A recipe to master: LED color mixing

et cetera...: There’s no doubt about it—LEDs are shaking up the industry as we know it. There is a lot to be excited about as venues make the transition from tungsten light sources to LED. One of the largest areas of impact is color capabilities.

Blurring Borders with Práctica/ Borrando las fronteras con Práctica

HowlRound Theatre Commons: Shortly after moving from San Francisco, where I worked as the director of new work at A.C.T., to San Diego, a city just north of Mexico that I did not know well, I began to establish myself as a theatre curator and maker in my new home. But San Diego, a border town, felt difficult to access, and I missed the sense of density and connectivity that I had previously known.

Disney’s first VR animated short to premiere at SIGGRAPH 2018

InPark Magazine: SIGGRAPH 2018 has announced information about this year’s Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality program. The 45th SIGGRAPH conference will take place 12–16 August at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

“We are so excited about the new Immersive Pavilion — it will instantly become the place for our attendees to experience, play, and learn about the latest technological advances across all areas of these rapidly emerging media platforms,”

Heathers the Musical

Pittsburgh in the Round: The Summer Company production of Heathers: The Musical opened to a sold-out audience at Duquesne University’s Genesius Theatre on June 26th. From the moment the Big Fun Band begins their jam to the final bows, it is evident the cast, made up of artists from varying backgrounds, is passionate about performing.

Lollapalooza security beefed up following last year’s Las Vegas concert shooting

Chicago Sun-Times: The Chicago Police Department is beefing up security for this weekend’s Lollapalooza in the wake of last October’s deadly mass shooting at a country concert in Las Vegas — and after reports that the Vegas gunman, Stephen Paddock, may have eyed the Chicago festival as a potential target last summer.

French Director Lus Besson Accused of Multiple Sexual Assaults

jezebel.com: Multiple women have alleged sexual harassment, assault, and rape at the hands of famed French director Luc Besson, according to the New York Times. And the report details limited support, if any, for his accusers.

“Stupid Fucking Bird” at 12 Peers Theater

The Pittsburgh Tatler: Playwright Aaron Posner gets something that few American directors and actors do: Anton Chekhov’s plays are funny.Not smiling-wryly funny, or inwardly-groaning funny, but actually-get-you-to-burst-out-laughing funny. They’re chock full of comic situations, oddball characters, and ridiculous turns of events; the problem is that most American interpretations of Chekhov, seduced by the psychological depth in his plays, treat them as melodrama rather than satire

What Happens To Your Body When You Don’t Sleep

collegecandy.com: Sometimes being able to fall asleep early and wake up can be pretty easy for some people. But, a lot of the times, it can be difficult to fall asleep at a good time in order to get the recommended night’s rest from responsibilities like school, work, having kids, etc.

Bruno Mars Tries Out Yondr No-Phone Policy At Concert

www.ticketnews.com: R&B/pop star Bruno Mars has jumped on the Yondr bandwagon, trying out the no-phone policy at his show in Las Vegas over the weekend.

10 Things Not To Say During A Job Interview

collegecandy.com: When it comes time to start interviewing for the job of your dreams it can be totally intimidating. Knowing the fate of your career relies on how well you can talk about yourself and your skills to a vital individual can really run you for a loop.

12 Sampling Instruments That Morph and Layer Multiple Sources

Pro Audio Files: The term Vector Synthesis refers to a synthesis technique which creates, “…movement in a sound by providing dynamic cross-fading between (usually) four sound sources. The four sound sources are conceptually arranged as the extreme points of X and Y axes and typically labeled A, B, C and D. A given mix of the four sound sources can be represented by a single point in this ‘vector plane’ (source). In Synthesizers like the Prophet by Sequential Circuits, the sources are digital wavetable oscillators.

The 'Downwinders' From Atomic Testing Get Deserved Attention

NPR: It's dress rehearsal at the Santa Fe Opera and Tina Cordova is waiting for her cue.

"There is not a single one of us onstage that isn't either a cancer patient, dealing with a tumor or a cancer," she says.

Cordova and the others preparing to take the stage are from southern New Mexico. They're downwinders — the people who lived near the first nuclear explosion and their descendants.

New York Times Critic Slammed for Head Over Heels Review

www.vulture.com: The Gray Lady apparently can’t learn how to use pronouns correctly. In a review of Head Over Heels, the hybrid Go-Go’s jukebox musical and Elizabethan farce that opened on Broadway last night, the New York Times’s chief theater critic Ben Brantley misgenders the character of an oracle played by former Drag Race contestant Peppermint, who happens to be making her debut as the first openly trans woman actor to create a principal role on Broadway.

Study: Allowing smartphones in class lowers grades–even for students who don’t use them

Big Think: Students who use smartphones during lectures are less able to retain course material over the long term, new research suggests.

The study, published in the journal Educational Psychology, also showed that students performed worse on exams even when they didn’t use smartphones or laptops during class but attended lectures in which they were allowed.

Brigadoon

Pittsburgh in the Round: There are some musicals that people want to go see for the clever lyrics, thrilling plot, and complex characters. Then there are some that people want to see to enjoy pretty dancing and singing. And since the romantic and magical Brigadoon falls into the latter category, it’s nice to be able to report that Pittsburgh CLO’s production of it was indeed very pretty and full of talent in the dancing and singing departments.

Inspection and Maintenance of Electrical Apparatus

Entertainment Electricity: I was once working on a film set when a feeder transformer began behaving badly. A supplier had dropped off a generator and the transformer, and after they were both connected and energized, but before any load was even connected, much less turned on, the transformer was humming loudly. In my experience, that could mean one of two things: either the transformer has a high harmonic load, or it is dying a long, slow death. Since there was no load connected in this case, it seemed apparent that this particular transformer was not long for this world.

Brantley's NY Times Review Mocks Non-Binary and Trans Folks

The Mary Sue: Is there anything more self-defeating than members of marginalized communities attacking their most vulnerable members? This was the question I asked myself when I read Ben Brantley’s New York Times theater review of the Broadway show Head Over Heels.

5 Interesting Ways to Use Delay Effects in a Mix

Pro Audio Files: I love the “sound design” element of mixing records. Crafting interesting tones and textures is kind of like my version of being a playing musician. One of my favorite tools for doing this is the Delay — a repetition of the sound it’s applied to. It’s amazing what you can create with something as simple as a repeat of a sound.

Orlando Bloom Stops Play Twice: ‘Put That F—ing iPad Away!’

Variety: During his play "Killer Joe" on the West End, Orlando Bloom stopped the show twice to tell an audience member to put away her iPad.

Sign-language interpreter gets national attention

AXS: Live music is something everyone should be able to experience, and one sign-language interpreter is getting attention for making sure...

A Century Of Queer Performance With Serena Grasso

The Theatre Times: The Oberon Book Of Queer Monologues, just released, is an astonishing new collection which includes more than 40 pieces from a range of LGBTQ+ theatre. What began as a volume intended for auditioning actors, quickly became the first anthology of its kind, chronicling over one hundred years of Queer and Trans performance, including previously unknown …

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

This theater company rebuilt the Titanic and sinks it in a lake every night

www.fastcompany.com: A theater company outside Atlanta is putting on a production of the musical Titanic that features an ambitious centerpiece: a massive three-story structure that sinks into the middle of a lake during the performance—only to rise again and do it all over the next night.

Posted by David at 7/27/2018 01:50:00 PM

Behold, the most Burning Man thing ever

www.fastcompany.com: It’s not just the effigies that burn at Burning Man. Last year, temperatures in the Black Rock desert reached nearly 100 degrees. And so the 70,000 attendees–at least those without posh glamping setups–had to weather the heat with nothing more than water and shade.

Posted by David at 7/27/2018 01:51:00 PM

The Is No 'Eclipse' of White Men in Cinema

The Mary Sue: Writing for Deadline Hollywood, in a piece titled “Make Way, Or Rather Don’t, For The Recessive Movie Male Of 2018,” Michael Cieply decided to invent the inane idea that the 2017 nominations at the Producers Guild were “cinematic eclipses” of white men. He’s particularly concerned that these men are being sidelined and outshined by a wider diversity of characters. What’s most head-scratching about this notion is that most of the films he listed had white men either behind the camera, behind the pen, or still acting as a main focal point of the story.

Posted by David at 7/26/2018 02:53:00 PM

A "New York Times" critic body-shamed a Broadway actress in a review

HelloGiggles: The spirit of musical theater has always been one of acceptance, a place where people from all walks of life can come together and enjoy. Which is why many are calling out a New York Times theater critic who body-shamed talented theater actress Alysha Umphress in a recent review.

Posted by David at 7/25/2018 12:15:00 PM

The Rise of Artistic Censorship on College Campuses Should Worry the American Public

Artsy: Artistic freedom protects high and low art alike; notions of “good taste” and artistic worthiness are the realm of the artist or curator, not the bureaucrat. But at a number of American universities, controversy has been acting as the curator, leading to the degradation of both freedom of speech and students’ ability to interact with challenging artwork.

Posted by David at 7/23/2018 12:55:00 PM

IATSE Reaches Deal on New 3-Year Contract With Studios

Variety: Negotiators for the West Coast members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees — Hollywood’s key below-the-line union — have reached a three-year tentative agreement with studios and networks.

Review Roundup: Were Critics Head Over Heels for HEAD OVER HEELS?

www.broadwayworld.com: Head Over Heels opens on Broadway tonight at Broadway's Hudson Theatre (141 West 44th Street)! Let's see what the critics had to say!

From the visionaries that rocked Broadway with Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Next To Normal, American Idiot, Spring Awakening and Avenue Q, the Head Over Heels creative team is led by director Michael Mayer with musical supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Tom Kitt and choreography by Spencer Liff.

What's It Like to Star in a Cult Musical?

Theatre Development Fund – TDF: Stephanie Hsu realized something was happening when she started getting tagged in fan art of her Be More Chill character: theatre-obsessed teenager Christine Canigula. She was surprised that young people from all over the world had discovered an obscure musical that only ran for a month at New Jersey's Two River Theater back in 2015. "We had so much fun while we were out there, but I wasn't thinking that it would generate such a huge following," says Hsu. "It really felt like one day I woke up two years after we did the show, and all of a sudden I had all of this fan art being sent to me. And I was like, what? That was the experience of a lot of the original cast members."

Animatronic Puppet Takes Cues From Animation Software

Hackaday: Lip syncing for computer animated characters has long been simplified. You draw a set of lip shapes for vowels and other sounds your character makes and let the computer interpolate how to go from one shape to the next. But with physical, real world puppets, all those movements have to be done manually, frame-by-frame. Or do they?

Broadway Takes To Twitter Over Transphobic New York Times Review For HEAD OVER HEELS

www.broadwayworld.com: Late Thursday evening, following the publication of the New York Times theatre review of Head Over Heels, members of the Broadway community took to social media to express outrage over a review which many have dubbed transphobic.

Behold, the most Burning Man thing ever

www.fastcompany.com: It’s not just the effigies that burn at Burning Man. Last year, temperatures in the Black Rock desert reached nearly 100 degrees. And so the 70,000 attendees–at least those without posh glamping setups–had to weather the heat with nothing more than water and shade.

Discovery The Magic, Love, And Queerness Behind VOLTA

www.cirquefascination.com: There is beauty in art and gymnastics.

From watching a man fly in the air while hanging from a lamp, to watching bikers soar several feet above your head, or watching a woman stand on the shoulders of a unicyclist. Every sight is stunning, impressive, and little scary.

The circus is known for giving customers many of these daring feats and bringing a smile to their faces. Even further, Cirque du Soleil has become a world-renowned circus for doing all that and so much more.

This theater company rebuilt the Titanic and sinks it in a lake every

www.fastcompany.com: A theater company outside Atlanta is putting on a production of the musical Titanic that features an ambitious centerpiece: a massive three-story structure that sinks into the middle of a lake during the performance—only to rise again and do it all over the next night.

Diving deep into the detail of Warner Bros. World

www.themeparkinsider.com: Not since Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter has a theme park provided such detailed fan service as Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi delivers through its six themed lands. The creative team that designed this park, led by Thinkwell's Craig Hanna & Dave Cobb, has crafted immersive environments that effectively sell the illusion that you are standing in iconic locations such as Superman's Metropolis and the Roadrunner's American West... leaving you to forget that you're actually walking around inside a giant box in the Abu Dhabi desert.

Someone built a super-sized pin screen toy

www.fastcompany.com: In 1976, contemporary artist Ward Fleming came up with a clever idea. He set hundreds of round-ended metal pins on a boxed grid so that the pins could only move on one axis. Pressing his box against any surface moved each pin independently against the surface’s volume features, effectively creating a 3D model of any object. Pin screens became an instant hit, joining Newton’s Cradles, Drinking Birds, and Magic 8-Balls in the pantheon of useless 1990s toys.

Judge Dismisses ‘Shape of Water’ Copyright Suit

Variety: A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit alleging that the “The Shape of Water,” the winner of this year’s Oscar for best picture, borrowed heavily from a 1969 play about a dolphin held captive in a military lab.

The Is No 'Eclipse' of White Men in Cinema

The Mary Sue: Writing for Deadline Hollywood, in a piece titled “Make Way, Or Rather Don’t, For The Recessive Movie Male Of 2018,” Michael Cieply decided to invent the inane idea that the 2017 nominations at the Producers Guild were “cinematic eclipses” of white men. He’s particularly concerned that these men are being sidelined and outshined by a wider diversity of characters. What’s most head-scratching about this notion is that most of the films he listed had white men either behind the camera, behind the pen, or still acting as a main focal point of the story.

8 Unusual MIDI Controllers for Music Production

Pro Audio Files: There are new ways to generate MIDI being devised every day from startups all over the world. Ideas utilizing wireless Bluetooth, wearable technology, distance and motion tracking, robotics and tactile sensors are revolutionizing the way we can generate streams of data to control sound. With the new MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) protocol recently approved by the MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) in January 2018, you can expect a proliferation of new devices in the coming years.

What a musical conductor actually does on stage

kottke.org: I love hearing people talk about how they work. In this quick video, conductor James Gaffigan explains what it is he does on stage and how different composers like Leonard Bernstein shape and enhance the performance of the musicians they’re leading.

Emerging Technology for Fundraising: Part 1 of 5

AMT Lab @ CMU: Fundraising is a critical component of almost every nonprofit arts enterprise. This spring, the Arts Management and Technology Lab recruited a group of contributors and graduate students to conduct a national benchmarking analysis and survey of arts organizations on four emerging digital fundraising pathways: Text message / SMS giving, peer-to-peer portals, Facebook nonprofit tools, and mobile auction apps. The final report will be published in August.

The Age of Aquarius is Near! NBC's HAIR LIVE! Will Air Next May, with Direction by Diane Paulus and Alex Rudzinski

www.broadwayworld.com: NBC's "Hair Live!," the original rock musical that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, has found its directorial duo: Stage director Diane Paulus, the Tony Award-winning director of Broadway's 2009 Best Revival of "Hair," will join Emmy Award-winning Alex Rudzinski, who will serve as live television director as he did for "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert," which just garnered him an Emmy nomination.

Craft Service Workers Provide Production Crews With More Than Food

Variety: Crafties, the unsung heroes who keep both blood sugar and morale high during long days of production, are often represented by IATSE Local 80. While the culinary contributions are much appreciated, many people are not aware of the range of other kinds of work crafties perform.

Allen & Heath Supports Inaugural Florida Soundgirls Expo

Stage Directions: According to Chet Neal, Mainline Marketing Technical Specialist, “Being from live production, I totally got behind the initiative of the SoundGirls organization. I had a blast coordinating the event with our manufacturers and working with the women that represented them was flat out awesome. At one point, we had a group effort to show a few of the attendees ‘live’ just how to set up Shure digital wireless gear, including Axient with monitoring and control from the Allen & Heath dLive.”

How Many Crystals Hang Above Patrons In Two Downtown Theater Chandeliers?

90.5 WESA: Thousands of crystals dangle above the heads of Pittsburgh theater patrons, reflecting light onto the walls and ceilings of the elegant halls. The glass giants help create a distinct aesthetic for the cultural institutions, exuding charm and sophistication.

IATSE Strike Negotiation: 5 Reasons a Work Stoppage Is Possible

IndieWire: With less than a week left before IATSE’s current contract expires, negotiations between the West Coast membership of IATSE and the AMPTP resumed Tuesday. On the surface, this shouldn’t be cause for concern: Hollywood shows few outward signs of bracing for a strike. TV shows aren’t discussing contingency plans, and AMPTP producers have confidence that the sticking points will be ironed out. Most of all, industry veterans dismiss the idea that IATSE, which represents the vast majority of production crew, would ever strike.

A "New York Times" critic body-shamed a Broadway actress in a review

HelloGiggles: The spirit of musical theater has always been one of acceptance, a place where people from all walks of life can come together and enjoy. Which is why many are calling out a New York Times theater critic who body-shamed talented theater actress Alysha Umphress in a recent review.

Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi: 21st Century movie park in UAE

blooloop: The UAE’s (United Arab Emirates) newest theme park opened to the public on July 25, following an inauguration two days earlier. The 1.65 million square feet (1.53 sq km) facility represents an investment equivalent to US$1 billion.

Product Review: Rosco Earth Umber

Guild of Scenic Artists: If you attended USITT and spoke with the Guild, you were likely asked at some point whether you prefer your Umber Raw or Burnt. Surprisingly, the answers were passionate and logically thought out. Some liked Raw Umber’s ability to be used in an incredible number of applications, while others would argue that Burnt is more valuable as it’s easier to replicate Raw Umber in a pinch. During these conversations, I made the claim that it was a shame that Rosco’s Earth Umber was the awkward stepchild sitting in a corner.

NYIT Award Nominees 2018: Off-Off Broadway’s Finest

New York Theater: Below is the list of nominations announced last night for the 14th annual New York Innovative Theater Awards, which celebrates the best of the city’s independent theater — aka Off-Off Broadway. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on September 24th, 2018.