Safety First | Preparing For Worst-Case Scenarios Touring On The Road

Live Design: Sound reinforcement can be a dangerous job. Despite the best precautions, working at breakneck speeds, with heavy equipment and electricity, in unfamiliar environments, or in the elements can be a recipe for disaster. In 2017, there were 45 major staging and rigging accidents alone. And as recent tragic events have shown, the scope of concert safety concerns grows broader (and more terrifying) all of the time, from weather catastrophes to terrorist attacks.

Super-Blue CNC Part Fixturing

Hackaday: Simple clamps are great if you need to keep the pressure on two parallel surfaces, but if you have an irregular plane, or you need to cut through it, clamps are not the correct tool. The folks at [NYC CNC] feature a video with a clever hack borrowing from other disciplines. Painters tape is applied to the top of a level mounting surface in the machine and then burnished. The same is done to the bottom of the workpiece. Superglue is drizzled between the tape layers and pressed together so now the stock is held firmly below the toolhead.

Review Roundup: What Did The Critics Think Of PRETTY WOMAN In Chicago; Updating Live!

www.broadwayworld.com: The out of town tryout of PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL opened last night in Chicago!

Pretty Woman: THE MUSICAL stars Samantha Barks (Les Miserables) as 'Vivian' opposite Tony Award winner and Grammy Award winner Steve Kazee(Once) as 'Edward,' with Tony Award nominee Orfeh (Legally Blonde) as 'Kit,' Eric Anderson (Waitress) as 'Mr. Thompson,' Jason Danieley (The Full Monty) as 'Philip Stuckey,' and Kingsley Leggs (Sister Act) as 'James Morse' in a company of 24 that includes Allison Blackwell, Tommy Bracco, Brian Calí, Robby Clater, Jessica Crouch, Anna Eilinsfeld, Matt Farcher, Lauren Lim Jackson, Renée Marino, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Jillian Mueller, Jake Odmark, Jennifer Sanchez, Matthew Stocke, Alex Michael Stoll, Alan Wiggins, Jesse McGraw Wildman and Darius Wright.

How to Transition from Employee to Effective Owner-Leader

Remodeling | Management, Leadership, Training: With many baby boomer business owners looking to be living the next stage of their lives, there are a number of companies with one or more employees moving into the owner-leader role.

Over the last few years, I have worked with several companies going through this phase. Recently, while talking with an owner and the designated future president of the company, I offered some advice about how to grow into what the company needs. Here is what I suggested to the employee who is to become the leader.

For Women in Film, 2017 Produced a Bloom of Optimism on the Horizon

Chaz's Journal | Roger Ebert: Annual stats tracking women's work in the film industry consistently indicate that production gatekeepers are slow to welcome the work of female filmmakers, despite the recent successes of studio-backed femme-helmed and femme-centric blockbusters, and the ongoing inclusion initiatives of feminist groups such as the Alliance of Women Filmmakers and Film Fatales.

World Theatre Day > Message

TCG: Theatre Communications Group: It’s a moment of communion, an unrepeatable encounter, not found in any other secular activity. It’s the simple act of a group of people choosing to come together in the same place at the same time to take part in a shared experience. It’s an invitation to individuals to become a collective, to share ideas, and envision ways to divide the burden of necessary actions… to slowly recover their human connectedness and find similarities rather than differences. It’s where a specific story can trace the lines of universality… Here lies the magic of theatre; where representation recovers its archaic properties.

Conquering The Beast: One Engineer's Battle Against The Ever-Present Threat Of Feedback

ProSoundWeb: There is a beast that stalks all live events, wherever they may be. It lies quietly and patiently as amplifiers are connected to loudspeakers, it sits up alert and attentive when microphones are plugged in, and it crouches, poised and ready to pounce when faders are raised.

Actor Ted Danson to receive honorary degree at Carnegie Mellon University's graduation

TribLIVE: Dr. Sam Malone?

Ted Danson, star of the long-running sitcom "Cheers," will receive an honorary doctor of fine arts degree at Carnegie Mellon University's graduation ceremony in May.

Danson, a CMU alumnus, will join a Nobel laureate, a Turing Award winner, one of the world's most influential investors and more than 5,600 graduates at CMU's commencement ceremony May 20.

Everybody Wins In The Street Fighter II Bonus Stage VR Experience

Live Design: Just like professional athletes, top eSports (electronic sports) players train hard for video gaming competitions. The events draw crowds of fans and amateur gamers, eager to see players battle it out in real time. Of course, it’s more engaging and fun if those fans get to do something interactive, too. That’s why Red Bull sought out director Ethan Shaftel to create a mini virtual reality game for the recent Battle Grounds Boston where high-ranking Street Fighter V competitors fought to qualify for Capcom’s Street Fighter tournament.

Historical Accuracy Bad Excuse for Sexual Assault in Fantasy

The Mary Sue: Throughout the seven seasons of Game of Thrones, audiences are shown a variety of gruesome sequences of violence and gore. Most of these are so fantastical that no audience members are likely to experience them in real life: being burned to death by a dragon, giving birth to a shadow monster, or having one’s head explode after a giant presses really hard on one’s eyeballs.

Towards Cultural Access and Participation in Portugal

HowlRound: In Portugal, like in many other countries, the general understanding of what cultural participation is—and, consequently, the barriers to it—is limited to the act of visiting or attending. Interest and participation in culture is mainly measured by attendance numbers at museums, monuments, theatres, concerts, and libraries. According to the European Commission’s Eurobarometer 2013 report on cultural access and participation, Portugal is ranked among the lowest across the continent.

10 Email Phrases That Make You Sound Unprofessional

www.fastcompany.com: There are some things you already know not to mention via email; political opinions, anything that could be considered sexual harassment, and office gossip are among the no-brainers. But there are also some less obvious topics and phrases you’d do well to stay away from, particularly if you want to come off as professional, competent, and on top of your workload. After all, emails can stick around for a long time, and you never know what might get dug up down the road.

Disability Theater Access in 2018

Chaz's Journal | Roger Ebert: The Cinemark movie theater I frequent in Sacramento boasts four wheelchair spaces. As a movie lover with disabilities this is a process not unlike fitting in additional guests at a dinner party. You wonder how friends will sit together and have optimal access to the food on hand. A trip to my local theater to see “Black Panther” in February saw my metaphorical dinner party end with the equivalent of thrown plates and wasted food, a sad reminder of how movie theaters in America continuously fail patrons with mobility issues.

Pilot Season: Female Creators, Directors Break Through

Variety: The 2018 pilot season is shaping up to be a landmark year for women behind the camera.

Female creators and directors saw gains virtually across the board, as networks ramp up efforts to include more women in the pilot process. As Variety previously reported, the Time’s Up and Me Too movements have played important roles this season, with the networks all looking for ways to increase female representation.

It Takes an Army

Chaz's Journal | Roger Ebert: By now, we all know that it takes a village to raise a child. Less well-known is that it takes an army of women to raise consciousness about how Hollywood’s gender and race imbalance—both in front of the camera and behind it—is inimical to equal employment, pay, and representation.

Largely due to the efforts of activist female filmmakers including Allison Anders, Ava DuVernay and Maria Giese, agenda-driven academics such as Martha Lauzen and Stacy Smith (all five pictured above), and institutions such as The Bunche Center at UCLA, inclusion has been a critical and still unresolved factor for the past two decades in the Hollywood movie equation.

Lavalier Microphones

Transom: You may have noticed a lack of coverage of lavalier mics here on Transom — they’re absent from our gear guides and tips on techniques. Our default response to “what lavalier should I get?” has long been . . . don’t. We pretty firmly believed that the sonic compromises of lavalier mics were not worth the benefits. But if pushed, we were willing to admit that there might be times when a lavalier could be the right tool.

Wiki Has Released Over 83,500 Vintage Sewing Patterns Online For Free

artFido's Blog: Like sewing? Well you'll love this news: the Vintage Patterns Wiki has released more than 83,500 patterns of pre 1992, out of print patterns for all to use.

The browsable collection runs the gamut from Dynasty-inspired pussy bow power suits to Betty Draper-esque frocks featuring models in white gloves to an 1895 boys' Reefer Suit with fly-free short trousers.

Still on stage after 40 years: Wisconsin firm grows beyond theater lighting

news.wisc.edu: In a spotless, 10-acre factory in Mazomanie, Wisconsin, Loyal Burkhart II assembles gears for hoists that will raise screens and backdrops above a theater stage somewhere in the world.

The hoists being tested on the floor nearby are bound for a theater in Israel.

Musician wins landmark ruling over ruined hearing

BBC News: A viola player who suffered a life-changing hearing injury at a rehearsal of Wagner's Die Walkure in 2012 has won a landmark High Court judgment against the Royal Opera House (ROH).

The case won by Chris Goldscheider has huge implications for the industry and the health and safety of musicians.

It is the first time a judge has scrutinised the music industry's legal obligations towards musicians' hearing.

The ROH said it was "surprised and disappointed" by the judgment.

Behold the MusicMap: The Ultimate Interactive Genealogy of Music Created Between 1870 and 2016

Open Culture: A Pandora for the adventurous antiquarian, the highly underrated site Radiooooo gives users streaming music from all over the world and every decade since 1900. While it offers an aural feast, its limited interface leaves much to be desired from an educational standpoint. On the other end of the audio-visual spectrum, clever diagrams like those we’ve featured here on electronic music, alternative, and hip hop show the detailed connections between all the major acts in these genres, but all they do so in silence.

Gala Round Up 2018

Pittsburgh in the Round: It is truly difficult to discern if it’s the timid glimpses of spring cracking through the dreary winter gloom, or the fact that I have inexplicably listened to Lorde’s “Green Light” about 345 times on a loop, but I have been possessed by the frivolous and feisty spirit that comes with warmer seasons. Perhaps befitting for my mood and the subtly prodding hints of a more invigorated and lusty season, the coinciding season of Pittsburgh theatre’s galas is upon us, offering an assortment of festivities that aim to titillate a myriad of theatre-enthusiasts and epicurean dramatists.

Watch Andrew Lloyd Webber NBC tribute in its entirety

New York Theater: Andrew Lloyd Webber: Tribute to a Superstar, NBC’s celebration of the the 70th birthday of the composer of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Evita,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Cats,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” and “School of Rock.”

Five Grounding Techniques to Cultivate Resilient Ensembles

HowlRound: In 2008, I began creating performances about sexual violence. Following the final dress of the first performance in 2008, a member of the ensemble raised his hand and exclaimed, “I feel like shit.” He went on to discuss how the show was starting to influence his life outside of the rehearsal space. Other performers shared they had nightmares about being raped or reaching out to help someone in trouble only to see their hands turn to dust. I came to find out later, they were exhibiting signs of secondary trauma stress or vicarious trauma—something that happens when people take on others’ traumatic experiences.

NBC's 'Jesus Christ Superstar' stars John Legend in live musical

www.usatoday.com: In a bare church basement lined with empty chairs and coffee cups, Jesus Christ Superstar Live is nearing its climactic finish.

Jesus, played by singer/actor John Legend, has just arrived at the Last Supper, where he passes his disciples an empty bottle of wine and a roll of paper towels.

An Unexpected Show Cancellation

TheatreArtLife: As production people, we spend a lot of time planning how the show is going to run, sound and look, as well as creating an environment that is safe so the audience will enjoy themselves. Just last month, I was working on one of our largest shows of the year, 2,500 tickets sold. We would be converting our recreational space into a concert hall.

Understanding framing lumber grades

Pro Construction Guide: The species of lumber and lumber grades available will often vary depending on which region you are in. In California, for example, the predominate species of dimensional lumber used for home building is Douglas Fir-Larch (DF-L). As you move east, lumberyards stock both DF-L and Hem Fir (HF). Once you get into the Southwest, you may use Spruce-Pine-Fir (SPF). All of these are considered softwoods and are graded under the American Softwood Lumber Standard PS 20.

Going the Distance

Pro Construction Guide: During the last few years, a new product category – laser distance measuring tools – has gained new customers in the contracting, architecture and real estate professions. When these devices first came to the market about a decade ago, they had drawbacks that limited their utility. Recent product refinements, however, have addressed most of these issues.

RE/P Files: Choosing The Right Amplifier

ProSoundWeb: “I have a speaker cabinet that says it’s rated at 300 watts. What size power amplifier should I get to hook up to it?”

That simple question, posed recently by a part-time musician who had to deal with his group’s sound system, made me stop and think for a minute about power. About watts, ohms, and all of those other things named after English and German scientists and inventors a century or two ago.

Top 10 Power Tool Innovations of 2017

coptool.com: It was actually pretty hard to narrow it down to just 10 as we saw a lot of innovations this year from many many manufacturers. We are sticking with tools that actually hit the shelves and were used by professionals in 2017, not launched at a trade show but won’t be here until 2018 or later. We are just going to do a quick rundown of each as well as talk a little at the end for hopes for this year’s (2018) tool innovations.

Vectorworks, Inc., MA Lighting & Robe lighting Announce GDTF

Live Design: Today, Vectorworks, Inc., MA Lighting and Robe lighting announce a new development for the entertainment design and production industry that will change the way lighting designers, lighting fixture manufacturers, lighting console manufacturers and lighting visualizers will work together. The three companies have jointly led the charge to develop a new data format, named the General Device Type Format (GDTF), which creates a unified definition for the exchange of device data between consoles, CAD and previsualization software.

Theater Director Held in Russia Finds an Audience in Berlin

The New York Times: When the team from one of Moscow’s leading avant-garde theaters performs during a brief residency in Berlin this week, much of the attention will be focused on a man who is not there.

That man is the group’s director, Kirill S. Serebrennikov, who is under house arrest in Russia, accused of embezzling 133 million rubles, or about $2.3 million, in government funds allocated to a festival he ran.

LD Cory Pattak Expands the Sensory Side of Once

Stage Directions: Every evening, a half hour before the curtain went up on Once during its January to March run at the John W. Engeman Theatre, the audience was welcome to step on stage for drinks at the “bar” that’s at the center of this Tony Award-winning musical. That was only the beginning of the immersive experience that awaited them. With an enchanting, impressionistic set and actors who not only sang, but also played musical instruments on stage, the show invited theatre goers to set aside their normal expectations of a musical and embark on a uniquely engaging journey.

Why 'Pygmalion' Can't Be More Like a 'Lady'

Theatre Development Fund – TDF: Eric Tucker, the director and star of Bedlam's stripped-down take on Pygmalion, isn't concerned that Lincoln Center Theater is simultaneously mounting a lavish revival of the musical based on George Bernard Shaw's play. In fact, he welcomes it. "It's a great thing for people to go and see My Fair Lady in a big Broadway house and then come to the Sheen Center to see basically the same text without the songs," he says. "They both have the same themes, characters, and many of the same words, but they show how different interpretations can be with classics."

Tony Winner Leslie Odom Jr. Discusses the Importance of Failure on CBS This Morning

www.broadwayworld.com: Leslie Odom Jr. shot to fame for his Tony and Grammy Award-winning turn as Aaron Burr in the hit Broadway musical "Hamilton." In his new book, "Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning," he shares personal stories and life lessons to help you follow your dreams. Odom joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss the social studies teacher who changed his life and the time he almost gave up on acting.

Special Effects Makeup Artist Subtly Transforms Face into Striking Illusions

mymodernmet.com: Special effects makeup artist Monika Falčik produces striking—yet subtle—looks that will make you do a double-take. A self-confessed “makeup junkie” from Lithuania, she uses the material to create illusions that her entire face has shifted or that her hand suddenly has a heart-shaped hole in it. Creatures are also popular subjects for Falčik, from beautiful butterflies to slippery reptiles to a ferocious big cat.

New Play 'Shooter' Aims to Make Mass Shootings Non-Partisan

www.clydefitchreport.com: What is the nature of the relationship between human and firearm? No one would confuse a human arm with an assault rifle. A hand and a handgun have little in common. And yet, with each school shooting, the juncture point between person and weapon is, once again, the continuum along which we debate. Does fault lie with the trigger or the trigger finger? These are the questions being grappled with in Shooter, currently receiving its world premiere at Theaterlab where it runs through March 31.

Location, Location: Loudspeaker & Microphone Placement Basics

ProSoundWeb: Some worship music mixes are a real breeze – there’s no feedback, the instruments and vocals are well balanced, and the levels are comfortable for the congregation from front to back.

But other times, it can be an audio nightmare – the loudspeakers are belching pure feedback, the folks up front are sustaining permanent ear damage while those in back only hear only mud, the minister and/or music director are not pleased, and you’re in the hot seat.

8 Compressor Plugins That *Aren't* Modeled After Analog Gear

Pro Audio Files: We recently published an article titled 7 Compressor Plugins Modeled After Analog Gear, in which we covered the most popular compressor emulation plugins. But why do we care which plugin best captures the sound of a 50-year-old compressor? Surely there must be new compressor plugins with innovative designs?

There are! And don’t call me Shirley.

Oh Snap - The Milwaukee Chalk Reel Gets A New Hook

Home Fixated: Get a bunch of framing carpenters or builders together, and ask them what their favorite tool is. Odds are, the lowly chalk line won’t make many “Top five” lists. Now check the tool belts for that same group. If you find one WITHOUT a chalk line, it’s probably because it just broke, and ended up in the dumpster.

In The Studio: Re-Amplification Techniques

ProSoundWeb: H.P. Lovecraft’s short story, “Herbert West: Re-Animator,” tells of a medical student obsessed with “re-starting” the dead. Well, I sometimes look at being an audio engineer the same way.

A “sound scientist” bringing “dead” tracks back to life.

For anyone training to become a music producer, exploring different approaches to ‘getting that sound’ can make you a more versatile engineer. One technique that can be used to spice things up is what we call “re-amping”.

Tour Life: Pros, Cons And Helpful Advice

TheatreArtLife: Life on the road. The subject matter alone evokes strong reactions. If you have ever spent a great length on the tour, you have surely heard other non-thespian types gasp in horror at the lifestyle. “I don’t know how you do it” is always a good one. “I could never live out of a suitcase” is another trusty response. “You have cooked on an electric burner in your hotel room?” Well, one can not live on late night bar food alone. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Southwire Releasable Cable Ties - Yep, They're Reusable!

PTR: Every now and then, someone makes a product that seems so obvious and simple that you kind of kick yourself for not thinking of it first. Cable ties have been around for a while, but reusable cable ties are relatively new to the market. It’s one of those improvements that make you wonder why manufacturers didn’t just start with the reusable design.

Questlove Wants You to Start Listening—I Mean Really Listening—Again

www.esquire.com: Questlove is the drummer and front man for the Roots—the Grammy-winning band you’ve seen on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He’s a producer of the Hamilton cast album and has produced for artists ranging from Jay-Z to Elvis Costello to Erykah Badu. He’s also the author of a new book, Creative Quest (HarperCollins), a guide to living your most inventive life.

Bosch 18V Connected Angle Grinder GWS18V-45CN Review

PTR: I love angle grinders. There’s something manly about taking a tool to metal, creating a shower of sparks, and doing it for a more productive reason than mere fun. Cordless angle grinders are pretty common on the 18V/20V Max platform these days and they’re becoming pretty effective. With a reputation for solid build quality, the new Bosch 18V Connected Angle Grinder comes in with more than just an ax to grind – it’s the first tool Bosch has specifically designed around their Core18V battery.

Stagecraft: Wiring The Stage Efficiently and Safely

ProSoundWeb: Among many of the recent entrants into the sound profession, I’ve noticed a lack of knowledge when it comes to wiring a stage.

Perhaps it’s due to a lot of sound engineering schools being essentially studio-based courses. Or maybe it’s simply that it’s difficult to get a young mind to concentrate on something as mundane as running cable when there is a digital board with loads of lights and buttons sitting in the corner of the room!

The LRLR Raise Funds for Behind the Scenes at USITT Raffle

PLSN: The Long Reach Long Riders (LRLR) celebrated their upcoming ride with a raffle and live auction to benefit Behind the Scenes during the USITT Stage Expo in Fort Lauderdale last week. Sales of raffle tickets, auction items, key donations, and sales of BTS and LRLR-branded swag raised over $15,000 for the charity.

A Change of Scenery: Staging, Rigging & Set Design

Church Production Magazine: As one attempts to unravel staging and set design practices, several questions become apparent: what is good design? Who should be the final authority on an effective stage design? What elements play into the success from both an aesthetic and functional standpoint? What processes should be in place for a design regardless of size or scope?

Coming Soon! New Yankee Workshop

This Old House: This Old House is partnering with New Yankee Workshop to make all 21 seasons of Norm Abram's classic fine-woodworking program available again! Soon you'll be able to stream every episode of NYW, with the option to purchase the plans for each project Norm makes on the show.

Union Reps Meet With Game Devs About Unionization

Rolling Stone: The people who create video games may not have a union yet, but at least one international union representative tells Glixel, following a round-table meeting on the topic at GDC on Thursday, that the industry could be heading toward change.

This Look Inside Spike Jonze’s Apple Ad Is as Fascinating as the Film Itself

Adweek: Apple’s short film “Welcome Home,” directed by Spike Jonze and starring FKA twigs as a beleaguered city dweller whose drab apartment becomes a colorful, shape-shifting oasis thanks to her HomePod device, is easily one of 2018’s most captivating ads so far.