Transformations and Civic Connectedness

On Our Minds - August 9, 2013: In the Cambridge office of WolfBrown, we have been pursuing two complementary lines of work: the transformation of great 19th and 20th century institutions into 21st century organizations, and building the civic functions of those same organizations. Throughout the last year, we have been helping cultural institutions to leap forward into 21st century world: a process that demands enormous flexibility and vision from both staff and board. Consider the case of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC, an institution devoted not only to maintaining a great collection but also to increasing the interest and understanding of the humanities in general and Shakespeare and the modern European world in particular. The Folger has become involved in online publishing, is now a major center for the digital humanities, and has a go-to website of Shakespeare media resources for high schools and college students. WolfBrown has had the privilege of helping the Folger develop a new wheelhouse - the staffing, budgeting, and strategic plan - that can support and sustain this transformation. Similarly, the firm joined forces with Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, the magnificent early 20th century home of James Deering in Miami, helping that organization think about its physical, programmatic and management needs for a second century of service to the community.

Wacom Cintiq Companion: Windows 8 and Android Tablets For Artists Only

gizmodo.com: Artists, illustrators, and designers of all kinds rely on Wacom's line of drawing tablets. Up until now, the devices only worked as peripherals. But Wacom's new line of fully self-contained tablets are the only devices you need to make art just about anywhere. The Cintiq Companion is Wacom's attempt to integrate its own powerful stylus & tablet technology into a fully-featured mobile device. It comes in two different varieties.

Les Paul Exhibit

Chicago Scenic Studios, Inc.: The 2,000 sq. ft. exhibit tells the story of hometown boy Les Paul - the “Wizard of Waukesha” - in six chapters, each one devoted to a specific aspect of his life. The multi-level approach employs graphics, headlines, narrative copy, and an abundance of artifacts from Paul’s life, including a player piano, harmonica neck brace (his first invention), trophies, greeting cards, the “Les Paulverizer” and – of course – guitars.

Christie to Supply Seattle Cinerama with World’s First Commercial Laser Projection System

InPark Magazine: Christie, a global leader in digital cinema projection, is pleased to announce that it has been chosen to supply and install the world’s first commercial digital laser projection solution at the Seattle Cinerama Theatre, located at 2100 4th Avenue in Seattle, WA. The purchase order is for a 4K Christie digital laser projector, with scalable light output up to 60,000 lumens. “When hi-tech visionary Paul G. Allen bought the theater in 1999, he gave Cinerama full rein to innovate in order to provide our community with a cutting-edge movie going experience,” said Cinerama Theatre Manager Greg Wood. “Selecting a laser projection solution – with its ability to render 2D and 3D movies with stunning clarity and brilliant, accurate color rendition – is in keeping with this tradition.

507 Mechanical Movements, with animations

Boing Boing: 507 Movements brings to life Henry T Brown's 1868 treatise "Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements, Embracing All Those Which Are Most Important in Dynamics, Hydraulics, Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, Steam Engines, Mill and Other Gearing, Presses, Horology, and Miscellaneous Machinery; and Including Many Movements Never Before Published and Several Which Have Only Recently Come Into Use," and includes selected animations of the mechanisms. Hypnotic and educational!

Toronto: IATSE Labor Deal Averts Strike at Roy Thomson Hall

The Hollywood Reporter: With workers threatening to strike weeks before the Toronto International Film Festival kicks off, IATSE has reached a tentative deal to avert a walkout at Roy Thomson Hall, the top venue for star-driven premieres.

Hollywood’s Big Bet on Broadway Adaptations

NYTimes.com: To understand why Hollywood is moving aggressively into making musicals for Broadway, just look out the eighth-floor office window of Jimmy Horowitz, the president of Universal Pictures.

Cinema's Greatest Effects Shots Picked By Hollywood's Top VFX Specialists

Features | Empire: From Eadweard Muybridge and George Méliès to James Cameron and Phil Tippett, the history of movie effects is basically the greatest bedtime story never told. Except it’s a yarn so full of dragons, dinosaurs and mimetic polyalloy killing machines sent back from the future that you’d never get any sleep after hearing it. As Life Of Pi and Avatar amply demonstrate, there are many chapters still to be written and innovations still to be forged, but whether in-camera, matte, prosthetic, CG, or just lovingly modelled by a man with a passion for Plasticine, effects have brought magic to the movies since the silent era. In a unique celebration of the art, Empire asked the people who make them happen to pick their favourites.

Alan Lomax's Massive Archive Goes Online

The Record : NPR: Folklorist Alan Lomax spent his career documenting folk music traditions from around the world. Now thousands of the songs and interviews he recorded are , many for the first time. It's part of what Lomax envisioned for the collection — long before the age of the Internet.

Coding as Graduation Requirement: One School is Making it Happen

Geekosystem: Schools need to stop ignoring coding. We use computers every day. We carry tiny computers around in our pockets everywhere we go, and most people can’t even make one of them say “Hello World!” Beaver Country Day School outside of Boston is trying to change that by making coding a graduation requirement, and other schools should too.

Production Manager Posting 2013 by J-O-B PM

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Are Arts Leaders “Cultural” Leaders?

diacritical: The two terms sometimes get mixed up. They’re not interchangeable. For the most part, the big cultural debates of our time take place without participation of our artists and arts leaders. If artists aren’t participating – let alone leading – it’s difficult to make the case that they’re cultural leaders. Somehow, our public debates about values – and by extension, what our culture looks like – have become the exclusive domain of politics. To speak out on values can only be seen as a political act in America. Issues like gun culture, family values, social services, and public space are owned by narrow political forces who have a vested interest in them and who frame how they’re discussed.

Scientific and Technical Achievements under Consideration for 2013 Academy Awards

Below the Line: The Scientific and Technical Awards Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 14 scientific and technical achievements have been selected for further awards consideration. The list is made public to allow individuals and companies with similar devices or claims of prior art the opportunity to submit achievements for review.

What Makes an Artist a Professional for Tax Purposes?

1800accountant.com: For a writer, artist, actor, model, or musician, thousands of dollars in taxes can often ride on a single question: is the artist a professional or an amateur? At first glance, it might seem like an easy question to answer — but there are some surprising twists in the rules, especially in state and IRS rules on tax deductions.

How To Manage Employees Older Than You

Come Recommended: As we begin to see a generation gap in the workplace, it can be difficult for Millennial employees and their senior counterparts to interact. Managing Gen X and the Baby Boomers isn’t uncommon for Millennial managers these days. However, what is common is the misperception of how these employees need “special treatment.” Some Millennial managers feel they have to be careful or patient with their older employees, giving them special treatment to meet their “special needs.”

Beatles Tribute 'Let It Be' Says Goodbye to Broadway Three Months Early

Music News | Rolling Stone: The Beatles revue that hit Broadway just last month will wrap up its run months early amidst poor ticket sales. According to the New York Times, Let It Be will cut its Broadway run short by over three months; the tribute show was scheduled to run through December 29th, but will now close on September 1st.

Cleveland Play House Donates $8000 from Benefit Performance for Marriage Equality

Stage Directions: The Cleveland Play House raised and donated more than $8,000 to local and national groups supporting marriage equality during its recent production of 8, by Dustin Lance Black. Black’s show covered the California Proposition 8 trial, which sough to overturn California’s ban on same-sex marriage. Days before the production was set to open in Cleveland the Supreme Court announced their decision to allow a lower court’s ruling to stand that struck down the proposition as unconstitutional. Black immediately updated the show to include that event and the new show premiered at the Cleveland Play House. The $8,231 raised was shared equally between the American Foundation for Equal Rights and the Cleveland chapter of Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

Shure Lauds Efforts to Safeguard Wireless Spectrum

FOH online: On Aug. 1, 2013, Shure Inc. president and CEO Sandy LaMantia praised the efforts of Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) in helping to protect wireless microphone users from the loss of available spectrum by introducing H.R. 2911, “The Wireless Microphone Users Interference Protection Act of 2013.”

Microsoft Demos 3D Printing in Windows 8.1

Tested: In this video, Microsoft's Gavin Gear gives a light demo of how 3D printing support is integrated into Window 8.1, using a 3D Systems Cube 2 printer and the Windows 8.1 Preview build. 3D printing in Windows is built on the same print infrastructure as traditional 2D printing, using Microsoft's new 3MF file format.

NEWS: State Approves Coconut Grove Playhouse Rebirth Plan From County, FIU And GableStage

Florida Theater On Stage: The Governor’s cabinet gave crucial approval Tuesday to Miami-Dade County, Florida International University and GableStage partnering to reopen the historic Coconut Grove Playhouse as a professional theater and educational complex. The cabinet, meeting as State of Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, approved a business plan for the proposed project as well as a renewable 50-year lease. The land and the building belong to the state.

North Carolina Allows Students Legal Representation in University Disciplinary Hearings

Hit & Run : Reason.com: A bill that allows college students facing disciplinary hearings to seek legal representation in disciplinary hearings was signed into law in North Carolina on Friday, after being supported by a bipartisan group of legislators that worked with the civil liberties group FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education).

J-O-B Automation Electrician

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Edinburgh festival: is art above politics?

Stage | theguardian.com: Jonathan Mill's announcement that he would be excluding independence-themed productions from the 2014 festival has inevitably attracted attention, and not just in Scotland. The recently knighted outgoing international festival director says his plans for the 2014 festival programme haven't been influenced by the upcoming referendum, and instead he will be concentrating on the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the first world war.

Jeff Bezos and the End of PowerPoint

Rightly Understood | Big Think: So we live in a time when we look for wisdom from mega-entrepreneurs. I admit that they’re usually really smart and fascinating--not to say full of contradictions. Peter Thiel, for one, tells talented young people to skip college and get right down to entrepreneuring, while at the same time being convinced of the enduring relevance for his business and personal life of the philosophers Rene Girard and Leo Strauss--both of whom he learned about in college.

For good or bad, audiences are getting in on the act at theater performances

NY Daily News: Spending several hours a week in the dark with actors and hundreds of strangers is what theater critics do. No news flash in that — or that it’s my job to review what’s on stage. But is it also my task to assess what’s happening around me in other seats? In other words, to make the crowd response part of a review. Maybe. Or not.

D23 Expo Exclusive: Leslie Iwerks Creating Documentary About Walt Disney Imagineering

Disney Parks Blog: During a gathering of Disney fans at D23 Expo on August 10, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs premiered a trailer from an upcoming movie that explores the past, present and future of Walt Disney Imagineering by noted documentary filmmaker Leslie Iwerks. Ms. Iwerks comes from a family with deep Disney history — her grandfather was an early Disney animator and her father is a former Imagineer — and her previous work includes profiles of Pixar Animation Studios and visual effects house Industrial Light & Magic.

1099.is Provides Answers to Your Pressing Tax Questions

lifehacker.com: You might not have access to a tax professional (or the money to hire one), but that doesn't mean you don't have relevant questions that require intelligent answers. 1099.is created a forum to get credible answers to your specific inquiries.

Princess Grace Foundation Announces 2013 Award Winners

Stage Directions: The Princess Grace Foundation has announced the winners of the 2013 Princess Grace Awards. The Foundation will award more than $1 million to artists in theatre, dance performance, choreography and film. A full list of winners is below, but in theatre the award-winners included: Sathya Sridharan, Dustin Wills, Carrie Morris, Maechi Aharanwa, Lila Neugebauer, Kristen Robinson, and Jiehae Park. Theatre Honorarium winners included: Carter Redwood, Bailey L. Rosa, and Aaron White.

Hollywood Labor Unions Support Viacom in YouTube Copyright Dispute

Variety: Attorneys for the Directors Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, the Intl. Brotherhood of Teamsters and the American Federation of Musicians filed a 24-page friend of the court brief Friday in support of Viacom’s motion to the Second Court of Appeals seeking a judge to replace U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton.

(Re)Search: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Social Media

HowlRound: Many times I have to tell myself that the weight of the world is not solely on my shoulders. I am reminded this daily when I check things like Facebook and Twitter. I’m sure on a small scale they do the same for you. Think about the different things you friends post about or the different links and videos they share. Everyone has his or her own interests, hobbies, and expertise. I would like to talk about how to utilize social networking sites to your advantage for research. - See more at: http://www.howlround.com/research-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-social-media#sthash.flDC5u68.dpuf

Polone: The Punishing Hours of a TV Crew

Vulture: A week and a half ago we had an unusually long shooting day on the show I’m currently producing, Jane by Design. The crew call time was at 7 a.m. and we wrapped at 10:46 p.m. — fourteen hours and 45 minutes after subtracting our one-hour lunch break. And some had an even longer day: Our actors, including guest star Teri Hatcher, showed up for hair and makeup at 5 am, which meant that hairstylists and makeup artists, as well as someone from the transportation department and the set production assistant, also showed up to meet them and were there until wrap, giving them a total of sixteen hours and 45 minutes.

Van Gogh in 3D? A replica could be yours for £22,000

Art and design | The Observer: A poster of one of Van Gogh's sunflowers is one of the traditional adornments to a student bedroom. The rest of us hang our reproductions in the knowledge that even the good ones are far from faithful to the originals – for which the going rate is £24m. But not any more. The Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam has developed high-quality 3D reproductions of some of its finest paintings, with what it describes as the most advanced copying technique ever seen. Axel Rüger, the museum's director, said: "It really is the next generation of reproductions because they go into the third dimension. If you're a layman, they are pretty indistinguishable [from the originals]. Of course, if you're a connoisseur and you look more closely, you can see the difference."

J-O-B Dance Center Supervisor

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Inside Printrbot: One of the rising, inexpensive 3D printer manufacturers

Ars Technica: Last month, I spent an afternoon with Printrbot, one of the companies currently manufacturing low-cost 3D printers. Hardware that had previously cost thousands of dollars is now being sold by a handful of companies around the world for just a few hundred bucks. Ars editor Lee Hutchinson received an assembled version of the Printrbot Simple (which retails for $299), and will have a hands-on in coming days. As a total 3D printing newbie, he had quite a time with it! In the meantime, head into Printrbot's lair with us.

Techne: Content Providers

HowlRound: I’m going to guess that very few of you have ever heard of a man named Erol Onaran. I think you need to know his story. Erol was a Turkish American businessman who made a nice living fixing televisions (and, eventually, VCRs) in and around Washington, DC in the 1960s and 1970s. In the early 1980s, he decided to start renting video cassettes out of his flagship store, and before long Erol’s Video had become the largest movie rental chain in the United States. He sold the whole thing to his rival, Blockbuster—you’ve heard of them, right?—for a whopping $40 million in 1990. A guy who repaired televisions! $40 million! And he didn’t stop there.

A Tale Of Two Hit Songs Inspired By Past Hits... And The Very Different Way In Which Copyright Holders Reacted

Techdirt: There were two very interesting stories last week concerning hit songs allegedly "inspired" by hits from previous decades, but the stories are quite different. First up, was the news that Robin Thicke (along with Pharrell Williams and Clifford Harris Jr.), whose song Blurred Lines appears to be the undisputed hit of the summer this year (with some controversy over the content), had filed for a declaratory judgment against Marvin Gaye's family and Bridgeport Music, after those two claimed that Blurred Lines infringes on Marvin Gaye's Got to Give it Up and Funkadelic's Sexy Ways.

My 10 Rules for Success

Tested: Adam was the closing speaker at this past weekend's BoingBoing Ingenuity theatrical event. He gave a rousing speech about being a maker, and shared his ten rules for success in his work. For new Tested readers, these are themes we've touched on in many episodes of Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project.

Live Sound: The Difference Between Replaceable And Invaluable

Pro Sound Web: During my time with the last AV crew, I watched people come and go. Most who stayed for any length of time fit into one of a few categories: —People who worked cheap. —People who the owner felt obligated to keep. —People who were absolutely invaluable. That’s pretty much it.

AV: Renkus-Heinz VARIA: Detailing A New Modular Point-Source Array

Pro Sound Web: When we first discussed VARIA, I have to admit my initial reaction was “too good to be true.” The concept? The concept? Arrayable loudspeaker modules that combine into singular, point source devices. Modules are offered with a wide variety of coverage choices providing near infinite possibilities. Three dimensional coverage combinations simply chosen using angular and inverse square requirements of the room. Put more simply, a tribute to Leonardo da Vinci: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

Big lumber retailers pound down independents

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: When Americans need lumber, most automatically head to the big box stores. And while Home Depot and Lowe's have reported sharp increases in sales, independent lumber retailers continue to leave the scene. The recent demise of Rennekamp Lumber after 58 years in the West End leaves Paul Lumber in Lawrenceville and Allegheny Millworks on the South Side as the last two standing in the city. The Houston-Starr Co. is a block from the city in Wilkinsburg and about 10 independents sell lumber outside the city in Allegheny County.

Tickets to Ride

InPark Magazine: Approaching the entrance to Cedar Point, guests’ eyes are drawn to the new $25 million dollar coaster flying over the front gate every few minutes. They might not even notice the brand new entry plaza, or the sleek ticketing building tucked off to the side. Interestingly named The GateKeeper, the ride actually gave the park the opportunity to open up the front gate area, allowing guests more freedom and mobility. The very architecture of the park’s entrance has changed, thanks in large part to advancing ticketing technology and evolving guest trends.

Sports, Complexity, and the Ten-Thousand-Hour Rule

The New Yorker: an entire field within psychology grew up devoted to elaborating on Simon and Chase’s observation—and researchers, time and again, reached the same conclusion: it takes a lot of practice to be good at complex tasks. After Simon and Chase’s paper, for example, the psychologist John Hayes looked at seventy-six famous classical composers and found that, in almost every case, those composers did not create their greatest work until they had been composing for at least ten years.

J-O-B Rigging System Designer/Draftsperson

na.plasa.org: FDA seeks a designer and draftsperson for theatre stage equipment, including manual and motorized rigging, variable acoustics systems, lifts, orchestra enclosures, and unique systems for special projects. Proficiency in AutoCAD is required; knowledge of Revit is strongly preferred. Skills as a theatre rigger or technical director and an understanding of safe work practices in theatre is also preferred. Experience in lighting and electrical systems is a plus.

Gertrude Stein Saints

www.nytheatre.com: Gertrude Stein SAINTS! is an exuberantly entertaining, skillfully sung elision of two of Stein’s major poetic works, Four Saints in Three Acts and Saints and Singing. Conceived at Carnegie Mellon University originally as two separate student projects, this FringeNYC production is the product of some very talented folks at the University who saw the potential in what had been accomplished and thought to take it to a professional level here in New York. They were certainly correct in their assessment. Gertrude Stein SAINTS! is a wonderful theatrical event, featuring high caliber singing and choreography that skillfully and intelligently maximizes the talents of the entire ensemble.

What It Means to Be an Intern

jezebel.com: Interns are a hot topic right now: At Bank of America in London, an intern died after working 72 hours straight. Condé Nast recently decided to stop paying interns. Diddy's record label is being sued by a former intern, who claims she was never paid. And Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In organization made waves when they announced they were hiring unpaid interns.

Edinburgh Fringe stagehand almost died after breathing in audience member's perfume

Daily Record: A STAGEHAND almost died when he breathed in perfume at an Edinburgh Fringe show. Bryn Jones went into anaphylactic shock after he inhaled the scent from a member of the audience.
As his throat tightened and he began to struggle for breath, the 22-year-old managed to text a friend to bring him medication.
He even carried on with his technical duties throughout the play.
But by the time his medication arrived, Bryn was lying on the floor and his face had turned blue.

Wind Gust Topples Stage Canopy in NC, No One Hurt

FOH online: MercyMe band members and crew were performing a sound check at about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday Aug. 10 for a concert associated with the American Legion World Series when the event’s organizers noticed a wind shift and grew concerned about its intensity. Less than a minute after they evacuated the stage, a wind gust toppled the structure. The concert, also featuring Aaron Shust and The Afters, was canceled.

The “Three Fives” Discrete 555 Timer Kit

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories: We’re pleased to announce our newest kit, the “Three Fives” Kit, a kit to build your own 555 timer circuit out of discrete components. Here’s a way to re-create one of the most classic, popular, and all-around useful chips of all time.

You All Fear The Job Interview, So Relax!

Come Recommended: Ever think you’re the only one who gets nervous before a job interview? Think again. A whopping 92 percent of adults in the United States said they fear something about the experience, according to the 2013 Job Interview Anxiety Survey conducted by Harris Interactive.

Tested Visits The Hand Prop Room

Tested: On our way down to Comic-Con, we stopped by a prop rental house in Los Angeles that supplies historical, modern, and science fiction hand props to TV and movie productions. The Hand Prop Room is a treasure trove of found and created objects that evoke the imagery of almost every historical era. And just wait until you see their faux-firearm armory.

Marvel Experience Traveling Attraction Will Allow Guests to Enter “First Person” Super Hero Adventure Starting 2014

InPark Magazine: From Orlando to London to Dubai, one of the hottest franchises in the attractions industry is the Marvel Universe. And now Hero Ventures, a Los Angeles based entertainment company, announced today that it is teaming up with Marvel Entertainment to create “The Marvel Experience,” an innovative, traveling experience, featuring dozens of Marvel’s iconic Super Heroes. This attraction will appeal to a multi-generational audience and will leverage state-of-the-art interactive and multimedia technology, including a 4D motion ride and original 3D animated features, allowing fans to be a part of the action. The tour comes to life in 2014.

Following Injury of Actor Daniel Curry, Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark Will Resume Aug. 16; Actors' Equity Responds

Playbill.com: The Aug. 15 performance of the technically elaborate Broadway musical was stopped when Curry's foot was caught in one of the mechanical stage lifts shortly after 9 PM. The performance was canceled, and Curry was taken to Bellevue Hospital in serious condition, according to a FDNY report.

Yeah, What's The Deal With Clapping?

gizmodo.com: Sometimes I have an out of body moment where I see myself as an audience member and think about how dumb-looking the whole process is. You sit somewhere. You gape at something and don't monitor your facial expression because you assume no one is observing you, and then often, you clap. It's definitely a cultural tradition, but sometimes it just feels like an instinct. I sometimes find myself clapping at borderline inappropriate times seemingly because it's a reaction my body is volunteering to perform.

J-O-B APM

Design Foundry, a DC based event design and décor company is searching for the right person to add to our growing production team to assist in the day to day operations of the company. Design Foundry does all types of events around the DMV area as well as across the country. We have custom carpentry, paint, and fabric shops in house. The right person for this job will have a background in theatrical or event management as well as an eye for design and interest in taking on a leadership role. This is a great position for someone looking to take the next step in their career with a drive to learn and grow. This position will include night/weekend work as needed based on event schedule and workload.

In Memoriam: Tayneshia Jefferson

Stage Directions: Tayneshia Jefferson, a professor of stage management at Carnegie Mellon and USITT board member, died on July 31, 2013 after a brief and sudden illness while visiting family in Houston. She was 41 years old. Her family will be holding services in her hometown of Houston, Texas, Saturday, Aug. 10 at St. Monica Catholic Church. Throughout her career Tayneshia served on the artistic and management staffs of Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre (UFOMT), Austin Lyric Opera, Zachary Scott Theatre Center and ProArts Collective, the Alliance Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars, Houston Ebony Opera Guild, The Kennedy Center and more. For USITT she served as a mentor for the Stage Management Mentoring Project and Vice-Commissioner for Stage Management as well as the Chair of the People of Color Caucus. Her sudden death left her friends, colleagues and students in shock. When reached for comment David Grindle, executive director of USITT, wrote: “Tayneshia was an inspiring person who made an impact on our industry and the people in it. As a stage manager and production manager she remained a harbor of calm in many a stormy sea. As an educator she inspired a generation of young people to be better than many of them knew they were capable of being, both as professionals and as people. USITT has lost a vibrant member, board member, and leader. However, our organization is better for her many years of involvement and we are pleased to say she was one of us. Our deepest sympathy goes to her family and to all those in her extended theatre family that were touched by her life.”

BWW Reviews: GERTRUDE STEIN SAINTS at the Fringe Turns Avant-Garde Opera into Glee (in a Good way)

www.broadwayworld.com: Dressed all in white, singing like angels and dancing like the devil, the 13 performers of "Gertrude Stein's Saints" are young, energetic, talented, and, let's face it, hot enough to be cast in Glee. (One of them, Jordan Phillips, has already appeared as a guest star on the TV series.) What's most remarkable about this ensemble, all of them drama students at Carnegie Mellon University, is that, instead of covering songs by Journey or Rihanna, they have composed original music and turned two inaccessible avant-garde operas into a rousing entertainment.

Festival of Short Plays Inspired by Trayvon Martin Case

NYTimes.com: The New Black Fest, which supports innovative plays by and about black people, has brought together seven playwrights to create six plays about race and privilege in the United States in the wake of the Trayvon Martin case.

The Alliance Theater in Atlanta, the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, the Goodman Theater in Chicago, Center Stage in Baltimore, the Woolly Mammoth in Washington and the National Black Theater in New York are among those that have agreed to support or present the work, said Keith Josef Adkins, a co-founder and the artistic director of New Black Fest.

Michael McMackin Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Auerbach Pollock Friedlander

Stage Directions: Michael McMackin, a principal at Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, an audio-video consultancy with offices in San Francisco, New York and Minneapolis, is celebrating 30 years with the company this year. McMackin joined Auerbach Pollock Friedlander in 1983 as an intern after receiving a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University. In 2003 he was named a principal in the firm. Some of his significant projects in his time with the firm include the Valley Performing Arts Center at California State University, Northridge; MGM Mirage, Cirque du Soleil LOVE Theatre; and the Philadelphia Academy of Music. Mike is currently President of the American Society of Theatre Consultants and a member of USITT.

Collage Now: Cut and Paste Culture

Observatory: Design Observer: Toward the end of Collage: The Making of Modern Art, published in 2004, art historian Brandon Taylor posed a critical question. “Has the Internet,” he wondered, “made collage more or less important as an instrument of contemporary aesthetic work?”

27 Email Etiquette Tips for Professionals

www.lifehack.org: Even after the advent of social media and improvements in text messaging, email is still the mode of communication that continues to prevail in the professional realm. The ability to give direction, put out fires, and more without being face-to-face has enabled many businesses to use email as a productivity tool. However, there are times when professionalism goes out of the window, and etiquette rules are forgotten. Today, we will take a look at 27 email etiquette tips for business professionals.

For the Met, Opera History Lives in a Newark Parking Lot

NYTimes.com: The costumes were all wrong for “Andrea Chénier.” At the center of the action were men in white protective suits, not tailcoats and breeches, and they were aiming high-pressure hoses at pieces of the set. Not one of them sang a note.

ETC Controls Epic Opera Battle

Stage Directions: To celebrate the 200th birthday of Wagner, Verdi and the Bavarian State Opera (all taking place in 2013), the Opera staged a showdown between the two famous composers. The composers were represented by two 31-foot-tall, internally-lit marionettes in the plaza outside the Bavarian State Opera House, with actors faces projected onto the puppets’ faces. Benedikt Zehm, master electrician at the Bavarian State Opera was lighting designer for the show, and Tina Emmerich sat at the lighting control desk. Michael Bauer, head of lighting at the Staatsoper in Munich, chose to use an ETC Gio console to control the mixed rig, which included 14 Mac 2000s, 21 LED spotlights by JB Lighting, and ten GLP Impression 120s, via three wireless DMX transmitters.

Dancer Injured During 'Spider-Man' Performance

NYTimes.com: Daniel Curry, a dancer in the Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” was seriously injured during Thursday night’s performance when part of his leg was caught in a piece of the show’s technically elaborate equipment, according to two members of the production team.

Disney Technical Training In Anaheim, December 3 & 4

News content from Live Design Magazine: Take part in two-days of in-depth technical theme park training at Disneyland® Park and Disney California Adventure® Park in Anaheim, and go behind the scenes to learn how Disney magic is made! This training is for those interested in how all the complex design and technology elements come together in the challenging theme park environment, where equipment is tested to the max for glitch-free operation.

Job PM

Triad Stage, an award-winning LORT-D (LOA) theatre is currently seeking a Production Manager to serve as the head of a busy production department. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:  serving as liaison between the production staff, designers, directors and administrative staff; developing, tracking and maintaining all production budgets; negotiating with designers; hiring staff, overhire, and run crew; scheduling and leading production meetings; supervising and maintaining a 38,000 sq ft. production shop; and overseeing shop rentals. Candidate should possess the following:  broad knowledge of production systems and methods, strong leadership skills, dedication to artistic excellence, ability to track budgets effectively/efficiently, excellent communication and customer service skills, and skill in negotiating with outside business, vendors, and artists.  Ideal candidates will possess both a production and stage management background, as well as strong knowledge and experience with the professional theatre production process. Full time, year round with benefits. Please send a cover letter, resume and three (3) professional references to: Richard Whittington Triad Stage, 232 South Elm Street, Greensboro, N.C. 27401. Or email richard@triadstage.org.

Triad Stage is one of the largest arts organizations in the Piedmont Triad of NC, producing a Mainstage season of 6 plays, a Cabaret season and many special events. The theater has received numerous accolades, including being named “One of the top ten most promising theatres to emerge in America within the last 15 years” by the American Theatre Wing.  Its production of Tobacco Road was listed among the “Best of 2007” by The Wall Street Journal. Triad Stage has been spotlighted in American Theatre, Stage Directions, Southern Living, Playbill.com, Our State and UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Weekend”.

Author Claims That 'Fair Use Is Theft By Any Other Name'

Techdirt: We'd noted that there's a big copyright review going on down in Australia, with the current suggestion being to recognize fair use in Australia. This would be a huge step forward because, as has been widely recognized in the US, fair use is a key driver of creativity. Yet, for reasons that make little sense, the big copyright holders hate fair use, and argue that fair use needs to be restricted... even as they rely on fair use themselves.

How Movie Directors Manipulate Your Emotions With Color Temperature

gizmodo.com: Color temperature is critical component of how we perceive a photograph or a slice of film. (It's that whole "white balance" thing we nerds are always blabbing about.) As this video explains, we often don't even notice the ways in which an image's color temperature affects us. When directors are playing with color, they're playing with your emotions.

The Making of a Radiolab Episode

Tested: American Hipster Presents (if you can forgive its name) is a web documentary series that visits 10 cities across the country to spotlight interesting trends in urban and digital culture. This episode is about WNYC's Radiolab, the popular radio program/podcast/live show that is often associated with its distinctive audio editing and production style. It's a really neat look at how Radiolab hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich work with their team of producers to record and edit the program, and an inspiration to podcasters everywhere.

Creative Management Lessons From The Difficult Men Who Changed Television

Co.Create: Creativity \ Culture \ Commerce: In his new book Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution, GQ correspondent Brett Martin gives us a dishy history of the transformation of the TV drama. Martin’s title has two senses. The cover depicts Breaking Bad’s Walter White along with The Sopranos’ eponymous Tony, and it’s clear that the revolution that occurred at HBO, AMC, and other networks starred “difficult men” like these: the gangsters and drug dealers and murderers who were somehow lovable enough for us to follow them through six or seven seasons.