to pass this on to qualified people who can do
> rigging, building, and carpentry?
>
> I'm also looking for someone for lighting design.
>
> Irva Hertz-Picciotto
> Artistic Director
> HerPic Performances
>
> 510-524-3311
> 530-848-9495 (cell)
>
> HerPic @ picciotto.org

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

New job: Immediate need for a short-term PA at SF Shakes

Immediate need for a short-term Production Assistant who can start tonight and work evenings thru this Sunday. There is pay. Must be able to operate a trap at short notice. Interested parties should contact Toby Leavitt. Executive Director, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, office 415/558-0888, cell 415/828-2842.

Tomcat Hoist & Rigging Workshop 2007

LIVEDESIGN: "The dates have been set for Tomcat’s Hoist & Rigging Workshop 2007. Workshops run the course of four days, February 21 to 24, in Midland, Texas. The annual school includes workshops pertaining to hoist, rigging, truss, and fall protection taught by some of the foremost experts in the industry."

AFTRA Campaigns for More Videogame Jobs

Backstage: "The American Federation of Radio and Television Artists held a breakfast meeting with leaders of the videogame market in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Tuesday in an effort to increase their members' participation in a business that earns billions of dollars each year."

Colo. Theatre Guild Hands Out Henry Awards

Backstage: "Every year for more than a decade, the Denver Drama Critics Circle handed out awards for productions by all the city's companies — large and small. That pitted the Denver Center Theatre Company, with its hefty budget and professional troupe, against the smallest group getting by on a shoestring."

'Charlotte' weaves web of learning

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The Johnny Appleseed Children's Theatre production of 'Charlotte's Web,' at Apple Hill Playhouse in Delmont, is a show by young people for young people, but all ages can enjoy it."

'Othello Noir' shifts focus to villain's obsessions

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "According to the program notes that accompany 'Othello: Noir,' it has been 15 years since a Pittsburgh theater company produced the William Shakespeare play."

Color Purple, Faith Healer, Inishmore and Tarzan to Offer Actors’ Fund Performances

Playbill News: "The Actors' Fund, which was founded in 1882, is a non-profit organization that provides for the social welfare of all entertainment professionals."

Frodo Will Find Journey's End in Toronto Sept. 3, When Mammoth Rings Closes

Playbill News: "Hobbit heads, elf fans and wizard mavens in North America must trek to Toronto by Sept. 3 if they want to see the award-winning stage spectacle, The Lord of the Rings."

Martin LightJockey Available in Universal USB/DMX Version

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: "Martin's PC-based LightJockey lighting controller is now available in a single universal version--LightJockey Universal USB/DMX."

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

New job: MASTER ELECTRICIAN

The Marin Theatre Company is looking for a Master Electrician for our 2006-2007 season. This position is paid hourly and contracted on a per-show basis. Responsible for implementation and strike of the lighting design and hiring and managing electrics crews and budgets. We are looking for someone who has extensive knowledge of conventional lighting systems, some knowledge of intelligent accessories. ETC express boards, experience and an ME and managing crews, Also someone who is familiar with area electricians and designers. Shows open in early September, mid November, mid January, late March and early May.

Please e-mail resume and references to Jedd de Lucia: jedd@marintheatre.org

'Mickey Mouse Is Dead, Fahrenheit 451, Fargo' and More Play NYC's 59E59 Theaters Prior to Edinburgh

Yahoo! News: "Off-Broadway's 59E59 Theaters will welcome eight American shows that are en-route to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The works play the East 59th Street Off-Broadway complex's 'East to Edinburgh' festival July 11-29."

China to spend $35 mln on WAfrica's biggest theater

Yahoo! News: "China, keen to raise its profile in resource-rich Africa, will plow $35 million into building West Africa's biggest theater in Senegal, an adviser to Senegal's president said on Tuesday."

Des McAnuff - Stratford Festival

New York Times: "Des McAnuff, who directed this year's Tony-winning musical 'Jersey Boys,' has been named artistic director at the Stratford Festival, the classical repertory theater in Ontario, Canada."

PA Needed Documentary

Craigslist: "EMMY Nominated Director shooting his second Documentary in need of a PA for one day to help out with 'man on the street' interviews in Altoona on July 2, 2006."

Grinch to Play Holiday Engagement at Hilton Theatre

Playbill News: "Although the new dance musical Hot Feet has yet to announce a closing date at the Hilton Theatre, a holiday engagement of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! — The Musical has been booked into the theatre."

Precious Stuff: Lord of the Rings Wins Seven Dora Awards in Toronto

Playbill News: "The Lord of the Rings, the music-infused spectacle, earned seven Dora Mavor Moore Awards June 26 at the annual ceremony honoring excellence in Toronto theatre, opera and dance."

Monday, June 26, 2006

Milwaukee's UFPA Raises $10.3 Million

Backstage: "UPAF, based in Milwaukee, is one of the largest united performing arts funds in the United States, and it is responsible for a good chunk of the unearned income of the city's dance, music, and theatre companies."

Backstage

Atlanta's Theatrical Outfit Goes Green: "The 200-seat Balzer, named for board president and philanthropist Bill Balzer and his wife, Peg, is the only freestanding 'green' theatre in the country, according to H. Jay Enck of Commissioning & Green Building Solutions in Buford, Ga., who oversaw the project for the U.S. Green Building Council in Washington, D.C."

Top 10 Signs You’re Made to be an Entrepreneur

lifehack.org: "Fred Gratzon has complied a list of personality traits that may suitable for entrepreneurship."

Take Your Laundry Off the Line

lifehack.org: "In multi-team meetings, there are frequently situations where people within the same team contradict one another"

Disneyland Pirates of Caribbean reopens: video, review

Boing Boing: "The newly refurbished Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean ride has opened, rebuilt to include elements from the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise"

Classics, women, old friends underscore Rep plans

Post Gazette: "Much of the work of an artistic director goes on out of sight -- especially selecting a season and all that goes with it, which necessarily involves many backstage, confidential negotiations."

Equity Discounts: Spotlight on Gyms and Spas

actorsequity.org | News #038; Media: "Actors' Equity offers a wide-range of health, beauty and fitness discounts that can save you money."

Precious Stuff: Lord of the Rings Vies for Toronto's Dora Awards on June 26

Playbill News: "Dora nominations for the 2005-2006 theatre, dance and opera season in Toronto were announced June 6, and The Lord of the Rings snagged a whopping 15 nominations."

ETC Unveils New London Facilities

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: "Possibly the first themed corporate reception area in the UK, the Playhouse at Gypsy Corner is the latest brainchild of ETC's CEO Fred Foster and follows on the theatrical Town Square atrium at the company's international headquarters back in Middleton, Wisconsin."

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater Gets New Home

NPR: "The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis is one of the best-known regional theaters in the country.... Now, after 40 years, the theater company is moving to a new, high-profile home on the other side of town."

Shaw, Kabuki, Eva Peron: The Usual Mix

New York Times: "Two-Headed Calf is different from some of the other avant-garde theater groups that have captured the imagination and attention of critics and audiences. While the troupe is renowned for its performance style — a mix of abstract design, Kabuki-based movement, technology and live original music — its productions always begin with something other companies often skip: a written play."

'The Play's the Thing,' an Amazing Race to Opening Night

New York Times: "'The Play's the Thing,' Britain's latest, boldest and possibly most foolhardy effort yet to discover new talent via a televised competition open equally to the unexpectedly gifted and the sadly deluded."

Strum und drang

Sun Times: "You can never tell where new musical theater will be born. Rock star Duncan Sheik and playwright Steven Sater, both practicing Buddhists, met while chanting."

Chicago theater's unsung heroes

Chicago Tribune: "In more recent times, our actors aren't so much celebrities, or celebrity wannabes, as journeymen pros. They're heart and soul to our theater, nurturing its craft and art. No one summed up their plight better than Vincent Crummles, the irrepressible traveling thespian in 'Nicholas Nickleby.'"

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Michael Mayer's Plate Includes 'On a Clear Day, Flamingo Kid' and Patty Griffin Musical

Yahoo! News: "Director Michael Mayer, who brought
Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater's musical, Spring Awakening, to potent life Off-Broadway, and has a feature film, 'Flicka,' coming out later this year, is juggling a number of developing stage projects."

Disney awaiting China OK for Shanghai park

Yahoo! News: "Shanghai's mayor in March said the city was eager to host Disney, after the $1.8 billion Disneyland Hong Kong opened in 2005, while China's capital city Beijing also wants one."

Squonk reintroduces Pittsburghers to Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "'Pittsburgh: The Opera,' which debuted Thursday evening to a near-capacity crowd at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty, takes a fond yet irreverent look at our hometown as seen through the company's offbeat and often whimsical perspective."

This is your brain on IEDs: anti-carbombing PSA for Iraq

Boing Boing: "A Hollywood-budget, American-made television public service announcement to discourage suicide bombings in Iraq is currently in production. "

Stage Review: Troupe opens with a fine 'Oedipus'

Post Gazette: "Klasikos Theater kicks off its inaugural season with a rather proud pairing -- a regal Sophocles' 'Oedipus the King' this week, followed next week by the anti-regal 'Ubu the King' by Alfred Jarry."

Stage Review: Squonk makes joyful, and a little tart, noise unto city

Post Gazette: "With Squonk Opera, the critic's task is the same as that faced by everyone else: How do you describe these guys to your friends?"

Friday, June 23, 2006

Row over disabled audience noise

BBC NEWS: "Theatre critic Mark Shenton said a performance of musical Into the Woods was spoiled by involuntary noises made by a group of mentally-disabled people."

Source Theatre Sale Delayed As Backers Try To Save Space

Washington Post: "That was the message yesterday during a dramatic, almost three-hour meeting in the office of D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), as theater activists at least temporarily derailed a plan to create a roughly $2 million endowment for small area theaters."

Take Your Picks-burgh

Pittsburgh City Paper - Performance: "If moving to a cheaper place in a less-hip neighborhood is very Pittsburgh, last year Squonk Opera got on the right track while developing its new show, Pittsburgh: The Opera."

Nail Meetings Down Tight

lifehack.org: "I think that’s all crap. Meetings are often like dental visits. You should go in, get scraped, picked, rinsed, and cleaned, go home with a toothbrush and a sixth month appointment and that’s that."

The Stopwatch Has Stopped: Veteran Philly Stage Manager Exits Walnut Street

Yahoo! News: "Frank Anzalone, Walnut Street Theatre's production stage manager for the past 23 years, is hanging up his stopwatch to pursue free-lance directing and teaching."

Stage Review: Unseam'd Shakespeare takes 'Othello' to a whole noir world

Post Gazette: "'Othello: Noir,' adapted from Shakespeare's tragedy for Unseam'd Shakespeare by director Michael Hood and David Pellegrini, is definitely in the former camp, where the concept serves something that was in the play all along -- but it touches on the latter camp, as well."

PBT adds members, extends Orr's contract

Post Gazette: "Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has announced the expansion of the company, raising the number of members from 25 to 29, with additional newcomers coming in to replace members who left after last season."

Apple Hill Playhouse celebrates 50th season

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Wandering through the Apple Hill Playhouse in Delmont, watching scenery being painted and costumes being ironed, one feels a bit like a hopeful performer, blinking into the stage lights, waiting to audition."

Theater producer follows her dream

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Out of that dream came Stage Right, which opened in Greensburg in 1998 with only 12 students. Today there are 160 students who study all forms of musical theater -- dance, vocal, acting and other stage-related skills. The courses are offered through the school year, as well as in two sessions of all-day summer camps."

Pittsburgh Ballet, Orr extend directorship

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre announced Thursday a three-year contract extension for artistic director Terrence S. Orr, as well as its 30-dancer roster, starting with the 2006-07 season. Ten new dancers have been hired and six promoted."

Creative tension

Sun Times: "Ask director Anna D. Shapiro why she is continually challenged and intrigued by the work of playwright Bruce Norris -- author of 'The Pain and the Itch,' 'Purple Heart, 'The Infidel' and now, the world premiere of 'The Unmentionables,' which begins previews Thursday at Steppenwolf Theatre -- and she is quick to answer."

First Lady of Song Sings of Herself in New Musical, Ella, Premiering in Florida

Playbill News: "Ella, the new musical that weaves the music and memories of Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of American song, opens June 23 in Florida for a summer run that anticipates regional engagements around the country in 2006-07."

'Rings' rolls to London's Drury Lane

Variety.com: "Producer Kevin Wallace announced Thursday that his $24 million stage production of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' would open at the Theater Royal, Drury Lane, on June 19."

Thursday, June 22, 2006

j-o-b

Technical Director

Lookingglass Theatre Company is now accepting resumes for the full-time, year-round position of Technical Director to begin September 1st 2006. Lookingglass Theatre Company specializes in new work told in a boldly visual, metaphoric and physical style.

Responsibilities: Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the pricing, construction, installation, upkeep and strike of all scenic elements and related items of the production season and the reconfiguration of the theatre as necessary. Technical Director is in charge of Facilities management of all areas of the theatre and maintaining a clean and safe scene shop with the help of the full-time Assistant Technical Director.

Qualifications: Undergraduate degree required with a concentration in technical theatre preferred. Either a Master’s degree in Technical Direction or at least 5+ years professional theatre experience required. Must have excellent arena/circus rigging, stage and finish carpentry, metalworking and MIG welding skills. AutoCAD & Excel proficient and Drivers license needed. Superior planning, organizational and communication skills are essential. Must have the ability to effectively lead a team and maintain a positive attitude in times of stress.

Company Background: Lookingglass Theatre Company is an eighteen year old ensemble devoted to Invention, Collaboration and Transformation. Lookingglass is home to a multi-disciplined collective of artists who create original, story-centered theatre through a physical and improvisational rehearsal process centered on ensemble. The Lookingglass Theatre Company maintains offices & rehearsal space on the Northside, a 200 seat reconfigurable black box theatre and a 50 seat studio in Chicago’s landmark Water Tower Water Works on Michigan Avenue, and a newly acquired 5,000sf scene shop just south of the Loop. Lookingglass Theatre Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Compensation: Competitive salary commensurate with experience, and benefits.

Please send cover letter, resume and references to the attention of the Production Director, Alex Blunt, via email to ablunt@lookingglasstheatre.org or mail to the administrative address below. No calls please.

AutoCAD®/LD Assistant Course Series Begins August 14

LIVEDESIGN: "This August, Florida Community College will offer a series of six day-long workshops at the South Campus in AutoCAD®/LD Assistant."

ETCP Electrical & Rigging Exam Deadline Approaching

LIVEDESIGN: "July 1, 2006 is the application deadline for the first ETCP (Entertainment Technician Certification Program) Entertainment Electrician examination, as well as for the Arena Rigging and Theatre Rigging examinations. Those who pass these rigorous tests will become ETCP Certified - and will be recognized as the industry’s best."

Broadway Unplugged: Sound Board Down, 'The Threepenny Opera' Goes on Sans Amps

Yahoo! News: "Broadway audiences are now accustomed to being able to hear the subtlest sotto voce thanks to modern technology; the days of marquee names needing to belt out to the balconies have long since passed. But on June 20 that changed at the historic Studio 54 - where the Brecht and Kurt Weill work plays -' 'when a computerized soundboard would not 'take commands' according to a show spokesperson."

Amendments end East-West Writers Guild feud

Yahoo! News: "With the members' approval, jurisdiction between the guilds will be divided domestically east and west of the Mississippi River and internationally with the East representing Canada east of the Manitoba Province, as well as Ireland and the U.K. and its overseas territories, while the West will cover the rest of the world."

CLO returns 'Grease' to its mature roots

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "What began as a rebellious satire now champions conformity and promotes the idea that, for girls, the fast track to high school popularity is to become - in the show's own words - 'a shaggin' wagon.'"

Theatre heads outdoors for season

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "'Children like it on the grass; I think it makes them feel that they're not in a structured environment,' Shirley Barasch says. She is South Park Theatre supporter who wrote the script and songs for 'Alice in Wonderland.'"

Squonk, personalized

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "'We're calling it a civic celebration about civic celebrations,' says Jackie Dempsey, who, along with Steve O'Hearn, serves Squonk Opera as artistic director."

Artistic Director Leaving La Jolla Playhouse

New York Times: "The La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego announced that Des McAnuff, the theater's artistic director, will not be renewing his contract after it expires next April."

My Name Is Rachel Corrie - Review - Theater

New York Times: "After an Off Broadway production was derailed, resulting in a theatrical uproar, 'My Name Is Rachel Corrie,' the solo show about an American demonstrator for Palestinian rights who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza Strip, has found another New York theater."

On London Stages, It's Only Passion 'n' Politics (but They Like It)

New York Times: "Now what was that old nonsense about Tom Stoppard as all head and no heart? Mr. Stoppard's exciting new play of immutable passions and mutable politics, 'Rock 'n' Roll,' which opened last week at the Royal Court Theater here and has become the hottest ticket in town, is so flush with feeling that it never seems to stop trembling."

Stage Review: 'Grease' needs oil

Post Gazette: "For all its humor and the familiar sparkle of its pop rock score, Pittsburgh CLO's 'Grease' isn't the joyous time-travel machine it might be. Initially, it feels staid, even dated."

NY-based urban dance company seeks producer for local production

Craigslist: "World-touring NY-based urban dance company is looking to self-produce a show in Pittsburgh."

Othello: Noir

Pittsburgh City Paper - Performance: "I find myself in the rare position of having had a fairly interesting time at Unseam’d Shakespeare Company’s production of Othello: Noir."

My Name Is Rachel Corrie to Play Off-Broadway's Minetta Lane

Playbill News: "The acclaimed, and controversial, Royal Court Theatre production of My Name Is Rachel Corrie has finally found a New York home. "

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

60 Seconds With…

Carnegie Mellon Today: "Barbara Anderson is Carnegie Mellon’s Bessie Anathan Professor of Drama and associate dean of the College of Fine Arts. She and her husband, Cletus Anderson, a recently retired Carnegie Mellon design professor, co-authored “Costume Design,” a definitive text covering both concept and craft. "

New job: Stage Management Internship at Cal Shakes

The California Shakespeare Theater is looking for a stage management intern to work on AS YOU LIKE IT, directed by Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone (the same one you’d be working with), Cal Shakes has earned more than 100 Bay Area Critics Circle and Dean Goodman Choice Awards, as well as praise for our creative vision, caliber of production, artistic ambition, and risk-taking.

Dates are August 15th-October 15th

We encourage you to apply via email.

If you’re interested, please submit your resume and statement to:

Cal Shakes Professional Intern Program
Attn: Sean Daniels
California Shakespeare Theater
701 Heinz Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94710-2732
sean@calshakes.org

Carnegie Mellon Today: "60 Seconds With Barbara Anderson"

FBI Shadowed Playwright Arthur Miller

Backstage: "'An anonymous telephone call' has been placed to the New York Daily News, an FBI report notes at the time. The caller stated that the 'religious' wedding — Miller was Jewish and Monroe had converted — was an obvious 'cover up' for Miller, who 'had been and still was a member of the CP (Communist Party) and was their cultural front man.' Monroe also 'had drifted into the Communist Party orbit.'"

N.Y. musical 'Tails' is underdog chasing 'Cats'

Yahoo! News: "The producers of the small-scale show are wary of comparisons to Andrew Lloyd Webber's blockbuster musical hit 'Cats,' which ran for 18 years on Broadway, but producer Eric Krebbs admits there are worse things than to be associated with it."

Lincoln Center stage triumphs with "House in Town"

Yahoo! News: "'The House in Town,' Richard Greenberg's intensely moving new drama being produced by Lincoln Center Theater, reveals once again that this Tony-winning playwright ('Take Me Out') possesses a theatrical sensibility matched by few American dramatists."

Stage Review: Pride festival takes few chances

Post Gazette: "The third annual Pittsburgh Pride Theater Festival is a mixed bag. Produced by Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, it stages eight plays in two alternating programs, all by playwrights with local ties and featuring gay and lesbian characters."

Pittsburgh Nude Project gives artists' new business unique way to be seen

Post Gazette: "Artists Kim Rullo and Brent Isaac made it their mission to search for an answer to the question: 'Is identity really who we are or is it merely a means to an end?' The result of their collaboration is The Pittsburgh Nude Project, an art exhibit featuring photographs, essays and film."

The ABTT Theatre Show 2006 Breaks Records; Strand, Tomcat Among Award Winners

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: "The ABTT Theatre Show's organizers, The Association of British Theatre Technicians, announces that its 28th edition, staged at London's Royal Horticultural Halls June 14-15 not only boasted a record attendance representing a 5% growth, but also packed the venue's three halls to capacity with over 100 exhibiting companies."

Minor Fire at ETC Facilities in Middleton, Wisconsin

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: "A minor fire was reported last night, Monday, June 19th at the headquarters of ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc.) in Middleton, Wisconsin. "

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

New job: PA Position Washington DC

Shakespeare Theatre Company
PA Position
Enemy of the People

Washington DC
Pre-Production Start: Tuesday, July 18, 2006
First Rehearsal: Tuesday, July 25, 2006
First Tech: Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Opening: Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Closing: Sunday, October 22, 2006

PA position is part of a four person SM team (SM, ASM, PA and SM Intern). Provide support during rehearsal, tech, preview and running of the show. Typically the position is a 40-hour a week position during rehearsal and the run, with longer hours during tech and preview weeks. Pay is approximately $10.00 an hour. PA is supervised by the SM staff. Ideal candidate has 2-4 years stage management or assistant stage management experience, work well within a team, enjoy working with actors, eye for detail, work well under pressure, work well without direct supervision, and have strong computer skills (Word and Excel). The Shakespeare Theatre Company recognizes the value of a work force made up of highly skilled people from a variety of backgrounds. No phone calls please.

If interested, please contact M. (Matthew) William Shiner at mshiner@shakespearetheatre.org.
Dates: Jul 18, 2006-Oct 22, 2006
Pay: $450 a week

Free Radical: The Public's New Artistic Director Oskar Eustis

New York Magazine: "It began in the spring with the raccoons. In March, staffers of the Public Theater unlocked the control booth of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as they have every year for nearly half a century, and evicted the critters that had nested there for the winter. Fourteen hectic weeks of building and rehabilitating later, Macbeth is about to open. Summer for the New Yorkiest theater in New York has arrived."

Shakespeare Theatre Hopeful on Timetable

Washington Post: "The Shakespeare Theatre Company announced yesterday that its second home, a 776-seat theater on F Street NW, will open right on schedule Oct. 1, 2007."

10 Ways to Optimize Your Normal Days

lifehack.org: "It is normal that most of the time in life will be consumed by normal days - And that’s why we have to find ways to improve our normal days to get the most out of our life. "

Review: 'The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World'

Backstage: "Apparently not many companies have the nerve to stage Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks' 1990 choreopoem, The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, a textually dense, lyrical, and musically rhythmic look at, yes, the whole entire history of Africans and African Americans. It is rarely produced."

Warwick tribute a thrilling evocation of an era

Sun Times: "Women have ruled the stage at the Black Ensemble Theater for more than a year now. It all began with an homage to black female gospel singers. Then came the turbulent life of Etta James and the political fire of Nina Simone. Now, in 'Don't Make Me Over,' which opened this weekend, it's a tribute to Dionne Warwick."

Beauty and the Beast Celebrates Milestone Performance June 20

Playbill News: "The Broadway company of Beauty and the Beast plays its 5,000th performance June 20."

Hip-Hop Theater Festival 2006 Hits New York City June 20-24

Playbill News: "The Hip-Hop Theater Festival returns to New York City for its sixth annual event, June 20-24, featuring the New York premiere of Live from the Front by Jerry Quickley as directed by Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk's Reg E. Gaines among other works."

Monday, June 19, 2006

New job: Wardrobe Supervisor for San Fran open-ended production

3-4 Days/Week 8-15 Hrs per week

Flexible Schedule

Menopause The Musical San Francisco seeks WS with sewing and alteration skills to begin July 11.

Must own sewing machine.
Duties include:
-shopping (paid travel)
-alterations and quick fixes
-weekly costume pre-set for performance
-communicate with Company Manager for costume changes as per Producer
-viewing performance once weekly to spot check problems
-report weekly inventory of consumables
-simple wig cleaning/styling ability a BIG plus.
-occasional theatre work including curtain hemming, etc.

Positive attitude, sense of humor, self starter preferred. Job is located on Fisherman\'s Wharf San Francisco, locals only please.

E-mail resumes to
Carrie Schreck, Company Manager
CarrieMakesMovies@gmail.com
or
Fax to 415 433 4120 Attn: Company Manager

Dates: Jul 10, 2006-Dec 31, 1969
Pay: $18-20/ hr DOE

Stoppard builds 'Utopia' on Broadway

Variety.com: "Ethan Hawke and Brian F. O'Byrne will be among more than 30 actors in the ensemble of Lincoln Center Theater's six-month engagement of Tom StoppardTom Stoppard's three-play, nine-hour epic, 'The Coast of Utopia.'"

Song-and-dance Wall Street saga plagued by missteps - Yahoo! News

Yahoo! News: "Is there a bullish market -- theatrically speaking -- for a stockbroker-based dramatic comedy in which the principals dance around the set to the music of an onstage band?"

Breaking out

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Two Saturdays ago, on the opening weekend of The 47th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival, if you happened to be Downtown between 12:30 and 1:30 in the afternoon, a summary glance upward should have rewarded you with a banner pulled by an airplane that read 'Give Me Your Paw.'"

Sandra Oh - Diana Son - Satellites - Public Theater - Theater

New York Times: "IT was during a trip to Los Angeles in 2003 that Diana Son was feeling particularly down about the crippling writer's block she'd been suffering. It had been more than three years since the runaway success of 'Stop Kiss,' the breakthrough play that catapulted Ms. Son from a struggling writer who composed trivia questions about 'Star Trek' for the Sci-Fi Channel to one of the country's hottest playwrights."

Three Rivers Arts Festival packs them in, ends on small note of controversy

Post Gazette: "Jeweler Hanna de Volska gave back her $1,000 best-of-show award after a festival official asked her to prove that her amber pieces were her own"

Goodman brings black entrepreneur to life

Sun Times: "Goodman is premiering in Chicago 'The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove,' a story based on Walker, who built an empire selling hair care products to black women, pioneering the Mary Kay-style sales force and ushering in an era of vanity that's fueling a billion-dollar business."

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Strand Takes Top Lighting Honors At ABTT

LIVEDESIGN: "Strand Lighting is pleased to announce that they received the Lighting Product of the Year award for their Palette family of control consoles at this years ABTT show in London."

The beauty of three stages

Star Tribune: "The expansion to three stages is not merely a mathematical addition for the new theater. The change could result in theatergoing experiences we have never had at the Guthrie."

The passion and politics of stolen art

Post Gazette: "Art and politics collided at the start of the war in Iraq. As U.S. troops moved into Baghdad, the 12 buildings of Iraq's National Museum were left unprotected, resulting in the pilfering of thousands of objects. TV newscasts showed scenes of weeping museum workers talking about the desecration of a 7,000-year-old civilization, as they picked through shards of ancient pottery and sculpture."

Gettysburg Welcomes Wildhorn's "New" Civil War Musical, 'For the Glory'

Yahoo! News: "For the Glory, the theatrical concept that revises the Broadway musical The Civil War, raised the flags of Dixie and the Union starting June 14 at the Majectic Theatre in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania."

New Hazlett is on track to open in September

Post Gazette: "Reconstruction of the New Hazlett Theater, which promises to be one of Pittsburgh's more eclectic arts venues, remains on schedule for its reopening in mid-September."

Stage Preview: 'We go together,' Barbeau says of Rizzo in 'Grease'

Post Gazette: "Are there still some of us wondering if Betty Rizzo ever found Mr. Right? This week Michelle Dawson will once again be posing that question in Pittsburgh CLO's latest production of 'Grease' at the Benedum Center."

Sokolowski ponders how to spend $1 million on city's 250th birthday

Post Gazette: "The irrepressible Andy Warhol Museum director is well along on plans for arts initiatives tied to the city's 250th anniversary in 2008, using a $1 million grant from the Heinz Endowments."

Schedule's quick pace keeps actors on their toes

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Last week, you were waltzing around a castle with a plate on your back. This week, you're rock-'n'-rolling through a high school hallway in a pink satin jacket. Before the summer is over, you'll be tapping your toes off in a Broadway show and fending off lumberjacks in the Pacific Northwest."

Countdown to a Play Written to Order

New York Times: "YOUNGBLOOD, a collective of playwrights under 30, recently devised a novel way to raise money. The team held an auction on eBay offering to write a play about the winning bidder and stage it at the Brick Theater in Williamsburg, Brooklyn."

Blurb Wars: The Critic Strikes Back

New York Times: "Yes, the art of selective quoting is one of the oldest games in the hype business, and readers are generally wise to it."

Broadway Bares All for BC/EFA June 18

Playbill News: "The 16th annual Broadway Bares fundraiser — benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS — will be presented June 18 at 9:30 PM and at midnight at the Roseland Ballroom."

Satellites Orbit Brooklyn in Diana Son's New Play, Opening June 18

Playbill News: "Satellites, the new play by Diana Son, whose Stop Kiss was previously embraced at the Public, opens at the same theatre June 18. "

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Circus makes performers out of troubled youth

globeandmail.com: "The programs' team works with circus-arts instructors to teach troubled youth how to clown around, juggle and do more advanced circus techniques. Kids learn to use their imagination and balance, and to test their own physical limits."

Stratford finally changes its tune

globeandmail.com: "Djanet Sears has a problem with being first. As previews begin next week for a revival of her 1997 Governor-General's Award-winning play Harlem Duet, she officially becomes the first black playwright and the first black female director in the 54-year history of the Stratford Festival of Canada."

Jowell defends Arts Council

Guardian Unlimited Arts: "Over the past year the functions of the arts councils of Scotland and Wales have been drawn into the machinery of their countries' national assemblies, rather than being handled at 'arm's length' from the state. That has led to suspicions that the same could happen in England."

Kimmel Center director touts impact

Philadelphia Business Journal:: "Philadelphia's Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts had an economic impact of $321 million over a three-year period starting in 2003, the organization's director said Thursday."

Mesa Symphony Orchestra cancels four shows

EastValleyTribune.com: "The Mesa Symphony Orchestra has canceled four concerts, including its popular Fourth of July pops show, after its annual $50,000 grant request was turned down by the Mesa City Council."

Behind the Scenes at Disney World

Washington Post: "If you go on a behind-the-scenes tour of Walt Disney World in the hopes of catching one of those happy cast members with his smile down -- spitting on the break-room floor, maybe, or being mean to some kittens -- you'll be disappointed. Disney's Cult of Cheerfulness survives even in the no-go zones."

Conn. Crix Honor Long Wharf, Hartford Stage

Backstage: "Glen Berger's Underneath the Lintel helped propel New Haven's Long Wharf Theatre to the top of the pile when the Connecticut Critics Circle Awards for the 2005-06 season were handed out on June 12. Lintel won three awards — for outstanding play, director (Eric Ting), and leading actor (Mark Nelson). "

Friday, June 16, 2006

New job: ASM (non-AEA preferred) for Off-Bway Clown Show

Gussy Charles Productions is searching for an ASM for CREATION, a one-man clown show with live music playing at The Mint theater. Rehearsals begin July 10. Rehearsals are in the evenings on weekdays and daytime on the weekends. 4 weeks of rehearsals are followed by a 7 week standard performance schedule run. Limited engagement ends Sept. 10. Pay is reasonable and will be discussed further at interview. Check our www.creationclownshow.com for more info. Please send resume to Renee Blinkwolt (PSM) at rblinkwolt@gmail.com ASAP for consideration.
Dates: Jul 10, 2006-Sep 10, 2006
Pay:

Those Who Can Do, Teach (Acting)

Backstage: "Struggling artists in Los Angeles have been given one more method for making ends meet: The Actors' Fund of America has announced a new initiative that will train union actors, musicians, dancers, and talent from other art forms to work as paid 'teaching artists' with established arts-in-education programs across the city. "

Summer of Shakespeare: Everywhere and Anywhere

New York Times: "FROM June through August, Elizabethan English trips off tongues all over the country as audiences assemble on grass, in folding chairs or in theaters to watch Shakespeare. There's Shakespeare at the Ruins (Virginia), on the Sound (Connecticut), by the Sea (California), Under the Stars (Texas) and in various other familiar and unfamiliar settings."

What's Moor

Pittsburgh City Paper - Performance: "Michael J. Hood thinks about Othello in black and white, but not in the racial terms long dictated by American views of the play. To Hood, Othello is largely Shakespeare on war — specifically, war’s wake, as in the dislocation and bottled tensions that might have afflicted a remote, isolated locale following World War II."

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Work Friday June 16

I am looking for two people to do pretty simple electrics work tomorrow, Friday, June 15th. The show is hung and circuited, and there is a little bit of troubleshooting to do and then focus. However, my previous crew has stood me up, so on very short notice I am looking for some extra help.

The call is at the Studio Theatre in the basement of the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland and we are working 9am-6pm. If you don't know where this is, you can meet me at 8:30 by the CMU parking garage and I will walk down with you.

If you're available and interested, give me a call on my cell phone at 412-337-3192 and we can discuss rate.

Thanks a lot!

The ESTA Foundation Celebrates the Tony Awards

LIVEDESIGN: "The party was held at Cibo, a lovely restaurant on the East Side of Manhattan, with flat screen monitors supplied by Scharff Weisberg broadcasting the awards in every corner of each room. The event was a benefit for The ESTA Foundation’s Behind The Scenes initiative, which provides industry members with grants for emergency situations, such as serious illness, injury or death."

Armory's Opera Debut Delayed by Lincoln Center

New York Times: "Plans have been set in motion to turn the armory into an arts organization, an important addition to New York City's cultural scene. The New York Philharmonic is considering using it as a temporary home during a future restoration of Fisher Hall, and Lincoln Center too is still hoping to stage events there."

Centre opens on a high note

TheStar.com: "'This represents a belated flowering of the city,' said Citytv co-founder Moses Znaimer, another guest at last night's gala. 'People have finally figured out what money is for: You make it and you spend it on culture.'"

The School for Scandal

Pittsburgh City Paper - Performance: "Though I carp a lot about dead white-guy playwrights, I have a soft spot for Richard Sheridan. The Neil Simon of Georgian playwrights, Sheridan is famous for his scathing comedies of 18th-century British society, including his most popular, The Rivals, and my favorite, and the current show from Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, The School for Scandal."

Google launches Shakespeare site

Yahoo! News: "Web search leader Google on Wednesday launched a site devoted entirely to the Bard, http://www.google.com/shakespeare, that allows U.S. users to browse through the full texts of his 37 plays. Readers can even plug in words, such as 'to be or not to be' from 'Hamlet,' and immediately be taken to that part of the play."

Stage Preview: Shakespeare tragedy, film noir meet at Open Stage

Post Gazette: "If you think of 'Othello' as a play that's all about race, think again, says Michael Hood, director and adaptor for the Unseam'd Shakespeare production of 'Othello: Noir.'"

Stage Review: 'School for Scandal' remains relevant and funny

Post Gazette: "Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre's opulent and ultimately very funny production of 'The School for Scandal' may seem just another period comedy for the 'Masterpiece Theatre' crowd, a costume-rich antidote to the pungent fables of Martin McDonagh's 'Pillowman,' PICT's previous show."

Three Rivers Arts Festival: Ceramicist Chris Garofalo re-imagines evolution

Post Gazette: "Chris Garofalo receives inspiration for her ceramic sculpture from animals and plants that exist in the natural world, but the fanciful, intriguing forms that she constructs are as much products of her imagination."

Klasikos Theater makes royal debut

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Eric Einhorn and Andrew Eggert, the founders of Klasikos Theater, will offer the company's debut this month with a two-play season in the Studio Theatre in the basement of the Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh's Oakland campus."

'Othello' 'reconsidered' as film noir

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Since its founding in 1994, the company's mission has been to examine, rediscover, reconceive and often re-invent the plays of William Shakespeare and other classic playwrights."

Sculpture Stylings

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Not to be missed during the 47th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival, the exhibition 'Projects 2006: dialogue and change,' gives visitors a chance to see contemporary sculpture on a national scale."

Legit's rocky road

Variety.com: "Touring productions of Broadway shows had a national economic impact of $3.25 billion during the 2004-05 season, according to a study by the League of American Theaters and Producers."

New Mexico artist crushed by own sculpture

CBC Arts: "Luis Jimenez, a Latin American sculptor whose work adorns public places across the U.S., has died after being crushed by his own sculpture."

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Edited: Assistant Stage Manager (Non-AEA) needed ASAP

Shakespeare Santa Cruz needs an Assistant Stage Manager for their production of As You Like It. This is a paid position with an option for housing. We need to fill the position immediately.

The dates:
Rehearsals begin on June 20th.
Tech begins on July 14th
Opening is on July 22nd
Closing is September 3rd

Please contact the production manager for more information,

Randy Engels
grengels@ucsc.edu
831.459.5109

Edited: Prop Over Hire in Los Angeles

Prop Over Hire needed for Center Theatre Group in downtown Los Angeles. Center Theatre Group produces in three venues: Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Kirk Douglas Theatre year round. Prop Over hire are hired on a per show bases depending on the needs of the show. Over Hire assists the Prop Coordinator in researching, finding and obtaining props, including expendables. Must have knowledge of Los Angeles and surrounding areas and a valid drivers license. Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs. Over hire is entrusted with petty cash and is responsible for tracking petty cash expenditures.

Please send cover letter and resume to Dawn Holiski at dholiski@ctgla.org or fax (323) 269-4476. No phone calls please.

PROP AND SET MAKERS IN DISPUTE

Contactmusic: "The local of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union (IATSE) that represents set decorators, prop makers, and special effects technicians is embroiled in controversy after its board agreed to pay $170,000 in severance to its chief, Ronnie Cunningham, even as he stood accused of misappropriating funds and taking cash from people seeking union jobs,"

New job: SF Opera Center needs Master Carpenter


SF Opera Center needs Master Carpenter
------------
The San Francisco Opera Center seeks a qualified individual to act as part of it\\\'s technical staff as carpenter. This individual will work with the Opera Center\\\'s Technical Director to assist with the mounting of two productions. Individual is a member of a seven-person technical staff and reports directly to the Technical Director and may be asked to assist in other areas of production.

Invidual should have excellent carpentry skills and significant theater background. Must be able to work independently and without supervision. Must have car or truck. Position runs from June 26 through August 9, 2006.

Please reply to this e-mail with cover letter and resume addressed to: Karen Jine, Technical Director, San Francisco Opera Center. You may also fax a cover letter and resume to 415/255-6774. No phone calls please.
Dates: Dec 31, 1969-Dec 31, 1969
Pay: $550/week

IATSE Suspends Local 600 President

Backstage: "The International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 600, has temporarily suspended president Gary Dunham from office as it pursues claims of misconduct in office, sources said Monday."

Unions Honor Olmos, Hall for Diversity

Backstage: "the fourth annual Ivy Bethune Diversity Awards 'Honoring Our Trailblazers' ceremony, hosted by the Ethnic Employment Opportunity (EEO) committees of Screen Actors Guild (SAG), American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), and Actors Equity Association (AEA). "

Haggle Like a Pro: 5 Lines That Work

lifehack.org: "Negotiation can also save us money by paying us for our purchases. Reader’s Digest gives you 5 links that help you to haggle:"

PICT makes merry with 'School for Scandal'

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "'The School for Scandal,' Richard Brinsley Sheridan's lush and lively comedy of manners that opened the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre's 10th season Saturday evening ."

Stage Review: 'Winthrop' tussles with tough questions

Post Gazette: "Characters from 1950s America are trapped in a disconcerting future with no possibility of return, unless they can convince one among them that the benefits of that future -- near perfect health care, instant transportation and truly equal access to pretty much anything -- are outweighed by how uncomfortable such a world is for them."

Three Rivers Arts Festival attracts record crowds

Post Gazette: "Every story about the Three Rivers Arts Festival has to be about the weather, and this year, it's headed for a happy and history-making ending."

Home Again

Pittsburgh City Paper - Performance: "New York-based writer Jason Wachtelhausen has published a variety of lists online: ideas for postmodern television shows; suggestions on how to help fight terrorism at home; summer dos and don’ts; a personality quiz; and “Nine Things I Just Made Up That Sound Like They Might Be True and One That Is Obviously Not” — all fiercely tongue-in-cheek. "

New Option for Business Theatre

actorsequity.org | News #038; Media: "The Business Theatre and Events Committee has created a 'Memorandum of Understanding,' designed specifically to address the problem of how to get pension and health credits for an actor or stage manager who works on a convention, trade show or other special event."

Sondheim fest planned for Millennium Park

Sun Times: "'Sondheim in the Park,' the free, three-day festival set to run July 14-16 in Chicago's Millennium Park, is taking shape."

Dazzling `Side Show' earns spot at center stage

Chicago Tribune: "So what are you doing this weekend? Cancel it, and come look at the freaks instead. Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's dazzling little production of the cult 1997 Broadway musical 'Side Show' is that good."

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Steinbeck son, granddaughter awarded novel rights

Reuters.co.uk: "The book publishing rights to some of novelist John Steinbeck's most successful novels will be transferred to his son and granddaughter after a judge ruled in their favour in a copyright suit, lawyers said on Monday."

IVE (Tsing Yi) Offering Medialon Show Control Training

LIVEDESIGN: "The Department of Multimedia and Internet Technology (MIT) of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Tsing Yi) has announced that it has equipped its facility with Medialon show control and also offer Medialon Training to its students."

'Macbeth' in Central Park Delays First Performance

Yahoo! News: "'The rains of the last few weeks have slowed down the preparation of scenery and production elements and in the past week have kept the cast from necessary rehearsals,'"

Quick Negotiation Tips

lifehack.org: "In life, negotiation sometimes is difficult but required on situations. Though you will get rewards if you get hold of this skill."

Great Mistakes in Technical Leadership

lifehack.org: "The article focuses on the greatest mistakes of technical lead. Understand them, avoid them."

In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer

New York Times: "The easy way to look at Heinar Kipphardt's 'In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer' is in terms of present-day politics."

Who's who in the showbiz photo


Post Gazette: "The Post-Gazette put out a call for Pittsburghers working in the entertainment industry in Southern California, and the following showed up to celebrate their shared heritage and to sing 'Won't You Be My Neighbor' in honor of the late Fred Rogers."

Slideshow: HollyBurgh

Post Gazette: "On June 4 in Los Angeles, as twice before in New York, more than 200 former Pittsburghers in the showbiz industry turned out to give testimony to their affection for their heritage."

West Coast showbiz folk fondly recall Pittsburgh roots

Post Gazette: "On June 4 in Los Angeles, as twice before in New York, more than 200 former Pittsburghers turned out to give testimony to their affection for their heritage, to meet old friends, to discover how few degrees of separation there are among Pittsburghers, even those who have never met, and to sing the 'Mister Rogers' theme song, 'Won't You Be My Neighbor.'"

Town Hall Meeting re Illegal Hotels in NYC

actorsequity.org | News #038; Media: "All over the West Side, landlords are illegally converting residential apartments into hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, forcing tenants out and reducing the supply of affordable housing in your neighborhood. Is this becoming a problem in your neighborhood or on your block ?"

Product Placement...Actors' Equity makes its Off-Broadway Debut!

actorsequity.org | News #038; Media: "In today's highly condensed cluster of advertising and promotional messages, advertisers are trying new ways to reach consumers and influence their decision. One of the most popular techniques is 'product placement,' the use of a particular product by actors in a media environment, e.g, in film, television and increasingly, the theatre. "

Monday, June 12, 2006

Edited: Deck Crew Needed at TheatreWorks

I\'m looking for two deck crew people to run the second show of the TW season - BROOKLYN BOY, at the Lucie Stern Theater in Palo Alto. July 12th through August 13th, possible extension through August 27th. Email me if interested, thanks! :)
------------
Posted by Karen Szpaller

Tonys: 'History Boys' wins best play

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The falsetto-voiced boys from Jersey and the high-spirited lads from Britain are now the new princes of Broadway."

Commentary: Kathleen Marshall wins Tony Award for 'Pajama Game' choreography

Post Gazette: "Pittsburgh was right in there, too, with Kathleen Marshall a well-deserving choreography winner for 'The Pajama Game.'"

Complete list of 2006 Tony winners

Post Gazette

It's a 'Boys' night out at the Tony Awards

Post Gazette: "'Jersey Boys,' the fast-moving musical biography of pop icons Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, won best musical last night at the 2006 Tony Awards, while 'The History Boys,' Alan Bennett's wise, witty and warmhearted dissection of British education, was named best play."

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Actors' Equity Families Win Union-Plus Scholarships

actorsequity.org | News #038; Media: "For the second year in a row, children of Actors' Equity members have been selected to receive the 2006 Union Plus Scholarship awards."

What do we want from our arts groups?

Courier Journal: "simply saying we 'need' an orchestra isn't sufficient. Same with the opera, the ballet, etc. Of course it takes money to keep these organizations afloat, and more than that, to make them thrive. But the aesthetic imperative continues to be obscured when financial concerns constantly occupy the foreground."

Portrayal of gay characters shows how arts, times change together

St. Paul Pioneer Press: "In the 20-odd years since 'La Cage,' sympathetic gay characters have become commonplace on the stage, in film and on television. A recent article in the parody newspaper the Onion satirically reported that 'widespread violence and riots have broken out across the U.S. since the May 18 airing of the last episode of 'Will & Grace,' the NBC sitcom hailed as the lone common bond between American gays and straights.'"

Lavish new opera "Grendel" garners mixed reviews

Yahoo! News: "'Grendel,' one of the most ambitious new American operas mounted in years, received diametrically opposed reviews on Saturday after the $2.8 million production also sharply divided its opening night audience."

Play Highlights Muslim Family's Beliefs

Backstage: "'The Perfect Prayer' is the semiautobiographical story of a college student named Hadia who lives in the South and who wants to break away from her strict Muslim parents."

CREW NEEDED FOR INDIE FEATURE

Craigslist: "This is a low-budget project with a solid script and we're fully cast. We need to match the talent of our gifted actors with a creative crew. Looking for a d.p.(with own hd or dv camera), 1st and 2nd a.d., gaffer, a.c., grips, p.a.'s, script supervisor/continuity. "

'Phantom' rolls dice in Vegas

Variety.com: "producers are learning quickly that Las Vegas audiences have little patience for stories and characters. What sounds like a hit around Times Square is often greeted with a shrug along the equally jammed and glittering Las Vegas Boulevard."

REVIEW / L.A. Opera captures savagery of brilliant 'Grendel'

San Francisco Chronicle: "Thursday's opening performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion -- an opening postponed by more than a week after the intricate computer-driven set suffered technical malfunctions -- was still a dazzling display of musical and theatrical inventiveness."

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Timeslicing for Humans

lifehack.org: "The purpose of this exercise is to say that you don’t have to work on projects in the start-to-finish approach mindset. You can, instead, chunk things up in a way that matches the way your brain works."

Broadway Ponders Future of Musicals

Backstage: "Broadway is abuzz with award fever before Sunday's Tony Awards, the culmination of a season of hits and misses that sparked talk of the death of the American musical and the triumph of the Anglo-Irish play."

Actor fails to deliver Rooney's easy charm

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Just as a visual portrait can be enhanced or diminished by its frame, the space in which it's displayed or what surrounds it, the impact and meaning of dramatic portraits depend on location, performer and even audience."

League will quit producing play programs

Sun Times: "the League of Chicago Theatres, the advocacy organization for approximately 190 local venues, is about to cease publication of Chicago Plays."

Theater group chief quits; league ends publications

Chicago Tribune: "After less than a year in her job, Deanna Shoss, the head of the League of Chicago Theatres, announced her resignation Friday."

Friday, June 09, 2006

Teen machine

Time Out New York: "Pop tunesmith Duncan Sheik scores the agonies of adolescence in Spring Awakening."

Did Critics Enjoy Making the Acquaintaince of Market Boy?

Theatre.com: "Market Boy, a new play by David Eldridge set in Romford Market between 1985 and 1991, opened at the National’s Olivier Theatre on 6 June, in a production directed by Rufus Norris and featuring a company of 31"

Hollywood's loss is New York City's gain

News: Show Business Weekly: "Television pilot production in the Los Angeles area dropped nearly 23 percent for the upcoming season according to a new study conducted by FilmL.A., a private group that promotes the city's production industry. New York City, meanwhile, topped the list of locations that have lured TV pilots away from Los Angeles"

Art Can Be a Moving Experience

Wired News: "Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa moved to its new position of distinction in the Louvre Museum in Paris on April 5, 2005. For two reasons, it will be a very long time before it moves again. First, it is just too precious to the Louvre, and the art world, to be moved often. Second, the last move of several meters cost 3.2 million British pounds."

Nominees for Henry Awards announced

DenverPost.com: "The Denver Center Theatre Company has garnered 34 nominations for the Colorado Theatre Guild's inaugural Henry Awards"

Legendary Lighting at Myth

Projection, Lights and Staging News: "When you’re the hottest night club in Twin Cities area, you can’t have just any ol’ light show. "

I'd Like to Thank ...

The Austin Chronicle: "On Monday, June 5, the Austin Critics Table handed out its annual awards for outstanding achievements in the Austin arts in a ceremony at the Cap City Comedy Club."

Tom Stoppard: His soundtrack to a revolution

Independent Online Edition > Features: "Tom Stoppard's new play, Rock'n'Roll, links music and the fall of Communism. Paul Taylor asks him why it is only his second piece about the land of his birth"

Broadway Gains Fans Even as It Struggles

NPR: "It has been a record-breaking year on Broadway, in terms of both attendance and box-office revenue. NPR's Bob Mondello explains why theater is booming in the Big Apple, if not elsewhere in the country."

AIDS AT 25

San Francisco Chronicle: "How to respond to the devastating disease? Live theater -- more than any other art -- has asked the most profound questions."

SHOW REVIEW- 'Bareback' Necessities: New breed of country songs makes topless revue work

reviewjournal.com -- Neon: "it might be a surprise that Harrah's opted to have 'Skintight' -- a generic topless revue for anyone who wanted to see almost-naked people -- morph into more of a niche title for people who want to see almost-naked people in cowboy hats."

Lifting the Mask

reviewjournal.com -- Neon: "Surprise' is a word that keeps coming up in discussions of the reworked 'The Phantom of the Opera.' It's a curious one for a musical that has been seen by more than 80 million people."

Practicing what she teaches

Star Tribune: "Barbara Reid, best known as chair of the University of Minnesota's Theatre Arts and Dance department, gets back on stage tonight in 'Steel Magnolias' at Park Square."

Big and brassy, but also short and sassy

LA Times: "You know you're in a Las Vegas theater when: a) there are cup holders in the seats; b) people are dressed in everything from evening wear to tank tops; c) requests to turn off cellphones are ignored; or d) all of the above."

The Disney Touch at a Hindu Temple

New York Times: "Swaminarayan Akshardham temple complex that towers over east Delhi thought to include several features not commonly found in Hindu architecture, including an indoor boat ride, a large-format movie screen, a musical fountain and a hall of animatronic characters"

Backstory: Bilbao on the Mississippi

csmonitor.com: "The new Guthrie Theater here is wrapped in a dark blue glass-and-metal 'skin' that at night reveals ghostly images from past stage productions."

Top arts chiefs make funding plea

BBC NEWS: "Leading figures in the English arts are calling on the government to make a commitment to arts and culture funding."

ABTT Announces Record-breaking Pre-registration Figures

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: "The ABTT Theatre Show's organizer--The Association of British Theatre Technicians--announces that, six days out from this years event, (June 14-15 Royal Horticultural Halls, London) the pre-registrations are over 15% up on previous years."

New Leadership at Theatre Projects

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: "Richard Pilbrow, founder of Theatre Projects Consultants, has announced that ownership of the firm has been transferred to a new generation of leaders."

Gay Jazz Club of Yesteryear Is Setting for New Musical, 'Play It Cool,' in L.A.

Yahoo! News: "Play It Cool, a Jazz Musical, gets its world premiere June 8 at Celebration Theatre, the Hollywood venue known as a stage for gay and lesbian voices."

NYC's Promenade Theater to Close

Backstage: "The Promenade is the third Off-Broadway house to announce its closing within the past week. The Lamb's Theatre Company and Playhouse 91 posted notices on May 31. "

On Stage: It's root, root, root for favorite nominees at the Tonys

Post Gazette: "some awards still retain their luster, and in theater, those that best combine substance with glitter are the Tony Awards, now in their 60th year."

Scaled-down production can't hide true 'Beauty'

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera production that opened Tuesday evening proves that there is a life beyond Broadway, especially for a 'Beauty' that isn't skin deep."

Weekend excursions to see (surprise!) quality theater

Chicago Tribune: "At this time of year, fresh-air arts experiences crop up everywhere. And while there's a vocal minority that insists Shakespeare is best appreciated without the hum of planes and the stench of bug spray, most of us enjoy a little alfresco entertainment. Sometimes."

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Programs for Undergraduate Women in Science and Engineering: What Works?

Mary Frank Fox, NSF Advance Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology , co-director, Center for the Study of Women, Science, & Technology

will speak on Monday, June 12 at 3 PM in Carnegie Conference Room East in Warner Hall .

Title: "Programs for Undergraduate Women in Science and Engineering: What Works?"

Description: Efforts to open pathways for women -and other under-represented groups- in science and engineering frequently take the form of programs or sets of activities thought to affect the targeted group. This presentation reports on one phase of a large, national study of programs for undergraduate women in science and engineering -- and identifies the patterns and characteristics associated with the more, compared to less, successful programs. The measure of success is based upon the difference between pre- and post-program rates of growth of the percentage of women among recipients of bachelor's degrees in science and engineering fields. The findings have implications for potential practices and policies to support the participation and performance of women in science and engineering. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mary Farnk Fox Brief Bio: Ph.D., University of Michigan, Sociology B. A., University of Michigan, Sociology
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----

Mary Frank Fox is NSF Advance Professor in the School of Public Policy, and co-director, Center for the Study of Women, Science, & Technology, at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research focuses upon gender, science, and academia--the study of women and men in academic and scientific organizations and occupations.

Her research has introduced and established ways in which participation and performance of women and men reflect and are affected by social and organizational features of science and academia. She has addressed these complex processes in a range of research encompassing education and educational programs, collaborative practices, salary rewards, publication productivity, social attributions and expectations, and academic careers. Her work appears in over 40 different scholarly and scientific journals, books, and collections.

Dr. Fox's current research projects include a Study of Programs for Women in Science and Engineering, supported by NSF; continuing study of students and faculty in doctoral education in five scientific fields, supported by NSF; and the research program of the NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation award to Georgia Tech, for which she is Co-PI.

She is associate editor of Sex Roles: A Journal of Research; member of the editorial advisory panels of Social Studies of Science, and the Vanderbilt University Issues in Higher Education Book Series; and co-editor of the new book series on Women, Gender, and Technology, published by University of Illinois Press.

Among her appointments and offices are: Chair of Theory and Research, Social Science Advisory, National Center for Women and Information Technology; research panel on Careers of Life Scientists and consultant for the Study of Gender Differences in Science and Engineering, National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences; past president of Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS); and numerous offices in the American Sociological Association.

She was awarded the SWS Feminist Lecturer 2000 (for a "feminist scholar who has made a commitment to social change"), and the 2002 WEPAN (Women in Engineering Programs) Betty Vetter Research Award (for "notable achievement in research on women in engineering").

FULBRIGHT U.S. STUDENT PROGRAM GRANTS 2007-08

We would like to alert you and your students to the upcoming Fulbright U.S. Student Program for study abroad. SUMMER IS THE BEST TIME FOR STUDENTS TO WORK ON A FULBRIGHT APPLICATION. Our campus Fulbright deadline is September 21st, 2006. This grant applies to rising seniors through Ph.D. students (as long as they have not yet received the terminal degree in their field). Please forward this message to your students!

At the end of this email is a list of twenty-one FULBRIGHT GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS. Several of these specific opportunities may be PERFECT for students in your department. Also, you may be surprised to learn that Fulbright offers four Special Program Opportunities -- Business Grants, English Teaching Assistantships, Islamic Civilization Initiatives, and Language Training Initiatives. Please take a quick look.

Eva Mergner (em43@andrew.cmu.edu) and I are Carnegie Mellon's Fulbright Fellowship Advisors. Students who are interested in applying should contact us immediately for preparation instructions and detailed information about the campus application process. We are available most of the summer to assist students in refining an idea, strategizing project proposals, and reviewing essays. Again, the earlier they start, the better.

For general information about all student Fulbright opportunities and guidelines, see https://us.fulbrightonline.org/home.html .

Lastly, some major US cities have guidance sessions during the summer --see the list online: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/news_events_list.html?category_id=4. Conducted by the Fulbright Program coordinators from the Institute of International Education, these sessions are tremendously helpful to prospective candidates.

We hope that you will share this email with your students. Do not hesitate to contact us with questions.

Take a look! FULBRIGHT U.S. STUDENT PROGRAM GRANTS 2007-08

Fulbright Islamic Civilization Initiative Grants
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/islamic_civ.pdf

Fulbright U.S. Student Program Language Enhancement Training
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/language.pdf

Fulbright Grants Available to Africa
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/africa.pdf

Fulbright Grants Available to the East Asia/Pacific Area
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/east_asia.pdf

Fulbright Grants for Study or Research in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Ukraine
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/cen_europe.pdf

Fulbright Grants to North Africa and the Middle East
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/north_africa.pdf

Fulbright Grants Available to Scandinavia
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/scandinavia.pdf

Fulbright Grants Available to Central and South Asia
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/cen_asia.pdf

Fulbright Grants Available to Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Turkey
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/cyprus.pdf

Fulbright Grants for Study or Research in the Western Hemisphere
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/western_hem.pdf

Fulbright Grants for Study or Research in Austria and Germany
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/austria_germ.pdf

Fulbright Grants to Canada
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/canada.pdf

Fulbright Grants for Study or Research in Italy
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/italy.pdf

Short-Term Professional Fulbright Grants in Journalism to Spain
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/spain.pdf

Fulbright Grants in Business and Economics
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/business.pdf

Fulbright Grants in Creative Writing
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/writing.pdf

Fulbright and Other Fellowship Opportunities for Study Abroad in the Performing Arts
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/performing_arts.pdf

Fulbright English Teaching Opportunities Available
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/teaching.pdf

Fulbright and Other Grants for Study Abroad in the Visual Arts
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/visual_arts.pdf

Fulbright Grants to Italy and Ireland in Deafness:Bilingual Education and Communication
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/deafness.pdf

Fulbright Eurasia Regional Program
https://us.fulbrightonline.org/documents/announ_06/eurasia.pdf

'Lord' rules Canuck noms

Variety.com: "TORONTO -- It may not have wowed the critics, but 'The Lord of the Rings' cleaned up Tuesday when nominations were announced in Toronto for the 27th Dora Mavor Moore Awards, Canada's leading legitlegit honors."

Color Kinetics Awarded Federal Grant To Advance LED Lighting

LIVEDESIGN: "Color Kinetics Incorporated today announced that it has been awarded approximately $1.7 million by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop an LED-based alternative to incandescent lamps for general illumination."

The Importance of Thank-You

lifehack.org: "In business settings, it’s really easy to forget to take the time to say Thank-You, and yet, it’s an important part of interaction with others. "

Help! How do YOU Manage Your “Go-To Guy” List

lifehack.org: "People have unique skills and talents, and over the course of your days, you meet new people and connect to begin new relationships all the time."

Stitches in little time

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "For nearly a month costume designer Joan Markert has been luxuriating in the 18th century."

A look at 'Bigger Than Life' characters

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Director Meghan O'Halloran may not recognize every character, but that didn't stop her from staging the play 'Bigger Than Life.'"

'Chief': A story of the man behind the Steelers

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "You might not be a football fan, but after seeing 'The Chief,' at Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown, you may change your mind."

Annual exhibition takes on new name, attention

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Now in its third year, the Three Rivers Arts Festival Annual Exhibition has taken on a new title, 'Pittsburgh's Best,' and, quite frankly, it has rattled more than a few cages."

Accident Turns Play Into an Improv Show

New York Times: "'The Pajama Game' became a waiting game last night when a minor accident injured a cast member and caused a 27-minute interruption in the performance."

Essay: A Dream Destroyed

Post Gazette: "This essay by Emily Nagin, a student at the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, won first prize in the 'August in February' contest sponsored by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Verizon Yellow Pages."

Stage Review: Rees is well-'Schooled' character actor

Post Gazette: "Pittsburgh's Doug Rees heard that the playwright would be in the house. Rees was going to audition for Arthur Miller."

Stage Review: CLO production brings a sense of joy to 'Beauty'

Post Gazette: "it would take a far more fastidious taste than mine to resist the energy and good cheer of Pittsburgh CLO's version of 'Disney's Beauty and the Beast' which opened its 60th anniversary season Tuesday at the Benedum."

State's performing artists showcased

Post Gazette: "Some of Pennsylvania's finest performing artists will be showcased this weekend in performances at the Byham Theater Friday and Saturday. Sponsored by Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, the shows are free and open to the public."

Gem of the Ocean

Pittsburgh City Paper - Performance: "When you walk into the Pittsburgh Public Theater there’s this huge poster on one of the facing columns. It depicts the late August Wilson standing next to a superimposed list of plays he wrote"

Urinetown Makes Big Splash at 22nd Helen Hayes Awards

actorsequity.org | News #038; Media: "It was a night that produced many nominations, which in turn resulted in four ties, a record for the Helen Hayes Awards."

Broadway Theatre Rally to support SEIU Local 32BJ

actorsequity.org | News #038; Media: "Local 32BJ is bargaining with the the Jujamcyn, Nederlander and Shubert Organizations for a new contract that gives them a fair wage increase and protects medical benefits. "

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Red Hot Chili Peppers Go Out With Tomcat

LIVEDESIGN: "This summer, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will hit the road to support their new CD, Stadium Arcadium with custom equipment from Tomcat USA. "

PQ Student Exhibit Deadline

LIVEDESIGN: "The deadline for submitting student work for the PQ Schools of Scenography Exhibit is June 15."

Circus arts lift Chile's troubled youths

csmonitor.com: "Circo del Mundo has been credited with getting kids off the street, off drugs, and on to a meaningful life."

Creativity brews at Phoenix's core but outlets lacking

The Arizona Republic: "'Creativity, arts and culture are inextricably linked,' the report argues. 'They are part of a 'creative cycle' where people create 'products' (i.e., arts and ideas) that contribute to an attractive quality of life, but also to a prosperous economy "

Chicago arts attendance holding its own

SunTimes: "There's a suspicion in the land -- and specifically in Chicago -- that these are dark days for the arts."

Projected Image Digital Rocks Hard in Barcelona

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: "Projected Image Digital has supplied, installed,and commissioned 60 Element Labs Versa™ TUBE LED fixtures in a basement bar lighting scheme at the Hard Rock Café in Barcelona."

High End Introduces Collage Generator Feature for DL.2

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: "The patent-pending software enables DL.2 fixtures to create seamless panoramic media projections controlled from a lighting console."

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Condensed Summaries

lifehack.org: "If you don’t have time to read the great book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey, Michael Gray has released his summary notes for the book"

Pull, not Push for Overcoming Procrastination

lifehack.org: "By default, we try to push ourselves to overcome procastination - “I must finish this by Friday” - “Let’s try harder”. Instead of this, there maybe a better way - how about you are in control instead of the task/environment control you?"

Promote Yourself

lifehack.org: "Sure, it’s not for everyone, but if you’re attending conferences or gathering with lots of interesting people to discuss your big ideas and future plans, a little self-promotion is a good thing."

Leon Pownall, Canadian Actor Who Wrote, Directed and Taught, Dead at 63

Yahoo! News: "Leon Pownall, an actor, director and writer who spent 14 seasons at the Stratford Festival in Canada, died June 2 after a battle with cancer, the Festival announced."

Union Authorizes Strike Against NBC Universal

Backstage: "The union representing 2,500 employees at four television stations owned and operated by NBC Universal has voted to authorize a strike."

Stage Review: City's 'Catechism' rises again, still blessed with humor

Post Gazette: "When Maripat Donovan's 'Late Night Catechism' first opened at City Theatre 14 months ago, it clearly hit a vein of delighted recognition in the Pittsburgh audience."

These sights, sounds stimulate at Three Rivers Arts Festival

Post Gazette: "There's more to the Three Rivers Arts Festival than the food, performance and artists market clustered near the Point"

Women stealing the show from men in Hong Kong

Chicago Tribune: "Chan Chak-lui loves slipping into cream-colored gowns to play the role of a scholar gentleman in Cantonese opera -- a world long dominated by men who sing, dance and perform martial arts."

The House of Blue Leaves

Pittsburgh City Paper - Performance: "The House of Blue Leaves

Theatrical fashion is a funny thing. In this job I often go through waves when a particular play suddenly pops up on everyone’s schedule over a period of a few years and then disappears for the longest time.

South Park Theatre presents one such work, The House of Blue Leaves, by John Guare. I remember when you couldn’t step inside a theater without getting this dysfunctional-family comedy/drama smacked into your face. But, watching it, I realized that it had been years since anyone had produced it.

Whether this production foreshadows a coming glut remains to be seen, but I can’t say that I would mind too much. While it’s not one of my favorite Guare plays (Six Degrees of Separation and the luminous Landscape of the Body are my top two), Blue Leaves has much to recommend it. Guare writes in an odd but rewarding urban-poetic style, and the contest between contentment and despair fueling all of his work is always fun to watch.

Lynn DeBree directs the South Park production with the precise blend of comedy and aching sadness that is essential with any of Guare’s work. In the oeuvre, Blue Leaves is notable for its wild, farce-like elements, and DeBree and her cast take the show to the farthest limits of the playwrigh"

Hairspray - Las Vegas

New York Times: "What happens in Vegas does not always stay in Vegas."

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

City Theatre's Summer Shorts program offers 16 quick plays

MiamiHerald.com: "South Florida's seasons being rather subtle things, events become the markers of change here. And one way we know for certain summer has arrived? It's time for City Theatre's annual Summer Shorts Festival."

New job: Various Run Crew Needed at TheatreWorks


Various Run Crew Needed at TheatreWorks
------------
I\'m looking for various people - Stage Carp, Deck Crew, Props - to run the second show of the TW season - BROOKLYN BOY, at the Lucie Stern Theater in Palo Alto. July 12th through August 13th, possible extension through August 27th. Email me if interested, thanks! :)
Dates: Jul 12, 2006-Aug 13, 2006
Pay:

------------
Posted by Karen Szpaller

First Preview of 'Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular' Bumped

Yahoo! News: "The revised 95-minute version of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and director Harold Prince's international smash will play The Venetian Resort in the Nevada desert. The delay was related to the new building, not the production."

League of Washington Auditions Set for Mid-June

Backstage: "According to league administrator Nicola Duval, who has been coordinating the auditions since 1994, this year's auditors will include representatives from 60 to 65 theatre companies, casting offices, and film production companies. Over 800 actors are expected to be seen over the five days of auditions, and there will also be a list of standbys."

L.A. Loses TV Pilots, Industry Study Finds

Backstage: "Television pilot production in the Los Angeles area for the upcoming season fell more than 23 percent from last year's levels, costing more than 1,000 jobs and draining up to $70 million from the local economy, a new study concludes."

Cultural Top 50: A decade of events that rocked Pittsburgh's cultural scene

Post Gazette: "After a decade of putting the list together, the arts and entertainment staff decided to change it one last time. Instead of rating people, it lists the Top 50 influences on, or events in, the arts over the past 10 years."

Make-up Person Wanted

Craigslist: "We just have one scene to shoot where the main charecter needs to have a cast on his arm, and be a little bruised up. We need someone to help us make a fake cast and do make-up."

Jeff Citations reward settlers and cellmates

Sun Times: "It was an exceptionally good night for American pioneers and Latin American political prisoners as the 33rd annual Jeff Citations ceremony, honoring excellence in Chicago's non-Equity theaters, unfolded Monday at Park West."

`Huddersfield' helps playwright find his place

Chicago Tribune: "If you're a dissolute youth in the East End of London, the slums of Dublin or on New York's affluent Upper West Side, the Chicago theater long has held a place for your whining. But if you're stuck in the provinces of Serbia? Different story. Or no story at all."

Monday, June 05, 2006

New job: Master Carpenter


Master Carpenter
------------
For Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley.

For first and second shows of the 06-07 season.

Build Dates:

First show: Week of July 31st & August 7.

Second show: Week of October 9th & 16th.

Contact Info: 510 843 4042 x305

Dates: Dec 31, 1969-Dec 31, 1969
Pay: 1000.00 per show