2023 Top Ten

Here are the top ten comment generating articles of the Fall Semester:

Creating Authentic Looks: The Art of Costume Design in Video Games

gameishard.gg: In the fast-paced world of video game development, every detail matters. From compelling narratives to stunning graphics, game designers strive to create immersive experiences for players. One often overlooked aspect of game design is costume design. However, it plays a crucial role in bringing characters to life and enhancing the overall gaming experience.

Posted by David at 11/17/2023 10:31:00 AM

Lizzo Requests Dismissal of Former Dancers' Harassment Lawsuit

variety.com: Lizzo has requested a judge dismiss the lawsuit filed last month against her by three of her former dancers. The lawsuit filed by Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez accused the Grammy winner of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment — accusations Lizzo’s legal team vehemently denies in a new legal document filed on the evening of Sept. 27.

Posted by David at 9/29/2023 10:15:00 AM

Lyric Opera’s SoundShirt offers new technology for deaf, hearing-impaired patrons

Chicago Sun-Times: The conductor steps to the podium and raises his baton in the darkened theater. The flutter of flutes. The quiver of strings. And then you feel something tingling, vibrating about your shoulders — almost as though a pair of bees have somehow found their way into the theater and under your clothing. It’s not an unpleasant sensation — just odd, very odd.

Posted by David at 9/21/2023 12:55:00 PM

Zooming in on our brains on Zoom

YaleNews: When Yale neuroscientist Joy Hirsch used sophisticated imaging tools to track in real time the brain activity of two people engaged in conversation, she discovered an intricate choreography of neural activity in areas of the brain that govern social interactions. When she performed similar experiments with two people talking on Zoom, the ubiquitous video conferencing platform, she observed a much different neurological landscape.

Posted by David at 10/27/2023 10:22:00 AM

Why Playbill Is Opening a Floating Hotel in Edinburgh

Playbill: The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the world, featuring the newest and most adventurous works across theatre, musicals, comedy, and even opera. It’s a must-visit destination for any arts lover. If you’ve never been and have always wanted to go, Playbill wants to help you get there.

Posted by David at 11/24/2023 03:43:00 PM

Is 32 hour workweek better than a 4 day week?

www.fastcompany.com: I often think about the Maggie Smith line in Downton Abbey “What is a weekend?” Being a Countess, she didn’t know what a weekend was because she had no workweek. But there was a time in the not so distant past when working Americans also had never heard of a weekend for the opposite reason: They often worked six or seven days a week.

Posted by David at 12/01/2023 10:55:00 AM

Best Wicked Behind-The-Scenes Facts

www.buzzfeed.com: First, the process for painting actors green for Elphaba in Wicked is so streamlined now, it only takes roughly 20–30 minutes. Chromacake in Landscape Green by MAC is what is used for the green base, and it's applied using a paintbrush and a mixture of the Chromacake and water.

Posted by David at 11/02/2023 11:04:00 AM

Empowering accessibility in live events

TPi: Touring the European continent can be challenging at the best of times and with a greater focus on cultivating accessible spaces for the live events industry, Marisa Rinchiuso, who has a deteriorative neuromuscular disease, muscular dystrophy, recently embarked on her first experience on the road, assuming the role of Assistant Stage Manager on the European leg of The Weeknd’s latest stadium tour.

Posted by David at 11/03/2023 11:54:00 AM

LGBTQ Representation Hits Record in Film, GLAAD Study Finds

The Hollywood Reporter: GLAAD has released the 11th installment of its Studio Responsibility Index, an annual study that tracks “the quantity, quality and diversity” of LGBTQ characters in films released in a calendar year by 10 Hollywood distributors.

Posted by David at 9/15/2023 09:50:00 AM

How TikTok Is Changing Stage Design

WIRED: “You can have the world’s best idea, but if it doesn’t fit on the back of a truck then it’s a nonstarter,” says Ray Winkler, who’s been loading ideas onto the backs of trucks for close to 30 years now.

Posted by David at 10/09/2023 05:24:00 PM

Will Second City instructors go on strike in 2024?

Chicago Reader: In mid-February 2021, two things happened at Second City: private equity firm ZMC announced that they were buying the comedy behemoth, and the instructors at the Second City Training Center (and other educational offshoots of the company) announced that they had formed a new union—the Association of International Comedy Educators (AICE).

South Park Theatre Sets 2024 Mainstage Season

onstagepittsburgh.com: South Park Theatre has gathered a mix of comedy and drama and mystery and music to fill its 2024 Mainstage schedule. The upcoming season opens on May 2 with a British comedy about infidelity and duplicity, and concludes as autumn begins, with those themes wrapped in a twisty British mystery.

Oceanside Theater to produce sequel play on local Black pioneers

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Oceanside business owner Rushell Gordon stopped by the Oceanside Historical Society to look at books on Oceanside history. While chatting with historian Kristi Hawthorne, the conversation drifted to the stories of early Black residents in Oceanside who became trailblazers.

Madonna’s First Leg of ‘Celebration Tour' Brings in $100M

www.ticketnews.com: The tour, which kicked-off on October 14 at The O2 in London, faced an initial hiccup as a medical emergency compelled the postponement of the first set of North American dates. However, Celebration went on to result in $77.5 million in earnings and an impressive 429,000 tickets sold during the initial leg.

RF Venue essential to traveling community theater’s wireless mic solution

LightSoundJournal.com: To address inconsistent wireless microphone availability and performance at its various venues, central Indiana mainstay community theater group Carmel Community Players (CCP) recently reached out to Muncie, Indiana-based Sight and Sound Productions, Inc. for a solution. Audio-Technica 3000 Series wireless microphones were chosen for the task and flawless wireless performance at every performance is ensured by a support infrastructure from RF Venue, the leading global provider of wireless audio essentials including best-in-class antennas and RF signal distribution systems.

From Chicago: Quotes for the New Year

AMERICAN THEATRE: We’ve reached that wonderful time of year (or annoying time of year, depending on your outlook) where your news feeds are likely littered with year-end lists, roundups, years-in-review, bests, worsts, awards, or whatever your favorite writer has decided to present to you as a way to reflect on the year that was. I admit, I too enjoy taking time to reflect at the end of the year; it’s too easy to let the days, weeks, and months pass by, continually looking toward what’s next rather than celebrating what came before. Here at American Theatre we published our annual top 10 most read articles list, alongside our suggestions of some that didn’t make the top 10 but that stood out to us.

Our favourite theatre productions of 2023

Intermission: We’ve never done a year-end list before. Most raves are adrenaline-fuelled, typed in a flurry the morning after. Coffee brings back the thrills of the night before, allowing easy access to those juicy gut reactions.

Vivid Co-Founder Vassilatos Rumored to be Returning to Ticketing

www.ticketnews.com: The ticket resale world is abuzz with rumors this week, as it appears that Vivid Seats co-founder Eric Vassilatos is looking to re-enter the business in competition with his former firm. The Chicago entrepreneur, who co-founded Vivid Seats with Jerry Bednyak in 2001 and more recently served as co-managing partners at Skybox Capital, is said to be recruiting both talent and inventory suppliers to a new ticket resale exchange.

Birds of Shakespeare: The greylag goose

Folger Shakespeare Library: It’s the holiday season and my final Birds of Shakespeare blog post! I chose something festive and celebratory for the occasion: a goose. The goose would have been among Shakespeare’s options for a Christmas feast, as it is today. According to scholars, Shakespeare’s goose is the greylag goose, the most common wild and domestic breed found in the British Isles.1 The greylag goose likely got its name because it is a year-round resident that “lagged behind” other species that departed for breeding.2 Nearly all western domesticated geese descend from the greylag goose.

‘Luna Luna’: A Forgotten Fantasy and a Preserved Promise

by Laura Hess | Dec, 2023 | No Proscenium: What if I described a Ferris wheel turning to the tune of Miles Davis, its steel baskets circling a giant baboon ass painted by Jean-Michel Basquiat? What if I recounted a fairground with a Keith Haring carousel, Roy Lichtenstein mirror maze, and Salvador Dalí dome? Would you think this a fever dream? It wasn’t. It was Luna Luna, the world’s first art park.

Why Working Too Much Might Actually Make You Less Productive

Lifehacker: If you feel pressured to work even after you’re technically off the clock, you’re not alone. But did you know that people in your situation report that this actually makes them feel less productive overall? It’s counterintuitive but true. Here’s what you need to know about why you should call it a day at the end of the day.

This Week in Theatre Awards: THRIVE!, the Edgerton Foundation, and the Lillys

AMERICAN THEATRE: Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has announced the recipients of the 2023-25 Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards. The awards will allow 12 productions extra time for development and rehearsal in the hopes of extending the life of the play.

Is Coco Jones Right About Black Women in Hollywood?

www.theroot.com: Actress/singer Coco Jones really hit her stride in 2023. Her hit single “ICU” led her to four Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist. As she reflects on her breakout year in an interview with People, the “Bel Air” star discussed some of the changes she’s seen in the industry since she embarked on her journey.

Netflix to Host Immersive '3 Body Problem' Experience at 2024 CES

collider.com: Netflix announced today that, for the first time ever, the streamer will have a booth on the main show floor of CES (the Consumer Electronic Show) next month. Usually aimed at companies that develop technology such as Google, Hyundai and Panasonic, the tech event will be a different segment to promote one of Netflix's biggest 2024 titles: The sci-fi series 3 Body Problem. During the event, CES attendees will be able to have a glimpse of the virtual world of the series through an immersive experience.

NoPro’s Best Immersive Experiences of 2023

by No Proscenium | Dec, 2023 | No Proscenium: Our Review Crew looks back on the year in list & pod form! We’ve reached the end of another year here at No Proscenium, and are just days away from our TENTH ANNIVERSARY. As is tradition, we set the Review Crew to task making lists of their favorite shows & experiences of the year, giving them just three precious spots to use.

UK Supreme Court rules AI is not an inventor

The Verge: The UK Supreme Court ruled that AI cannot get patents, declaring it cannot be named as an inventor of new products because the law considers only humans or companies to be creators.

380 Artists, 51 Countries, 14 Years: A Community Embroidery Project Connects Women Around the Globe

Colossal: In Egypt, about 50 Bedouin Jabaliya women who are part of the FanSina collective created herbal motifs with curved flourishes inspired by their Mt. Sinai surroundings. During an exhibition in Warsaw, a group of Ukrainian refugees melded long stitches with tight French knots to render a bright yellow sunflower with one petal in pale blue. And in Chiapas, artist Zenaida Aguilar sewed a pointillistic patch of native flora and fauna, a symbol of her ability to thrive and support herself after leaving an abusive marriage.

U2 Live In Las Vegas - How Tech Enables Band To Shake Up Sphere Sets

www.forbes.com: Following the worldwide success of The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum albums in 1987 and ‘88, which combined to sell 40 million albums around the globe, the group still managed to take a creative leap forward with 1991’s Achtung Baby, with the ensuing Zoo TV world tour helping drive sales of the album near 20 million.

Kalina Ivanov (The Boys in the Boat prod. designer) video interview

GoldDerby: Kalina Ivanov admits that she knew next to nothing about the sport of rowing and had never been in one of the boats (known as shells) when she was hired as the production designer for the new George Clooney-directed historical sports drama “The Boys in the Boat.”

New Year's Highlights from the Commons

HowlRound Theatre Commons: As the end of 2023 approaches, the HowlRound team has been reflecting on the year behind us. For the theatre community, it was a time of tumult, turnover, “the field is in crisis” essays, show cancellations due to illness, and budgetary shortfalls. Creative producer Julia Schachnik offered a response: “If our field is on fire, [we] want to be water.” Julia’s words were borrowed from an essay by Kristin Idaszak, who found them in Theatre Do Polet’s Be Water, My Friend—a lineage of inspiration that puts the power of listening and horizontal connection on full display.

Eurovision 2024 stage design revealed

Access All Areas: Fredrik Stormby from Sweden based design studio Green Wall Designs has been revealed as the lighting and screen content designer for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden. Stormby will join the senior production team along with production designer Florian Wieder, to help create, design, and deliver the show to a global audience of more than 160 million.

Universal Plans New U.K. Theme Park Outside London

The Hollywood Reporter: NBCUniversal is considering whether to bring its theme parks business to the U.K. A spokesperson for Universal Destinations & Experiences confirms to The Hollywood Reporter that the company has purchased land in Bedford, about 45 minutes outside of London, and a stone’s throw from Luton Airport.

How do three popular Philly versions of The Nutcracker compare?

Broad Street Review: Nutcrackers pack the December dance calendar in Philly. Tap dance, contemporary, and ballet companies riff on A.T.E. Hoffman’s 1816 novella The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, whether it’s set to Tchaikovsky or Duke Ellington, choreographed for the corps de ballet or just one man. I wanted to compare them, so I made my way to three different performances.

Lakeside theatre in Chile features "box within a box" construction

www.dezeen.com: An architecture team of Nicolás Norero, Leonardo Quinteros and Tomás Villalón has created a community theatre out of glued laminated timber along a lake's shoreline in Panguipulli, Chile. The Theater of the Arts of Panguipulli (Teatro Educativo de las Artes) was completed in November 2022 on the banks of Panguipulli Lake.

In What Ways is AI Disrupting the Dance Industry?

AMT Lab @ CMU: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries by enabling computers to perform tasks like learning, pattern recognition, and decision-making. It’s integrated into daily life through virtual assistants, self-driving cars, and healthcare diagnostics. In the realm of dance, AI has revolutionized training, choreography, and performance. This article explores AI’s impact on the dance industry, and its potential to enhance accessibility, not only for dance but for performing arts at large.

Horizon 2028 Part 2: Audience and Industry Interview Perspectives

AMT Lab @ CMU: We asked each regular TV viewer in the survey to identify themselves as either a Content Adventurer (CA) or Platform Loyalist (PL) to understand how they perceived and defined their relationship between content and platform. The survey revealed that audiences’ relationships with content are stronger than with platforms.

Dancer Diary: The Partnering Predicament

Dance Magazine: Partnering is an essential part of a professional dance career, yet it’s nearly impossible to keep those skills up to date as an adult. Try as I might, I have yet to find an open partnering class in New York City. (If you know of one, please let me know!) So, how can I make sure I’m ready to do my best in an audition or on the stage if I don’t have a great way to practice?

Indulging in Style: Lindy Hemming Unwraps the Chocolatey Charm of 'Wonka' Costumes

The Art of Costume: Step into the delectable world of Wonka as we embark on a behind-the-scenes journey with Academy Award-Winner Lindy Hemming, the costume designer behind the enchanting costumes that bring this whimsical film to life. In this exclusive interview, Lindy Hemming unveils the secrets and inspirations woven into the fabric of Wonka, sharing insights into the creative process, collaborations with director Paul King, and the meticulous craftsmanship behind Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of the beloved character. Join us as we unwrap the chocolatey charm of the costumes in Wonka with the visionary Lindy Hemming.

Basquiat Ferris Wheel, Keith Haring Carousel Open at L.A. Art Park

The Hollywood Reporter: In 1987 in Hamburg, Germany, the first ever “art amusement park” opened to the public, featuring works by legendary artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and even Salvador Dali. For three short months, families came together to experience the artistic oddities of the park — before the whimsical creations were soon forgotten. Locked away in 44 shipping containers for 36 years, the rides and pieces created for the original Luna Luna were seemingly forgotten.

In 2023, Chicago theaters faced the music and kept on singing

Chicago Reader: The world is fraught with wars and violence and famine across multiple nations. Our democracy is in peril. And COVID-19 hasn’t gone away. In light of all that, sometimes writing about theater feels a little inadequate to the global moment.

Andrew Lloyd Webber Wins Copyright Case Against Former Dancer Who Claimed He Wrote 'Memory'

www.broadwayworld.com: According to the Times, Andrew Lloyd Webber has won a copyright battle over 'Memory' from CATS, after a former dancer claimed he wrote the song.

Step Right Up and Get a Look at Isabelle McCalla, Grant Gustin, and the Cast of Broadway's Water for Elephants

Playbill: Step right up and get a first look at the cast of Broadway's upcoming Water for Elephants, based on Sara Gruen's acclaimed novel. After making its world premiere at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre earlier this year, the musical will begin previews February 24, 2024 at the Imperial Theatre. Opening night is set for March 21.

Joker Out for Robe

LightSoundJournal.com: Slovenian indie rockers Joker Out are the hottest musical act of the moment in this lively, beautiful, and dynamic European country! Formed in 2016, 2023 has been a mega-busy year with lots of touring shows, representing Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in the UK, and recently playing a show-stopping sold-out performance at Ljubljana’s biggest arena venue, Stožice … which was lit by Klemen Krajnc, part of the Blackout design studio.

Review Roundup: Tennessee Williams' THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA, Starring Tim Daly, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and More!

www.broadwayworld.com: An all new production of Tennessee Williams's timeless masterpiece The Night of the Iguana, directed by Tony Award nominee Emily Mann, has officially opened Off-Broadway! It will run through February 25, 2024, at The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center.

Entertainment Community Fund Reveals 2023 Alex Dubé Scholarship Recipients

Playbill: The Entertainment Community Fund has announced the 2023 recipients of the Alex Dubé Scholarship. Dancers Rochelle Chang, Talya Epstein, Lisa Jantze, Edgar Page, and Hollie Wright will receive awards of $10,000 each to support the next steps of their careers.

2023’s 10 Most Popular Posts (and 10 That Deserve Another Look)

AMERICAN THEATRE: Though 2023 was the year that American Theatre finally came back into print after a COVID-induced hiatus, that didn’t slow down our publishing online, where we’re still able to be timely and go long in ways we typically can’t on paper. Accordingly, our analytics show that readers had roughly equivalent interest in news and in-depth features—and not only because there was an extra helping of both called for in a time of contraction and anxiety for the nation’s theatres.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Becomes First Tour to Gross $1 Billion

www.ticketnews.com: In a historic achievement, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has become the first tour to gross over $1 billion, according to estimates by Pollstar. The tour, spanning 60 shows in 2023, raked in an impressive $1.04 billion, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time.

American Cinematheque Announces Tribute to the Crafts Honorees

variety.com: The American Cinematheque announced the honorees for the third annual Tribute to the Crafts, which include “Oppenheimer” for cinematography and editing, “Poor Things” for costume design and “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie” for song. The event will take place on Jan. 19, 2024, at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

Disney About to Lose Mickey Mouse Copyright Control After Decades of Lobbying

www.businessinsider.com: Disney has successfully fought for decades to keep its most famous ambassador locked up tight under copyright protection. But next year, that's set to change.

AI – A Very Useful Video Entertainment Tool Kit

Creative COW: Money has been important in the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike– and you name it strike; but that’s a discussion for a later discussion. Money was a skirmish … the long-term battle/discussion is intuitive/generative AI and the benefits it is going to deliver for studios, creators, audiences.

Gryffin with CHAUVET Professional and 4Wall

TPi: Everything about any show I do begins with balance,” said Reux, owner of Black Lantern Creative. “Our team wanted to give every visual aspect of the show a unique character. At the same we wanted everything to create this single, seamless cinematic visual feel.”

The Fallout From The 2020 Reckoning At The Magic Castle

LAist: After a contentious summer of 2020 for the Magic Castle, Carly Usdin felt like they’d started to find their footing at the club again: They found a community of progressive members and was excited to apply for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Vectorworks unveils 2023 design scholarship winners

TPi: Vectorworks has revealed the winners of this year’s Vectorworks Design Scholarship, naming Brenda Vaca Michan as the Richard Diehl Award winner. With over 1,000 submissions, scholarships were awarded to 21 students for 18 projects in the architecture, interior design, landscape and entertainment industries.

Dramatists Guild Foundation Reveals Inaugural Catalyst Fellowship Recipients

Playbill: The Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF) has announced the inaugural recipients of the new Catalyst Fellowship. The program aims to invest in Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Latine theatre innovators as they work to imagine equity, social justice, and change in the industry through new developmental programs.

One Star Trek Explosion Plagued William Shatner With A Lifelong Hearing Issue

www.slashfilm.com: Even non-Trekkies likely know the "Star Trek" episode "Arena" (first aired January 19, 1967). That's the episode wherein Captain Kirk (William Shatner) is chosen by a godlike alien species to go to Vasquez Rocks in California — I mean a distant alien world called Cestus III — to fight a lizard-like alien called a Gorn.

Review: Delights Abound in Pittsburgh Public's Lavish 'Christmas Story'

onstagepittsburgh.com: If you triple-dog-dared me to write a one-word review of Pittsburgh Public Theater’s A Christmas Story, The Play, I would be required to leave you with: “Delightful.” But with no one twisting my arm – I’m talking to you, Scut Farkas – I have a few more choice words of praise for this lavish new production.

Former legendary nightclub Limelight in NYC is becoming an Off Broadway theater

www.timeout.com: Once again, the infamous former nightclub Limelight is becoming something entirely different. Forbes reports that the former Church of the Holy Communion on Sixth Avenue at West 20th Street is being reimagined as a 320-seat Off Broadway theater—a project carried forward by Broadway produced Hunter Arnold and director Michael Arden.

E3 Is Shutting Down for Good

variety.com: The Entertainment Software Association, the video-game trade group that ran the convention, announced Tuesday that E3, first launched in 1995, is winding down.

Rockefeller Studios Opens Props and Puppetry Studio, The Rock Shop, to Outside Organizations

www.broadwayworld.com: Rockefeller Studios has announced that The Rock Shop, a leading props and puppet production studio with years of expertise and over 1,500 items created for a slate of international productions, is making its service available to outside organizations.

Musical Theatre's Next Leading Player: Paddington Bear

Playbill: A new stage musical based on the Paddington Bear franchise is in the works, with Jessica Swale (Summerland) writing the book and McFly's Tom Fletcher penning the songs. Luke Sheppard (& Juliet) is attached to direct the work, currently titled Paddington: The Musical. The project is being adapted from Michael Bond's beloved series and the recent film adaptations.

'The Color Purple' Artisans Break Down the Giant Record Player Scene

variety.com: “The Color Purple” director Blitz Bazawule hesitated to take on the latest incarnation of Alice Walker’s sacred text. However, when he revisited the book, the first line (“Dear God, I’m 14 years old”) struck him as a way to navigate a familiar story and “keep expanding Celie’s imagination.”

New Broadway Demographic Report Shows Record BIPOC Audience Share

Playbill: The Broadway League has released its demographic report tracking Broadway audiences in the 2022-2023 season. One of the most interesting data points is the season saw audiences that were 29% BIPOC, the largest share seen since the data has been collected. This data point indicates that efforts to increase outreach to non-white audiences, one of the industry's focuses upon its 2021 post-COVID return, are working, even if there is still more to do.

2023 The Black List Reveals Best Unproduced Scripts

IndieWire: The “most liked” scripts include 76 feature screenplays by 80 writers, selected by more than 375 film executives. In the 19th edition of the annual list, the topics range from a Tom Hanks meta satire to a time-traveling couple who try to fall out of love. The making of ill-fated Broadway production “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” a Patsy Cline biopic, and the true story behind the feud between Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller are also among the selected scripts.

The Hollyland Mars 400S Pro II Expands Your Wireless Video

nofilmschool.com: Despite what all of the AI news might make it appear, the world of film and video is still very much defined by the hardware—not the software of the future. And one of the best killer features in today’s video profession is wireless production.

Broadway Grosses Were Down In 2022-2023, But Audience Was Younger

The Hollywood Reporter: In the 2022-2023 Broadway season, the first full season since theaters were closed due to the pandemic, audience numbers were down by 17 percent from 2018-2019, according to a study released Monday by the Broadway League.

IAAPA Brass Ring Awards 2023 honor innovation and industry

InPark Magazine: It is gratifying to wrap up the year with an acknowledgment of work well done. With the annual Brass Ring Awards, IAAPA rewards innovation and helps bring it into the spotlight for the benefit of everyone in the industry. The Awards were a highlight of IAAPA Expo 2023 as they are every November in Orlando. Here, we share a selection of Best New Product Awards highlighting rides and technologies, and Impact Awards recognizing outstanding exhibitions on the IAAPA Expo tradeshow floor.

Sen. Kobuchar: One-Sided Fans First Act Demands Further Action

www.ticketnews.com: With Friday’s news of the “Fans First” Act being introduced to the senate, support for the bill was quick to materialize – exclusively among the already powerful companies within the live events and ticketing industry, including Live Nation Entertainment, its chairman Michael Rapino, and its ticketing subsidiary, Ticketmaster.

Kennywood's Holiday Lights voted one of the nation's best theme park holiday events

CBS Pittsburgh: Kennywood's Holiday Lights was voted one of the nation's best theme park holiday events for the second year in a row. This year, Holiday Lights came in at No. 9 on USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice list for best theme park holiday events. It made the list last year too, also ranking in the ninth spot.

How Carol Kane Crafted Pelia's Accent For Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

www.slashfilm.com: At the end of the first season of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," the U.S.S. Enterprise had lost its chief engineer, Lieutenant Hemmer (Bruce Horak), to a Gorn egg that had been implanted inside his body. At the beginning of the second season, audiences were introduced to a new character named Pelia (Carol Kane) an engineer who had no intention of serving on board the ship.

Artificially Intelligent Future for Stage and Production Managers

www.theatreartlife.com: Last year at USITT, I attended four seminars about Artificial Intelligence, all about using A.I. image generators to inspire or generate contents for design projects. There was one conversation I found especially fascinating: “Do you think A.I. will eventually replace designers?” “No, but I think designers who use A.I. will eventually replace those who don’t.”

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

How Do Paint Colors Get Their Names?

Builder Magazine: While paint names don’t immediately conjure images of specific colors, they are intended to invoke feelings. It’s all part of a process used by paint companies to appeal to not only the eyes but also the heart. It’s as much about an emotional connection as it is about visual contentment.

Posted by David at 12/07/2023 10:50:00 AM

The Gingerbread City in New York features gingerbread houses by architects

www.archpaper.com: This holiday season, with the sounds of Dean Martin’s A Marshmallow World festively ringing in your ears, you can feast your eyes on a model-sized city made from gingerbread, marshmallows, candy, and lots and lots of frosting that has been designed and built by over 50 of New York architecture’s biggest names.

Posted by David at 12/04/2023 11:06:00 AM

Pantone announces Peach Fuzz as the 2024 Color of the Year

www.archpaper.com: With another year coming to and end, it’s time to prepare for the one ahead. In the design world, this passage of time is marked by Pantone’s annual Color of the Year announcement. For 2024, the color to watch is PANTONE 13-1023, also known as Peach Fuzz.

Posted by David at 12/08/2023 09:41:00 AM

‘Boop!’ review: Betty’s gorgeous musical builds a colorful, tuneful, graceful world for cartoon heroine

Chicago Sun-Times: Think the Nicholas Brothers meet the Ziegfeld Follies meet the Rockettes and you get an idea of extraordinary athleticism, precision, grace and sheer show-stoppery Mitchell puts on stage. But while “Boop!” looks and sounds terrific, the plot purportedly driving the show is an overstuffed mess that defies logic, even for a story about a cartoon. It also treats its supporting characters like afterthoughts, which makes the subplots forgettable at best, laborious more often.

Posted by David at 12/08/2023 09:55:00 AM

High Schools in U.K. and U.S. Chosen to Be 1st to Produce School Edition of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Playbill: Two lucky schools have been selected to produce the first-ever pilot productions of the new school edition of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The U.K.'s Riverside School in Barking will be the first, with New Jersey's Hoboken High School following with the work's North American premiere.

Posted by David at 12/06/2023 01:43:00 PM

 

‘Boop!’ review: Betty’s gorgeous musical builds a colorful, tuneful, graceful world for cartoon heroine

Chicago Sun-Times: Think the Nicholas Brothers meet the Ziegfeld Follies meet the Rockettes and you get an idea of extraordinary athleticism, precision, grace and sheer show-stoppery Mitchell puts on stage. But while “Boop!” looks and sounds terrific, the plot purportedly driving the show is an overstuffed mess that defies logic, even for a story about a cartoon. It also treats its supporting characters like afterthoughts, which makes the subplots forgettable at best, laborious more often.

Saltburn's costume designer: “Facebook was a huge resource for me”

British GQ: You're always on the outside looking in at Saltburn. The fictional country estate that lends its name to Emerald Fennell's strange and homoerotic eat-the-rich food fight isn't as much a gilded cage as it is a socioeconomic fortress; magnificent, grand and wholly unwelcoming to aliens. As Paul Rhys' goth waxen butler so often likes to remind us: “lots of people get lost in Saltburn”.

The Dance Year in Review According to AMDA Alumni

Dance Magazine: The team at AMDA believes there isn’t just one way to advance in the dance industry. Rather, there are a plethora of paths dancers can take to find success—and create sustainable, fulfilling, and wide-ranging careers. “With our dynamic fusion of top-notch training along with creativity, we are cultivating well-rounded students and well-rounded dancers,” says Kyle McHargh, a member of AMDA’s principal faculty.

IATSE’s Vanessa Holtgrewe Participates in US Senate AI Insight Forum

www.sportsvideo.org: The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) urged Congress to develop a comprehensive policy framework that ensures entertainment workers are protected as generative artificial intelligence technologies, if left unchecked, represent the next frontier of large-scale online piracy.

Clothing characters in identity

The Mail & Guardian: A great film is a tapestry of elements intricately woven together, but one crucial aspect that often goes unnoticed is costume design. Vosloorus-born Ntokozo Fuzunina Kunene, the talented East Rand costume designer behind film maestro Kagiso Lediga’s latest creation, Classified, played a pivotal role in bringing the characters to life and adding depth to the narrative.

CMU adds extended reality center with PNC, Fujitsu backing

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Virtual reality will find a physical home in the Robotics Innovation Center at Hazelwood Green, a Carnegie Mellon University project set for completion in 2025. But even before that space comes together, the school has launched an Extended Reality Technology Center, with three faculty co-directors and international financing.

IATSE and Teamsters Gear Up for Next Year's Labor Fight

variety.com: Writers returned to work two months ago, and the SAG-AFTRA strike has been over for nearly a month. Production has restarted but won’t be back to full strength until mid-January.

Getting The Right Flow – Logical Approaches To The Live Show

ProSoundWeb: The corporate world calls it “workflow,” and in audio, we generally call it “prepping the show” as well as “load in-load out” and “set up-strike.” But none of it is quite adequate in describing effective practices in our overall approach to every show.

'Waitress: The Musical' Team Talks Movie Musical Version in Theaters

variety.com: After Broadway shut down due to the pandemic, “Waitress” received an arts grant from Chuck Schumer’s office that allowed the production to reopen in 2021. Sara Bareilles, who wrote the music and lyrics, said this opportunity inspired her and the team to make the most of their time back on stage by shooting a live recording.

Benefits of Obtaining a Film Permit

FilmLA: Though it has its share of global competitors, Greater Los Angeles remains one of the most convenient destinations for filmmaking, due in no small part to the film industry's long and celebrated presence here. On any given day, upwards of 120 simultaneous productions are underway in Greater Los Angeles. Even with this volume, a recent FilmLA survey found that, by and large, filming is welcome in local neighborhoods.

Review: Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme Reign as Holiday Queens at Heinz Hall

onstagepittsburgh.com: The holidays can be a drag, but Slay Belles might make your days merry and bright. Or at least, really, really sparkly. The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show flew into Heinz Hall Wednesday night with an abundance of clever good cheer, bawdy energy and yes, heart. But this was not one for the kiddies (seriously). “Jinkx, you can’t do drugs on stage,” sang DeLa in the opening number “It’s that kind of holiday show.”

Pantone announces Peach Fuzz as the 2024 Color of the Year

www.archpaper.com: With another year coming to and end, it’s time to prepare for the one ahead. In the design world, this passage of time is marked by Pantone’s annual Color of the Year announcement. For 2024, the color to watch is PANTONE 13-1023, also known as Peach Fuzz.

Kate Middleton on ‘The Crown’: How costume designers recreated her style

CNN: For five-and-a-half seasons, “The Crown” has dazzled viewers with its depictions of glamor, from the regal elegance of the young Queen Elizabeth touring the Commonwealth, to the jet-set chic of Princess Margaret and Princess Diana’s parade of iconic looks. But with sixth and final season spanning the late ’90s and early 2000s — a period that coincides with the deaths of Diana (played in this season by Elizabeth Debicki), Margaret (Leslie Manville), and Mary, the Queen Mother — the show’s Emmy-winning costume department has readjusted its focus, as the old guard gives way to the new generation of royals.

Maintenance Blitz In Niagara Falls: Showing Up Is Half The Battle, But Being In The Right Country Helps...

ProSoundWeb: Back in the mid-zeros (2000s), I was mainly making my living as an audio repair tech and doing frequency coordination gigs when they came along. I had workshop space in the back of a local sound company where I repaired equipment for them as well as my other clients.

Nail Your Labor Productivity Numbers

JLC Online: Estimating labor costs for an in-house crew is the most severe challenge facing estimators. That’s not surprising, because labor cost is the most difficult number to get right in cost forecasts for many types of production. In manufacturing, actual labor cost often varies from the projected “ideal” cost of labor by 100%. By the time bathroom breaks, overly long pauses for lunch, chattiness, absenteeism, turnover, equipment breakdown, and the impact of hazards on the factory floor have been figured in, labor hours actually spent to produce a given item may bear no resemblance to the hours projected in a manager’s quiet office.

Carnegie Mellon Launches New XR Technology Center

www.govtech.com: Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) recently launched a new research center focusing on the development of new extended reality (XR) technologies that might transform industries like education and health care.

First Panasonic media processor to simplify multi-projection

www.avinteractive.com: Panasonic Connect Europe is to launch the first of a new range of Media Processors in 2024 designed for efficient multi-projection. Ideal for the growing market in touring and fixed installation immersive experiences, the product will simplify workflows whilst delivering high-quality content with Panasonic projectors.

How Do Paint Colors Get Their Names?

Builder Magazine: While paint names don’t immediately conjure images of specific colors, they are intended to invoke feelings. It’s all part of a process used by paint companies to appeal to not only the eyes but also the heart. It’s as much about an emotional connection as it is about visual contentment.

SAG-AFTRA Members Ratify New Contract With 78% in Favor

www.thewrap.com: SAG-AFTRA members have ratified the union’s new contract with Hollywood studios by 78.33% of the vote, ending a historic year for Hollywood labor marked by the industry’s first double strike since 1960.

"Barbie" Costume Designer Jacqueline Durran Unpacks That Eye-Popping Wardrobe

The Credits: British costume designer Jacqueline Durran, unlike Greta Gerwig, barely felt any attachment to Barbie dolls during her childhood. On the other hand, she’d enjoyed a fruitful collaboration with Gerwig on Little Women, for which Durran won an Oscar. So when the writer-director invited Durran to design clothes for Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as life-sized dolls in her feminist comedy Barbie, Durran promptly pivoted 180 degrees from Little Women‘s subdued 19th-century aesthetic and conjured a candy-colored wardrobe inspired by Mattel’s line of plastic figurines.

Project Scheduling Still Struggles Over Software Honesty Issues

Engineering News-Record: I view much of what’s happened in critical path method (CPM) scheduling and planning as a direct offspring of the ENR cover story, “Off the Critical Path,” published in 2003. It discussed widespread abuses of scheduling software that several critics, including me, said were used to produce badly flawed or deliberately deceptive schedules. Those schedules looked good but lacked mathematical coherence or common sense about the way work is done. The result was confusion, delays and lawsuits.

This Month in Theatre History

AMERICAN THEATRE: Excelsior, the first stage production to use electric lighting, opened at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Dec. 31 after a successful run at Niblo’s Garden in New York City earlier in the year. Producers Imre and Bolossy Kiralfy consulted with Thomas Edison on the best methods for the use of his incandescent light bulb, invented a few years earlier, onstage.

Meow Wolf’s Dale Sheehan On Changing The Status Quo

Live Design Online: Eventually, the dumpster-diving, disruptive style of art that they brought into the community became pop-up shows that traveled around the country. Sheehan says they wanted to build immersive, maximalist, experiential art and accidentally invented it along the way.

Our First Test of Meta's AI Image Generator Was a Flop

gizmodo.com: Meta released a standalone AI image generator on Wednesday that will convert your text-based queries into fantastical, high-resolution images in mere seconds. The free tool, Imagine with Meta AI, is powered by Emu, the company’s image foundation model.

Theatregoers to be petitioned outside Australian venues amid ongoing actors’ pay dispute

Culture | The Guardian: Theatregoers can expect to be leafletted by union delegates outside Australian performance venues in the new year, in a campaign to lift the pay of about 6,000 actors and dancers.

High Schools in U.K. and U.S. Chosen to Be 1st to Produce School Edition of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Playbill: Two lucky schools have been selected to produce the first-ever pilot productions of the new school edition of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The U.K.'s Riverside School in Barking will be the first, with New Jersey's Hoboken High School following with the work's North American premiere.

Broadway musical 'How to Dance in Ohio' stars 7 autistic actors

NPR: Even before the action of the Broadway musical How to Dance in Ohio starts, its seven autistic actors walk onstage – as themselves – and tell the audience about what they're going to see. "If you've met one autistic person, you have met one autistic person," one says. The audience laughs.

Prison Shakespeare at Milan's Young Offenders Institute

The Theatre Times: Since 2015 my theatre studies colleague, Cristina Cavecchi, and I have been leading Shakespeare prison workshops at the Puntozero Beccaria Theatre. This two-hundred-seater theatre is the only one in Europe situated inside a Young Offenders Institution, which is fully accessible to the general public. Every year, we join founders and artistic directors, Giuseppe Scutellà and Lisa Mazoni, to set up a new workshop, whose participants are a mix of university students (from the Humanities and Law faculties at Milan University), members of Puntozero Beccaria company, and young inmates. The prison workshop is also unusual in that university students receive credits for their attendance.

Vari-Lite promotes sustainability with higher output VL2600 Series light engine upgrade

LightSoundJournal.com: Vari-Lite, the Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) entertainment lighting brand and originators of the modern moving head light fixture, today announced a new, higher output light engine upgrade for their workhorse VL2600 Series fixtures. The light engine upgrade provides significantly higher output to the popular line of moving head luminaires while aligning with Signify’s commitment to sustainability by promoting circular economy, minimizing waste by extending the existing product lifecycle rather than making iterative new versions, for a positive impact on the environment and society.

Meyer Sound PANTHER gets personal on John Mayer Solo Acoustic Tour

LightSoundJournal.com: Gifted with an emotive voice and extraordinary guitar skills, and drawing on a deep repertoire of chart-topping songs, John Mayer is one of the rare artists able to fill “A level” arenas as a true solo act. The rousing success of his recently concluded Solo Acoustic Tour relied on an intimate connection with his audience, accomplished aurally via a reinforcement system of Meyer Sound PANTHER™ large-format linear line array loudspeakers provided by UltraSound.

A Theatre of Elsewhere

The Theatre Times: For some of us, the critical process, our practice – that is, what we do – is a continuous and contentious intersection of reading, thinking, challenging, transgressing, swerving and writing. It is often an exploration of interstices, of betweenness, of neither as a space, of looking elsewhere, and so the conducive literary figures are those whose work accommodates such a stuttering process of contraction and expansion, what James Joyce has called peristaltic, as style and heuristic, one that is as much undoing as doing.

Ren Klyce (‘The Killer’ sound designer, editor, mixer) video interview

GoldDerby: You wouldn’t think that Ren Klyce would have a whole lot more to learn about his job as a sound professional on movies. He’s been at it for nearly 30 years, going back to “Se7en” in 1995 and presiding as director David Fincher‘s designated sound guy ever since.

Best Theater of 2023

The New York Times: If 2023 was a tragedy in the world, on New York stages it was a dramedy year, highlighted not only by serious plays with great jokes, but also by flat-out comedies with dark underpinnings. And though not all 10 shows (and various bonuses) on my mostly chronological list below fit that mongrel category, even the gravest of them seem to have gotten the memo that theater should not be a bore or a drag. It should thrill you into thought or, as the case may be, solace.

Katy Sullivan To Be First Woman with Disability In 'Richard III' Lead

www.ticketnews.com: The Tony-nominated actress Katy Sullivan will star in “Richard III” at Chicago’s Shakespeare Theatre, making her the first woman with a disability to play a lead production role.

YPT's It’s a Wonderful Life makes theatre magic with… celery

Intermission: This holiday season, Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre is echoing with sounds of laughter, wonder — and celery. This crunchy vegetable is one of a collection of whacky, whimsical props being used to create the soundscape of Young People’s Theatre’s current production, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play.

Normalizing Rescue Plans within the Circus Community

circustalk.com: In my 18 years working in circus-styled live entertainment, I remain perplexed at how many circus performers find it unsettling to prepare for emergency situations. I have found a common mindset from circus performers to be “If you speak of it, it will come to fruition” and, in turn, rescue training and emergency preparedness are often seen as self-fulfilling prophecies.

Indigenous Theatre Reclaims the Center at Minneapolis’s Guthrie Theater

HowlRound Theatre Commons: For six decades, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has occupied a myriad of cultural “centers”: a historic center of the regional theatre movement, an artistic center for professional theatre in the Midwest, and an erudite center for European “classics”

Holiday Shows in NYC 2023

New York Theater: While there are always new shows in December (see December 2023 New York Theater Openings), the heart of theater during the month is in many ways the annual holiday shows — plays, ballets, operas, concerts, musicals, burlesques, and hybrid entertainments — some of which have reappeared each December for decades. Some are bracingly expensive; most are not. Some are surprisingly raunchy; most are family fare. Some are so popular that they are already sold out (maybe you can plan early for next year.)

What Happens in the Lobby

ASTC: Lobbies require many features to meet the core mission of serving the audience and potentially as a source of revenue. Some organizations want to activate their lobbies during the day, and often it’s important the public can see something exciting and creative is happening day and night.

‘I studied the play in school – I hated it’: Cush Jumbo and David Tennant on playing the Macbeths

Macbeth | The Guardian: David Tennant and Cush Jumbo walk into the Donmar Warehouse’s offices, above the theatre’s rehearsal rooms in Covent Garden, and sit down on a sofa, side by side. Tennant has that look his many fans will instantly be able to call to mind of being at once stressed – with a desperado gleam in his eye – yet mischievously engaged, which has to do with the intelligence he applies to everything, the niceness he directs at everyone.

Broadway Babies, Singing Show Tunes for Seniors

The New York Times: “Oh, baby, give me one more chance,” sang Corey J, a former Little Michael in the Broadway musical “MJ.” Dressed in a black rimmed hat and a black turtleneck, jacket and pants, he slipped through the explosion of joy that is the chord progression of the Jackson 5 song “I Want You Back.”

Original Cast of Peter Allen's Legs Diamond Reunites at New York Public Library for the Performing Arts December 4

Playbill: The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts stages a special reunion of original cast members from Peter Allen’s Legs Diamond December 4. The 1988 Broadway musical was written by Charles Suppon and Harvey Fierstein.

Indoor Arena Rock: Ligabue unleashes the power of TT+ AUDIO

LightSoundJournal.com: Following the success of his concert/event at RCF Arena and his stadium dates in the summer of 2023, Italian rocker Luciano Ligabue returns to perform indoors in Italy and Switzerland with over 25 dates supported by the GTX line array.

10 Works and Performances That Helped Me Make Sense of 2023

The New York Times: “I hope you don’t mind if we carry on,” Juicy says at the end of “Fat Ham.” The other characters in the play then begin cleaning and clearing the stage, an act that affirms Juicy’s proposition and, in this work inspired by Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, suggests that there might be a way for them to work through their shared trauma together.

Roundabout Theatre Company Receives $2 Million Gift From Laura Pels Foundation

Playbill: Fulfilling a pledge made by Laura Pels celebrating Roundabout Theatre Company's 50th anniversary, the Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater has made a $2 million gift to the theatre.

Francine Jamison-Tanchuck (‘The Color Purple’ costumes) interview

GoldDerby: “The original movie was so meaningful to me because of the span of so many different periods and working with the wonderful mentor of mine, Aggie Rodgers,” says “The Color Purple” costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck. “My job was to clothe a lot of the background ladies and shopping for fabrics for Aggie.

Companies Can Now Build Their Own AI Models for Video with Runway and Getty Images

nofilmschool.com: After a few dormant months for AI news (at least compared to the first few months of the year), it feels like the major AI industry players are once again in a back-and-forth arms race unveiling new projects, partnerships and technologies left and right.

KISS Ends 'Physical Existence,' Band to Continue with Avatars

www.ticketnews.com: The iconic glam-rockers of KISS may not be touring in-person anymore, but fans will still be able to “Rock and Roll All Nite” with the band’s new digital avatars, making them immortal.

Exhibition explores how the Victorians are being reimagined in contemporary art

theconversation.com: As you enter Reimag(in)ing the Victorians, a quote from Oscar Wilde faces you from across the room: “The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it.” Wilde’s statement draws the attention of visitors to two things. First, the fact that history is an ever-changing form of representation. And second, that it is form of representation produced by us.

Hyundai and Kia completely rethink the EV drive unit with Uni Wheel idea

Ars Technica: We like weird new engineering ideas here at Ars, and today we have a particularly interesting one in the realm of electric cars. It's called the Uni Wheel, and it has been designed by Hyundai and Kia as a way to revolutionize the layout of an EV powertrain to more efficiently use space. In fact, the automakers say it's not just for cars—the new drive system works with wheel sizes as small as four inches to as large as 25 inches.

Bob Shaw (‘The Gilded Age’ production designer) video interview

GoldDerby: “Bertha is a woman of boundless ambition and if she’s a social climber, she still hasn’t reached the summit,” explains production designer Bob Shaw about the every-expanding scope of the HBO series “The Gilded Age.” Now in its second season, the series centers on Bertha (Carrie Coon), the wife of industrialist robber baron George Russell (Morgan Spector), who attempts to elbow her way into the moneyed society of “old New York.” The designer explains that the biggest challenge of this season versus the first “was to try to be a little bigger.”

For Walter DeShields, 'Crumbs From the Table of Joy' is another teaching experience

The Arts | phillytrib.com: He may be one of the busiest and hard-working performance artists and educators in our area. He’s an actor, but not just an actor. He’s a teacher, but not just a teacher. And he’s an activist, but not just an activist. In fact, Walter DeShields wears so many hats that it’s hard to pick just one that fits him best. He is not only known for his many stage and film roles, but also as a man committed to bringing arts and activism to the Philadelphia community.

Meta Introducing Its Own Generative AI with Emu Video and Emu Edit

nofilmschool.com: Now finally in the last month of 2023, we can safely say that this has 100% been the year of AI. And, sadly, perhaps, it sounds like 2024—and countless years into the future—will also be all about AI as well. That’s mostly because these AI wars are just starting to heat up really as another major player is stepping further into the game.

Film Sound roundtable panel with 2024 awards contenders

GoldDerby: Michael Semanick (re-recording mixer on the animated feature “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse“) remembers the moment like it was yesterday, but in fact it was 1976. He was 13. And one day, his sisters came home to their house in the Bay Area and announced, “”Hey, we’ve got tickets to go to a concert!” The concert was Paul McCartney and Wings at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.

The Gingerbread City in New York features gingerbread houses by architects

www.archpaper.com: This holiday season, with the sounds of Dean Martin’s A Marshmallow World festively ringing in your ears, you can feast your eyes on a model-sized city made from gingerbread, marshmallows, candy, and lots and lots of frosting that has been designed and built by over 50 of New York architecture’s biggest names.

BTS Video Gives Cool Look At Iconic Legs Taking Over The Sphere

brobible.com: The Radio City Rockettes are taking their talents to the Sphere in Las Vegas, kind of. They will be featured daily on the exosphere as part of a first-of-its-kind activation throughout the holiday season.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse mixer Michael Semanick interview

GoldDerby: Anyone who has seen the ambitious animated feature “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” would agree that sound plays a major role in distinguishing the movie and its supersized story, helping to identify the dizzying array of environments. That made Michael Semanick‘s task as re-recording mixer feel particularly daunting to the two-time Academy Award winner.

Squid Game The Challenge: Netflix Series Designed New Glass Bridge

IndieWire: “Squid Game: The Challenge” has to literalize, at human scale, the games the original Hwang Dong-hyuk series takes an (understandably) limited, narrative perspective through. It’s both a production design and game design problem to solve: How much space do 456 people need to play a game of red light/green light? How can you build a glass bridge that’s safe enough to jump on but high enough to hurl into an abyss the players who fail?

‘Oppenheimer’ supervising sound editor Richard King video interview

GoldDerby: The Christopher Nolan-directed biopic “Oppenheimer” tells the story about scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. It features the sound design and supervising sound editing work of Richard King. That King was hired to be in charge of the film’s sound is hardly a surprise. It’s the eighth movie that the four-time Academy Award-winning sound man has collaborated on with Nolan

Sage Gateshead Concert Hall In The UK Upgrades Main Auditorium Audio With RCF

ProSoundWeb: Sage One, the primary auditorium at the Sage Gateshead concert hall that overlooks the River Tyne in northeast England, recently upgraded its main sound reinforcement system with RCF HDL 30-A line arrays joined by 10 SUB 9006-AS subwoofers, with all new inventory supplied by Ingram AV.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

How to sound smart in a meeting

www.fastcompany.com: You may be incredibly bright, but showing your intelligence in the moment can be challenging, like if you’re called on unexpectedly in a meeting. The most significant barrier to communicating effectively and sounding smart is the fact that we all get nervous

Posted by David at 12/01/2023 11:01:00 AM

Is 32 hour workweek better than a 4 day week?

www.fastcompany.com: I often think about the Maggie Smith line in Downton Abbey “What is a weekend?” Being a Countess, she didn’t know what a weekend was because she had no workweek. But there was a time in the not so distant past when working Americans also had never heard of a weekend for the opposite reason: They often worked six or seven days a week.

Posted by David at 12/01/2023 10:55:00 AM

History of Pittsburgh’s Mellon Institute & its extra column mystery

90.5 WESA: In Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, there’s a massive temple to science. For nearly a century, the Mellon Institute has been a top research facility, helping to study air quality, create skinless hotdogs and even frozen orange juice.

Posted by David at 12/01/2023 10:57:00 AM

CMU students, faculty and alumni help City Theatre celebrate 'Christmas at Pemberley'

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Not every city has the resources necessary for artists to enjoy a thriving career in their hometowns. Luckily for Kyle Haden, his hometown happens to be Pittsburgh. “As a kid who grew up here, it’s just cool to know that you don’t have to go far to have these possibilities,” said Haden, a Bethel Park native.

Posted by David at 11/30/2023 10:55:00 AM

Top 10 Theater to be Grateful for in 2023

New York Theater: My yearly list of New York stage shows for which I’m most grateful, which I started posting every Thanksgiving more than a decade ago, returns more or less to normal this year, as the theater itself has returned more or less to normal, after a year of shutdown (and online innovation), a second year of reopening, and a third year of recovery.

Posted by David at 11/27/2023 01:12:00 PM

 

Seeing Theatre’s Future in Warsaw

AMERICAN THEATRE: Members of Theater Mitu, our Brooklyn-based company, traveled to Warsaw in early September, a full day before the Generation After Festival was set to begin. Upon landing, we saw a city of 1.7 million people basking in a brilliant sun—and we were fantastically jetlagged. The clarity and sparkle of the light was filtered through the lush greenery and vibrant energy of contemporary Warsaw.

SAG-AFTRA Releases 129-Page Deal Doc for Review During Vote

www.thewrap.com: SAG-AFTRA released the draft of their deal with the major studios Friday, known as a memorandum of agreement. While they’ve released shorter summaries of the actors’ tentative deal before, this 129-page document dives deeper into specifics as AI protections remain a flashpoint in the ongoing vote by members.

Best Table Saws for 2023

Pro Tool Reviews: Anyone who loves working with wood dreams of having a wood shop with an expensive table saw. Most people can’t afford the table saw of their dreams, but there are cheaper options packed with great features that provide the power and precision you need for almost any job. Use this guide to answer the question what is the best table saw?

Robe Is Hot At Medusa Festival

Live Design Online: Spain’s Medusa festival offers a sizzling DJ line up from all around the world embracing a lively mix of dance genres in a fantastic seaside location at Cullera beach in Valencia by the mouth of the Jucar River. The 2023 event was enjoyed by over 250,000 people across 6 days of sun, smiles and superlative music.

Roland DGA and Western Sensibility Push the Limits of Surface Design

Sign Builder Illustrated: Wide format digital imaging leader Roland DGA announces its partnership with Western Sensibility—an art-driven surface design and digital printing studio—to further introduce digital printing technology to the interior design and architecture industries.

Q&A With J.T. Rooney, President Of XR Studios

Live Design Online: J.T. Rooney will be a featured speaker at LDI's XR & Virtual Production: Creating Immersive Experiences session on Saturday, December 2 in Las Vegas. Live Design chats with this guru of immersive experiences utilizing modern technology in extended, augmented, and virtual reality.

How to sound smart in a meeting

www.fastcompany.com: You may be incredibly bright, but showing your intelligence in the moment can be challenging, like if you’re called on unexpectedly in a meeting. The most significant barrier to communicating effectively and sounding smart is the fact that we all get nervous

History of Pittsburgh’s Mellon Institute & its extra column mystery

90.5 WESA: In Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, there’s a massive temple to science. For nearly a century, the Mellon Institute has been a top research facility, helping to study air quality, create skinless hotdogs and even frozen orange juice.

Is 32 hour workweek better than a 4 day week?

www.fastcompany.com: I often think about the Maggie Smith line in Downton Abbey “What is a weekend?” Being a Countess, she didn’t know what a weekend was because she had no workweek. But there was a time in the not so distant past when working Americans also had never heard of a weekend for the opposite reason: They often worked six or seven days a week.

HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO Will Receive Leader in Adult Autism Award

www.broadwayworld.com: The Autism Society of America has announced that the cast and crew of the new Broadway musical, How to Dance in Ohio will be honored with The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Leader in Adult Autism Award for 2023 on December 1st, 2023, at the Belasco Theater in New York City.