How to Undress Someone Quickly

The New York Times: “Wear kneepads, there’s lots of kneeling involved,” says Lacie Bonanni, 36, who works as a so-called dresser, a theatrical worker who helps actors into and out of their costumes. Bonanni got her start on Broadway 11 years ago on a show called “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” which involved stripping off a multitude of skintight bodysuits.

L-Acoustics Deployed For Ubbi Dubbi In Texas, Billed As #FirstFestBack

ProSoundWeb: Dallas-based Onstage Systems equips all four stages with K Series mains and more at what’s billed as the first large-scale North American festival to make its official post-pandemic comeback.

Touchless Technologies for Museum Engagement

AMT Lab @ CMU: Museums and cultural heritage attractions have been facing challenges since the pandemic. Many museums, especially children’s museums and tech museums, installed touch screens and buttons for people to manipulate prior to the pandemic. During an $80 million renovation to its building and facilities in 2011, the New York Historical Society invested heavily in touch screen stations.

Black Theatre United Holds Industry-Wide Summit to Discuss a 'New Deal' of Long-Term Reforms

www.broadwayworld.com: As Black Theatre United (BTU) marks its first year since the organization's creation, the Founding Members have just announced they held a three-month Commercial Theatre Summit from March to June 2021 to establish industry- wide standards around Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility & Belonging (EDIAB) with a focus on Black individuals in theatre as we move into the future.

Mid-Year In Review: Pandemic A Factor, Yet Live Industry Poised For Rebound

Pollstar: With moods hopeful and outlooks bright, anticipation is sky high for the long-awaited return to normalcy in the live entertainment industry, and, finally, it’s expected sooner than later. Based on the tidal wave of new and rescheduled concert dates that have been flooding Pollstar in recent weeks, full-capacity, large-scale concerts are set to rebound substantially for the remainder of the year.

'No Substantial Outbreaks': UK Government Publishes Events Research Programme Findings

Pollstar: The UK Government has published the initial findings of its Events Research Programme (ERP), showing that out of 58,000 participants at venues across the country 28 cases of Covid-19 were recorded. "Of these 28 cases, the report has found 11 cases were identified as potentially infectious at an event, and a further 17 were identified as potentially infected at or around the time of an event," a report summary states.

Robe MegaPointes for American Idol

LightSoundJournal.com: Lighting designer Tom Sutherland of DX7 Design specified 326 x Robe MegaPointes as part of the lighting rig for the 2021 season of American Idol, for which the live shows and final were produced by Freemantle Media and recorded on Stage 36 of CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Feature Friday: Black Orchid Atelier

Redthreaded: One silver lining to come out of the past year is the increased availability and accessibility of online education, and this month’s feature is the perfect example! In early 2021, Black Orchid Atelier launched the Costume Skills Institute, a platform dedicated to helping costumers of all levels learn and grow. With both lectures and workshop-style classes, the curriculum is designed to build itself so you can mature your skills with each new course.

Window Projections Reveal The Hidden City

www.rosco.com: Hidden City is a series of light mural activations, using imagery of the window in its many forms to explore the spaces in between. The window is a threshold between two worlds. Metaphorically shapeshifting beyond pure architectural representation, the window takes many forms. The eyes are windows to the “soul.” Paintings, photos – the TV – are windows to fantastical realms … other times … and places. And perhaps the most dynamic of all, your computer – for it is a virtual window … a portal to the multiverse.

What Is 2021's Best New Attraction So Far?

www.themeparkinsider.com: We are almost halfway through the year (what?), so I thought this would be a great time to ask you, our Theme Park Insider readers, which new attraction you have liked best this year.

Nederlander Organization, Jujamcyn Theaters receive Shuttered Venue Operators grants

Broadway News: Funding from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program has begun to reach Broadway, as the Small Business Administration accelerates its efforts.

Artists can apply for BIPOC Micro-Grant Program, launched in memory of Mac Miller

Pittsburgh City Paper: In 2018, Pittsburgh was rocked by the death of rapper and producer Mac Miller, a Pittsburgh native who, despite reaching worldwide fame, never forgot his hometown. To honor his memory, the Pittsburgh Foundation’s Center for Philanthropy has launched a new arts funding initiative to support local BIPOC artists.

Foo Fighters Draw Protesters Over Vaccination Requirements

www.ticketnews.com: The Foo Fighters got back to live performances this week, but it wasn’t without a measure of controversy in the form of a picket line outside the venue. Anti-vaccine protesters, including actor and prominent anti-vaccine mouthpeice Ricky Schroeder, showed up in California to share their displeasure with the bands choice to require vaccinations at both that night’s performance and the full-scale reopening of Madison Square Garden, scheduled for Saturday.

Equity Celebrates LBGTQIA+ Pride Month

Actors' Equity Association: The Diversity & Inclusion Department invites Equity members to celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride Month by participating in virtual events presented by organizations both regionally and nationwide.

Emerging Trends in Ticketing Technology

AMT Lab @ CMU: The Covid-19 pandemic has been a disruptive force in the entertainment and performing arts spheres. The theatre, which is known for generating unique experiences because it forces the audience to gather together, often in cramped spaces, to share a communal experience with the performers, was forced to become a mostly virtual and distanced art form to cope with the necessary safety measures precipitated by the pandemic.

At a Queer Theater Festival, the Plays Are Brazenly Personal

The New York Times: Dima Mikhayel Matta has written about her home city before with language like “In Beirut, the streets smell of jasmine and coffee, and the morning call to prayer mingles with church bells.” Was it lyrical? Yes, Matta, a queer playwright from Lebanon, said during a recent video interview. Was it also rosy? Yes.

Broadway Bares: Twerk From Home Raises $349,434 So Far For BC/EFA

www.broadwayworld.com: After more than a year of being homebound and Zoomed out, Broadway Bares turned its signature blend of dance and striptease into all-new, cinematically filmed mini movies for the unique online premiere of Broadway Bares: Twerk from Home on Sunday, June 20, 2021.

A.B.L.E. ensembles take to Zoom for new spin on ‘Romeo and Juliet’ staging

Chicago Sun-Times: When COVID-19 forced Chicago theater to go dark, the A.B.L.E. Ensemble was one of the first to forge forward into the brave new world of digital programming. Not only did the plucky theater survive, in the face of the pandemic — their artistry thrived.

2021 Jimmy Awards Ceremony Announces Its 72 High School Nominees

Playbill: Seventy-two students will compete at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards—also known as The Jimmy Awards—in a streamed ceremony July 15. Representing 36 regions from across the country, the newly announced nominees represent the best in high school musical theatre from the 2020-2021 school year.

Community Theatre Costumers are Criminally Underappreciated

OnStage Blog: We all know the most central creative roles in any theatrical production. There is the playwright, who is the prime artist responsible for creating a show to produce. There is the director, who – after reading the script and interpreting it – creates his or her own unique vision for the show, and then is responsible for executing it.

Desert X Isn’t a Line in the Sand, but It Could Be (Opinion) | by Laura Hess

Jun, 2021 | No Proscenium: I’ve been to the desert before. In 2017 and 2019, I headed to Palm Springs, California, for the first two Desert X biennials. And in March of 2021, I set out again. This time was different — for many reasons. In the past, I was mesmerized, transported, and fulfilled. This time, I felt confused, frustrated, and hungry. A mantra developed, an inner voice grew louder: What happened? What went wrong?

AAPAC's New Theatre Diversity Study Underscores Prominence of White Leadership on NYC Stages

Playbill: The Asian American Performers Action Coalition has released its annual Visibility Report, which tracks racial representation on and off New York City’s theatrical stages. The latest findings focused on the 2018–2019 season—the last complete season prior to the coronavirus shutdown.

A Year Later, Bay Area Theater Companies Reckon With BIPOC Demands

KQED: In June of 2020, the pandemic's shutdown of live performance was nearly three months old. A wave of protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd were rocking the nation, bringing to the forefront demands for racial justice while challenging anti-blackness and structural inequities. And on June 8, 2020, an open letter from a nationwide coalition of BIPOC theater-makers, titled “We See You White American Theater,” was published online.

AAPAC Visibility Report Finds Lack of Racial Equity in Arts Funding

www.broadwayworld.com: The Obie Award-winning Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) released its 10th annual report today,"THE VISIBILITY REPORT: RACIAL REPRESENTATION ON NEW YORK CITY STAGES," covering employment statistics by race for all shows that opened on Broadway and at the 18 largest non-profit theatre companies in the 2018-19 New York season-the last full season before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scott Rudin Avoided Answering for Abusive Behavior for Decades

The Hollywood Reporter: In September 2019, Eric Emauni was rolling calls when his boss, Scott Rudin, ordered him to get media mogul Barry Diller on the line. Immediately. So the assistant did just that. The only problem was Rudin wasn’t quite ready for the call. It was a cruel game the producer played with his staff, leaving them to decipher the many degrees of “immediately.” “Scott says, ‘Hang up the fucking phone.’ And I say, ‘Mr. Diller, Scott’s going to have to call you back,’ ” Emauni recalls. “In that moment, Barry Diller then lays into me. He’s cussing me out over the phone. ‘You called me, and he’s not fucking ready? How dare you? You’re an idiot.’ ”

Hippotizer™ Media Servers Drive Eurovision LED Set Strips

LightSoundJournal.com: A newly formed group of Hippotizer™ Media Servers worked in total harmony for this year’s spectacular Eurovision final, feeding lighting and visual data into LED strips and LED tape on the main stage, set pieces and in the ‘green room’ artist area.

Closing Out An Amazing 2021 Tribeca Immersive (Wrap-Up) | by Noah J Nelson

Jun, 2021 | No Proscenium: This Sunday, June 20th, will see the close of an incredible Tribeca Immersive that has been made all the more remarkable given the raw uncertainty of the year. While every collection of immersive and experiential projects that has come through the Tribeca Film Festival over the past decade has been impressive, this particular collection would have turned heads even if we weren’t coming out of a pandemic.

One San Diego theater's comeback: On opening night, fingers crossed, high emotions and sighs of relief

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Fifteen months ago this week, live theaters nationwide went dark, with actors and scenery replaced by ghost lights, the bare-bulb lamps that, according to theatrical superstition, keep the spirits at bay until life can return.

In New York City, A Juneteenth Event Examines The Meaning Of Freedom

NPR: The U.S. Congress this week established Juneteenth, a commemoration observed in communities and cities across the country for more than 150 years to mark the day slaves in Texas were informed of their freedom, as an officially recognized federal holiday. Celebrations being held all over the country on June 19 likely will assume an added sense of occasion. In one such event, happening at Lincoln Center in New York City, a starry group of Black artists will present an outdoor event that not only marks the day, but also examines the very idea of freedom itself.

Astera Launches New PixelBrick product

LightSoundJournal.com: This hugely flexible luminaire is a truly multi-functional light source with the power and finesse of Astera’s famous Titan LED engine coupled with the practicality of its popular AX3 LightDrop product, all in a completely new and fully adaptable housing.

G7 partners’ trip to theatre backfires after minister’s gaffe

Politics | The Guardian: A visit to a beautiful open-air clifftop theatre in Cornwall by partners of the G7 leaders ended in embarrassment for the UK government after the culture secretary wrongly claimed it had received emergency funding during the Covid crisis.

Edinburgh fringe performers feel ‘jilted’ as Covid closes venues again

Edinburgh festival | The Guardian: Audiences and performers from around the world will once again have no anarchic festival home in the Scottish capital to head for this August. The vast Edinburgh festival fringe – the largest annual concentration of live comedy, drama, cabaret, music and dance – is to be restricted to just a few events and an array of online offerings in 2021.

The Story Behind In the Heights’ Epic, 2,500-Plus Costumes

Vogue: It’s cheering to know that many people’s first time back in a movie theater will be to see In the Heights. As far as cinematic experiences ago, it’s the rollercoaster of emotions we’ve all been craving, at once tear-jerking and overwhelmingly joyous. But what impresses most, perhaps, is the ease with which it moves seamlessly between the micro and the macro.

Watch: Oriental Theatre restoration moves to its fourth of five phases

onmilwaukee.com: Milwaukee Film announced Friday that its work to restore the beautiful 1927 Oriental Theater, 2230 N. Farwell Ave., has entered the fourth of five phases. In June 2017, Milwaukee Film acquired a 31-year lease for the theater, run for the past 40 years by the national Landmark Theatres chain, and work on phase one began immediately.

Steven Rust

Strand Lighting: As the lead performance lighting and infrastructure designer for Theatre Projects, Steven Rust develops lighting system specifications for a broad range of venues and spaces, from theaters and convention centers to visitor attractions and retail spaces.

NBC’s Ultimate Slip N’ Slide Competition Show Halted Due to “Explosive Diarrhea”

Vanity Fair: It’s more than just a bathroom break. Production on NBC’s Ultimate Slip N’ Slide competition series has come to a — uh — stall due to an outbreak of giardiasis, a disease spread from the microscopic giardia parasite. Up to 40 crew members on set succumbed, with a production source reporting that people had “awful explosive diarrhea” and were “forced to run into port-o-potties,” with some even “collapsing,” according to The Wrap.

Asian Adaptations of Shakespeare Today

The Theatre Times: During the AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) heritage month, let us explore the fascinating works by East Asian directors and actors. The AAPI month honors the living, hybrid Asian and Western cultures. Since the nineteenth century, there have been hundreds of adaptations of Shakespeare drawn on East Asian motifs. Gender roles in the plays take on new meanings when they are embodied by Asian actors, and new accents expanded the characters’ racial identities in this age of globalization.

LGBTQ+ Writers Committee to Hollywood: Do Better

Vanity Fair: The LGBTQ+ Writers Committee of the Writers Guild of America West published a letter on Friday pressing Hollywood to hire more LGBTQ+ writers for film and television production, promote better representation of LGBTQ+ stories, and challenge non-inclusive work environments.

Lollapalooza is Giving Out Free Passes to Vaccinated Residents

consequence.net: Chicago’s health department announced on Friday that they’ll be giving away 1,200 single-day Lollapalooza passes to vaccinated residents. Anyone who makes a vaccination appointment for June 26th at select sites will be given a complimentary pass, according to the city.

How Hacks Production Designer Created Deborah Vance's Epic Mansion

Variety: Deborah Vance lives in a Las Vegas mansion approximately the size of Versailles with a humungous collection of salt and pepper shakers. But the veteran comic, played so astutely by Jean Smart on the HBO Max series, is no Liberace. She loves antiques and excess, but it’s all pretty tasteful in its own very Deborah Vance way, with some smashing contemporary art pieces.

On Broadway, Actors Fight for Equity as Theaters Reopen

www.backstage.com: Last summer, the cast members of “Diana,” the new Broadway musical about the Princess of Wales, were quarantining together in a hotel in New Jersey. They were getting ready to film the new musical for Netflix—but first, the cast had some demands. It was after the murder of George Floyd, and every industry was being called to examine the ways in which it was upholding white supremacy, including theater. “Diana” had released a statement in support of Black Lives Matter on social media, but its actors were determined to make sure the show lived up to that promise.

Local 478 Member Sebastian Rey Shares His Pride Story

IATSE Cares: Sebastian Rey is a proud transgender member, Costumer for Local 478 and has been a part of the union since 2011. “I love my crew and the film industry,” he says. Rey admits his fondest memory since being in the union as an LGBTQ member, was at the Southeast Regional meeting in 2009.

Dance Data Project's Latest Report Includes Some Stunning Numbers

Dance Magazine: Since 2015, Dance Data Project® has become a reliable source for hard numbers backing up conversations on gender inequity in ballet. Today it came out with an Artistic and Executive Leadership Report detailing the gender distribution among directors at the largest 100 ballet companies, as well as the pay gap between male and female leaders.

Doug Boney Talks Pride At Work and Shares His Proudest Moments as an LGBTQIA+ IATSE Member

IATSE Cares: Local 884 Business Representative Doug Boney, is a member of the IATSE Pride Committee and he represents the IATSE on the NEB of Pride At Work. Boney says his eagerness for wanting to help other queer members is what led him to discover Pride At Work.

Maybe There’s More Than Enough: Escaping the Scarcity Mindset in Nonprofit Theatre

HowlRound Theatre Commons: Along with pursuing a freelance career as a dramaturg and writer, I spent the first year of the pandemic as a fundraiser for a midsize theatre company. Specifically, I was the grant writer, responsible for providing roughly a third of the organization’s revenue. It was about as much fun as you imagine.

Creative output: Las Vegas could be on the verge of an artistic revolution

Las Vegas Weekly: Like every performer in town who has been called back to action, Petra Massey sounds overjoyed to return to her stage in Atomic Saloon Show. “I felt like a bottle being uncorked,” the British-born comedian says of reopening May 5. “The rush I got after 13 months of not doing any shows or any kind of performance really hit me. It was amazing.”

Headliners and Headdresses Return to Las Vegas. Will Tourists Follow?

The New York Times: Penn Jillette, one half of the Penn & Teller magic and comedy act that has helped define nightlife in Las Vegas for decades, bounded onto the stage the other night and looked across a maskless but socially distanced audience scattered across the theater at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

UK’s first all-black, all-female Shakespeare company aim to shine new light on Bard

Theatre | The Guardian: The team behind the UK’s first all-black, all-female Shakespearean theatre company say it is planning to re-examine some ofthe Bard’s most famous work from a black female perspective and make him accessible for a new generation.

Free of Protesters, Paris Theaters Reopen With Little Imagination

The New York Times: When the Odéon Theater reopened to audiences here with a staging of “The Glass Menagerie” at the end of May, its familiar columns looked somewhat naked. For two-and-a-half months, they had been adorned with large protest signs made by the arts workers occupying the theater. Shortly before they left, one sign read: “Reopening: The Great Comedy.”

Production Technicians are a Key Part of the Product

www.thedesignmuse.net: You can pull down billions of dollars in sales a month and you can fill a warehouse with the latest and greatest gear to meet the demands of your sales. But if your business is a production company, gear is not the end product your clients are paying for. They are paying for moments. Gear by itself does not make moments. It does not transport itself, it does not set itself up and it does not build and trigger its own cues at an event. So what bridges the gap between the gear and the moment?

Ask Jonah: Answering Reader Questions About Direct (DI) Boxes

ProSoundWeb: Passive DIs provide complete signal isolation due to their transformer and can operate without a power source. Active DIs need power (generally either phantom or batteries), can supply gain to the signal, and can have an extremely high input impedance, which is a must for certain sources such as piezos. Both types can handle the important tasks of balancing a signal and better matching (technically “bridging”) the impedance between the source and the mic preamp.

Estimating Using Templates

Remodeling: Depending on your areas of focus, you could have a library of hundreds or even thousands of unit price items that can be used to develop a detailed estimate of the tasks required for any project, from startup to cleanup. All the parts, pieces, and labor will automatically be included even though you're focused on only the quantities of the units.

Festool Kapex KS120 REB Miter Saw

JLC Online: Festool first released the Kapex 10 1/4-inch sliding compound miter saw in 2008, and I’ve owned and used one on an almost daily basis since 2018. I’m admittedly a big fan, so last year, when the company rolled out the latest version of the saw, the KS 120 REB, I was eager to test it and find out how it compared with the older one. With an ergonomic vertical handle and lime-green accents, the new saw sure does capture your attention … but so does the $1,500 price tag.

Water-Glycol Hydraulic Fluids: More Than a “Green” Solution | Hydraulics & Pneumatics

www.hydraulicspneumatics.com: Hydraulic fluid is the lifeblood of industrial machinery and serves many purposes in industry applications. With advances in equipment technology and the ability for hydraulic fluids to provide the necessary protection, it is essential to understand that it is not just another consumable item to be purchased and disposed of as needed.

Cast Announced for 'Broadway Bares: Twerk From Home'

thebroadwayblog.com: A company of Broadway Bares favorites and newcomers more than 170 strong will combine forces to light up screens for Broadway Bares: Twerk from Home in its online premiere Sunday, June 20, 2021. In Broadway Bares: Twerk from Home, 14 all-new concept videos put a tantalizing twist on being stuck at home. The cast breaks the monotony of working from home, in numbers that put the “tart” into at-home baking and deliver the perfect package to your doorstep.

CREAT team testing racial-equity rating system for metro theaters

ARTS ATL: How can you know where you need to go if you don’t know where you’re at? That’s the foundational thinking behind the latest effort from the Coalition for Racial Equity in Atlanta Theatre, or CREAT, which, since last year, has been testing a rating system to help measure racial equity in Atlanta’s performing arts.

This LGBTQ ?Giselle' from New York troupe Ballez celebrates individuality

The Washington Post: Studying ballet as a teenager, Katy Pyle felt a kinship with Giselle, the love-shattered heroine of the classic 1841 ballet. A naive peasant maiden who adores dancing, Giselle succumbs to the attentions of a disguised philandering nobleman, and when his treachery comes to light, she goes mad and dies — transitioning to a realm of predatory spirits known as the Wilis.

FOH Engineers: How to sneakily check your system tech's work

www.sounddesignlive.com: If you are a FOH sound engineer then you often work on sound systems that someone else has set up for you and you need some way to make sure it was done properly. Whether it’s your best friend in the most famous venue in the world or the local AV provider in small town USA, you’ve got to cover your ass.

Virtual Showlight 2021 proves a success in reality!

LightSoundJournal.com: The first Virtual Showlight event, which was held on Tuesday 25 May 2021, proved to be a real success story. With the full Showlight postponed due to the pandemic, VSL 2021 turned trial into triumph when it threw open its virtual doors to an online audience in excess of 430 delegates. Students, educational establishments, venues and, of course, lighting designers from all genres of the industry – theatre, film and TV, architectural and events, and more – attended from almost 50 countries, and many have since returned to re-watch the Papers through Hubilo’s On Demand service.

Did You Know – Creative Solutions

ASTC: The performing arts industry is adept at “borrowing” technology from other industries. Here are a few examples. Did you know that air casters which we use for moving large items such as seat wagons, seating towers and orchestra shells were first developed by General Motors’ engineer Harry Mackie in 1961 to move heavy materials on the automotive assembly line?

Pittsburgh Opera returns to large venues with diverse new works and audience favorites

Theater | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper: "A carefree Elf witnesses a despicable crime." So goes the tantalizingly odd hook for The Rose Elf, one of the upcoming performances set for the 83rd season of the Pittsburgh Opera. The fantastic production, based on a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, makes for one of the premieres included in a diverse lineup that also features the return of postponed shows.

Anne Boleyn: in defence of historical inaccuracy

theconversation.com: The Channel 5 historical drama series Anne Boleyn, directed by Lynsey Miller, stars black British actor Jodie Turner-Smith as the Tudor queen consort at the height of her power and influence, shortly before her dramatic fall and execution in May 1536.

As Brian Clowdus pursues his second act, Atlanta theater artists push back

ARTS ATL: Two new projects from Brian Clowdus — one in metro Atlanta, another in Virginia — have drawn strong pushback from Atlanta theater artists who claim that he was emotionally abusive, racially insensitive and fostered unsafe working conditions during his decade as founding artistic director at Serenbe Playhouse.

Theatre for Two review – intimate encounters, from bedroom to bus stop

Theatre | The Guardian: Last June, with England’s venues closed due to the pandemic, if you watched any new theatre it was probably on screen, possibly on your own and quite likely a monologue about lockdown life. One year on, this touring production from the enterprising company Kilter offers four more lockdown shorts, performed not on screen but from behind one.

The Strat is ready to elevate its live entertainment options

Las Vegas Sun Newspaper: Fresh off a wholesale resort renovation totaling more than $100 million and back to full capacity operations, the Strat is now focusing on one of the most important and exciting ways to attract Las Vegas visitors — live entertainment.

Broadway Theater Owner Cited by OSHA in Stagehand’s Fatal Fall

The New York Times: Federal regulators have cited the Shubert Organization for four serious workplace safety violations and proposed a fine of $45,642 in connection with the death of an employee who fell from a ladder while working at the Winter Garden Theater last fall.

DePaul's Theatre School reimagines its MFA acting program

Ghost Light | Chicago Reader: Twenty years ago, actor Cherry Jones gave an interview to the industry trade Backstage, where she called out one of the problems facing those hoping to make acting their profession. "I'll tell you the thing that frustrates me the most right now for young actors: Graduate programs now in this country seem to be the best way for a young actor to get a calling card into this profession.

National Theatre commits to more plays from outside London

National Theatre | The Guardian: At least a third of new work supported by the National Theatre will in future come from artists, venues and producers outside London, part of a campaign to help British theatre get back on its feet after the devastation of the pandemic.

Fadjr Theater Festival Stages Plays Despite COVID-19

The Theatre Times: The 39th Fadjr International Theater Festival celebrated a wide range of performances, from staged plays and street performances to radio plays and television plays (Teletheater), over ten days, from January 30 to February 10. The festival met with a considerable number of participants, which indicated a ray of hope for Iran’s theater struggling with recession and closure during COVID-19. The festival was fully in compliance with health protocols, including social distancing, disinfecting theaters, and reducing seating capacity.

BWW Interview: How Tuacahn's Safety Plan Led To An Equity Approved Full Summer Season

www.broadwayworld.com: BroadwayWorld is checking in with theaters around the country as they prepare to reopen this summer. Next in our series we check in with the staff of of the Tuacahn Center for the Arts! We spoke with CEO Kevin Smith, Artistic Director Scott Anderson, Development Director Kacey Jones, Marketing Director Stephanie Finck, Assistant Artistic Producer and Casting Coordinator Shari Jordan, and COVID Compliance Officer Tanya Hesse.

Actors’ Equity Executive Director Mary McColl to step down from role in 2022

Broadway News: Mary McColl, executive director of Actors’ Equity, will step down from her position after the expiration of her contract in January 2022, the union announced Tuesday. McColl, who started in the role in 2011, has been leading the union’s negotiations with the Broadway League and other producers across the country and guiding the 51,000-member union through the theatrical shutdown.

Two Projects (Red Dress and REDress)

ExhibiTricks: The Museum Exhibit Design Blog: I'd like to commend to your attention two different RED projects that use art to address important social issues. The first, The Red Dress Project, conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod, provides an artistic platform for women to tell their personal stories through embroidery.

Real Life Portals Connect People More Than 300 Miles Away

mymodernmet.com: A new duo of hi-tech portals have popped up in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Lublin, Poland, like something out of a science-fiction film. Inspired (in part) by the loss of travel and human connection experienced during the pandemic, the large circular eyes contain giant screens and cameras. Recalling something out of Stargate, this installation called Portal doesn't transport anyone who steps through either structure. Instead, they offer a real-time look at the opposing city—specifically, whoever is in front of the device at that time.

Second City returns with scaled-down shows — but bigger ones on the way

Chicago Sun-Times: The last few months at Second City have been about old habits — restoring some of them, and tearing down some others. It’s a theater undergoing unprecedented change — new ownership, new priorities, a new commitment to digital content. But at the core of the company throughout its 61-year history have been live stage revues, built of sketches devised by an ensemble of actor-writers, and that’s not changing.

Why Can’t I Be Both?

StateraArts: America hates fat people, specifically fat womxn and femmes. Our rampant diet-crazed culture equates self worth with waist size. Commercials celebrate post-diet bodies like prizes, magazines promise ways to lose 30 lbs in 30 days, and even Instagram touts some secret tea that will flatten your tummy. If you aren’t getting hefty servings of body-shame from the media, chances are you are being force-fed the same rhetoric by friends and family via grandmothers talking about the newest fad diet they are trying, friends asking which dress makes them look less fat, and mothers stressing over getting their “good” figure back. This inherited hate has been passed down for so many generations that we waste no time passing it on and teaching children there is always a better way to have a body. So what happens when your body is your business? Your livelihood?

Community Choir Struggles To Sing Together Again

NPR: Few activities spread COVID-19 as effectively as singing. It's why choirs around the country have been practicing over Zoom or in parking lots for more than a year now. But as more people are vaccinated against, many choirs are eyeing a return to in-person singing.

National Endowment for the Arts Funding Would Rise Under Biden Plan

The New York Times: After four years when the National Endowment for the Arts lived under the threat of elimination, President Biden on Friday proposed a 20 percent increase in the budget for the agency to $201 million. If approved by Congress for the 2022 fiscal year, it would be the largest increase — in dollar terms — in the organization’s history, the agency said.

4 Times Couture Fashion Designers Took Their Talents to the Stage

Playbill: Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series Halston culminates [spoiler alert] with the fashion designer creating the costumes for Martha Graham’s 1987 dance work Persephone at City Center. Halston had previously sold his brand to Esmark, Inc., and in doing so, was prevented from releasing any designs branded as a Halston. Earlier in the series, the character of Halston sneers at the world of theatrical costuming—both with his colleague Joe Eula’s costume design for Got Tu Go Disco and when meeting John David Ridge, the costumer turned fashion designer who would eventually replace Halston as the head of the brand bearing his name.

Edinburgh festival fringe threatened by Covid rules, says organiser

Edinburgh festival | The Guardian: The survival of the Edinburgh festival fringe is at stake unless social distancing rules for venues are relaxed within a fortnight, its organiser has said.

Prolight + Sound Guangzhou achieves a record breaking increase in visitors and exhibitors, reflecting a bright industry outlook

LightSoundJournal.com: Held from 16 – 19 May in Areas A & B of the China Import and Export Fair Complex, Prolight + Sound Guangzhou (PLSG) recently concluded its largest edition yet with 82,740 visitors in attendance. Industry peers were delighted to once again gather at the physical fair to make face-to-face business connections and discover the latest products and innovations across 150,000 sqm of exhibition space, including 15 thematic halls and three newly introduced “Immersive Experience Zones”.

From fantastic views to fox urine: the joys and perils of outdoor theatre

Theatre | The Guardian: This summer, while indoor theatres reckon with stringent social distancing measures, some are combating Covid-19-related issues by taking things outdoors.

Bob Mackie Will Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Sedona International Film Festival

www.broadwayworld.com: The 27th annual Sedona International Film Festival, rescheduled from its normal end-of-February timeframe to June 12-20 because of the coronavirus pandemic, is offering a big, bold and diverse lineup of films for both reduced-capacity in-theater experiences as well as in-home streaming options.

Maxime Brunet FOH Engineer, Tour Manager, & Road Warrior

SoundGirls.org: Maxime Brunet is a freelance live sound engineer, primarily mixing FOH & tour management. She also works in music venues as both a FOH & monitor engineer. She has been working in live sound for ten years and touring for six. She has toured with a variety of artists over the years, including Wolf Parade, Chloe Lilac, Operators, TR/ST, Kilo Kish, Marika Hackman, & Dilly Dally.

Meredith Suttles on changing theater: 'Artists of color have come together in new ways'

Datebook: Meredith Suttles, Marin Theatre Company’s new managing director, believes her career chose her. She knows that few kids dreaming of a life in the theater imagine themselves as management savants who have a magical touch with donors. She also knows most African Americans in the business are on the artistic side, not the operational or offstage. But Suttles was drawn to theater management while in college and studied for this.

Florida Concert Charging 50x Premium For Non-Vaccinated Fans

www.ticketnews.com: A Florida concert promoter is pushing for COVID vaccinations in a unique way – by charging more than 50x the ticket price for fans who can’t provide proof of their having gotten the jab. The June 26 performance, which features the band Teenage Bottlerocket, is $18 per ticket for those who can show they’ve received one of the approved COVID vaccines. For those who can’t, they can still come – but it’ll cost them $999 per ticket.