Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Punk ballerina Karole Armitage does more than think outside the box. She melts the box away. As a dancer, she worked with two utterly contrasting masters, George Balanchine and Merce Cunningham. Her creations aren't limited to ballets. She's choreographed Broadway shows, operas, videos by Madonna and Michael Jackson, and will create the choreography for Cirque de Soleil's 2012 tent show "Amaluna."
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Science and ballet: Choreographer melds many dimensions
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Punk ballerina Karole Armitage does more than think outside the box. She melts the box away. As a dancer, she worked with two utterly contrasting masters, George Balanchine and Merce Cunningham. Her creations aren't limited to ballets. She's choreographed Broadway shows, operas, videos by Madonna and Michael Jackson, and will create the choreography for Cirque de Soleil's 2012 tent show "Amaluna."
Sweeney Todd
Pittsburgh City Paper: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is scary! And not just because this musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler is about a barber who kills his customers and has his neighbor, Mrs. Lovett, turn them into meat pies. It's also scary because it's the greatest work of art ever produced, and every time I see it, my heart is in my throat hoping the company doesn't screw it up.
Bodiography medley yields uneven results
Post Gazette: Arts groups view the 10th anniversary as the first of what they hope will be numerous milestones. It is also one that many fledgling organizations will never see, given the inherent financial and organizational difficulties involved. So Bodiography's Maria Caruso, who has always had a large vision, decided to give things a Hollywood flair over the weekend with a Red Carpet Rollout at the Byham Theater.
Civic Theatre farce hits timely notes
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: As income tax preparers begin their annual ritual of sorting through 1040s, W2s and countless other forms, Greensburg Civic Theatre offers a timely diversion for the rest of us. "Love, Sex and the I.R.S." doesn't promise a refund on our tax returns, but it does promise to make us laugh.
'The Way Back Home' is an imaginative treat
Post Gazette: What is it about wardrobes and closets that so fascinate children's authors in the U.K.? Oliver Jeffers' "The Way Back Home" opens with a boy finding an airplane inside his closet. Without hesitation (and apparently without checking the fuel tank), he dons his flight jacket, hat and goggles and takes off. By the time he runs out of gas, he's already in orbit around the moon, and he crashes there only to meet an alien whose spaceship did the same.
Seventh annual 'Bricolage Urban Scrawl' delivers laughs
Post Gazette: "B.U.S." arrived on schedule Saturday for the seventh year at Bricolage in the Cultural District. The title stands for "Bricolage Urban Scrawl," an ambitious annual theatrical insanity and fundraiser that gathers six playwrights, six directors and a couple of dozen actors and creates six new one-act plays in 24 hours.
It's worth a visit to 'Hospitality Suite'
Post Gazette: The "chief business of the American people is business," as that great sage Calvin Coolidge notoriously said. Whether that's true, business is one of the favorite subjects of American drama, especially the spiritual cost to the shock troops of business, its salesmen. The masterpiece is Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" (1949), in which Willy Loman dies in pursuit of the salesman's dream. From there it's straight through to David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" (1984), where the sales wars are more cutthroat, and we laugh in shock.
Stage review: 'Marathon 33' just too busy
Post Gazette: The re-creators of "Marathon 33" must have thought, "We've hit the jackpot!" when they cast Heidi Friese to play their youthful June Havoc. Tome Cousin and Peter Gregus have adapted the play by Ms. Havoc that tells of her experiences as a neophyte dance marathoner after her days as vaudeville headliner Baby June.
Scientific theories inspire Armitage Gone! Dance
Post Gazette: Choreographer Karole Armitage's background in dance is far-reaching. Work with pop greats Michael Jackson and Madonna to top troupes such as Paris Opera Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Washington Ballet are just some of the collaborations that dot her resume.
Musicians Union Lends 'Full Support' to SAG-AFTRA Merger
Backstage: The American Federation of Musicians has endorsed SAG/AFTRA merger, the AFM said in a statement Monday night, adding that the union's international executive board had communicated "its full support" to AFTRA and SAG.
Helen Hayes Award Nominees Announced
Backstage: The nominees for the 28th annual Helen Hayes Awards, recognizing excellence in the Washington, D.C. theater community, were announced on Monday, February 27.
SAG and AFTRA Send Merger Ballots to Members
Backstage: The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild sent ballots to their approximately 131,000 combined members on Monday. Members may also review the ballot package at SAGAFTRA.org or attend upcoming local informational meetings to ask questions. The packets include pro and con statements about the merger, voting ballots, the merger agreement and constitution, and a pension, health, and retirement feasibility review.
Goodman books 'Jungle Book'
Variety: The world preem of the Mary Zimmerman-helmed stage adaptation of "The Jungle Book" is among the shows lined up for the 2012-13 season at Chicago's Goodman Theater, with new plays by Christopher Shinn, Dael Orlandersmith and Quiara Alegria Hudes also on the slate.
6 Ways Your Business Card Can Still Pack A Big Punch
Fast Company: Richard Moross wants you to know that business cards are alive and well. As the CEO of MOO, the company that pioneered those clever mini cards with do-it-yourself design options, Moross says the business of printing may be 500+ years old, but it's doing quite nicely, thank you very much.
The Elephant Man
Pittsburgh City Paper: In 1981, a young Mark Hamill took the title role of The Elephant Man, by Bernard Pomerance. Hamill was a Star Wars superstar, recognized everywhere as the original Jedi. What would compel Tatooine's finest to play a monstrous, slurring, slobbering sideshow freak? Why would a boyish celebrity trifle with the stage, much less a sad little drama about a Victorian cripple with a giant, disgusting head?
Lyn Gardner on critics writing plays
The Guardian: 'Critics," said the Irish writer Brendan Behan, "are like eunuchs in a harem. They know how it's done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." Perhaps it was Behan's voice that was whispering in my ear when I recently turned down an invitation to write a short play. It's not the first that's come my way, and of course I was flattered – who wouldn't be? – but I tend to think that, while 30 years of sitting in the dark watching other people's plays has taught me a great deal, one of the things it hasn't taught me is how to write a good play.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Unions Plan Strike Against Spike TV's '1,000 Ways To Die'
Deadline.com: Spike TV’s 1,000 Ways To Die might soon learn what it’s like to be The Biggest Loser. Teamsters Local 399 and IATSE said today that they plan to take action against 1,000 Ways producer Original Productions over crew members fired last week.
Actors Equity endorses SAG-AFTRA merger
Variety: The Actors Equity Council has endorsed the proposed combo of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists. The council, which approved the endorsement unanimously on Tuesday, is the first organization to back the SAG-AFTRA merger. The resolution said that the council "strongly supports" the merger. The council has 84 members.
Script Change?
Stage Directions: It’s not uncommon for directors to regard the script as a starting point—allowing for changes that may be needed to make the show work in their theatre, with their actors and their audience. They might consider cutting lines, changing the gender or name of a character, resetting the play in a different locale or time period, or removing objectionable language.With Shakespeare, Molière or Ibsen, there’s no problem—their works are in the public domain. However, if the play is protected by copyright, none of those changes are allowed without prior written permission from the author or the author’s representative (usually the publisher or licensing organization). Some playwrights absolutely refuse any changes to their scripts. However, many others are at least willing to consider the possibility—if you go about it the right way.
The Holy Grail of High Fidelity
residentialsystems: There’s no doubt that technology is moving at a pace these days that’s virtually impossible to keep up with, and if you were not paying attention, you may have missed the biggest breakthrough in the history of recorded music. The history of the recording arts goes way back to 1878 when Edison invented the first cylinder-based players.
World's largest cinema screen Photos
Yahoo! News: A new 3D IMAX screen is installed at IMAX Darling Harbour on February 9, 2012 in Sydney, Australia. The new 3D screen at 29.5 metres by 35.7 metres will replace the former screen at IMAX Darling Harbour as the largest in the world.
For Cultural Endowments, Modest Gains
The Chronicle of Higher Education: Under President Obama's budget proposal for the 2013 fiscal year, the National Endowments for the Arts and for the Humanities would each be allocated $8-million more than in the 2012 fiscal year. The proposed budget, released on Monday, would increase spending at each of the endowments to $154-million, up from the $146-million each organization received when Congress finally approved a comprehensive spending plan for the current year in December. Among other activities, the two endowments offer grants to colleges for academic programs, research, and fellowships in the arts and humanities.
Good Sports
Event Design Magazine: When production designer Anton Goss was kicking around ideas for the huge stage design for the broadcast of China Central Television’s Sports Personality of the Year Awards, one concept kept popping up—go huge. And huge it was. The enormous circular stage featured 50-foot-tall LED walls, video columns and an elaborate lighting rig to celebrate China’s greatest athletes. The show is a huge deal in China (akin to the Oscars broadcast here in the U.S.), so Goss decided to go over-the-top with his design and see what he could get away with. The Olympic arena that housed the production afforded Goss and his team to go big in every way.
Tulsa looks to capitalize on film, music industries
Tulsa World: Mayor Dewey Bartlett and City Councilor Blake Ewing are hoping to position Tulsa to capitalize on the film and music industries. "There is a direct tie between the top cities that draw young, creative people," Ewing said. "The common trait is that those cities are also the top cities for film and music, such as Austin (Texas) and Portland (Ore.)." Bartlett said that because of Tulsa's rich heritage in music and film, it makes "perfect sense" to pursue the effort in an official manner.
2012 Thea Award Winners
svconline: Next month, the Themed Entertainment Association marks its 20th anniversary and its 18th annual Thea awards—celebrated with a gala on March 17 at the Disneyland Hotel. The day before, at the THEA Summit, members of each of the winning project teams will present a case study, detailing the design and installation for a wide range of attractions (and budgets) including a spectacular live show in Singapore that combines enormous animatronics with digital screens, a 4D film in France directed by renowned filmmaker Luc Besson, and a cruise ship restaurant that allows diners to watch their placemat doodles come to life and interact with Disney characters onscreen.
Kate Beckinsale, Jane Lynch honour style mavens at 14th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards
National Post: The stars rely on the wardrobe department and stylists to make sure they look the part onscreen and off. From the look of the crowd at the 14th annual Costume Designers Guild awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel Tuesday night, the members of IATSE Local 892 don’t need any help getting dressed.
Dynamic Versus Compressed
Pro Sound Web: A while back I was pondering mixing live shows, as I strangely so often find myself doing, and I began to analyze the varying aspects of dynamics in live reverberant fields. Is there something more legitimate than personal preference that would add credibility to using compression?
The digitalization of live performance
You've Cott Mail for Mon Feb 13: The success of the Metropolitan Opera's HD broadcasts in cinemas around the world has some New York theater producers seeking similar returns. A new company, Broadway Near You, plans to produce 3-5 theater broadcasts this year, and to develop a subscription series for viewers across the country and abroad. And a Brooklyn-based company, BY Experience -- which distributes broadcasts for the Met and the National Theatre in London, and last year produced a broadcast for the Roundabout Theatre -- is working on three more U.S. theater productions this year.
The Work of Presentational Art in the Age of On-Demand Technological Empowerment
artsjournal.com/newbeans: The rise of technology that has allowed for easier creation and consumption of art has been a vexing and intriguing problem for arts organizations for a while now—a lot longer than the rise of television in the 1950’s or the advent of the personal computer 25 years ago. In 1935, Walter Benjamin wrote the famous essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” which, in the particular, concerns itself with the fate of the fine, formerly-non-reproducible arts like painting and theatre in the face of new technologies like photography and film, and in the abstract dissects the live arts experience in an attempt to understand what might really go missing in a world of reproductions.
The Perpetual Foreigner of American Theatre
TCG Circle: Where are all the Asians? That seemed to be the question at hand last Monday, Feb. 13, during the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) roundtable, with a pun-filled title: “RepresenAsian: The Changing Face of Theatre,” at Fordham University. The roundtable included a presentation of a newly released study, titled “Ethnic Representation on New York City Stages, 2006/7–2010/11”. The numbers, and ensuing conversation, has been aptly summarized by former–American Theatre staffer Randy Gener for NPR here and Patrick Healy for the New York Times here.
Theatre The Theatre Community Disdains
Howard Sherman: I know. It’s just a tweet. Let it go. But it’s emblematic of bias I read and hear constantly. It’s about time I said something.
I would like everyone to stop using “community theatre” as a punch line or punching bag. As people with a vested interest in building and sustaining interest in theatre, pretty much everyone in the business is supportive of and in many cases evangelical for arts education. We applaud academic drama programs and productions from kindergarten to graduate school, recognizing that such programs can give voice to the next generation of artists as well as the next generation of audiences.
I would like everyone to stop using “community theatre” as a punch line or punching bag. As people with a vested interest in building and sustaining interest in theatre, pretty much everyone in the business is supportive of and in many cases evangelical for arts education. We applaud academic drama programs and productions from kindergarten to graduate school, recognizing that such programs can give voice to the next generation of artists as well as the next generation of audiences.
From Hackney to Hollywood: the stars of an all-black drama school
The Guardian: Sandwiched between a hipster pub and an empty shop front, you are likely to hear the Identity drama school in east London before you see it. As I loiter outside, the passing traffic is punctuated with the hubbub of student recitals, which filter down from the window above. It may not compete with Rada's lavish Bloomsbury setting or Lamda's 150-year-old history, but what goes on behind these walls serves an arguably more vital and immediate purpose than any of the country's more established drama schools.
Bay State a bit out of focus
Boston.com: One year ago, as Oscar night arrived with numerous Boston-accented films vying for awards, many were hailing 2010 as a watershed year for moviemaking in the Bay State. Two of the 10 nominees for best picture - “The Social Network’’ and “The Fighter’’ - were born and raised in Massachusetts, and 16 total nominations could be linked to the state in some way. Fast forward to tonight’s 84th Academy Awards show and you find few Oscar nominees that can even be linked to Massachusetts, save actors who are native or adopted New Englanders, including best actress nominees Viola Davis and Glenn Close, and best supporting actress nominee Janet McTeer. While some think the 2012 Oscar dearth is a bad omen and others insist the state’s film industry has never been better, it appears the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Space that housed the Life Cafe, the setting for 'Rent,' is itself up for rent, ending an era
NY Daily News: Sorry, “Rentheads,” bohemia is dead. The site of the Life Cafe, the 30-year-old Alphabet City eatery that inspired the late Jonathan Larson’s musical “Rent,” is up for rent. The cafe is best known as the location for the “La Vie Boheme” scene in the play, in which a group of artists and friends celebrate the type of bohemianism present in 1980s Alphabet City. Larson is said to have written much of the play at the cafe, where he was often seen researching and interviewing patrons.
Wearable Electronics Are Making a Statement
NYTimes.com: RHINESTONES, sequins and gold lamé can still add traditional glitter to evening wear. But if you really want to shine at your next dinner party, consider the sparkle that a jacket with light-emitting diodes or a corsage with fiber optics could provide.
7 Lessons From Artists
DesignTAXI.com: “You cannot truly create something great unless you are willing to share your most tender, most vulnerable thoughts and feelings.” “The fact is, when you're given total permission to get in there, be messy, use your intuition and make mistakes, the results can be incredible.”
"Matched third party content. Entity: rumblefish Content Type: Musical Composition", but no music in the video
YouTube Help: I posted a video which is basically just me walking and talking, outdoors, away from any possible source of music.
And apparently youtube identified my video as containing copyrighted music from a company called rumblefish. I filed a dispute, and now I'm waiting for said company to respond to it. Is this a freak occurrence? I feel pretty violated by this, a mysterious entity claiming to own my content and apparently profiting from it with ads. There are birds singing in the background in the video, could they own the rights to birdsong?
And apparently youtube identified my video as containing copyrighted music from a company called rumblefish. I filed a dispute, and now I'm waiting for said company to respond to it. Is this a freak occurrence? I feel pretty violated by this, a mysterious entity claiming to own my content and apparently profiting from it with ads. There are birds singing in the background in the video, could they own the rights to birdsong?
First Night Riders Bring Theatre Staff Out of the Wings and Into the Wind
Lighting&Sound America Online - News: On Friday 22 June a group of intrepid motorbike riders hailing from all sectors of the entertainment technology industry will set off from the Royal Albert Hall in London for a four-day, open-air tour of England's green and pleasant A-Roads. Their mission? To raise as much money as possible for industry charity The Theatrical Guild (TTG), the only charity dedicated to looking after the interests of backstage and Front of House personnel.
SURG/SURF Proposals: DEADLINE March 21st
$3500 SUMMER 2012 Fellowships
$500/$1000 Summer and Fall 2012 SURG
$3500 Summer Fellowships
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) are open to ALL undergraduatesinterested in any form of research. Awards are available of $3500for eight to ten weeks of full-time summer research on campus in any field ofstudy. Summer Research Fellowships are very competitive. Students maywork alone or in a group, but must apply for the Fellowship as an individual -no group awards are available. There are special guidelines forArts and Creative Humanities Proposals.
Summer SURG/Fall SURG
Small Undergraduate Research Grants (SURG) are open to* ALL *undergraduatesin any discipline, freshmen-seniors. Grants are available of up to $500for single entries and up to $1,000 for group entries to cover such things asthe costs of supplies and materials, time on laboratory
equipment, or travel to another city for data.
The deadline for Fall/Summer 2012 SURG and Summer 2012 Fellowship proposals is March21st, 2012 at 5 PM.
Apply online at www.cmu.edu/uro/ <http://www.cmu.edu/uro/>.We strongly recommend that students review a draft of their proposal withJennifer Keating-Miller, URO Assistant Director (jkeating@andrew.cmu.edu <mailto:jkeating@andrew.cmu.edu>) or with Stephanie Wallach, URO Director (sw4s@andrew.cmu.edu <mailto:sw4s@andrew.cmu.edu>)at least a week before the deadline. Please send email for anappointment.
Youmay also want to participate in our SURG/SURF Application Workshops:
Tuesday,March 6: 4:30-5:30 p.m., UC/Rangos 2
Wednesday, March 7: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m., UC/McKenna
ULS
UniversityLectures
cmu.edu/uls/
Monday, March 5, 2012
4:30 pm • Porter Hall100 (Gregg Hall)
FROM PETALS TO PIXELS
The Art & Science ofMessing Around with Plants
Rob Kesseler, visual artist andProfessor of Ceramic Art & Design at Central Saint Martins College of Art& Design, London
The plant world is a sourceof inspiration and celebration throughout Rob Kesseler’s work; he is fascinatedboth by the plants themselves and the way in which they migrate into everyaspect of our lives. This is reflected in a hybrid practice that spansPhotography, Design, Fine Art and Craft. For the past twelve years he has beencollaborating with botanical scientists and molecular biologists at the RoyalBotanic Gardens Kew and the Gulbenkian Science Institute in Portugal to explorethe creative potential of microscopic plant material. Employing a variety ofimaging processes and styles, from digital photography and scanning electronmicrography to spontaneous ink drawing; he has involved a sophisticatedcoordination of hand, eye and intuition. Petals to Pixels will reveal some ofhis working processes and the diverse range of projects and products that haveresulted from this.
Thursday, March 8,2012
4:30 pm • McConomyAuditorium, first floor, University Center
Dickson Prize in Science
Honoring ProfessorMarvin L. Cohen, University of California, Berkeley
Einstein, Condensed MatterPhysics, Nanoscience & Superconductivity
Award Ceremony andLecture
Professor Cohen willdescribe a few observations about Einstein and his research in condensed matterphysics. Einstein had difficulty getting his thesis subject approved despitesome excellent proposals, which Cohen will discuss. As is well known, Einsteinwas at the forefront in many fields, but Professor Cohen will focus oncondensed matter and quantum physics. In particular, he'll discuss thebackground of this area of physics and some recent work in photovoltaics,nanoscience and superconductivity. In the latter field, Einstein suggested thatwe might never have a theoretical explanation, but Einstein was not alwaysright.
Other Lectures ofInterest:
Wednesday, February29, 2012
12 noon• University Center, Wright Room
“One Book, One Campus”
Discussion of MalcolmX: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable
To RSVP for lunch, emailot25@andrew.cmu.edu.
Sponsored by BlackFaculty and Staff Association (BFASA) Book Club
Sunday, March 4, 2012
McConomy Auditorium,University Center
TEDxCMU 2012
TEDxCMU brings a groupof inspiring,exciting speakers to Carnegie Mellon to share their "IdeasWorth Spreading". The event is free, but you must apply for a ticket toattend since space is limited. The sooner you apply, the better your chances ofgetting a ticket. Apply now at http://tedxcmu.com
Monday, March 5, 2012
4:30 pm—Workshop inUC, Connan
7:30 pm—Doorsopen; 8:00 pm—Concert Begins in Rangos Ballroom
Born in Flames Tour
The Born in Flames Tourbridges the worlds of hip hop and rock, and spotlights women who represent thebest of both worlds. The name of the tour, Born in Flames, speaks to thepressure these artists confront from a world that’s often at odds with theirvery existence, be it black/woman/queer/punk, etc. Featured artists JeanGrae,Invincible and Tamar-kali are each highly respected in theirindividual scenes, with ever-growing fan bases.
This genre-rich touralso crosses over into education and activism through a workshop that theparticipating artists will host at Carnegie Mellon. Directed toward studentsand community members, the workshop will take a critical look into themarginalized impact of women, women of color, and queer folk on the history ofmusic – from both the artistic and business perspectives. The discussion willthen move from analysis to action, highlighting strategies that artists haveused to counter these narratives. Students and Pittsburghers will consider howthe strategies could be adopted to affect change within their localcommunities.
The concert and workshopare set to take place on Monday, March 5th, 2012, at the Carnegie MellonUniversity Center. Both events are free and open to the public.
Born In Flames Tour atCarnegie Mellon is a production of The Arts Greenhouse. The Arts Greenhouse isa hip-hop education outreach program cultivating the artistic talents ofPittsburgh youth. More information is available at www.PghBeatmakers.com
Wednesday, March 7,2012
12:15 pm • HamburgHall 1000
Heinz Convocation
Information Technology andEffective Government
Teresa Takai, Department of DefenseChief Information Officer
Ms. Teri Takai, DoD CIO,will describe the challenges she has faced and overcome in developingEnterprise solutions for tough IT problems. She will also provideherperspective on the importance of IT to effective government. Ms. Takai hasserved as the CIO of the states of Michigan and California and presently servesas the CIO of the Department of Defense.
Monday, February 27, 2012
NFTRW Weekly Top 5
Here are the top five comment generating posts of the past week...
Your Reputation Is Your Résumé
Technology Review: Building a career isn't what it used to be—and we're not talking about the sputtering economy or the 13.3 percent unemployment rate among 20-to-24-year-olds. College graduates entering the job market are supplementing and sometimes circumventing the traditional job-search routine of combing want ads and sending out résumés. They're using online resources to build reputations, demonstrate skills, and give employers a much clearer idea of their strengths.
Why Getting Things Done is The Best Productivity System
lifehack.org: David Allen’s Getting Things Done book has been around for over ten years now and has totally changed the way that many knowledge workers work and play. The system has helped me and many editors and contributors here at Lifehack get their most important work done on a daily, monthly, weekly, and “lifely” basis.
What are we missing?
2AMt: What are we missing out on by not having more female voices and perspectives on our stages? As we make our way to the culminating event in Forum Theatre’s current Female Voices Festival, I thought it appropriate to step back and give some explanation as to what led us to producing this festival and what it means to the past, present, and future of both Forum itself and the American Theatre. It started with an embarrassing admission.
SawStop Destroying America
The Colbert Report on Tool Box Buzz: Regular readers here at Tool Box Buzz know how I feel about SawStop and it’s inventor Steve Gass. Check out the latest Colbert Report and find out why he thinks SawStop is Destroying America. We all need to get on board and stop this legislative disaster!
Ten Things Theaters Need to Do Right Now to Save Themselves
The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: 1. Enough with the goddamned Shakespeare already. The greatest playwright in history has become your enabler and your crutch, the man you call when you're timid and out of ideas. It's time for a five-year moratorium—no more high schoolers pecking at Romeo and Juliet, no more NEA funding for Shakespeare in the heartland, and no more fringe companies trying to ennoble themselves with Hamlet. (Or with anything. Fringe theater shouldn't be in the game of ennobling, it should be in the game of debasement.) Stretch yourself. Live a little. Find new, good, weird plays nobody has heard of. Teach your audiences to want surprises, not pacifiers.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Arts community demanding spotlight in Las Vegas
The Associated Press: It's a desert oasis that hangs its priciest paintings on casino walls, where neon signs are a point of a pride and themed-hotels pay tribute to architecture's golden eras. Still, Las Vegas' cultural offerings have long taken a back seat to the glamour and crudity of its most notorious vices. People come here to party, the stereotype goes, not broaden their artistic horizons.
"Thomas Kinkade has won and we, all of us, have lost"
scanners: As far as I'm concerned, that's the sub-head of the year -- for the first section of Greg Ferrara's perfectly observed (and, for me, exhilaratingly cathartic) Cinema Styles blog post, Five Years, Five Peeves, Five Reasons to Go On. It's so sharp (and not just when I happen to share his point of view) and funny that I feel like offering an annotated response. You should read the whole thing (I couldn't even get past the first item without stopping to leave an enthusiastic comment), but I will refrain... sort of.
Five Best PowerPoint Alternatives
lifehacker.com: When you need to create an interesting and engaging presentation for your boss, new clients, or a job interview, you have plenty of options for tools to get the job done. Plus, even though it's the industry standard, you don't have to your Microsoft PowerPoint, and many people would argue there are better tools for the job anyway. This week we're going to look at five of the best of those alternative presentation tools, based on your nominations.
Why Getting Things Done is The Best Productivity System
lifehack.org: David Allen’s Getting Things Done book has been around for over ten years now and has totally changed the way that many knowledge workers work and play. The system has helped me and many editors and contributors here at Lifehack get their most important work done on a daily, monthly, weekly, and “lifely” basis.
Josh Young and Patricia McGregor Among Theater Newcomers
NYTimes.com: This spring a director, playwright and actors, all relatively new to New York, take the stages on Broadway and off.
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