A Tiananmen Square Musical Worries About China’s Glare

The New York Times: When it was announced that Zachary Noah Piser would be playing the lead role in “Tiananmen: A New Musical,” he happened to be on a concert tour of five Chinese cities with a group of Broadway actors. One day later, Piser, who played the title role in “Dear Evan Hansen” on Broadway last year, posted a short statement on Instagram, where most of his posts are bright and colorful.

Addressing Copyright, Compensation Issues in Generative AI

News - Carnegie Mellon University: Recent work by Carnegie Mellon University researchers tackles the thorny issues of copyright and compensation for generative AI models that create new images. A team in the School of Computer Science's Generative Intelligence Lab collaborated with Adobe Research and the University of California, Berkeley, to develop two algorithms to help generative AI models take important steps on these issues.

Actors’ Equity Seeks to Unionize Broadway Production Assistants

The New York Times: Actors’ Equity, the labor union representing American stage performers and stage managers, is seeking to unionize Broadway production assistants, one of the few nonunion segments of the industry work force. The campaign comes at a moment when labor unions in the United States have become increasingly restive; there are organizing efforts in many sectors of the economy, and Hollywood’s writers and actors have been on strike for months.

WGA Deal Is Done—But When Will Hollywood Be Back to Normal?

www.yahoo.com: The Writers Guild of America halted its pickets Sunday thanks to a tentative agreement that could soon send striking screenwriters back to work. Late-night shows are already charting their return, Variety reports, pending guild leaders’ meeting Tuesday. But the end of the WGA’s strike does not mean that Hollywood’s labor fight is over; by all indications, it’s just getting started.

Fyre Fest II Receives $3.3M Worth of Ticket Applications

www.ticketnews.com: Fyre Fest might have gone down as the most disastrous failed music festival of all time, but that’s not stopping people from buying tickets to the second attempt in 2024 — at least, according to founder Billy McFarland.

Why Seattle Shakespeare taking over Book-It scene shop is important to Seattle theater

The Seattle Times: When Book-It Repertory Theatre announced its closure earlier this year, company technical director Ben Radin’s phone lit up with the expected messages of condolence, surprise and well wishes. But, he said, the messages also contained concern for something else: What’s going to happen to the shop?

IATSE Issues Statement Condemning Possible U.S. Federal Government Shutdown

IATSE: As our country stands by under the threat of a disastrous government shutdown, I speak on behalf of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees in calling on Congress, and specifically Speaker McCarthy, to pass either a full-year funding package or clean, short-term measure to ensure the uninterrupted operation of our government.

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.

Experience the future of event technology: Trends, tech and talks at Prolight + Sound 2024

LightSoundJournal.com: In a constantly transforming event industry, Prolight + Sound is helping to shape change and providing impulses for the future. From 19 to 22 March 2024, the leading trade fair for the event & entertainment technology industry will open its doors to focus on innovation, inspiration and networking. With a clear commitment to the sector and a broad spectrum of technological innovations, the event proves its reputation as an important international meeting place for manufacturers, decision-makers and creative minds from all areas of event technology.

'Moulin Rouge the Musical' at the Benedum "Can, Can, Can" Deliver Beyond Expectations and Imagination

onstagepittsburgh.com: From the moment you walk into the Benedum Center auditorium, Moulin Rouge the Musical hits different from other musicals. Perhaps that difference is because Scenic Designer Derek McLane transformed the Benedum into the Paris’ Moulin Rouge, the famous club dating back to the late 1800s initially opened to provide a place for the rich to come and slum in a fashionable district where people lived differently from the aristocrats.

Destinos Honors Ancestry, Posterity, y the Creative Alchemists de Hoy

AMERICAN THEATRE: It is no secret that Chicago is home to legendary godparents of Latiné theatre, folks with artistry as magnificent as their warm personalities. In chronicling Destinos, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance’s annual, international festival, several names come up who have fought for space: director Henry Godinez, writer Tanya Saracho, National Museum of Mexican Art founder Carlos Tortolero, and, chief among them, CLATA co-founder and executive director Myrna Salazar, who passed last summer. The impact of such trailblazers cannot be overstated, as we see the stories and storytellers they’ve uplifted spread as far and wide as good chisme.

Review Roundup: MELISSA ETHERIDGE- MY WINDOW Opens On Broadway!

www.broadwayworld.com: Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Melissa Etheridge has lit up airwaves and arenas across the world for more than two decades with instant classics like “I'm the Only One,” “Come to My Window,” “I Want to Come Over,” and more. Melissa Etheridge: My Window is an intimate experience like never before, inviting theatergoers into an evening of storytelling and music.

WGA Strike: How Writers and Studios Reached a Deal, Explained

variety.com: The backchanneling began to pick up steam after the WGA strike passed the 60-day mark and actors joined writers on picket lines in July. At that pivotal point, Chris Keyser and David Goodman, co-chairs of the Writers Guild of America negotiating committee, began having numerous conversations, by phone and in person, with key executives that influenced the course of the negotiations. After 146 days on strike, the WGA and AMPTP came to a tentative three-year agreement on the evening of Sept. 24.

Use These Kinesthetic Methods to Retain What You Study

lifehacker.com: If you focus too hard on your “learning style,” you run the risk of getting boxed in by it. Whether you prefer to learn visually, auditorily, by reading or writing, or kinesthetically, there are benefits to using methods that align with all four of the main styles—and times when you’ll have to, whether you like it or not. Each style has something to offer, so embrace what works within each of them.

Ato Blankson-Wood, Julie White, Brandon Uranowitz Will Perform in Staged Reading of The Laramie Project Benefiting The Trevor Project

Playbill: Ato Blankson-Wood, Julie White, and Brandon Uranowitz will perform in a staged reading of The Laramie Project at Symphony Space. The reading, benefiting The Trevor Project, will be held October 16 at 7 PM. Dustin Wills (Wolf Play, Wet Brain) directs the one-night-only performance.

Microsoft is testing a DALL-E-powered text-to-image creator in Paint for Windows 11

The Verge: Microsoft is testing a DALL-E-powered text-to-image creator in Microsoft Paint for Windows 11, the company announced in a blog post. Called Paint Cocreator, the tool creates art based on a description the user types out.

Disney Aspire Helps Cast Member Achieve Animatronics Dream Role

Disney Parks Blog: Recently celebrating its fifth anniversary, Disney Aspire is the 100% tuition paid upfront education investment program that continues to change the lives of cast members. Meet Brett Crane, who is making his younger self proud as a show controls engineering intern at Walt Disney World Resort. Brett is on the global engineering and technology team working hands-on with Disney thrills, supporting locations like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Soarin’ Over California!

Leslie Odom Jr. stars in 'Purlie Victorious,' a Jim Crow satire on Broadway

NPR: The first revival of Ossie Davis' satire on the Jim Crow south, Purlie Victorious: A Romp Through the Non-Confederate Cotton Patch, is opening on Broadway after a 62-year absence. But the play is no relic – the people involved say its pointed humor speaks to our current world.

The Hollywood Writers' Strike Is Officially Over

The Mary Sue: After five months, the WGA strike is officially over. That’s great news for the film and television industry writers who have fought for nearly 150 days for a fair deal from the AMPTP. Throughout this battle, the WGA has made it clear that they just wanted support and the money they rightfully deserved from those in charge and it took months for the AMPTP (and lost them a lot of money in the process). Now, the writers have reached a deal that works for them and the fight belongs to SAG-AFTRA as their strike continues.

Broadway-Bound Betty Boop Musical Finds Its Betty IN Jasmine Amy Rogers

Deadline: Jasmine Amy Rogers, who recently finished a run as the scene-stealing “Gretchen Wieners” in the national tour of Mean Girls, has been cast in the title role of the pre-Broadway world premiere of BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical.

Massive Eight-Meter Tall Structure Comes to Life at the Melbourne Fringe Festival

CircusTalk: In an exhilarating new creation by Melbourne’s very own One Fell Swoop Circus, “In Common” breathes life into an astonishing 8-meter sculpture crafted from steel and rope. This mesmerizing spectacle features eight acrobats who harness the company’s distinctive style of acrobatics: a blend of heartfelt, powerful, and intimate performances.

'Love Is Blind' Creator Responds to Lawsuit, Allegations: Interview

variety.com: When “Love Is Blind” made its debut on Netflix in 2020, the series introduced a completely new way for people to find love, without all the rules of usual dating. On the show, the single contestants begin dating individuals through a wall, unable to see what the person on the other side looks like. Throughout the process, they can’t meet until they get engaged. Those who do then come face to face, move in together and decide whether they want to go through with their commitment.

Breaking Down What the WGA Won

gizmodo.com: After nearly 150 days on strike, the Writers Guild of America and the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers have finally reached an agreement. The unit members celebrated across the country, and now the WGA has released a Memorandum of Agreement, as well as some additional documents to inform members what nearly five months of withheld work, union solidarity, and standing up for their value has won them. You can read the full Memorandum here.

TICKET Reforms, BOSS/SWIFT Act Mulled at House Committee

www.ticketnews.com: Ticketing took center stage this week at the House of Representatives, as proposed legislation was discussed at a meeting of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce. Bills discussed included the proposed TICKET Act, which would bring “all-in” ticket pricing requirements at the federal level, as well as the much more comprehensive BOSS and SWIFT Act. Also discussed is a proposed overhaul of so-called “speculative” ticketing.

How to Calculate Area in AutoCAD - Part Two

AutoCAD Blog | Autodesk: I absolutely loved the new Quick option of the MEASUREGEOM tool when it was introduced in 2020. My love grew even deeper when it was improved to include areas in the next release. It’s not only quicker but easier—a true win-win. The following year, it was enhanced even more with the addition of the area feature.

Will Video Game Actors Go on Strike? SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike Explained.

The Mary Sue: SAG-AFTRA, the screen actors’ union, has authorized a video game strike! Now, they’ve already been on strike for 75 days as of today, so how was there another vote on a strike authorization recently that was overwhelmingly approved yesterday?

Alterface unveils two new interactive theatres and introduces a compact mobile solution

InPark Magazine: For over two decades, Alterface has been a pioneer in the interactive entertainment landscape, blending cutting-edge technology with a deep understanding of its clients’ needs. Thanks to its compact, easy-to-install technology, this bespoke approach is the key to unlock the full potential of an interactive ride.

Collier’s Weekly: Visit a Kennywood Icon ... in the Dark

Pittsburgh Magazine: For an added fee, guests to the park’s autumn festivities can inch their way through Noah’s Ark in enveloping darkness. In certain corridors, the light disappears completely around a corner, the sounds of the park beyond turn distant and eerie and you’re left to grasp into the darkness hoping you don’t run into one of the haunt actors lurking beyond.

Disney Cast Member Helps Make Halloween Dress Up More Inclusive

Disney Parks Blog: Ariella Hendrix, licensed costumes product design manager for Disney’s Consumer Products, Games and Publishing, grew up loving the costumes she saw on stage. Now, she oversees the development of licensed Halloween costumes and roleplay items—in collaboration with costume companies like Disguise, FUN.com and others—using her creativity to immerse fans in the magic of their favorite Disney stories.

Grant Morrison, Brian Michael Bendis Make Pro-Labor Comic

gizmodo.com: Grant Morrison, Matteo Pizzolo, and Brian Michael Bendis (all WGA members) teamed up with a group of TV writers (also WGA members) to create comics anthology General Strike: Calexit and Other Tales of Fighting the Good Fight. The collection is “dedicated to the struggle for economic equality” and the publisher, Black Mask Studios, “is matching the writers fees with donations to the Entertainment Community Fund.”

How WGA’s Tentative Deal With AMPTP Got Done

The Hollywood Reporter: On Saturday, Sept. 23, Disney CEO Bob Iger was in Beverly Hills, seemingly living his best life. He was at dinner with Paul McCartney and Eagles alum Joe Walsh at La Dolce Vita, an Old World Italian restaurant with long white tablecloths and dark red leather booths. Some people were discreetly snapping photos, as was to be expected with a Beatle in the house.

An inside look at the making of a Broadway musical in ‘Bill Russell: My Side of the Show’ at NYC’s Birdland

DC Theater Arts: It wasn’t the usual jazz concert or cabaret act for which the legendary venue is known, but more of a behind-the-scenes lecture on a slice of theater history, with lessons in the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of bringing a novel idea for a Broadway musical to fruition and the different reactions of theatergoers, critics, and awards’ voters to the show. The illuminating direct-address recollections of its creator were punctuated by a selection of songs from the original and revised versions of Side Show, performed by four powerhouse stars who appeared in past productions.

At Ford’s Theatre, Maynard Jackson’s ex-speechwriter reflects on his legacy

The Washington Post: When Ford’s Theatre contacted Cleage last year about its Legacy Commissions initiative — a newly established incubator for stories involving social justice, racial history, underrepresented characters and lesser-known historical figures — Cleage floated the idea of commemorating Jackson 20 years after his death. Once Ford’s gave the go-ahead, Cleage got to work not on a conventional history play about Jackson’s three terms in office but on a dramatized discourse in which average citizens revisit a more positive political era.

Enchanting Ecosystems Crocheted by Melissa Webb Envelop Interior Spaces with Verdant Fibers

Colossal: Lush, beguiling environments spill across floors and dangle from ceilings in the works of Melissa Webb. The artist dyes and crochets vintage fibers into mossy, botanical forms that when layered and stitched together, become enchanting installations evocative of forests and gardens. Shades of green tend to dominate the textile ecosystems as a nod to “growth, verdancy, and inevitable change,” Webb says.

SAG-AFTRA, AMPTP could meet within days

Reel Chicago News: As the Writers Guild of America (WGA) nears a potential resolution with the studios and streamers, SAG-AFTRA, a union representing 160,000 actors, is gearing up for its own negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

David Byrne Will Host Special Here Lies Love Performance Benefiting Nonprofit Arbutus

Playbill: David Byrne will host a special performance of Here Lies Love on September 28 benefiting his nonprofit, Arbutus. Local educational and community groups will also participate, including Forest Hills High School Filipino Club, Apex for Youth, Broadway for All and NYU.

Why is the prompter strolling around the stage? Meet the secret heroes of German theatre

Theatre | The Guardian: Prompters such as Zumpe are the unsung heroes of a German theatre scene that puts increasingly gargantuan demands on its performers, as it ploughs a path somewhere between the avant garde and the post-pandemic appetite for more traditional entertainment. In Britain and America, as well as in France and Italy, the profession of the souffleur, or prompter, is a thing of the distant past. In productions in London’s West End, cast members are expected to get each other out of a fix if they blank on stage. Exceptions are sometimes made for ageing actors, but even then the more popular solution is an in-ear device that keeps off-stage interventions undetectable.

Commentary: On David Mamet's new play, starring Shia LaBeouf

Los Angeles Times: David Mamet has recently unveiled a new play, “Henry Johnson,” at the Electric Lodge in Venice. Tickets have been so scarce for the production, which features Shia LaBeouf in a top-notch cast, that the September run was extended through Oct. 7. The reason you likely haven’t heard much about this offering is that this is one of Mamet’s clandestine world premieres.

Theresa Rebeck Doubles Down With Two New Plays On and Off Broadway

Observer: In 2007, in The New York Times, Theresa Rebeck revealed the secret ingredients of all her plays: “Betrayal and treason and poor behavior. A lot of poor behavior.” Sixteen years later, those elements are present and accounted for, boiling and bubbling, in both of the new plays that Rebeck has just brought to New York. I Need That—Rebeck’s Broadway entry, which opens Nov. 2 at Roundabout’s American Airlines Theater—concerns an obsessive pack rat lost in his own possessions. And in Dig, which Primary Stages is presenting at Off-Broadway’s 59 East 59 Theaters, the poor behavior centers around the anguished fallout that follows the death of a young child left by a forgetful parent in the backseat of an overheated car.

Hollywood Turns to Actors’ Strike After Writers Agree to Deal

The New York Times: Hollywood’s actors are back in the spotlight. With screenwriters reaching a tentative agreement with the major entertainment studios on a new labor deal on Sunday night, one big obstacle stands in the way of the film and TV industry roaring back to life: ending the strike with tens of thousands of actors. The two sides have not spoken in more than two months, and no talks are scheduled.

'It’s obscene but true': Kelsey Mesa on her terrifying new play, 'La Salpêtrière'

DC Theater Arts: Picture this: Three women, described as “hysterics,” dominate the stage. Two of them do a mad dance around the other, who is lying prone at their feet. That scene is the prologue of La Salpêtrière, a new play written by Kelsey Mesa and produced by Taffety Punk, the remarkable theater company housed at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. It sets the stage, literally, for a drama that veers from dreamlike acceptance of the grotesque to nightmarish demonstrations of hypnosis, used here as a weapon to manipulate, entertain, and destroy.

Leslie Odom Jr. Returns In The Show He’s Wanted To Do For Years

Observer: An unprecedented 16 Tony nominations got showered on Hamilton in 2016, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop history lesson about early America’s foremost economist, Alexander Hamilton, who, back in the day when it was fashionable (1804), dueled to the death with Vice President Aaron Burr.

Broadway Flea Market and Off-Broadway Week return to NYC in October

DC Theater Arts: Two big events are returning to NYC in October that give fans the opportunity to bid on pieces of Broadway history and to attend trailblazing shows for half the regular ticket price in intimate Off-Broadway venues, so mark your calendar to take advantage of these great offers during the first half of the month.

Interview: Michael Conley Is Getting Ready to Bring THE FABULIST FOX SISTER to NYC

www.broadwayworld.com: Later this week, The Green Room 42 will present the New York debut of The Fabulist Fox Sister, the musical comedy stage hit direct from London. The show stars acclaimed writer and performer Michael Conley, features music by Oliver Award nominee Luke Bateman and book and lyrics by Conley, and is produced by Alfred Taylor-Gaunt with Daniel Chowdhury.

Free babysitting on Broadway? A nonprofit helps parents get to the theater

NPR: An arts non-profit has a big goal: to bring occasional free babysitting to every arts institution in the country. This weekend, PAAL, the Parent Artist Advocacy League for Performing Arts and Media, is trying the concept out on Broadway for the first time.

Brian Quijada Takes Audiences on His Mother's Immigration Journey in 'Somewhere Over the Border'

onstagepittsburgh.com: Brian Quijada’s Somewhere Over the Border began with “an epic conversation” between the performance artist and his mother. The Yellow Brick Road that twice has intersected with Pittsburgh came later. You may remember Quijada from Where Do We Sit on the Bus?, a genre mashup, presented by City Theatre, that wondered aloud about belonging.

“Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For” at the Pittsburgh Public Theater

The Pittsburgh Tatler: You might be forgiven if the name Billy Strayhorn is familiar to you, but the specifics of his career and accomplishments are not. A talented and prolific composer and performer, Strayhorn spent the majority of his career out of the limelight, writing music for Duke Ellington and his Orchestra; indeed, many of his songs – like “Take the A Train” and “Satin Doll” – are more readily associated with Ellington than Strayhorn.

Ahad Raza Mir stars in Brampton production of Hamlet

Intermission: Ahad Raza Mir is a self-described nomad. The award-winning Pakistani-Canadian actor has built a robust career across provinces, continents, and disciplines. He’s starred in critically-acclaimed films and Urdu-language television series. Most recently, he’s entered the world of film and television production.

Broadway understudy shares incredible race to 'Aladdin' stage

nypost.com: She wasn’t expecting a magic carpet ride. Mikayla Renfrow, who understudies Princess Jasmine in Broadway’s “Aladdin,” revealed she was helicoptered to the New Amsterdam Theater after being called in last minute while on a Delta Airlines flight from Europe.

Writers Guild, Producers Reach Tentative Agreement, Signaling End of Strike

Playbill: The Writers Guild of America has successfully negotiated a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, likely signaling the end of the strike that began last May.

Writers Strike Deal: WGA & Studios Reach Tentative Agreement

Deadline: The Writers Guild has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to end its strike after nearly five months. The parties finalized the framework of the deal Sunday when they were able to untangle their stalemate over AI and writing room staffing levels. “The WGA and AMPTP have reached a tentative agreement,” the WGA and the AMPTP said in a joint statement this evening.

Writers Guild of America Reaches 'Tentative Agreement' to End Strike

www.broadwayworld.com: The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a tentative agreement to end its strike, Deadline reports. This deal comes after a nearly-five-month-long strike. Pending a vote, WGA is still on strike, but all picketing is hereby suspended.