NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

After Quiet On Set, Is Hollywood Protecting Child Actors?

www.thewrap.com: The shocking revelations from the Investigation Discovery docuseries “Quiet On Set” pulled back the curtain on a slew of workplace abuse allegations involving various Nickelodeon shows from the 1990s and 2000s — and the network’s former longtime writer, producer and showrunner Dan Schneider.

Posted by David at 3/27/2024 10:35:00 AM

Disney and Florida Reach Settlement Deal, Ending Legal War

www.businessinsider.com: The yearlong beef between Disney's CEO Bob Iger and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is over. The board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District — which was DeSantis hand-picked to take control of Disneyworld's special tax district — agreed on Wednesday to settle the state lawsuit brought by Disney.

Posted by David at 3/28/2024 10:46:00 AM

Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes on the shop floor

www.thefabricator.com: Putting yourself in someone else's shoes is a pretty simple concept. It makes me think of job shadowing, when a student is required to find someone to shadow at work for a day and then write a report about it.

Posted by David at 3/28/2024 10:42:00 AM

Tomorrow’s Tamoras and Titanias: How to Heal the High School Space

AMERICAN THEATRE: As some kids grow, they shrink. Standing tall and speaking loud can become impossible when every morning you wake for a school theatre curriculum that denies or defiles your existence. Stories, you quickly learn, can harm as easily as they heal. There are stories that crack open a teenager’s mirror with an outreached pale grip binding them to centuries of tropes and words like barbarous, savage, exotic, ethnic, sexy to the white male gaze.

Posted by David at 3/29/2024 10:31:00 AM

Shooting in ILM’s New StageCraft Volume Virtual Production Facility: DP Pierre Gill on Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Filmmaker Magazine: In the first season of Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the titular teenaged demigod and his compatriots travel across the country, with stops from St. Louis to Las Vegas, on a mission to prevent war among the Greek gods. However, cinematographer Pierre Gill and his crew never left the vicinity of Vancouver.

Posted by David at 3/29/2024 10:28:00 AM

 

The Unpredictable Experiment: 25 Years of Sloan Science Plays

AMERICAN THEATRE: Maybe Wilbur Wright didn’t actually lob this accusation at his brother Orville on the beach at Kitty Hawk, N.C., in 1900, but he did so onstage at New York City’s Ensemble Studio Theatre in November 1997. This was the debut of Flight, a play by Arthur Giron which, like the Wright Brothers’ fateful experiment, also marked the beginning of something big. Flight was the modest kickoff of a long line of science-themed plays supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, in a unique funding program that continues to this day and shows no signs of stopping.

One Down, More To Go: Cinematographers Guild & Studios Reach Tentative Deal On “Local 600 Specific Issues”; Art Directors Guild & Other IATSE Locals Still In Talks

ca.finance.yahoo.com/news: “Today marked the conclusion of our bargaining team’s in-person local negotiations with the AMPTP regarding our Camera and Publicist Agreements,” the leadership of the International Cinematographer’s Guild wrote in a note to members late last night. “We’ve reached a tentative agreement on Local 600 specific issues.”

Final Report Prolight + Sound 2024

LightSoundJournal.com: The event and entertainment technology industry made the exhibition centre in Frankfurt shake over the past four days. In addition to four outdoor stages, numerous performances, live shows and DJ sets, Prolight + Sound also featured exciting panel discussions, keynotes and presentations on the latest trends and products from the light, audio, stage, media and events sectors.

Tomorrow’s Tamoras and Titanias: How to Heal the High School Space

AMERICAN THEATRE: As some kids grow, they shrink. Standing tall and speaking loud can become impossible when every morning you wake for a school theatre curriculum that denies or defiles your existence. Stories, you quickly learn, can harm as easily as they heal. There are stories that crack open a teenager’s mirror with an outreached pale grip binding them to centuries of tropes and words like barbarous, savage, exotic, ethnic, sexy to the white male gaze.

Chinese virtuoso plays 'haptic' holographic piano concert

www.avinteractive.com/news: World-renowned Chinese pianist, Lang Lang, has taken part in a holographic concert, celebrating the centenary of Spanish phone company Telefonica, and the opening of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Dancing Across the Solar System as the Grand Canyon’s Astronomer in Residence

Dance Magazine: When I first imagined choreographing a dance about the connection between the Grand Canyon and how humans explore the solar system, I figured the idea was a little too “out there” to be taken seriously. And yet, last month, I stood at the rim of the Grand Canyon as the park’s official Astronomer in Residence. Perched on a ledge of Kaibab limestone, I began the first gesture phrase that would describe the canyon’s geologic history—and form the backbone for Chasing Canyons, a modern dance solo I premiered at the Grand Canyon’s South Rim on February 23, 2024.

Broadway musical ‘Follies’ makes an ambitious debut with massive moments and legendary showgirls

Las Vegas Weekly: When it debuted in 1971, Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman’s Tony Award-winning musical Follies had one of the biggest budgets of any Broadway production. Its cast was huge with nearly 50 performers, including ghost characters of the central figures’ younger selves. Nothing about it screamed “average.” But everything about it screamed Vegas.

See renderings of the renovated Ellis Island Museum in NYC

www.timeout.com/newyork: Later this year, renovation work will kick off at the Ellis Island Museum, officially catapulting the cultural institution into the 21st century through building upgrades, reimagined installations and improved accessibility scheduled to be completed by 2026.

Shooting in ILM’s New StageCraft Volume Virtual Production Facility: DP Pierre Gill on Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Filmmaker Magazine: In the first season of Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the titular teenaged demigod and his compatriots travel across the country, with stops from St. Louis to Las Vegas, on a mission to prevent war among the Greek gods. However, cinematographer Pierre Gill and his crew never left the vicinity of Vancouver.

A first look at the newly reopened Brooklyn Paramount historic theater

www.timeout.com: It’s been a long time coming, but the Brooklyn Paramount is finally open again following millions of dollars and years of renovations led by Live Nation. Before restoration began a couple of years ago, the iconic venue—which first opened in the 1920s as a movie theater before it became a concert hall for acts like Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington—was a basketball arena and classrooms for Long Island University.

Lawo & zactrack Demo Automated Stage Tracking-Based Live Mixing At 2024 Prolight + Sound

ProSoundWeb: At the recent 2024 Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt, Lawo and zactrack, an incubator focused on the development of VR, AR, and XR systems for the entertainment industry, hosted a joint “Theater Future Tech Reception,” providing attendees with a look into the future of automated, object-based live audio mixing workflows.

6 Theatre Workers You Should Know

AMERICAN THEATRE: By day, Montero works as the production manager at NSU University School, and by night she’s the resident lighting designer at Zoetic Stage, where she’s been designing for the past decade. A Carbonell winner for her lighting design, she’s been nominated four times.

The Mellon Foundation gives $1 million to three theaters based on leadership

NPR: "Largely white, affluent, older." That's Jacob Padrón's description of the traditional audience for Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Conn., where he's artistic director. But that profile applies to other established regional theaters as well. "That was the demographic, that continues to be the demographic, but that's changing," he said.

Review Roundup: Ivo Van Hove, Rufus Wainwright Musical OPENING NIGHT Opens In London

www.broadwayworld.com: Read reviews for the World Premiere of John Cassavetes’ OPENING NIGHT a new musical with book by Ivo Van Hove and music and lyrics by Rufus Wainwright, starring Sheridan Smith.

World Theater Day 2024: 10 great world theaters. 10 great New York theater books

New York Theater: In honor of World Theater Day, celebrated internationally every March 27th since 1962, here are 10 beautiful theaters from around the world, and 10 great books about New York theater.

Raising the Dead goes beyond the horror and zombies that made George A. Romero

Screen | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper: Adam Charles Hart watched his first George A. Romero film as many fans of a certain age did — on a random VHS tape. The author and film studies educator recalls how, when he was a teen, his mother brought home a copy of Dawn of the Dead knowing nothing about it.

Disney and Florida Reach Settlement Deal, Ending Legal War

www.businessinsider.com: The yearlong beef between Disney's CEO Bob Iger and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is over. The board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District — which was DeSantis hand-picked to take control of Disneyworld's special tax district — agreed on Wednesday to settle the state lawsuit brought by Disney.

The Path: How 6 Actors Learned Their Craft

AMERICAN THEATRE: Just as there’s no one right way to act, there’s no one right way to learn to do it. Ask a room full of actors how they acquired the skills, life experience, and confidence they needed to be successful at their craft and their trade, and each will give you a different answer.

As a trans actor, I’m dismayed by the “testosterone-driven” concept of the all-male Macbeth at Quintessence

Broad Street Review: When Quintessence Theatre Group artistic director Alex Burns announced that the company’s spring 2024 production of Macbeth would “return to its classic roots and the presentation of all-male Shakespeare,” and called the play one of Shakespeare’s “most ferocious and testosterone-driven tragedies,” the Philly theater community took notice.

Concord Theatricals Awards A CHORUS LINE Licensing Package To Ten Schools In Under-Resourced Communities

www.broadwayworld.com: Concord Theatricals has revealed the winners of their One Singular Sensation: A Chorus Line Licensing Competition, which awarded ten schools in low-income communities a complimentary license package to perform A Chorus Line: Teen Edition in 2024 or 2025, to honor the 80th anniversary of Marvin Hamlisch's birth and the 50th anniversary of the original Broadway production.

Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes on the shop floor

www.thefabricator.com: Putting yourself in someone else's shoes is a pretty simple concept. It makes me think of job shadowing, when a student is required to find someone to shadow at work for a day and then write a report about it.

The Media Line: HIT Students Bring Joy to Disabled Children with 'Dream Costumes' Project for Purim

SRN News: For the forthcoming Purim festivities, Holon Institute of Technology (HIT) students are spearheading the “Dream Costumes” project, which aims to design, craft, and customize costumes for Beit Issie Shapiro’s students with disabilities. Just in time for the holiday revelry, 30 children between the ages of 3 and 13 and reliant on wheelchairs or walkers, will don Purim attire that seamlessly incorporates mobility aids.

Rebecca Frecknall Is Bringing ‘Cabaret’ Back to Broadway

The New York Times: When Rebecca Frecknall was a child, one of her favorite things to watch was a televised 1993 London revival of “Cabaret,” which her father had recorded on VHS tape. As the British theater director grew up, she hoped that one day she would stage a version of the musical, in which a writer falls in love with an exuberant and wayward cabaret performer in Weimar-era Germany.

Misty Copeland reflects on the ‘generational trauma’ felt by Black ballet dancers

Entertainment | phillytrib.com: Misty Copeland has grown used to having the spotlight on her at center stage. In 2015, Copeland sprang into the highest echelons of dance when she became the first African American woman to be a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, one of the most prestigious and well-renowned dance companies in the world.

Seattle’s theaters lean on an age-old funding model to bring new audiences

The Seattle Times: Companionable energy crackles though theater lobbies before many a preview performance and opening night, as the company’s artistic and managing directors meet and greet, shaking hands and catching up with the familiar faces they see at every show. Those faces light up as audience members recognize one another, fellow usual suspects, and their friendly chatter follows you into the theater before the lights go down: How are the kids, how was your trip, did you see the last Broadway show at the Paramount, what did you think of the Rep’s recent season announcement? These are subscribers, passionate fans whose dedication helps keep Seattle’s theaters afloat.

When Hollywood Needs a Historically Accurate Outfit That Looks Just Right, It Turns to Rabbit Goody

Arts & Culture| Smithsonian Magazine: Even before you walk into the prefabricated steel building set in the woods off a country road, you’ll hear a muffled clacking sound. Once you step through the door into the workroom of Thistle Hill Weavers outside of Cherry Valley, New York, the noise from the electric-powered mechanized looms grows almost deafening. A peek into the weaving room shows workers, wisely, wearing ear protectors. Labeled archival boxes crammed on floor-to-ceiling shelves almost fill the workroom, leaving just enough space for several wooden floor looms.

How do you create an immersive experience?

Christie Spotlight blog: An immersive experience is transformative: it takes an otherwise unremarkable space and turns it into a whole new world. Add interactivity, cool content, and industry-leading tech, and it’s an experience you don’t want to miss.

Falcon’s Creative Group reveals key role in first-ever Dragon Ball theme park

Amusement Today: Falcon’s Creative Group, a division of Falcon’s Beyond Global, Inc. (FBYD) (“Falcon’s” or the “Company”), a global themed entertainment powerhouse and visionary innovator in immersive storytelling, is proud to announce they are the master planner, attraction designer and creative guardian of the first-ever Dragon Ball theme park.

Revolutionizing Construction: The Rise of 3D-Printed Nanocellulose

Architect Magazine: 3D printing has been heralded as an environmentally advantageous method to make building products. One benefit is the potential material savings associated with reduced formwork or molds. Another is the energy savings in transportation and other distribution-related activities when products are fabricated on-site.

After Quiet On Set, Is Hollywood Protecting Child Actors?

www.thewrap.com: The shocking revelations from the Investigation Discovery docuseries “Quiet On Set” pulled back the curtain on a slew of workplace abuse allegations involving various Nickelodeon shows from the 1990s and 2000s — and the network’s former longtime writer, producer and showrunner Dan Schneider.

This CEO Says Women Need Supportive Network to Thrive in Construction

JLC Online: Armed with a team of women, Hope Renovations, based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, builds and renovates for older adults to age in place while also instilling confidence in women and gender-expansive individuals to pursue construction careers through its pre-apprenticeship program. BUILDER talked with Spencer to learn more about her career in construction as well as the work Hope Renovations is doing.

Margarette Joyner Highlights Untold Narratives Through Costume Design

qcnerve.com: When people think of Black history, African history, or the like, they tend to gravitate to the horrors of said history. While learning about the atrocities that occurred during past time periods remains important, other stories exist. In fact, it’s just as critical to spread those narratives that depict Black people as more than being enslaved.

Introducing Bill of Materials (BOM) for Autodesk Fusion

Fusion Blog: The March 2024 release of Fusion marks the beginning of our Bill of Materials (BOM) journey. The new capabilities surface BOM data based on your designs, so as a model evolves the BOM will as well. The Fusion BOM is available within the design environment for designers and engineers, and colleagues in other departments who need the BOM to support their job functions will have access within the Fusion web experience.

Shure Webinar: Celebrating Women in Tech

Live Sound - LightSoundJournal.com: Join “Celebrating Women in Tech – Live Sound,” an event led by Shure’s President and CEO Chris Schyvinck, as she hosts a panel of talented female sound engineers and technicians from around the world to discuss challenges, opportunities, and the future of live sound and touring. THURSDAY, MARCH 28TH @ 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM CST

Cabaret’s Endurance Run: The Untold History

Vanity Fair: As director Rebecca Frecknall was rehearsing a new cast for her hit London revival of Cabaret, the actor playing Clifford Bradshaw, an American writer living in Berlin during the final days of the Weimar Republic, came onstage carrying that day’s newspaper as a prop. It happened to be Metro, the free London tabloid commuters read on their way to work. The date was February 25, 2022. When the actor said his line—“We’ve got to leave Berlin—as soon as possible. Tomorrow!”—Frecknall was caught short. She noticed the paper’s headline: “Russia Invades Ukraine.”

The Empire (State Building) strikes back with projection

www.avinteractive.com: New York’s Empire State Building provided the canvas for a spectacular Star Wars projection-mapping show. The five-minute sequence saw the building’s art deco facade lit up with classic moments from the sci-fi films and new visual effects.

Mr. Roboto Project and Bunker Projects nearly have the funds to purchase their longtime building

Pittsburgh City Paper: Pittsburgh’s legendary DIY music venue the Mr. Roboto Project has always had lofty goals. When Roboto began plotting their next chapter in 2011 by moving to Garfield, the volunteer-run organization was looking to collaborate with the neighborhood’s thriving community of artists, galleries, and shared spaces. Case in point: In 2013, the empty apartment space above Roboto was converted into the experimental art gallery Bunker Projects.

3XN’s immersive exhibition in copenhagen explores architecture and senses

www.designboom.com: From March 22nd to September 15th, the Danish Architecture Center is hosting AWARE: Architecture and Senses, an exhibition by the Danish architecture and research studio 3XN GXN. This showcase urges visitors to engage, comprehend, and contemplate their connection with architecture. Rather than displaying the studio’s portfolio, the exhibition invites guests to explore six immersive, life-sized installations.

Can the Events Sector Truly Become a Zero-Waste Industry?

Event Industry News: Events have incredible power to positively impact the lives of their attendees, but their temporary nature and millions of visitors per year inherently drive wastefulness. We are running out of space and time to tackle this problem – our landfills, in the UK and globally, have rapidly dwindling capacity which experts predict could be exceeded within the next decade. The current state of the industry and the complex challenges of achieving zero-waste pose the question: Could our events ever truly be waste-free?

Olivia Colman Speaks Out About Hollywood's Gender Pay Gap

The Mary Sue: Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman has spoken out about the gender pay disparity in the entertainment business. And she’s not mincing her words.

Famous Opera Company Gets Its Own Opera

Pittsburgh Magazine: The story of how a groundbreaking opera company got its start should make for a good opera. The story of how the National Negro Opera Company got its start in Pittsburgh should make for a great opera — to be performed in Pittsburgh.

A first look at the Intrepid Museum’s major new exhibit on the Space Race

www.timeout.com: “We choose to go to the Moon,” President John F. Kennedy’s voice booms through speakers welcoming visitors to the massive new Space Race-themed exhibit at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. With archival speeches, historic documents, and incredible space equipment, the exhibit whisks visitors back to the 1960s, an era when humanity first ventured into the unknown.

Anne Hathaway Says She Lost Roles Due to Internet Bullying

www.thewrap.com: Anne Hathaway says she lost out on acting opportunities during the mid-2010s when the so-called “Hathahate” movement of online bullying was at an all-time high.

How live events should adapt for neurodiverse music fans

Access All Areas: The UK’s live events industry is one where many foster communities and create memories. But for the 15% of Brits who identify as neurodivergent, the things that we consider hallmarks of a good night out can often create barriers to an accessible and safe night out.

Drake Takes First DiGiCo Quantum852 Console On Tour

ProSoundWeb: The current “It’s All A Blur Tour – Big As The What?” tour by multiple Grammy and Juno Award-winning artist Drake, an 11-week trek that kicked off in Florida in February and runs through to Colorado in April, sees front of house engineer Demetrius Moore working with a new Clair Global-supplied DiGiCo Quantum852 console, the first time the platform has gone on the road.

What are microcredentials? And are they worth having?

New Pittsburgh Courier: As private firms and governments struggle to fill jobs – and with the cost of college too high for many students – employers and elected officials are searching for alternative ways for people to get good jobs without having to earn a traditional college degree. Microcredentials are one such alternative. But just what are microcredentials? And do they lead to better jobs and higher earnings?

From Chicago, Contraction and Expansion

AMERICAN THEATRE: It’s season announcement season once again, but with the excitement of all of the upcoming shows at theatres across the country, there was a notable absence when Steppenwolf recently unveiled its 2024-25 programming. For decades, Chicago students have been able to enjoy Steppenwolf for Young Adults productions, typically two productions a season, situated alongside Steppenwolf’s membership season, which were considered by many the beating heart at the center of Steppenwolf’s educational programming.

'Road House' Writer Claims Amazon Used AI to Replicate Actors' Voices

variety.com: Hill’s lawsuit alleges that he filed a petition with the U.S. Copyright Office in 2021, requesting that the copyright return to him after United Artists’ claim was set to expire in November 2023. The suit goes on to allege that Amazon ignored his claims and proceeded with the film, using artificial intelligence to replicate the voices of actors for ADR during the SAG strike in an effort to complete the film before the Nov. 10 deadline.

Prolight+Sound 2024: Day Two

LightSoundJournal.com: Second day at Prolight+Sound with a clear increase in visitors after the soft start on the first day. Today we found many new products and above all world premieres by VERTITRUSS, ELATION, DTS, AYRTON, ROBE and AVOLITES.

42% of Film and TV Production Workers Say AI Will 'Harm' Them

www.indiewire.com: In a new NRG (National Research Group) poll shared exclusively with IndieWire, 42 percent of film and television production professionals say AI “will harm people” in their field. Yet nearly a third (32 percent) say it will “benefit” them, and the remaining one-quarter either believe it will have no impact or say they do not yet know the impact.