The Dallas Morning News, looking for critics to boost its arts coverage, turns to local professors

Nieman Journalism Lab: The Dallas Morning News has been without a full-time staff art critic since 2006, so when it was announced last week that a professor from the University of Texas system had been hired to fill that position, people were excited — both because, hey, more critics are better than fewer critics, and because it seemed to point toward a new model for cooperation between academia and news organizations.

My Insane Homework Load Taught Me How to Game the System

Elif Koc - The Atlantic: A year and a half ago, I was fully immersed in the routine of being a high-school junior. On an average night, my Internet tabs looked something like this: page 2 of a desperate Google search on “Differential equations easy examples,” a vocabulary list on Quizlet.com, a couple Wikipedia articles, my school newspaper, email, Twitter, a YouTube video, and a Yahoo! Answers session called “What is the easiest SAT subject test if you are bad at math?”

Box

Bot & Dolly: "Box" explores the synthesis of real and digital space through projection-mapping on moving surfaces. The short film documents a live performance, captured entirely in camera. Bot & Dolly produced this work to serve as both an artistic statement and technical demonstration. It is the culmination of multiple technologies, including large scale robotics, projection mapping, and software engineering. We believe this methodology has tremendous potential to radically transform theatrical presentations, and define new genres of expression.

Triple E Sponsors the Technical Theatre Awards 2013

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: Track systems specialist Triple E is sponsoring the Technical Theatre Awards' (TTA) for "Outstanding Achievement in Building & Set Construction" this year.

PLASA Rigging Conference 2013 Examines International Rigging Standards

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: The final two sessions to be announced at the fourth annual PLASA Rigging Conference both examine aspects of international rigging standards at the event on October 7 - 8, 2013 at ExCeL London.

Wired for Sound

Carnegie Mellon University | CMU: To many high school students, sound is what emanates from their iPod. To a young Maggie Burke (A'15), it meant the world of theatrical sound design. Now a Carnegie Mellon University junior, Burke recently had the opportunity to attend the Broadway Sound Master Classes in New York City after winning the 2013 Helen and John Meyer Sound Scholarship.
"My goal is to one day work as a sound designer on Broadway," explained Burke. "This scholarship gave me the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by those who have created and shaped the field I intend to pursue."

Dollar Bank moves to foreclose on August Wilson Center

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Downtown Pittsburgh is facing foreclosure.
In a complaint filed Thursday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, Dollar Bank is seeking to recover $7 million owed on the center's mortgage.

Seven Seriously Hardcore Project Management Apps

www.lifehack.org: Running your own business can be hard — there’s time-tracking, invoicing, and contacts to keep track of, plus knowing what your entire team is doing (especially important if you manage a team remotely). If you’re trying to use a different solution for each one of these problems, things can easily get overwhelming (and the bill can get high!). These apps can help you stay on top of it all at once, in one spot.

Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre sets 'wicked' lineup

TribLIVE: Something wicked this way comes. And Alan Stanford thinks that's a good thing.
Stanford, who recently succeeded Andrew Paul as producing artistic director for Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, chose the line from “Macbeth” as the theme for the company's six-production 2014 season.

Review: 'Shakesburgh' brings the Bard dahntahn

TribLIVE: Swords are crossed and no holds are barred as Bricolage Production Company skewers Shakespeare in the season opening production of its Midnight Radio series.
For those joining this series in progress, it's important to know that the productions are neither at midnight nor on the radio.

Pittsburgh's August Wilson Center facing foreclosure

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: A local bank is moving to foreclose on the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, the latest and biggest blow to a facility that has struggled to stay afloat almost since the day it opened four years ago.

In a complaint filed Thursday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, Dollar Bank is seeking to have the Downtown property with the distinctive sailboat feature sold at sheriff sale in a bid to recover $7 million owed on the center's mortgage.

Giant duck's arrival paints Pittsburgh quack and yellow

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Those fans -- gathered on the Clemente Bridge and the Riverwalk and the steps of Point State Park by twos and threes, and then dozens and hundreds -- numbered in the many thousands of people all packed together and squinting downriver into the sun on Friday afternoon to await its arrival.

J-O-B TA

Georgetown University's Department of Performing Arts welcomes applicants for a Technical Advisor (TA) for its active programs of co-curricular theater and dance, and select departmental projects. The TA advises student theater groups on production management, season planning, design and collaboration, including all aspects of the technical process and leadership; s/he oversees safety, spaces, training, and resource management, mentors designs, and attends student board meetings. Candidates must bring strong production, advisement and communication skills. The TA works closely with an Artistic Advisor, the academic department and its production team, and coordinates the props shop. If qualified, s/he may teach, stage manage, or design once a year. BA required, MA or MFA preferred. EVENING/WEEKEND HOURS MANDATORY. Experience in professional or teaching contexts key, CAD a plus. Georgetown is a highly-selective liberal arts university with a thriving theater culture. Review of applications begins immediately; search remains open until filled. Send letter, resume and three references to <dpasearch@georgetown.edu>. Additionally applicants will be required to submit application materials through the Georgetown Human Resources page at http://www12.georgetown.edu/hr/employment_services/joblist/jobs.cfm  Ten-month position August-May now open, start date negotiable. EOE/AA. To learn more about the Department of Performing Arts, visit <http://performingarts.georgetown.edu/>.

NFTRW Podcast 9-27

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

9 Ways a Theatre Degree Trumps a Business Degree

Change Agent: Some of you may know this about me, some may not. Despite having spent the last 15 years as a PR & communications professional, my college degree is in theatre. I have never in my life taken a marketing class, or a journalism class, or a business class. Yet, by most measures, I’m enjoying a successful career in business. ”So what?” you ask… read on.

Posted by David at 9/27/2013 06:02:00 PM-- 24 Comments Here

8 Creativity Lessons from a Pixar Animator

zenhabits: Sometimes immersing yourself in the creative world of people doing amazing things can bring unexpected results. My son Justin is interested in 3D animation, and my daughter Chloe is into screenwriting, and so it was a thrill to take them on a tour of Pixar Animation Studios, courtesy of one of the Pixar animators.

Posted by David at 9/26/2013 06:54:00 PM-- 23 Comments Here

Watch this dancer do battle with a beam of light

io9.com: Feast your eyes on Nuance, a captivating short by artist Marc-Antoine Locatelli that features dancer Lucas Boirat interacting with an ever-morphing army of frenetic photons.

Posted by David at 9/25/2013 06:52:00 PM -- 17 Comments Here

Generation Y, Leave Your Parents At Home!

Come Recommended: Thinking about bringing mom and dad to your next interview? You may want to give that another thought! Revealed in a recent survey by Adecco, eight percent of Generation Y job seeker seekers have had their parents accompany them to a job interview. What’s even more interesting is that three percent of those Gen Y job seekers have allowed their parents to actually attend the interview as well — talk about taking helicopter parenting to a whole new level!

Posted by David at 9/28/2013 06:55:00 PM  -- 17 Comments Here

Excessive texting linked to emotional problems in students

Salon.com: Here’s a cautionary note for students who find adjustment to college life particularly stressful: Your phone may not be your friend. A new study suggests university freshmen are more vulnerable to a variety of emotional problems if they (a) find themselves in difficult personal relationships, and (b) text more frequently than the average student.

Posted by David at 9/26/2013 05:52:00 PM-- 15 Comments Here

Should You Have A Video Resume?

Come Recommended: In this age of technology, tech-savvy job seekers wonder if a well-done video resume might assist them in their attempts to find employment. The answer to that question is sure, a video resume can help you if it’s done well, but it can also hinder you big time if it’s not done well or can’t be opened.

Generation Y, Leave Your Parents At Home!

Come Recommended: Thinking about bringing mom and dad to your next interview? You may want to give that another thought! Revealed in a recent survey by Adecco, eight percent of Generation Y job seeker seekers have had their parents accompany them to a job interview. What’s even more interesting is that three percent of those Gen Y job seekers have allowed their parents to actually attend the interview as well — talk about taking helicopter parenting to a whole new level!

Fall Arts: Pittsburgh Opera expands from five to six shows

TribLIVE: Opera fans will rejoice that Pittsburgh Opera's celebration of its 75th anniversary in the 2013-14 season will include expansion of its productions from five to six operas. The art form originated in Italy more than four centuries ago as an attempt to re-create ancient Greek drama, and evolved through baroque, classical, romantic and modern eras. Grand opera is an extravagant proposition, requiring expensive singers in leading roles, other solo singers, chorus, orchestra, and all the expenses of staging — from costumes and sets to lighting.

Pittsburgh Irish & Classical's A Skull in Connemara

Theater Reviews + Features | Pittsburgh City Paper: Not all of the best Irish playwrights are dead, but they do enjoy and exploit that state of being. Martin McDonagh revels in the dark side of the stereotypes of his ethnic/literary heritage in A Skull in Connemara, currently in the capable hands of Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre.

Dancing Waters In Texas!

Theatre content from Live Design Magazine: Amarillo’s Palo Duro Canyon State Park serves as a stunning backdrop for Texas!, an outdoor drama that has run from June through August for the past 48 summers. After a nearby fire in 2011, the fireworks finale was put on hiatus, but audiences dwindled as a result. “Joe Batson, founder and donor, felt it was time to do something dramatically different to bring back the audience and respect our neighbors’ concerns,” says production manager Blaine Bertrand. Dancing fountains with projections were the solution.

Making: Learning by Doing

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September 2013

Learn to Lay Out an Ogee

Popular Woodworking Magazine: In the November issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, you’ll find my 6-Board Chest article. The opening photo (shown below) shows three chests – mine (the blue one), Tim Henricksen’s (the yellow one) and Ty Black’s (the green one). My chest (the one I teach you how to build in the article) has an ogee on both ends.

AV: No Shock Zone: Understanding And Preventing Electrical Damage (And Worse)

Pro Sound Web: Every year, hundreds of musicians and audio techs suffer serious electrical shocks while on the job, and these incidents have the potential to be fatal. Therefore, it’s imperative to have a basic understanding of electricity to avoid possible electrocution, and further, this knowledge can help protect your equipment from going up in smoke.

RC4Magic Starter Kits and Wireless LED Dimming Kits

Live Design Magazine [primary-term] press release archives: Props people, lighting designers, and electricians will be excited to discover that RC4Wireless is now offering specially priced RC4Magic Wireless DMX & Dimming Starter Kits for a limited time. Every new kit comes with 3 unique and secure Digital IDs. Since every RC4Magic user has their own IDs, no RC4 user can ever interfere with another RC4 user’s show.

The power of failure: making 'The Last of Us'

The Verge: In 2004, when he was still a student at Carnegie Mellon University, Neil Druckmann participated in an exciting group project. One of his professors just happened to be friends with George Romero, widely regarded as the father of modern zombie movies, and he tasked his students with creating a game concept that would be pitched to the venerable director. Romero would then pick his favorite and the team behind it would build a prototype. Druckmann's idea was to merge three of the works that most influenced him as a creator: the game would feature the gameplay of PlayStation 2 classic Ico, a lead character much like John Hartigan from Sin City, and would be set during the zombie apocalypse of Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.

University/Resident Theatre Association Changes Format of Unified Auditions

Stage Directions: The University/Resident Theatre Association (URTA) has changed the format of their National Unified Auditions and Interviews in order to give more artists and schools the chance to interact. The changes include: no more screening auditions, every acting student will be seen by all the recruiters; satellite auditions, where acting candidates can auditions for schools who aren’t a part of URTA; nominations are no longer required for any of the disciplines, all interested students who will have completed an undergrad degree by the fall of 2014 are welcome; all design, technology and theatre management recruiting will be done only at the Chicago event; the URTA seminar program for those desiring continuing education credits during the event has been expanded.

Alien She explores legacy of Riot Grrrl at Carnegie Mellon's Miller Gallery

Pop Filter Hot Pick: Why you should go: A first-of-its-kind exhibition focused on Riot Grrrl culture past and present is opening on Friday, September 20th, at the Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University. Exploring the lasting legacy and profound impact of the Riot Grrrl movement on artists, activists, authors, and educators working today, Alien She (which takes its name from the title of a Bikini Kill song) features multimedia work by seven contemporary artists, as well as from national archives, collaborative projects and platforms, and regional music scenes based in locales around the globe.

Master Carpenter

www.stagejobspro.com: The theatre is seeking a fulltime Master Carpenter for its year-round season.

Guest Post: My Adventures of Filming in China

Women and Hollywood: This film was the hardest thing I have done in my career but ultimately the most rewarding. I was asked to develop My Lucky Star as an adventure-comedy for the biggest female star in China, Zhang Ziyi. She had loved my Colin Firth movie, What A Girl Wants, and wanted to do something new with a character she had created in 2009 for her comedy Sophie's Revenge. Having seen her in Crouching Tiger, House of Flying Daggers and Hero, I knew she was a brilliant actress who really knew her way around a fight, but I did not know that she was also a brilliant comedienne. What we were attempting had never been done before-I am the first American woman to direct a film in China for the domestic Chinese market.

Filmmakers Choose Sides in Transition from Film to Digital

Tested: If you go to local revival screenings in your city, or have film geek friends, you may hear a familiar call to arms. Film has to be saved. Demand that the studios strike film prints for revival screenings. Down with digital. But the writing’s been on the wall for a while now, and as much as we hate to admit it, film--the actual use of celluloid in movie production--is waning.

Fall Arts: Families enjoy options in theater, exhibits, art

TribLIVE: This season offers plenty of activities for families, including plays, museum exhibits and activities. The hot thing in town for young kids looks to be the opening of the 44th season of the Pittsburgh International Children's Theater, which will bring five productions to several regional venues from October through April 2014. The plays, designed for age 3 and older, are productions of out-of-town theater companies — domestic and international.

Bench from “Oscar”

Prop Agenda: Our final opera at this past season of the Santa Fe Opera was “Oscar”, a world premiere based on Oscar Wilde. I made a bench for it. It was a simple bench, and the legs were purchased rather than made by us, but it was all solid alder wood, and the end result was quite attractive.

The Debut

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The Debut

Hollywood Was Quinto's Path to Theater Dreams

HispanicBusiness.com: Success in Hollywood came quickly for Zachary Quinto, and it became the stepping-stone he was hoping for. Heading to California after graduating in 1999 from Carnegie Mellon University in his native Pittsburgh, he soon began getting cast in TV-series episodes. Then came a season on "24," and a recurring role on "Heroes" from 2006 through 2010. He made a breakthrough in films in 2009, playing the young Spock in "Star Trek," and then reprised the role this year in "Star Trek Into Darkness." All of that made his goal possible.

Drill Holes Straight & Square

Popular Woodworking Magazine: If you’ve been around woodworking as long as I have, then this technique to drill holes straight is surely “old hat.” While it is an oldie, it is also a goodie, especially if you don’t have or cannot fit your workpiece under a drill press.

International Cinematographers Guild Names Special Awards Winners

SHOOTonline: Four major Hollywood corporations will be presenting awards at a special luncheon organized by the International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600) at the American Society of Cinematographers Clubhouse in Hollywood on Friday, September 27 as part of the celebrations of the Guild's 17th annual Emerging Cinematographer Awards (ECA).

Exhibitors Get Creative with Booth Stunts and Giveaways

All Blogs - Road to CEDIA: Whether its networking, training, a glimpse of product innovation, or a burning desire to collect every swag bag in sight, everyone has their reasons for roaming the floors of the CEDIA EXPO. But for those who need an extra nudge to go the distance (or check their map one more time), CEDIA exhibitors are unleashing their most creative displays and exciting giveaways at the show. From fun stunts to enviable prizes, here are some more reasons to make the rounds in Denver, September 25-28.

9 Ways a Theatre Degree Trumps a Business Degree

Change Agent: Some of you may know this about me, some may not. Despite having spent the last 15 years as a PR & communications professional, my college degree is in theatre. I have never in my life taken a marketing class, or a journalism class, or a business class. Yet, by most measures, I’m enjoying a successful career in business. ”So what?” you ask… read on.

Stage Directions and RC4 Wireless Team up for Automation Challenge

Stage Directions: Automation is the biggest trend in staging right now, and Stage Directions and RC4 Wireless are teaming up to offer one big automation prize. The grand prize winner of the Stage Directions and RC4 Wireless Automation Challenge will receive a complete RC6 Wireless Motion kit from RC4 Wireless, a prize package of wireless motion control equipment worth around $10,000.

Campaign and Development Coordinator

www.stagejobspro.com: The theatre seeks an enthusiastic and skilled individual to assist with the planning and implementation of a major campaign and to manage the ongoing fundraising efforts which support our annual operations. The Campaign and Development Coordinator reports to the Director of Development and is a valuable member of the development team, which generates $3M in contributed revenue annually and is in the beginning stages of a multi-million dollar capital campaign.

Theater Factory explores life at the 'Cabaret'

TribLIVE: The Theatre Factory's 19th season-opening production transports its audience to the infamous Kit Kat Club in Berlin, where “life is a cabaret.” It's 1931, and the impending takeover by the Nazi regime is in the air, but reactions are mixed from the characters in “Cabaret,” according to director Scott Calhoon.

8 Creativity Lessons from a Pixar Animator

zenhabits: Sometimes immersing yourself in the creative world of people doing amazing things can bring unexpected results. My son Justin is interested in 3D animation, and my daughter Chloe is into screenwriting, and so it was a thrill to take them on a tour of Pixar Animation Studios, courtesy of one of the Pixar animators.

Fall Arts: Classical works mix with modern plays on Pittsburgh-area stages

TribLIVE: The fall season is roaring with the return of “The Lion King” (through Sept. 29, Benedum Center, Downtown), as a part of PNC Broadway Across America — Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre's dark, yet funny “A Skull in Connemara” (through Sept. 28, Stephen Foster Memorial Theatre, Oakland). That's just the beginning for what looks to be a jam-packed schedule of intriguing, locally created projects and equally imaginative offerings from other places.

Five Task + Project Management Tools Just for Freelancers

www.lifehack.org: Most project management tools are meant for people running larger teams of 5+ people. If you’re using them as a solo freelancer without any team members to manage, they can be a little clunky & overwhelming. But there are several tools that can help you run your business & your projects as a solo freelancer

SPOCs: Small private online classes may be better than MOOCs.

www.slate.com: For a year or two there, free online classes seemed like they just might be the future of higher education. Why, some influential computer scientists wondered, should there be thousands of colleges and universities around the country all teaching the same classes to small groups of students, when you could get one brilliant professor to teach the material to the whole world at once via the Internet? In a March 2012 Wired cover story about the phenomenon, Udacity founder and Stanford artificial-intelligence whiz Sebastian Thrun predicted that within 50 years there would be only 10 institutions of higher learning left in the world. Udacity, he reckoned, might be one of them.

Meshmixer 2.0 Now Available

It is Alive in the Lab: Meshmixer is an experimental 3D modeling tool developed by Autodesk Research and the Consumer team. The goal of meshmixer is to make it easy to compose new 3D models from existing meshes.

Upgrades have drive-in owners fretting for future

TribLIVE: In his four decades in the movie-theater business, Jerry Salnoris has seen many changes. Technology has altered the way nearly everything works. Now, Salnoris and hundreds of other drive-in owners are facing a change that's threatening to cause screens across the country to go dark. “Changes have been expensive, but it's been nothing like this,” says Salnoris, owner of the Twin Hi-Way Drive-In in Robinson. “Unless we come up with a game plan, we could be history.”

The Cultural Trust versus Joe Wos. It’s on.

That's Church: For an issue that shouldn’t have really had a clear winner or loser, The Cultural Trust has done a bang-up job of mucking up its little tiff with the Toonseum’s Joe Wos to the point that guess what? The Toonseum is coming out the winner. Good job good effort, Cultural Trust. Back to the beginning.

Dragon*Con Carpet Cosplayers Copyright

The Mary Sue: At DragonCon last month, a couple of cosplayers decided to sidestep the usual fare of superheroes and cartoon characters in favor of dressing up as the carpet at the Marriott hotel where the con takes place. Yup, there was carpet-colored camo. That is a real thing that now exists. Naturally, other people wanted to emulate the design, but, alas, this psychedelic carpet army was not to be – because Courtisan Inc., the company that designed the original rug, issued a Cease and Desist soon after the design went up.

Exuding Excellence

CMU: Two alumni, one honorary degree recipient, and one associate professor from Carnegie Mellon University took home Primetime Emmy Awards this year. Eleven CMU alumni were nominated in total, across the categories of acting, writing, producing, art direction, costumes and lighting — a reflection of the breadth and depth of education students receive in CMU's School of Drama.

locus desk: an ergonomic standing workstation by focal

www.designboom.com: constructed out of aluminum, steel, furniture-grade plywood and polymers, the ergonomic standing ' locus' desk by focal can comfortably accommodate a person for extended periods of time in a workplace environment. the surface can be used either flat or angled up to 15 degrees and includes a synthetic leather work surface, two cup/pencil holders and cable management clips for the desk leg.