5 Reasons PyroFest Will Light Up Your Memorial Day Weekend

The 412 - May 2016: Dubbed America’s largest fireworks festival, PyroFest will (literally) help you start your Memorial Day weekend off with a bang. Held at Cooper’s Lake in Butler County for the second year in a row, gates open to a park full of food, music and of course, fireworks, with a show hosted at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29. If that’s not enough to sell you, here are a few more reasons to check it out.

What Is Sound Design, and Why Did It Lose Its Tony?

Playbill: Despite these accolades and many more from others in the theatre community, the Tony Awards Administration decided in June 2014 that they would no longer be giving a Tony Award for sound design at the annual ceremony that celebrates the best of the Broadway season. (The June 2014 decision came with the proviso that the Tony committee holds the right to determine a Special Tony Award for certain productions that have excelled in this particular design realm.)

Behind ‘Hamilton’s’ Moves, a Man Inspired by ‘The Matrix’

WSJ: In the early days of “Hamilton,” choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler realized he had a problem: The dancers were onstage through nearly all of the first act, so that they barely had time to catch their breath and recover. He adjusted their work but held on to the idea of using movement to convey or highlight nearly every part of the hit Broadway show’s story—down to the bullet, personified by a slow-motion dancer, that kills Alexander Hamilton.

'Game of Thrones' Children of the Forest makeup takes 10 hours

Tech Insider: Sunday's "Game of Thrones" took us farther beyond the Wall and deeper into the mythos of the White Walkers than ever before. We found out the origin of the death-seeking White Walkers and saw the last stand of Leaf, the "leader" of the enigmatic Children of the Forest.

Why Agile Methodology is Perfect for Event Production Companies

blog.propared.com: Getting into software development expanded my worldview. And introduced me to the Agile Methodology. It has revolutionized not just the way we make our product but the way I now run my event company. More on that in a moment. What do I mean by “expanded worldview?” When you work in events, it’s easy to get a little tunnel vision. A project can be intense and require a bit of adjustment once it’s complete (crash day, anyone?) Then a new project comes along and the process starts all over. And when you’re constantly looking for the next gig, it’s hard to lift your eyes and look around.

Understanding the Difference between Chain Grades and How They’re Used

blog.cmworks.com: Chain has been around for over a thousand years. It is one of the most versatile and reliable ways to lift, tension and tie down materials in a variety of applications. In the past, people would use any type of chain to lift something, tie down a load or tow a vehicle. Proper inspection, safety procedures and general standards of practice for chain were lacking.

Chile's New Copyright Legislation Would Make Creative Commons Licensing Impossible For Audiovisual Works

Techdirt: Techdirt has written many times about the way in which copyright only ever seems to get stronger, and how different jurisdictions point to other examples of excessive copyright to justify making their own just as bad. In Chile, there's an interesting example of that kind of copyright ratchet being applied in the same country but to different domains. It concerns audiovisual works, and aims to give directors, screenwriters and others new rights to "match" those that others enjoy.

The Top 25 Undergraduate Drama Schools Ranked

Hollywood Reporter: Aspiring thesps can follow in the footsteps of some of the industry's biggest stars, who got their start at these top programs.

What's on Your Phone, Scott Wolovich?

AMT Lab @ CMU: Scott Wolovich is a social innovator and Executive Director of New Sun Rising (NSR) in Pittsburgh, PA, an organization that strives to find and support fresh, creative solutions to social problems that are more effective, efficient and sustainable than what currently exists. As an advocate for social innovation and community development, Wolovich helped to develop NSR’s Arts MODE, a social arts fellowship and incubator. Here, AMT Lab Contributor Sarah Weber sat down to talk about Scott's favorite apps.

Stars Reflect on Arts Education Programs That Shaped Their Success

Playbill: Corey Mitchell has a Tony honor unlike any other. No, it’s not a medallion, as was the prize in the early days of the awards—such as the ones Ethel Merman and Mary Martin received. Neither is it the modern Tony trophy with the medallion on top, which is how the award was redesigned in 1967. It’s not what Idina Menzel, Julie Taymor and dozens of others have taken home for the past 48 years.

Rick Sebak, Pittsburgh Dad and Kennywood first-timers welcome the whale to Noah's Ark

Local News - WTAE Home: Wednesday marked the first day Kennywood visitors could explore Noah's Ark and take a walk through the famous whale mouth.

Meet David Korins, the man behind the look of ‘Hamilton’

Salon.com: When you see the Broadway smash “Hamilton” — if you’re lucky enough to see it, that is — you should know that something important quietly happens at intermission. The walls get bigger: Stagehands add 8 feet to the brick walls at the back of the stage. It’s a subtle change, reflecting the musical’s transition from showing the nation’s birth in Act 1 to building a nation in Act 2.

Kevin E. Moore Named Managing Director at Actors Theatre of Louisville

Stage Directions: Kevin E. Moore will join the Actors Theatre of Louisville as their managing director, effective July 6. Moore joins Actors Theatre of Louisville after six years as managing director of Theatre Communications Group.

On tour in Berlin, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra streams live back to Heinz Hall

Blogh | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper: On Sunday, in the midst of a 14-date European tour, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will capitalize on today's advances in digital infrastructure with a live-streamed performance from Berlin, and their first ever public simulcast at Heinz Hall and online at pittsburghsymphony.org.

Flying High

InPark Magazine: In 2001, Disney introduced a new kind of simulator adventure as a flagpole attraction at the new Disney’s California Adventure park at California’s Disneyland Resort. Guests encountered a fully themed environment stretching from a mountain airfield outside the building themed as a hangar, through graphics depicting the history of California’s aviation industry in the queue, and a pre-show with a flight captain preparing his passengers with a safety spiel. Once on board, the rows of seats rose up over a giant dome screen. Passengers, legs dangling, glided over the state of California, smelling the seas and the orange fields, the wind blowing in their hair.

How To Find Job Opportunities You Didn't Know Existed

Fast Company | Business + Innovation: Finding a job, whether you’re starting your career or transitioning from one field to another, is unquestionably among the most daunting, time-consuming, and stressful of undertakings. It’s up there with death, taxes, and buying a home—anxiety-inducing on every level. There are so many things to consider: figuring out what you want to do, finding the right job to apply for, crafting the perfect cover letter and résumé, not to mention all the pressure that comes with getting an actual interview.

Adele

TPi: As one of the most celebrated artists in recent times, global phenomenon, singer–songerwriter (and worldclass personality) Adele, is back on the road after a four-year hiatus supporting her third studio album, 25. TPi’s Kelly Murray visited the visually captivating production, complete with technically intricate sound design, to meet the crew at the helm of this highly anticipated tour.

Indecent and Signature Plays Show the Power of the Avant-Garde

Cultural Weekly: Two highly theatrical productions demonstrate that the avant-garde stage can challenge as well as mystify. Paula Vogel’s Indecent at the Vineyard Theaters is a combination theater history lesson and searing docudrama on the impact of censorship and the oppression of groups deemed as “other.”

Wenger’s Evolution of Active Acoustic Products

Your Performance Partners: Transcend is an electronic architecture (or electronic enhancement) system, or what we commonly refer to as an active acoustic system. In contrast to passive acoustic treatments such as ceiling reflectors or acoustic panels, active systems detect sound and then electronically process and redistribute that sound in real time. This technology uses a careful arrangement of microphones and loudspeakers to control acoustic energy rather than relying on the construction and placement of architectural surfaces.

SAG-AFTRA Files Unfair Labor Charge Against Grey Global

Variety: SAG-AFTRA has filed an unfair labor practices charge alleging that advertising agency Grey Global produced non-union advertisements through 23 Townhouse.

Grey has denied the allegations, which were filed with the National Labor Relations Board. “We have said their contentions have no merit and we will respond accordingly,” spokesman Owen Daugherty said.

Higher Education

InPark Magazine: The themed entertainment industry was formed by thousands of professionals from a variety of creative and technical fields who found ways to marry art, design, theater, technology and storytelling into compelling guest experiences and unique places. They were pioneers – and they did not have a guide map… Today, those leaders of industry have become the teachers. They have organized their thoughts and experiences, and are now dispersing that information as mentors to a new generation in a growing number of college and university classrooms.

Renowned 'watchdog' artist Ai Weiwei's works coming to Pittsburgh

TribLIVE: Since the 1980s, Chinese contemporary art has made a huge impact on the international scene and continues to be one of the art world's major areas of focus. With countless new museums, galleries and talents coming to the fore, China has a great number of influential art-world players. But one artist in particular tops this list, and that's Ai Weiwei

Mixed Realities

InPark Magazine: Real-time media is changing the potential scope of attraction design, putting true interactivity, mixed reality and personalization of the journey into the hands of every user. We believe this will become the new minimum benchmark in experiential design for the attractions industry.

SAG-AFTRA Files Unfair Labor Charge Against Grey Global

Variety: SAG-AFTRA has filed an unfair labor practices charge alleging that advertising agency Grey Global produced non-union advertisements through 23 Townhouse. Grey has denied the allegations, which were filed with the National Labor Relations Board. “We have said their contentions have no merit and we will respond accordingly,” spokesman Owen Daugherty said.

The 20 things every great theme park should have

www.themeparkinsider.com: What makes a theme park great? Powerful franchises with memorable characters and thrilling rides have helped push the Disney and Universal theme parks to the top of the annual attendance charts. But a park doesn't need expensive IP and record-setting thrill rides to become great. Here are 20 elements that any theme park can add to help elevate it to world-class status.

Ride Systems of Flying Theaters

InPark Magazine: Part giant screen cinema, part motion simulator, part 4D theater: The flying or suspended theater allows riders unobstructed views of sweeping landscapes or perhaps a more thrilling mission with a superhero or other storyline. In these theaters you will find seating layouts a bit more out of the ordinary than your typical stadium seating at the local cinema.

What Eventprofs are Investing in this Year

Eventbrite Blog: As we all know in the events industry, time is precious; we have to choose carefully what we are spending our time on and how much we invest in different tasks to ensure we are being efficient and using our time wisely. The same can be said about money; we have budgets we need to work with in order to make sure we get the most bang for our buck. In most instances, we also need to show the ROI on what we’ve been spending money on.

Edward Bond: 'War Horse? Obscene. Downton? Spiteful'

Stage | The Guardian: Famous playwrights are traditionally honoured with productions to mark big birthdays or anniversaries of key plays. However, the theatrical establishment did nothing to acknowledge Edward Bond reaching 80 in 2014, nor was there a revival to mark the passing last year of five decades since the electrifying premiere of Saved, his tragedy about disaffected youth. And although Bond’s Bingo is probably the best biographical play about Shakespeare, it failed to feature in the epic death quadricentennial commemorations by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the BBC.

Equity Elects 14 Seats to National Council

Backstage: Results for Actors’ Equity Association’s 2016 National Council election were announced May 19; 14 open seats across three regions and three categories (principal actor, chorus actor, and stage manager) were filled.

JJ Abrams urges Paramount to drop its lawsuit over fan Star Trek movie

Boing Boing: Abrams directed the first two Star Trek reboot movies and is producing the third one for Paramount; he says he convinced the studio to drop its controversial lawsuit against Axanar, a crowdfunded fan-film (a suit that included a dubious claim about the copyrightability of the Klingon language) telling them that the lawsuit "wasn’t an appropriate way to deal with the fans."

Boycott over LGBT law impacts more than just the music fans

www.yahoo.com: Stagehand Kery Eller doesn't own any Bruce Springsteen albums, but he would smash them if he did. Eller says he expected to earn at least $3,000 working the sold-out Springsteen concert and other high-profile shows around the state before artists canceled the events in protest over North Carolina's new LGBT law.

Kevin E. Moore Named Managing Director at Actors Theatre of Louisville

Stage Directions: Kevin E. Moore will join the Actors Theatre of Louisville as their managing director, effective July 6. Moore joins Actors Theatre of Louisville after six years as managing director of Theatre Communications Group.

My Dad Oversaw Sound for the Super Bowl. So the Audio at His Funeral Needed to be Epic.

Narratively: It’s true. All his life, dad was a sound man. After overseeing the audio for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the show’s producer, David L. Wolper, nicknamed him “The Round Man of Sound.” Mom had often joked that Dad resembled Winnie the Pooh, but he chaffed at the Round Man of Sound nickname initially. Then he came around. He ordered a vanity license plate that read RMOS. For decades, if the world was watching a major event on television – a Super Bowl, a Papal visit, a Presidential Debate or inauguration – our dad didn’t just do the sound, he was the sound.

5 Essential Meta-Level Tips for Makers

makezine.com: Today’s tips are a little different, more “meta” level. They apply to one’s headspace around making, ways of organizing your thinking, your project planning and expectations, and how you conduct yourself as a maker.

The Hot Seat: Alex Calle

InPark Magazine: The year was 2009, and I was out of work. In a second-hand bookstore, I found a 1998 edition Local 800 Art Director’s Directory and recognized an opportunity. I went straight home, wrote out a pitch and started making calls. The book was about 150 pages, but I was determined, so beginning at “A,” day by day I made my way through the list. By the 50th call, I had my pitch down to about 20 seconds… just enough to get my future employer to say “Yes.”

How Broadway Contributed to Its Own Cell Phone Problem

www.huffingtonpost.com: It’s great that Lin-Manuel Miranda is publicly shaming folks who use their cell phones. I applauded Patti LuPone doing it during a show. I was in the audience at She Loves Me a few weeks ago when Laura Benanti stopped the show while someone picked up her phone. Applause. This is all great. What confuses me is that producers, theater owners, journalists, etc. are all sharing in this outrage without admitting, even to themselves, they helped create the monster.

Understanding the Difference between Chain Grades and How They’re Used

blog.cmworks.com: Chain has been around for over a thousand years. It is one of the most versatile and reliable ways to lift, tension and tie down materials in a variety of applications. In the past, people would use any type of chain to lift something, tie down a load or tow a vehicle. Proper inspection, safety procedures and general standards of practice for chain were lacking.

'Original' Romeo and Juliet props found at Curtain Theatre site

News | The Stage: Archaeologists excavating the playhouse where Romeo and Juliet was first staged have found artefacts that could have been used during the iconic play's original production. The Curtain Theatre in east London is being excavated as part of a project that will put the playhouse at the centre of a £750 million mixed-use development, comprising a 37-storey residential tower, shops and restaurants, as well as a cultural heritage centre and performance space.

The Curtain Call: Dip, Kiss or Curtsy?

The New York Times: Gabriel Byrne was 8 years old the first time he saw a play. He was awe-struck by what happened at the end — “when the people I believed had been real showed themselves to not be real,” he recalled. “What they were doing was shrugging off unreality and becoming real by way of their bows,” he continued. “And the difference between their faces during the performance and their faces during the bows fascinated me. Since then I’ve always watched the way people bow.”

WOOP, There It Is! 4 Steps To Achieve Your Goals

NPR: If you can dream it, you can do it, right? Right? Well ... not so fast. While fantasizing feels good and believing in yourself is surely better than not, research shows that keeping your head in the clouds can keep you, er, from reaching the stars. This week Shankar talks with psychologist Gabriele Oettingen, author of Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside The New Science Of Motivation.

A Dozen Bad Ideas That Were Raised At The Copyright Office's DMCA Roundtables

Techdirt: The Copyright Office has been holding a series of "roundtable discussions" on copyright reform that it's going to use to produce a paper supporting certain changes to copyright law. We already know that some sort of copyright reform bill is expected in the near future, and what comes out of this whole process is going to be fairly important. Unfortunately, the roundtables are not encouraging. There was one held in NY a few weeks ago, which Rebecca Tushnet blogged about in great detail, and I attended the ones last week in San Francisco and I've gathered up my tweeted commentary, if you feel like reading through it.

Evolving Storytelling to Marry the Ancient Skills with the Digital Age

Hackaday: Storytelling is an art. It stretches back to the dawn of man. It engages people on an emotional level and engages their mind. Paulina Greta Stefanovic, a user experience researcher and interaction designer is on the cutting edge of bringing our technology together with the best human aspects of this long tradition.

The information age is threatening storytelling — not making it extinct, but reducing the number of people who themselves are storytellers. We are no longer reliant on people in our close social circles to be exquisite story tellers for our own enjoyment; we have the luxury (perhaps curse?) of mass market story-telling.

The 2016 Best BFA Programs for Each Area in Theatre in the Country - Scenic Design

OnStage: For East Coast scenic design students, going to college on the West Coast might seem a bit far, but the program at Cal Arts is well worth it. Boasting a combination of some of the finest facilities, faculty and a comprehensive curriculum, this is a must see for any future scenic designer both at the BFA and MFA level.

Record number of TV series filmed in New York City

NY Daily News: Binge watching has helped propel binge filming in New York City.

The city has again broken a record for the number of scripted TV shows being filmed in the five boroughs — and officials are crediting some of the surge to the popularity of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon.

Behind ‘Hamilton’s Moves, a Man Inspired by ‘The Matrix’

WSJ: In the early days of “Hamilton,” choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler realized he had a problem: The dancers were onstage through nearly all of the first act, so that they barely had time to catch their breath and recover.

Hamilton Quiz

New York Theater: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton has been a phenomenon for more than a year now. How much have you been paying attention? Answer these 20 questions and find out.

I Came Up With A Creative Idea, Someone Else Just Did It, & I'm Still Recovering

Fast Company | Business + Innovation: Since the turn of the century (which sounds even longer ago than it really is), I’ve been harboring a secret. It’s an idea for a creative project that I’ve been keeping to myself all these years, not sharing it with anyone—not even those closest to me—for fear of having someone else steal my concept. Every few weeks, I even Google terms that describe the idea, just to make sure that no one else on the planet has done it. Every time, I breathe a sigh of relief and go back to daydreaming about a way to make my idea a reality.

Meet Our Team: Mike Wade

creativeconners.com: About a month ago we added Mike Wade to our staff at Creative Conners. Mike is our new Director of Technical Services. That means he will focus on technical support, custom project engineering, and user education. When you’ve got a question about how to get your gear up and running or you are stumped trying to sort out a tricky bit of Spikemark programming – Mike is the guy to call. On top of that, Mike will be joining Gareth as the co-host of the Circuit and Gear podcast.

The Lightning Projected Mario Kart On The Ice Between Periods

deadspin.com: I’m on record as a big fan of those on-court and on-ice projection systems proliferating throughout our nation’s arenas, but Tampa might have achieved apotheosis.

The Promise and Peril of Group Decision-Making

Decision Fish: The Art & Science of Decision-Making: Whom should we hire, promote or fire? Who should we put on this proposal writing team and what should we propose? I’ve made or participated in such group decisions hundreds of times and I’ve never felt confident in the process or the outcome. Did we come up with the right alternatives, in sufficient number? Did we weigh the alternative outcomes according to their expected costs, benefits and probabilities, relative to common values and objectives? Was the process too political, dominated by one extroverted or senior individual, or ended arbitrarily?

Your Sneak Peek into the Future of Vectorworks Software from the Design Summit

Planet Vectorworks: Our newly minted CEO, Dr. Biplab Sarkar, is less than a month into his tenure, and he’s already showing the design community some love by teasing exciting developments planned for Vectorworks software. Sarkar showcased upcoming advancements during his keynote speech at this year’s Vectorworks Design Summit in Chicago. The reveal was met by thunderous applause from 600-plus attendees from around the world, confirming that our future releases will make a resounding impact.

Top Theater Talents Come Together to Create ‘Frozen – Live at the Hyperion’ for Disney California Adventure Park

 Disney Parks Blog: The opening of “Frozen – Live at the Hyperion” is just over a week away, and everything is starting to come together to create an incredible theatrical adaptation of the story of sisters Anna and Elsa. This new stage spectacle is the result of an amazing collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment, Disneyland Resort, Tony Award-nominated director Liesl Tommy (“Eclipsed”) and a group of talented professionals with an impressive list of credits.

Get a Sneak Peek at Some of the Innovative Technology Coming to ‘Frozen – Live at the Hyperion’ at Disney California Adventure Park

Disney Parks Blog: In adapting Disney’s “Frozen” for the stage in “Frozen – Live at the Hyperion,” the team at Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment sought out new and exciting ways to tell Anna and Elsa’s story. Among other innovations, this dazzling theatrical production incorporates state-of-the-art projections and motion capture technology to create several “Wow!” moments for the audience.

Ballet Legend Baryshnikov Dances a Descent into Madness

The Creators Project: A collaboration that spans time itself has finally been realized. Two of the greatest male dancers of the 20th century come together in Robert Wilson’s Letter to a Man, a one-man production in which Mikhail Baryshnikov portrays Vaslav Nijinsky's diary entries as the dancer and choreographer descended into madness. Last weekend in Madrid, and next month in Monte-Carlo, avid audiences can see the existential brutality of Nijinsky’s deterioration, depicted through intense theatricality and the one-of-a-kind movement of Baryshnikov.

6 Habits Of Creative Managers

Fast Company | Business + Innovation: Managing teams is tough enough. But when you’re managing teams of people who need to be highly creative to fulfill their job functions, a new level of complexity is added, says Michael D. Mumford, PhD. He is a professor and director of the Center for Applied Social Research at the University of Oklahoma and author of Pathways to Outstanding Leadership: A Comparative Analysis of Charismatic, Ideological, and Pragmatic Leaders.

The Lion

Pittsburgh in the Round: Yes, it’s THAT good. As the grand finale of its 2015-2016 season, City Theatre’s latest Main Stage production The Lion invites Pittsburgh audience onto a soulful journey with a heart-warming roar. Originally premiered Off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2014 and followed by a critically-acclaimed world tour, the show already welcomed a full house just one week before the official opening night.

Creating a Safer Workplace

Occupational Health & Safety: Each year, falls from heights ranging from just a few inches to 120 stories account for more than 30 percent of all fall-related injuries and work-related deaths. Such injuries not only endanger the integrity of the workplace and the safety of employees, but also cost businesses millions of dollars each year in medical expenses, lost wages, and lower productivity.

Checklist: 6 Questions to Ask Your Tent Provider

www.bizbash.com/: A tent may be a critical component of an event’s layout, shelter, or weather plan. But setting one up is not a matter to be taken lightly: Improper preparation or communication can result in danger, fines, and other liability issues. Ask these questions to reduce risks and ensure a smooth experience when setting up a tent outdoors.

Oh Ho! The Fringe Festival's a Comin'!

Footlights: Do you hear the faint sound of trumpets blaring an announcement of something about to happen? Do you feel the tremor of excitement as a whirlwind of activity is beginning to transform Hollywood, the way a new circus changes an open field into a land of fun and excitement? Listen for it, it’s happening soon. The June 6th opening of the 7th Annual Hollywood Fringe Festival.

Ethereal Sculptures and Wearable Orbs Formed From Synthetic Fabric by Mariko Kusumoto

Colossal: Japanese artist Mariko Kusumoto uses translucent fabric to produce balloon-like objects, orbs that contain various forms trapped within their soft exterior. The creations inside range from smaller versions of the spherical sculptures to sea creatures and cars, playful forms that fit the bright colors Kusumoto chooses for her works. To set the polyester fabric into the shapes she desires she heats the pieces to the right temperature, allowing the material to memorize the shape she wishes to create. These works are then formed into sculptural or wearable objects, 3D jewelry that can be worn around the neck.

Photos of Electric Daisy Carnival New York

Business Insider: One of the world's biggest electronic dance festivals returned to New York this weekend. A wildly popular experience that started in Los Angeles and then moved to Las Vegas, Electric Daisy Carnival brought in over 79,000 visitors to New York's Citi Field Saturday and Sunday.

Here's How To Use Social Media At Each Stage Of Your Career

Fast Company | Business + Innovation: You already know social media is a handy job-search tool. You dutifully update your LinkedIn account and scrub your Facebook profile of incriminating photos. But what you might not realize is that your approach to social media should change as your career moves forward. What works for landing that first-ever job won’t be the same thing that gets you promoted to VP.

Everything is a Remix on "The Force Awakens"

Boing Boing: Kirby Ferguson's amazing Everything is a Remix series (previously), turns its keen eyes on JJ Abrams's record-breaking reboot of Star Wars, itself a mashup of classic films, and shows what happens when a mashup artist remixed a remix of a mashup.

Dear White People: TWO TRAINS RUNNING is not a play about race

phindie: August Wilson’s TWO TRAINS RUNNING is not a play about race. Set in 1969 Pittsburgh against the backdrop of racial tension amplified by the deaths of Dr. King and Malcolm X, it is a play that comments on these events. Briefly. Literally, characters hold a brief conversation addressing the recent assassinations of these influential figures, but said conversation more emphasises the subject of death than it does race.

$1M grant will fund three fashion exhibitions at The Frick Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: A $1 million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation will fund three consecutive fashion exhibitions at The Frick Pittsburgh in Point Breeze.

Men Are Sabotaging The Online Reviews Of TV Shows Aimed At Women

FiveThirtyEight: We can quibble about where it stands in the TV canon, but “Sex and the City” has seven Emmys and a suite of Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards. It ran 94 episodes through six seasons on a premium cable network. Any reasonable person should concede that “Sex and the City” was an above-average television program (at minimum). You don’t need to think it was a perfect show, or even an outstanding one, but I think most people would agree it was better than average.

How LEGO Master Builders Design and Assemble LEGOLAND Sculptures

Tested: Wired visited LEGOLAND's model shop and met two of its Master Builders, who design and assemble the sculptures and minifig environments that populate the theme park.

The 3 Best Books for Everyday Creativity

Box of Crayons: There’s a challenge with creativity and the way we think about it in our organizational life: it’s not part of our job description. It’s really important for all of us to understand that creativity is actually an everyday activity. It’s something that, at its best, should infuse the way you work—when you show up for meetings, when you tackle your projects, when you think about the work you do.

Honoring the Helen Hayes nominees: Craig Wallace, actor and director

DC Theatre Scene: It is late afternoon, and Craig Wallace is standing on the porch of the Brookland bungalow he shares with Kimberly Schraf, “my love of 22 years.” There is a magnificent Husky, a rescue, on the porch with him. Fall is beginning to assert itself, and he is dressed warmly.

Found: Secret Rooms in a Very Old Theater

Atlas Obscura: On the main shopping street in Perth, a Scottish city of about 47,000 people, one of Scotland’s oldest theaters is giving up its secrets. The theater’s being restored, and the construction has revealed hidden rooms long walled up and forgotten.

The Artists' Residency at the End of the World

The Creators Project: Imagine curing writer’s block by stepping out into frozen tundra, or finding inspiration for your next sculpture asleep in icy terrain. That’s where the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program (or, AAW) comes in, giving artists and writers of all mediums access to Antarctica. As stated on the NSF’s proposals page, the AAW is “specifically designed to increase the public’s understanding and appreciation of the Antarctic and human endeavors on the southernmost continent.”

Seven Carnegie Mellon Alumni Nominated for Eight Tony Awards

www.cmu.edu/news: Seven Carnegie Mellon University alumni garnered eight Tony Award nominations this morning when they were announced from New York City via a webcast on TonyAwards.com and "CBS This Morning." This is not the first time the spotlight has shined brightly on Carnegie Mellon. In 2013, CMU alumni took home eight Tony Awards, and hundreds of CMU alumni have been nominated for the honor.

Dig at theater where Shakespeare worked uncovers a surprise

bigstory.ap.org: ondon's relentless building boom has dug up another chunk of the city's history — one with a surprise for scholars of Shakespearean theater. Archaeologists are excavating the remains of the Curtain, a 16th-century playhouse where some of the Bard's plays were first staged, before a new apartment tower sprouts on the site. Unexpectedly, the dig has revealed that the venue wasn't round, like most Elizabethan playhouses. It was rectangular.

Stage Reviews: 'Musical of Musicals' at Off the Wall; PICT's 'Two Tales of Terror'

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Off the Wall, which leans toward issue-oriented drama, delivers a grand ol’ time with a satire that rewards musical theater fans who know their stuff. The show is divided into the styles of five of Broadway legends: Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim and Jerry Herman before intermission, then Andrew Lloyd Webber and Kander & Ebb, plus a bonus finale.

How Madeline Sayet is Transforming the Way We Think About Shakespeare

Mental Floss: As resident director of the arts organization Amerinda, 26-year-old Madeline Sayet is building a better future for Native American performers, helping them land more diverse and complex roles. Her latest endeavor: creating indigenous and feminist retellings of Shakespeare. Here’s how she’s banishing stereotypes while breathing new life into the Bard.

Watch Broadway stars talk about which show made them say "I want to do that!"

DC Theatre Scene: Do you remember which play or musical made you fall in love with theatre? Yesterday, Jonathan Mandell attended the Drama Desk Awards reception and asked this year’s nominees – most of whom have also been nominated for Tony Awards – which show made them realize they wanted to be a performer.

From Front Page to Stage: Noor Theatre Turns Headlines Into Short Plays

AMERICAN THEATRE: On Monday evening, an actor held a script and quietly recited lines on an ascending elevator. He wasn’t doing last-minute preparation for an audition—he was participating in Noor Theatre’s 48 Hour Forum. It was the 48th hour, almost curtain time, and haste was just the name of the game.

Yellowface and the Racist Incredulity of White Culture

Clyde Fitch Report: When it was announced that Anglo-Scottish actress Tilda Swinton had been cast in Marvel’s next film, Dr. Strange, as The Ancient One, a Tibetan sorcerer who teaches the titular character the mystic arts, there was pushback from many Asian and Pacific Islander (API) American fans fearing that Marvel would perpetuate Hollywood’s storied history of yellowface.

Google I/O in stadium made for Grateful Dead

Business Insider: Tech really is the new rock and roll. I first noticed this when people began lining up for new iPhone releases overnight, as we used to do as teenagers for hot concert tickets.

Theatre by the Book in Big D

AMERICAN THEATRE: We book tickets; a musical’s libretto is called a book; we typically receive a program book with credits and frequently a note from someone on the creative team. But how often does the theatregoing experience involve reading actual books? For the past few seasons Dallas Theater Center has been trying out a novel idea: bookending each show in the season with a volume somehow connected to it. Coordinated by DTC director of education and community enrichment Rachel Hull, with support from the company’s artistic and education departments, the group reads each assigned text and meets twice to talk about it, once before attending the play and again after seeing it. And there’s always wine and cheese on hand to help get the conversation going. The annual fee of $300, or $250 for company benefactors or members of Friends@DTC, comes with copies of the four books (though show tickets are purchased separately).

Building Beyoncé's Formation Tour | Production and Stage Design

Beyonce The Formation World Tour content from Live Design: Following the premiere of her sixth solo studio album, Lemonade, Beyoncé is on the road with The Formation World Tour featuring a production design by Es Devlin, engineered and built by StageCo and Tait Towers.

Intelligent Ways To Increase Productivity

www.lifehack.org: As an entrepreneur, I’ve definitely had my ups and downs. I’ve struggled with motivation, procrastination, and especially with being productive. Through my work, I’ve found there’s more to being productive than downloading timers, apps, or blocking social media sites. Being productive is actually a very personal and in-depth process that will vary for every person reading this.

The chemicals we off-gas change when we watch something funny or thrilling

Ars Technica: In cartoon worlds, squiggly lines over characters are reserved for the exceptionally smelly. But, in reality, everyone deserves those little squiggles: each of us is constantly emitting a steady stream of gases and microbes, as well as smells. And those gases may be able to reveal more about us than what we last ate (and whether it agreed with us). Our gases may also divulge what we think about movies.

Drunk stagehand wielding knife shot dead by cops in Midtown

New York Post: Cops opened fire on a depressed Broadway stagehand who lunged at them with an 8-inch knife on a busy Midtown street Wednesday morning — killing him and wounding a California tourist, authorities said.

OSHA Issues Final Rule on Workplace Injuries and Illnesses

Remodeling | OSHA, Safety, Jobsite Safety, Construction Safety: The Occupational Health and Safety Administration released today its final rule to combat preventable workplace injuries and illnesses by requiring companies to submit all work-related injuries and illnesses to OSHA electronically.

christopher stuart derives constructs + glitches collection from software errors

www.designboom.com: creating narratives around physical processes, american designer christopher stuart’s ‘constructs and glitches’ collection explores both the deliberate and unintentional distortion of functional and sculptural forms. presented during new york design week 2016 at the future perfect, the series comprises two disparate parts: constructs, furniture-inspired pieces of manually distorted geometry; and glitches, computer-distorted objects that derive their forms from errors produced by CAD software. described by stuart as ‘sculpture at furniture scale,’ the units emphasize a conceptual and aesthetic tension.

Nothing Can Be Taken For Granted

Pro Mobile DJ: This past week I was mixing sound for a nationally touring act at a fairgrounds grandstand. After supervising the load-in and setting of the arrays I set about tuning the rig and putting settings into the mixing board. I’ve found that little things like the way I soft-patch the inputs into an order and typing names or descriptions (ie: Stage left guitar) into the board so it appears with the channel information is very helpful, especially when mixing an act you are not very familiar with.

Bugs bite: The time we built a giant mosquito

Chicago Scenic Studios: It's not every day you get to build an over-sized mosquito so lifelike it scares everyone who walks into the dirty booth. Extra special thanks to CLS Vector/Mosquito Control team and Celtic Chicago for helping to bring this guy to life!

Stage preview: Award-winning play is frisky business for Kinetic Theatre

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The play about making a tough choice, sexually speaking, was not called “The Cockfight” when it won the Olivier Award — England’s version of the Tony — in 2010. But when it came to the United States, the media here had rules about such words, so “The Cockfight” is what it became in The New York Times and other publications.

Half Mask Respirator

Cool Tools: I’ve used this half mask respirator for a number of months and am very pleased with it. It is valved for easy breathing, and the replaceable filters snap into the sides rather than residing in external canisters that add bulk to the unit. It’s great for leaf blowing, sanding, etc.

OperaDelaware's Barrese resurrects Faccio's 'Hamlet'

www.philly.com: Nearly every time you look down at the sidewalk, there's a stenciled image of a mustachioed face and the word "Essere." The source of this is OperaDelaware, which has imposed the likeness of little-known composer Franco Faccio onto the local landscape while making his opera Hamlet part of the international landscape after 145 years of obscurity. "Essere" means "to be" - better than "not to be."

OSHA's Coming Distractions

Remodeling | OSHA, Codes and Standards, Jobsite Safety, Inspections: The Obama administration is on track to put four new OSHA rules into effect in early 2016, as well as to change how its inspectors prioritize the types of violations they investigate. These will have varying effects on the remodeling industry.

Children's theatremaker: theatre in schools is 'not inspirational'

www.thestage.co.uk: Most theatre performed in schools is “not good” and is failing to inspire children to see more, according to a leading children’s director.

Gill Robertson, whose company Catherine Wheels makes theatre for children and young people, made the comments at the Theatre 2016 conference during a discussion on whether the art form was a minority interest.

Festival Preview: Children's Fest welcomes Bricolage for a special sensory friendly immersive work

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Bricolage Productions was bustling amid the smell of freshly cut wood and the carpentry sounds of putting on a show. All senses were on alert in preparation for “Welcome to Here,” an immersive experience designed for families with a child on the autism spectrum, having its world premiere at the EQT Children’s Theater Festival.

Inside scoop on 2 new theaters: Lake Forest Theatre and The Edge

Chicago Tribune: Two fascinating new theater projects are taking shape in Chicagoland: one in Lake Forest and the other in the Edgewater neighborhood.

Let's start in the north suburb, where a real estate entrepreneur, local resident, actor, administrator and musical theater aficionado named Steve Malone is opening a professional theater to be known as the Lake Forest Theatre.

Merger of arts groups led to fiscal problems for Pittsburgh Filmmakers

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: For 23 years, Charlie Humphrey ran Pittsburgh’s best-known film and photography school. Wealthy and unconventional, Mr. Humphrey developed a reputation as a mender of finances for struggling arts groups and enjoyed the coveted favor of foundation leaders.

Stylebook snapshot: 'Brain dress' by Carnegie Mellon University professor weaves together science, fashion

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: A special occasion calls for a special dress. When Carnegie Mellon University’s Marlene Behrmann, the Cowan professor of cognitive neuroscience, learned she was to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences — and the first female scientist from the university to earn the honor — she came up with a unique concept for an outfit to wear to the ceremony in Washington, D.C., that combined her longtime interest in fashion and her background in brain imaging.

Why Time Management is Overrated

ChurchProduction.com: When you are in church production, the next production comes around... Every. Seven. Days. No matter how hard we work—like a hamster in a wheel—there is always another Sunday. And in a digital world, there is never a "slow day." There is just busy. And busier.

The Fight Over Copyrighting Klingon Heats Up, And Gets More Ridiculous

Techdirt: Last year, we wrote about a somewhat speculative article by Charles Duan from Public Knowledge, connecting the ridiculous result of the Oracle/Google fight on the copyrightability of software APIs, to the idea of trying to claim copyright in a language, with a particular focus on Klingon, the made up language from the Star Trek universe. And, then, of course, back in March, that speculative hypothetical became much more real, when Paramount's lawsuit against a Star Trek fan film did, in fact, argue that Klingon was covered by copyright, and that the fan film violated that copyright.

The misguided battle over the future of video games

theweek.com: The earliest video games can almost always be summed up in a single sentence. Eat dots while avoiding ghosts. Use your spaceship's laser to blow up asteroids. Climb a tower to rescue a damsel from a giant ape. When gaming was in its infancy, these pioneering concepts thrived on a similar guiding principle: pick-up-and-play appeal with easily comprehended mechanics and goals. Frogger first arrived 35 years ago, but it's just as playable today.

How College Students Are Sleeping ... Or Not

NPR Ed : NPR: Sleep has a big impact on learning. And not just when you do it in class. Sleep deprivation affects memory, cognition and motivation, and the effects are compounded when it's long-term. For those reasons, there's been lots of interest in the education world in studying the sleep habits of children and adolescents. But until now, most sleep studies have been limited to short-term surveys with small numbers of participants.

Creativity Shouldn’t Be Euphemism For Doing More With Less

Butts In the Seats: Continuing on the theme of employee turnover that I wrote about last week, I wanted to harken back again to an early post I made about Johns Hopkins study saying that the non-profit sector wasn’t having as big an issue with turnover and recruitment as had been widely reported.

An Electronic Music Legend Talks Moog’s Modular App

The Creators Project: When Moog Music dropped the Animoog app back in 2011, it was a stroke of digital genius. Here was a boutique analog synthesizer company confidently and unapologetically wading into virtual synthesis—and for the mobile age, no less. Earlier this week, Moog announced the release of the Moog Model 15 app, an iOS recreation of the company’s iconic 1970’s modular synthesizer. This makes it Moog’s first modular synthesizer—and synthesis educational tool—for iOS mobile devices.

No, this Broadway costumer doesn't just 'shop all day'

bigstory.ap.org: Finding costume designer Suttirat Larlarb isn't easy these days. Finding her work is easy.

She's costuming an opera in Los Angeles, a TV show in Toronto, she teaches at Carnegie Mellon University and has two Broadway shows — "Waitress " and "Finding Neverland ."

"It's a bit of a crazy time," she says. "It feels like all cylinders going."

Racial Drama Onstage and Racial Tension Backstage at Seattle Rep

Theater - The Stranger: In 1970, James Baldwin (one of the best writers America has ever produced) and anthropologist Margaret Mead (the only anthropologist America has ever heard of) recorded a passionate and prescient seven-and-a-half-hour conversation, which was later turned into the book A Rap on Race. In a show with the same title, created by Spectrum Dance Theatre, now running at Seattle Rep, Tony Award–nominated local choreographer Donald Byrd and MacArthur genius playwright/performer Anna Deavere Smith reproduced sections of Baldwin and Mead's long-form, heady, booze-buoyed discussion and cut it with spurts of drunk-jazz dance numbers.

Answer the “Greatest Weakness” Question With This Formula

lifehacker.com: “What’s your greatest weakness” may be an awkward, tired job interview question, but if a potential employer asks it, you want to be ready. This formula can help you prepare.

10 Cool Special Effects Scenes in Movies That Didn't Use CGI

sploid.gizmodo.com: It’s always nice to know that not everything in movies is done with computers and CG and green screens. Pretty much very nearly almost all of it is, of course. But! There are still some directors using practical effects in some action movies and those scenes always look awesome. Here’s ten of ‘em.

Meet the Audio Engineers Who Made Captain America: Civil War Sound So Good

sploid.gizmodo.com: Civil War is a big, loud ensemble movie. That’s what we expect from it, and that’s why it’s fun. But when the camera is whipping around during a huge fight scene, how come we still know what’s happening?

Writers Guild Pushes for Diversity Tax Credit in New York

Variety: The Writers Guild of America East has asked New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to support providing diversity production credits for TV shows. The legislation would expand the state’s incentive program to include credits for shows that include writers and directors who are women or people of color.

Boston Children’s Theatre Receives Grant from Disney for Theatre Education Program

Stage Directions: Disney Awarded the Boston Children’s Theatre a $100,000 grant to bring the Disney Musicals in Schools program to Boston public schools. The grant will fund two years of programming to help Boston Children’s Theatre create self-sustaining theatre programs in under-resourced elementary schools.

5 Minutes With Dr. Biplab Sarkar And Dedrick Duckett | Vectorworks Summit

Business & People News content from Live Design: At the annual Vectorworks Design Summit in Chicago, we sat down with Dr. Biplab Sarkar, newly appointed CEO of Vectorworks, and Dedrick Duckett, principal software engineer at Vectorworks, Inc., to talk about what's on the horizon for the software developer, how ESP Vision will be integrated into the design suite, and working with other third party partners, including PRG.

Google launches Tilt Brush app for virtual reality painting

www.dezeen.com: Google's virtual reality painting app, Tilt Brush, could allow architects and designers to walk through their sketches in 3D as they draw them (+ movie). Available on the HTC Vive headset device, Tilt Brush allows users to create 3D imagery using a simple controller that mimics the gestures of painting.

The Wizard of Oz shows off its new songs at The National

DC Theatre Scene: We all know that The Wizard of Oz is the story of a girl and her dog. And home. Right? So, does the 2011 musical, featuring new compositions and lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice, succeed in spreading joy—overwhelming, warm, and kinetic—deep in your heart? Unequivocally, yes. It’s a polished show heavy on meaning but light on its feet. And bounding with a cavalcade of color.

Don’t Ignore the Artist’s Supply Store

Hackaday: So it’s Saturday morning and you’ve found yourself with an urge to build something involving copper plates or carbon electrodes. Maybe you need a metallic powder for a chemistry experiment. Casting supplies? Pure lead? Copper mesh? Silver wire? Odd tools? Exceedingly caustic etchants? There’s a store that sells it all, and it’s not usually frequented by hackers: the art store.

ToolSmart – Smart Tools By General

Home Fixated: Smart, convenient and clever: the new ToolSmart tools from General have a lot going for them. The launch lineup includes a digital multimeter (DMM), laser distance measurer, digital angle finder and a video inspection camera. They can all be used as stand alone tools. But they can also send data wirelessly to the free iOS and Android mobile app, opening up a whole new world of awesome that you’re sure to love. General Tools & Instruments provided their new ToolSmart line for me to evaluate in this sponsored review.

SAG-AFTRA Members Approve New Commercials Contract

Backstage: SAG-AFTRA members have authorized a new television, audio, and digital commercials contract establishing a three-year pact with the advertising industry.

Selena Gomez Launches Revival Tour | Tait Towers Stage Build

Concerts content from Live Design: Selena Gomez launched her Revival Tour Friday, May 6 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Tait Towers worked with Silent House Production's Tamlyn Wright, production designer, Baz Halpin, show director, and Melissa Garcia, assistant director. Robert "Hydro" Mullin is the production manager for the tour.

'Avengers' and 'Batman v Superman' Costumer Is Designing New Spacesuits for Real Astronauts

Movie News | Movies.com: Costume designer Jose Fernandez, of Ironhead Studio (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice; Captain America: Civil War), revealed to Bleep magazine that he's been working on real spacesuits for the private aerospace company Space X. He wasn't even aware of who they were when he was contacted to particpate in the bidding process. And then Fernandez, who's worked on numerous sci-fi movies, only had time to present Space X founder Elon Musk with an idea for the helmet. But it was enough.

The 2016 Best BFA Programs for Each Area in Theatre in the Country - Musical Theatre

OnStage: You might not think a university known for its science and technology programs would house the best musical theatre program in the country, but it's true. For years the CMU School of Drama's BFA in Music Theatre program has proven itself to be a leader in producing some of the finest talent to grace Broadway stages. The CMU School of Drama is the oldest drama degree-granting program in the United States. In the past century, CMU has produced hundreds of Tony nominees and 42 Tony winners.

Federal Probe on Lack of Female Directors Is Encouraging, ACLU Says

Variety: The ACLU SoCal says that it is “encouraged” by a federal investigation into the hiring of female directors in entertainment, a year after the organization requested the probe by citing dismal employment figures.

‘A Chorus Line’ at Stratford Festival Looks Like No Other. Here’s Why.

Variety: At the Stratford Festival this summer, the legendary musical “A Chorus Line” will be the same show it’s been since 1975. Only different. After 40 years of fiercely guarding the original vision of the show’s late creator, the Michael Bennett estate has, for the first time, granted permission for an all-new staging of “A Chorus Line.”

Henry Hewes Design Awards Names 2015 Winners

Stage Directions: Operating on a different schedule than most, the Henry Hewes Design Awards have announced the winners for the 2014-2015 season. For the first time in its history, there were no Broadway shows recognized, with shows from the New York Theatre Workshop and The Public Theater taking home honors. The honorees for the 2015-2016 season will be announced later this summer.

Ever Expanding World of Costume: New Ways to Honor Community

Gina Love | LinkedIn: Many new grants, awards, and honors coming our way from Costume Society of America!!! In addition to announcing their 2016 honors, CSA has also expanded more opportunity's to celebrate the ever expanding world of costume!

Event Management Technology Isn't Sexy (But it Can Solve Real Problems)

blog.propared.com: Imagine that innovation is a fast moving river. A lot of the time, it can feel like we are just gripping the edges of our rafts, trying not to capsize and get lost. But every so often, we’re able to catch a calm eddy and take a breather. From here, we can take stock of our journey: where we've come from, where we are now, and where we are headed. And most importantly for any company, what is the best way to get there?

Lorraine Hansberry Awards Honor Five Women

Stage Directions: The Lorraine Hansbery Awards will honor five contemporaries of the famous playwright: Micki Grant, Lynn Hamilton, Shauneille Perry, Dr. Glory Van Scott and Camille Yarbrough. The awards ceremony will take place Tuesday, May 24 at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Children's Theater Festival takes over Pittsburgh's Cultural District

TribLIVE: It's a safe bet that parents and grandparents who bring their children and grandchildren Downtown this weekend will not hear the all-too-familiar complaint of kids: “But there's nothing to do!” The EQT Children's Theater Festival will fill the city's Cultural District with more than 40 free hands-on educational and cultural activities, eight professional theater performances, free outdoor pop-up performances featuring local artists — and even a scavenger hunt with a fun prize at the end.

Sound masters among Merritt Award honorees

Chicago Sun-Times: Although the Tony Awards no longer pay homage to sound designers, since 1994, Chicago’s Michael Merritt Awards (named after the influential Chicago scenic designer and teacher), have served as an annual celebration of all aspects of theatrical design and collaboration, including sound. And on May 16 at Loyola University’s Newhart Family Theatre (1020 W. Sheridan), it will stage its awards presentation, along with its invariably impressive showcase of works by Chicago-area emerging theatrical designers and graduating design students from Chicago’s best theatrical design programs.

Channing Tatum announces that ‘Magic Mike Live’ is coming to Las Vegas

Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Magic Mike” leading man Channing Tatum announced during his first-ever Facebook Live session that “Magic Mike Live” will begin showing at Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino next March.

When Is ‘Clueless The Musical’ Happening? Amy Heckerling Finally Gives An Update

The Frisky: Soon, it won’t be completely devastating when you can’t get tickets for Hamilton, because Clueless The Musical will be an option. Ever since they initially announced the stage adaptation back in 2012, we’ve been totally buggin’, desperate for more info. Finally, Amy Heckerling, the genius Betty behind the 1995 film, has given us some more details on the upcoming Clueless musical.

In search of sound advice for Chicago's theaters

Chicago Sun-Times: Last month, at the Steppenwolf Theatre press opening for Tracy Letts’ new play, “Mary Page Marlowe,” a man in the audience blurted out what some of the more restrained members in the house were no doubt thinking.

“I can’t hear you!,” he said, loudly and clearly enough to be heard himself.

Converting Kids’ Hand-Drawings to G-Code

Hackaday: [Martin Raynsford] wrote a program that converts a black-and-white 2D image to G-code so that his laser printer could then etch the image. Not satisfied with just that, he used his laser printer to make a scanner that consists of a stand for his webcam and a tray below it for positioning the paper just right. The result was something he took to a recent Maker Faire where many kids drew pictures on paper which his system then scanned and laser etched.

Feds Are Investigating Gender Discrimination in Hollywood

jezebel.com: The U.S. EEOC and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs are currently in the midst of investigating possible instances of unfair gender-based hiring practices in Hollywood. Not sure what they think they’ll find.

Actors Theatre of Louisville Names Kevin E. Moore Managing Director

AMERICAN THEATRE: Actors Theatre of Louisville has appointed Kevin E. Moore as its new managing director. He will succeed Jennifer Bielstein, who stepped down in March to become managing director of the Guthrie Theater. Moore, who has served as the managing director of Theatre Communications Group (TCG) for the past six years, will transition into his new role on July 6.

Happy Mother’s Day: The Famous Houses Of Our Favorite Movie Moms

Celebrity - Trulia Blog: Few on-screen performances are more moving (or hilarious!) than a great movie mom. Whether they make you weep (like Shirley MacLaine’s powerful role in Terms of Endearment) or roll your eyes and laugh (we’re looking at you, Frances McDormand in Almost Famous), they are completely unforgettable and some of the most beloved characters to ever grace the big screen. And in many cases, so are the places and spaces they called home.

Beyoncé's Formation World Tour

first look | Live Design: Beyoncé has embarked on her much anticipated Formation World Tour, featuring production design by Es Devlin and lighting design by Tim Routledge. Tait Towers built the custom stage, which includes a treadmill runway, a B stage pool filled with water, a stage lift, winches carrying acrobatic performers, and the structure that supports the PRG Nocturne 70' video screens. Malcom Weldon and Jake Berry are the production managers for the tour. Check out the above slideshow.

Winners Of The 2016 Excellence In Live Design Awards

Live Design: Live Design announces the winners of the Ninth Annual Excellence in Live Design Awards, chosen online by our readers. Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to all who submitted and voted. Click through the gallery to learn a little about each winner and follow the links below to read project descriptions of each.

Truewerk Workwear Review: T2 Werkfleece and T2 Werkpant

www.protoolreviews.com: When my phone rings and I see Brian’s number light up, I get pretty excited. No, he’s not my best friend or my brother (although he’s quickly rising up the ranks). He’s the guy behind Truewerk workwear. When he calls, it usually means there’s something new for me to check out. If you read our review of the winter lineup, you’ll recall there’s a difference between regular workwear and what Truewerk offers.

Bosch GLM 50 C Bluetooth Laser Measure

Tools of the Trade: After reviewing 18 laser measures over the past three years, I think small refinements are now making the biggest splash. When Bosch introduced the economical and feature-rich GLM 50 C laser measure late last year, key selling points included a bold new display and intuitive menu navigation. I’ve been evaluating this laser for a couple of months, and I think it sets a new standard for ease of use.

Road Stories #2

Pro Sound Web: In 1980 I was working for a band, doing sound…and lights…and some backline…from front of house.

During the 11 months I was with them, the band completed a successful showcase, landed a record deal, released its first album, and did a national tour of bars and universities. Truck and van deal…did I mention that I also drove the truck?

Happy Time In Monitorland? Getting Your Stage Together

Pro Sound Web: A concert sound system is, in reality, two completely separate sound systems, joined at the hip by a split snake. Each system requires a skilled engineer, but the skill-sets between the two differ vastly.

Ringling Bros. elephants are retired and enjoying buffets in Florida

Las Vegas Review-Journal: The last 11 touring elephants from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus kicked off their retirement in Florida on Friday with a buffet brunch of carrots, apples, celery, loaves of bread and lots of hay.

Gene O'Donovan Joins Theatre Projects' Guest Speaker Series

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: Tony Award-winning production manager and founder of Aurora Productions, Gene O'Donovan, joined Theatre Projects' staff recently for the latest installment in our guest speaker series.

The Day TED Might Have Died

Chris Anderson | LinkedIn: When I first took over leadership of TED in late 2001, I was reeling from the near collapse of the company I had spent fifteen years building, and I was terrified of another huge public failure. I had been struggling to persuade the TED community to back my vision for TED, and I feared that it might just fizzle out. Back then, TED was an annual conference in California, owned and hosted by a charismatic architect named Richard Saul Wurman, whose larger-than-life presence infused every aspect of the conference.

Chicago Museum Exhibit Shines Light On Secretive Research Agency

CBS Chicago: The Museum of Science and Industry has opened a new exhibit offering a rare glimpse inside the secretive government agency behind technological breakthroughs that helped give us the internet and GPS technology. The exhibit is called “DARPA: Redefining Possible.”

Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Names Winners

Stage Directions: The 2016 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival took place April 12-16, featuring more than 150 students from eight different regions competing for awards and scholarships. The Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship went to Nellie Maple assisted by Daniel Parman, University of Central Missouri. The winners of the KCACTF Awards for Excellence in Scenic, Costume, Lighting and Sound Design received $500 and an expenses-paid trip to a Cirque du Soleil Design Immersion in Las Vegas, Nevada.

'Hamilton' sets record with 16 Tony nominations

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: History was a big winner in the present day, when the revolutionary musical “Hamilton” set a record with 16 Tony Award nominations Tuesday. The hip-hop/​pop masterpiece about Alexander Hamilton and America’s Founding Fathers had already earned the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Grammy Award for creator-star Lin-Manuel Miranda.

A Lot Of Hats: The Job Is About More Than Sound

Pro Sound Web: Recently a young person asked me about my work, and as I explained some of the various aspects, it triggered something in my brain. I realized that I had actually just barely scratched the surface in terms of telling him about the wide range of responsibilities that many of us have.

Tony Awards Release Nominations for 2016 Awards (We Added Sound Designers)

Stage Directions: The Tony Awards announced the nominees for the 2016 awards on Tuesday and while everyone expected Hamilton would dominate, no one guessed they’d have a record-setting day, netting 16 nominations overall—including, of course, Best Musical.

Milwaukee Jobsite Tech Bag Announced

Pro Tool Reviews: Most of the time, I’m happy to give the other guys on the team the first shot at new products that they’d like to review. Once in a while, something hits my inbox that I immediately claim as mine – hands off, no negotiating, Managing Editor point of privilege. That’s exactly what happened when I saw the announcement about the new Milwaukee Jobsite Tech Bag.

Pittsburgh CLO raises $9 million in private funds for new works and education

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh CLO has raised $9 million in the private phase of a planned $10 million capital campaign to support initiatives including new work development for the CLO Cabaret and large-scale musicals for the summer season, an update of the Construction Center for the Arts facility and a new physical production for “A Musical Christmas Carol,” now in its 25th year.

Gig Savers

Pro Sound Web: The majority of live shows and events present interconnect challenges. We need to interface our gear with installed house systems, recording or broadcast trucks, A/V companies, rental gear, and even equipment from our own inventory that has different connectors.

Kennywood's 'Noah's Ark' ride revived

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Anyone’s who’s ever read the Old Testament or flipped through one of the storybooks knows very well that Noah’s Ark did not have an elevator. And it did not have a high-tech boiler room with a persistent flood problem. Noah and the animals walked into the ark on a spongy pink whale’s tongue. Right?

Why I Chose a "Small Play" Over the Big Screen

www.lennyletter.com: For the past two months, I have been performing in the play Eclipsed on Broadway. It's a powerhouse of a story about the lives of five extraordinary women trapped by a rebel commander during the Liberian civil war. I love doing it, but it's like running a marathon every night. During my last round of press for the play, a journalist asked me, "Why would such a big star choose to do such a small play?"

Pittsburgh native, choreographer Kyle Abraham receives Doris Duke Artist Award

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh native and New York City-based dancer/choreographer Kyle Abraham is one of 21 recipients of the fifth annual Doris Duke Artist Awards, which recognize artists for their ongoing contributions to dance, jazz and theater.

Ribbons for Rigging

sightlines.usitt.org: USITT’s Rigging Safety Initiative is the only program providing free stage rigging inspections and safety training to secondary schools in the U.S. The program aided dozens of schools with rigging inspections and safety training thanks to sponsorship from JR Clancy, ETC, H&H Specialties, and Shepard Exposition Services.

What Is Dither?

Pro Sound Web: To dither means to add noise to our audio signal. Yes, we add noise on purpose, and it is a good thing.

How can adding noise be a good thing??!!!

We add noise to make a trade. We trade a little low-level hiss for a big reduction in distortion. It’s a good trade, and one that our ears like.

Software bugs scuttle Day of Giving here, 53 other locations

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Technology glitches shut down the Pittsburgh Foundation’s one-day charitable giving campaign meant to help more than 1,000 nonprofits in the region. The Pittsburgh Foundation abruptly suspended the Day of Giving program on Tuesday afternoon, saying it plans to reschedule the event, which was launched in 2009, at a later date.

Skilsaw 12-inch Dry Cut Saw - SPT62MTC-22

Pro Tool Reviews: When it comes to cutting metal, there’s few easy ways to do it. The most common power tools employ an abrasive blade to chip away small pieces the metal. These are heated by friction as the bonds are broken and turn into sparks. While great for photography and some Tim the Toolman Taylor type grunting, there are other methods available. That’s where the new Skilsaw 12-inch Dry Cut Saw comes into play.

70th Annual Tony Awards | Nominations Announced

Theatre content from Live Design: Nominations for the 2016 Tony Awards, presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, have been announced, with hit musical Hamilton leading the way in nominations with a record-breaking total of 16. Winners will be announced at the 70th annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 12. The show will be broadcast live 8/7c from the Beacon Theatre in New York City on the CBS Television Network.

eSET Awards 10 Certificates at USITT 2016

sightlines.usitt.org: The Essential Skills for the Entertainment Technician (eSET) program completed its 2016 launch at the 56th Annual USITT Conference & Stage Expo in Salt Lake City.

Seven Carnegie Mellon Alumni Nominated for Eight Tony Awards

www.cmu.edu: Seven Carnegie Mellon University alumni garnered eight Tony Award nominations this morning when they were announced from New York City via a webcast on TonyAwards.com and "CBS This Morning."

This is not the first time the spotlight has shined brightly on Carnegie Mellon. In 2013, CMU alumni took home eight Tony Awards, and hundreds of CMU alumni have been nominated for the honor.

National Safety Stand-Down highlights importance of preventing falls, leading cause of worker death, serious injury in the construction industry

www.osha.gov: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other federal safety agencies announced today that they have designated May 2-6, 2016, for the third annual National Safety Stand-Down. The event is a nationwide effort to remind and educate employers and workers in the construction industry of the serious dangers of falls - the cause of the highest number of industry deaths in the construction industry.

Copyright Holders Try To Stop Ravel's 'Bolero' From Entering Public Domain Using Co-Author Trick

Techdirt: At the end of last year, Mike wrote about an attempt to keep the Diary of Anne Frank out of the public domain by adding her father's name as a co-author. As Techdirt wrote at the time, that seemed to be a pretty clear abuse of the copyright system. But it also offered a dangerous precedent, which has just turned up again in a complicated case involving the French composer Maurice Ravel, and his most famous composition, the hypnotically repetitive ballet score "Bolero."

YD&T Awards Boost Excitement for Young Talent

sightlines.usitt.org: At USITT 2016, costumer Judy Adamson presented an award she created, the Barbara Matera Award in Costume-Making, to Sharon Limpert, a grad student at Carnegie Mellon University. Adamson got applause when she introduced Limpert as “an artist who realizes the vision of the designer” and added, “As I like to say, ‘The actor doesn’t wear the sketch.’”

Hip-hop musical ‘Hamilton’ nominated for record 16 Tony Awards

Las Vegas Review-Journal: The megahit musical “Hamilton” has grabbed a record-breaking 16 Tony Award nominations, the biggest haul in Broadway history and another notch in the show’s march into theatrical history.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop-flavored biography about the first U.S. treasury secretary on Tuesday broke the 15-nominations record held by “The Producers” and “Billy Elliot.” ”Hamilton” was nominated in virtually every category it could compete in, from acting to scenic design.

Gateway Class of 2016 Met, Networked, & Bonded in SLC

sightlines.usitt.org: USITT’s Gateway Program celebrated its third year at USITT 2016 in Salt Lake City, bringing 12 student/early career mentees from underrepresented groups in theatre production to experience the Annual Conference & Stage Expo and pairing them with 12 mentors from similar fields and backgrounds.

Against the Grain: The Next Generation of Builders

Fine Homebuilding Article: Not only did the construction sector lose more than half of its workforce in the Great Recession, but the percentage of new hires under the age of 45 went from 73% in 2000 to 63% in 2011. Most significant was the decline of 19-to-24-year-olds, who went from 18% at the peak to 13%.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

15 CMU illnesses linked to campus cafe

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Fifteen Carnegie Mellon University students got sick with "gastrointestinal distress" after eating either soup or sandwiches at a campus eatery on Monday or Tuesday.

Posted by David at 4/28/2016 02:21:00 PM

I’m Gonna Trust You

Female Gazing: I feel like all I’ve cared about lately are lessons I’ve learned at work.

Today my boss and I said one out loud.

He hired me to do a thing I had never done. I did it, I pushed through the fear. I did a good enough job to get re-hired but I’m still not the most confident person in the world. I still have fear and nerves.

Posted by David at 4/27/2016 05:28:00 PM

This pen lets you mix your own makeup

The Verge: Sometimes I see a color in the world and think, "that would be fun to wear on my face." But I can't just whip up lipstick in my house and I also can't follow through on every makeup shopping whim. Yesterday, though, I discovered a company that might help me live out my lipstick fantasies.

Posted by David at 4/27/2016 05:30:00 PM

Spend a Night at the Museum in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Magazine - May 2016 - Pittsburgh, PA: A few years ago, only a handful of area museums, theaters and other cultural venues offered after-hours events filled with food, drink and activities. Now, you can find them multiple times each month.

Posted by David at 4/29/2016 03:37:00 PM

Up-Close and Personal with Laser Cuts

Hackaday: Plenty of materials take the heated edge of a laser beam quite well, but many others don’t. Some release toxic fumes; others catch fire easily. For all the materials that don’t cut well (PVC and FR4, we’re looking at you!) and for those that do (hello, acrylic and Delrin) they’re each reacting to the heat of the laser beam in different ways. Lucky for us, these ways are well-characterized. So let’s take a look at how a laser cutter actually cuts through materials.

Posted by David at 4/29/2016 03:40:00 PM