Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Nominations for Broadway’s 2024 Tony Awards
DC Theater Arts: Airing live from Sofitel New York on the Tony Awards official YouTube page, Tony winners Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry announced the nominations for the 77th annual Tony Awards this morning (Tuesday, April 30) at 9:00, with a selection of six categories also read live on CBS Mornings at 8:30.
National August Wilson New Voices Competition Crowns Winners in Pittsburgh
onstagepittsburgh.com: The August Wilson New Voices Competition – formerly the August Wilson Monologue Competition – crowned winners culled from more than 1,000 high school students, representing five regions: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh.
These Are the Most-Nominated Individuals of the 2024 Tony Awards
www.broadwayworld.com: On Tuesday, April 30, the 2024 Tony Award Nominations were announced. The list includes a mix of shows and artists, some with only a single nomination. However, more than ten artists received multiple nominations, some for different shows that premiered this season.
Tony Nominations: Biggest Snubs and Surprises
The New York Times: The day of the Tony Award nominations is like college acceptance day a bit earlier in the spring, but on the scarcity model: Of the dozens of artists eligible in each category, only five or so are “admitted.” That means some great work gets left by the wayside — but also, because the number of nominators is small enough to be idiosyncratic, that plenty of outcomes defy all prediction.
Pittsburgh CLO Announces Summer Kickoff 'Lady Day' Cast
onstagepittsburgh.com: Pittsburgh CLO has revealed the cast and creative team of summer season opener Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, with Gabrielle Lee as Billie “Lady Day” Holiday, directed by Tomé Cousin.
Monday, April 29, 2024
Rebecca Aparicio Wins SDCF's 2024 Barbara Whitman Award
Playbill: The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) has announced that director Rebecca Aparicio will receive the 2024 Barbara Whitman Award. Established by producer Whitman in 2021, the award recognizes a female, trans, or non-binary director who has developed a clear and distinctive artistic voice and demonstrated unique vision in their theatrical work.
Burnout hits people with creative jobs too – here’s how to avoid it
theconversation.com: Burnout is a state of mental and physical exhaustion, usually related to your work situation. Paradoxically, the more passionate and responsible you are, the more likely you are to burn out since you’ll be unwilling to stop at times of being overwhelmed, not wanting to make others pick up the slack.
London’s Central drama school axes audition fees to end elite grip on the arts
Drama and dance | The Guardian: A key obstacle in the path of poorer aspiring actors is to be removed at one of the UK’s leading drama schools, the Observer can reveal. The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, one of the country’s top drama schools, where Dame Judi Dench, Andrew Garfield, Riz Ahmed, Jason Isaacs, Cush Jumbo and Martin Freeman all learned their craft, is to scrap audition fees for prospective students in an effort to broaden its intake.
Review: In Sizzling City Theatre Season Finale, Andy Warhol Debates Art and Politics in Iran
onstagepittsburgh.com: Blending bold brushstrokes of historic events with insightful artistic license, Andy Warhol in Iran prods and pokes at a topical piñata, unleashing debates over art, politics, colonialism, revolution … all in 80 taut minutes, between two unlikely adversaries.
Today, Andy Warhol and Iran in the same sentence hardly computes with what we know about the enigmatic artist, a Pittsburgh native with a museum devoted to his work, and the Islamic Republic of 2024.
Recap Tony Awards Eligibility Decisions of the 2023-24 Season
www.broadwayworld.com: The Tony Awards Administration Committee has been meeting all year to discuss the eligibility of the 2023/24 Broadway productions all leading up to Tuesday's big announcement... the Tony nominations.
NFTRW Weekly Top Five
Here are the top five comment generating posts in the past week:
AI meets opera: A new blended class at CMU yields insights on music and flow
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Inside a rehearsal room overlooking the verdant green of Schenley Park, countertenor Ricky Owens burst into song. His dazzling Russian opera was full of power and emotion. It also contained crucial data for a team of engineering students studying focus, distraction and flow.Studio Ghibli’s work ‘like Shakespeare’, says My Neighbour Totoro stage show’s director
Studio Ghibli | The Guardian: The work of Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki should be considered as remarkable and timeless as Shakespeare’s First Folio, according to the director of the hit stage adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro, which is returning to the West End next year.IATSE & OSHA Launch Investigations Into Accident On The Pickup Set
deadline.com: Multiple investigations are taking place into the accident on the Atlanta set of Amazon MGM Studios‘ heist pic The Pickup over the weekend, which left several crew members injured.The Trouble with Passion
annehelen.substack.com: If you do what you love, the saying goes, you’ll never work a day in your life. …I’ll admit that I had a hard time typing that with a straight face. Was it ever that simple?! In reality, tying something you love doing directly to your financial stability is logistically and emotionally fraught, to say the least.From Playground to Broadway
News - Carnegie Mellon University: The circus has come to Broadway and the musical team behind it has been clowning around together since their freshman year at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. But clowning around is serious work for PigPen Theatre Co. This band of storytellers, made up of seven CMU alumni (Alex Falberg, Arya Shahi, Ben Ferguson, Curtis Gillen, Dan Weschler, Matt Nuernberger, and Ryan Melia) has created and produced imaginative musical works that have been performed all over the world.
Friday, April 26, 2024
This new festival projects gorgeous video art onto NYC’s historic airplane hangars
www.timeout.com/newyork: Even if you've been just about everywhere in New York City, you likely haven't been to Floyd Bennett Field in the far reaches of Brooklyn. This once historic airport played an important part in aviation history, but its now-dilapidated airplane hangars fade away as relics from another era.
Studio Ghibli’s work ‘like Shakespeare’, says My Neighbour Totoro stage show’s director
Studio Ghibli | The Guardian: The work of Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki should be considered as remarkable and timeless as Shakespeare’s First Folio, according to the director of the hit stage adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro, which is returning to the West End next year.
Agri-Culture in Climate Change
HowlRound Theatre Commons: I call myself a “perfarmer” because I am both an organic farmer and a theatre artist, producing at the intersection of agriculture and art. For most of my life I made devised theatre in small non-traditional ensembles. I performed with Primus Theatre in Winnipeg, Canada and was co-artistic director of North American Cultural Laboratory (NACL) Theatre in New York. Then about fifteen years ago, I had an opportunity to immerse myself in an agrarian life. With my husband Greg Swartz, I started a farm specializing in organic vegetables, herbs, and cut flowers called Willow Wisp Organic Farm in northeast Pennsylvania.
AI meets opera: A new blended class at CMU yields insights on music and flow
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Inside a rehearsal room overlooking the verdant green of Schenley Park, countertenor Ricky Owens burst into song.
His dazzling Russian opera was full of power and emotion.
It also contained crucial data for a team of engineering students studying focus, distraction and flow.
Sphere Las Vegas Celebrates Earth Day
Live Design Online: Sphere Las Vegas provided the massive canvas for a special Exosphere content show in celebration of Earth Day on April 22, 20-24. The show featured work from multi-GRAMMY Award-winning Grateful Dead and Dead & Company percussionist Mickey Hart, and renowned filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg, whose artwork was combined into an 11-minute content show that will ran three times on Earth Day.
10 Innovative Tools from Brands You Might Not Recognize
Pro Tool Reviews: There’s a reason popular brands are so, well, popular. They’re often better quality, higher performing, more innovative, offer a better value, or a combination. But they all had to start somewhere, and some cool products are available from smaller brands that you might not have heard of before.
Play honors Pittsburgh's Black opera pioneer Mary Cardwell Dawson
90.5 WESA: On Apple Street in Homewood stands a Victorian mansion that was the first home of the National Negro Opera Company. Now under renovation after years of decay, it’s among the last — and certainly the largest — tangible piece of the legacy of the company’s pathbreaking founder, Mary Cardwell Dawson.
IATSE & OSHA Launch Investigations Into Accident On The Pickup Set
deadline.com: Multiple investigations are taking place into the accident on the Atlanta set of Amazon MGM Studios‘ heist pic The Pickup over the weekend, which left several crew members injured.
Best Tool Bag Reviews 2024
Pro Tool Reviews: Whether it’s for permanent storage or just for bringing tools inside for a DIY project, a high-quality tool bag is a must. These bags are lightweight but durable, allowing users to load them with various tools for easy transport. Moreover, they have numerous pockets and features for convenience, making them a great option for pros and DIYers.
Hillary Clinton, Malala Yousafzai Toast Their New Broadway Show ‘Suffs’
The New York Times: “This is thrilling,” Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, said on a chilly Thursday night outside the Music Box Theater on 45th Street, as women in strapless gowns walked a purple carpet.
Ms. Clinton, a noted Broadway superfan, was making her Broadway producing debut with “Suffs,” a new musical about women’s suffrage that traces the campaign for the right to vote from 1913 through the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which was celebrating its opening night.
Immersive simulation boosts learning for 5,000 students
www.avinteractive.com: The UCL University College, in the Danish city of Odense, aims to provide the most realistic and immersive training possible for students.
To achieve this goal, the institution recently installed an innovative AV simulation system powered by BrightSign technology.
‘I Am A Textile Warrior,’ Says Costume Designer Sandhya Raman
www.freepressjournal.in: Costume designing for dancers has never been perceived as an art. “That’s the irony,” says Sandhya Raman, who has been designing costumes for dancers and dance troupes for last three decades.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Orlando Bloom To the Edge: Peacock Show Captures Extreme Sports
www.indiewire.com: Orlando Bloom wanted to push himself for his Peacock docuseries “Orlando Bloom: To the Edge” — but that also meant those along for the shoot were stretching the limits of what they thought themselves capable of, too. After all, how are you going to capture footage of Bloom wingsuiting if you’re not up there with him?
‘I was only able to go on stage hammered’: David Harewood on acting, racism and his new role at Rada
The Guardian: This is the first time David Harewood has stepped through the doors of Rada’s London headquarters since he became its president in mid-February, and he’s immediately struck by flashbacks of his time as a student here. “Stunning memories,” he says. “Memories of my audition, the paintings … and that staircase will always be memorable because you walk in and go: ‘Oh my God, I’m at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art!’ It’s very evocative.”
From Playground to Broadway
News - Carnegie Mellon University: The circus has come to Broadway and the musical team behind it has been clowning around together since their freshman year at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. But clowning around is serious work for PigPen Theatre Co. This band of storytellers, made up of seven CMU alumni (Alex Falberg, Arya Shahi, Ben Ferguson, Curtis Gillen, Dan Weschler, Matt Nuernberger, and Ryan Melia) has created and produced imaginative musical works that have been performed all over the world.
Outernet London takes visitors on a journey into a Big Mac
www.avinteractive.com: Outernet London has hosted McDonald’s first 360° immersive experience.
The fast-food brand utilised the NOW building’s ultra-high definition, 8K LED screens to create a multi-sensory experience that took members of the public on a journey through changes to the core McDonald’s beef burger range.
Top Book Recommendations for Any Leader
TheatreArtLife: Throughout my journey towards becoming a Stage Manager and honing my leadership skills, I’ve encountered several books that have played a pivotal role in shaping my approach to leadership and understanding of the world. These books, while not all explicitly focused on leadership, have served as the cornerstone for my worldview.
The Trouble with Passion
annehelen.substack.com: If you do what you love, the saying goes, you’ll never work a day in your life.
…I’ll admit that I had a hard time typing that with a straight face. Was it ever that simple?! In reality, tying something you love doing directly to your financial stability is logistically and emotionally fraught, to say the least.
Accident on Set of Amazon MGM's 'The Pickup': Several Injured
www.hollywoodreporter.com: An accident on the set of an upcoming heist film starring Eddie Murphy and Keke Palmer has injured several crewmembers, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
At Meyer Sound, Sustainability Starts with Innovative Engineering
Lighting&Sound America Online - News: "Meyer Sound strives to minimize its carbon footprint in every aspect of business, following sustainable manufacturing practices, partnering with sustainability-focused organizations to define and meet environmental goals, and envisioning future products with a green perspective.
Brooke Shields seeks Equity Presidency
bwayjournal: Brooke Shields is running for president of Actors’ Equity Association, the labor union that represents about 51,000 actors and stage managers.
Simply Logical: A Straightforward Approach To Mixing Console Layout
ProSoundWeb: Somewhere back in the paleolithic era of live sound, mixing consoles were noisy. That’s because they were made of stuff. Look inside a modern digital console and what you’ll find is a few ribbon cable connecting the fader/encoder banks to a small motherboard. All that computerized digital magic has made audio mixers very, very quiet.
'The Sympathizer' Costume Designer on '70s Style, Working with Robert Downey Jr.
wwd.com: Danny Glicker is a child of the ’70s. And as a costume designer who’s worked with some of the most acclaimed auteurs in the business today, he just keeps getting better acquainted with the decade’s sartorial landscape.
The plan behind the Sudden Little Thrills music festival
wesa.fm: From spring through fall each year, Pittsburgh has plenty of live music options, many of them free. Not least are the long-running Millvale Music Festival, set for May, and July’s Northside Music Festival.
So what’s special about Sudden Little Thrills, the brand new festival that announced its inaugural lineup last week?
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Microsoft AI creates scary real talkie videos from a single photo
newatlas.com/technology: Microsoft Research Asia has revealed an AI model that can generate frighteningly realistic deepfake videos from a single still image and an audio track. How will we be able to trust what we see and hear online from here on in?
Urban Sketching by Australian Artist Stephen Travers
mymodernmet.com: Inspired by the light, color, shapes, and texture of the world around him, artist Stephen Travers creates stunning urban sketches. The Australian artist is particularly fascinated by Paris, with many of his sketches capturing the city's charm. Using pen and ink, he expertly captures the architectural environment.
Yes, Party Robots are dancing at weddings now. See what it’s all about.
The Washington Post: After the vows, the champagne toasts, the filet mignon and the first dance between the bride and groom — after all the normal wedding stuff — came the cue. The cue for the abnormal wedding stuff.
“Start waving those hands for the PARTY ROBOT!”
In Ernesto Neto's Largest Installation to Date, the World Is a Crocheted Ship Moving to a Single Rhythm
Colossal: An enormous, cascading installation of crocheted fabric strips stretches across a cavernous gallery in Ernesto Neto’s newest exhibition. At MAAT in Lisbon, the Brazilian artist (previously) presents Nosso Barco Tambor Terra, which translates to “our boat drum Earth,” a solo exhibition encompassing one of the largest suspended sculptures he has ever made.
Canadian opera duo Barbet & Doucet make their COC debut
www.thestar.com: For many operagoers around the world, André Barbe and Renaud Doucet need no introduction.
The Canadian creative team are the masterminds behind some of opera’s biggest blockbusters, mounting productions of classic works at venues such as Teatro La Fenice in Venice and the historic Glyndebourne Festival in England.
Ashland sinks its teeth into ‘Macbeth’
Oregon ArtsWatch: The energy in Ashland is hopeful as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival launches its first season under its new artistic director, Tim Bond. Like all theaters, OSF had a bumpy ride through the pandemic and is still feeling its way out of a host of attendant challenges.
Do Lab creates sprawling fabric "mushrooms" for Coachella stage
www.dezeen.com: LA-based design studio Do Lab has created a series of fabric "mushrooms" to cover the audience and performers for one of the stages at this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Cannes Taps Diversion for Immersive Competition
variety.com: Paris-based XR distributor Diversion Cinema will partner with the Cannes Film Festival to oversee this year’s inaugural Immersive Competition. A specialist in location-based exhibition, Diversion will handle technical duties for the 14 immersive experiences spread across the competitive and non-competitive sections.
Two Florida Live Theater Venues Equipped With DiGiCo
ProSoundWeb: Two Florida live performance venues have recently been equipped with new DiGiCo Quantum225 consoles, including the 283-seat Daniels Pavilion at Artis—Naples and The Parker, a 1,200-seat venue in Fort Lauderdale.
The Quantum225 at the Daniels Pavilion, which presents a range of programs that include music, film, dance, comedy, lectures, and exhibitions, handles both front-of-house and monitor mixing duties. It was sourced through Fort Lauderdale-based Carlton Audio Services.
UK’s creative industries bring in more revenue than cars, oil and gas – so why is arts education facing cuts?
theconversation.com: Recent guidance issued by the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, to the Office for Students reveals conflicting priorities in government and pours fuel on fires burning in an already troubled higher education sector.
The focus on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) – “strategically important high-cost subjects” – is met by a freeze on funding for arts subjects such as music, fashion and drama at undergraduate level.
David Harewood Clarifies He Does Not Support Blackface: It's 'Grotesque'
variety.com: Speaking to The Guardian, Harewood, who also serves as president of prestigious British drama school the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, said: “We’re at this strange point in the profession where people go: ‘Oh, you can’t play that role because you’re not disabled, or you can’t play that because you’re not really from there.’ The name of the game is acting.”
BEST of milan design week 2024
www.designboom.com: From April 15th to 21st, 2024, Milan Design Week once again took over the streets of the vibrant Italian city. Design enthusiasts from all across the globe converged to experience one of the busiest and most exciting moments in the creative world.
Crew Members Injured on Set of 'The Pickup,' Starring Eddie Murphy
variety.com: Several crew members were injured during filming of an action sequence on the set of “The Pickup” on Saturday.
The Amazon Studios feature film is currently shooting in Georgia. The studio confirmed on Tuesday that multiple people were hurt while filming the second unit sequence.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
How the Cast of 2024's Best Vampire Thriller Dealt with the Movie's Buckets of Blood
www.inverse.com: The production team behind such hits as Ready Or Not and the Scream reboot have an affinity for gore. Blood, guts, and exploding heads are par the course in their filmography — but their latest project, Abigail, might take things a step further.
Pittsburgh Opera’s “The Passion of Mary Cadwell Dawson” Will Wrap Season 2023/24
onstagepittsburgh.com: “In 1943, the National Negro Opera Company is set to perform on a floating barge to evade racially-segregated venues,” the opera’s program notes tell us. “But when bad weather threatens—pushing the performance to a segregated performance hall—visionary impresaria Mary Cardwell Dawson must find a way forward.”
Ianina Canalis Specialist in Live Sound – Spatial Audio – Software Development – Education
SoundGirls.org: I studied music and I frequently went to listen to play to my friends but the sound was not good at all and I felt bad because concerts with my friends and the sound didn’t like me at all. I had the feeling that all the effort they made during the rehearsals was not reflected in the live show because it was almost impossible to listen to all the instruments or melodies.
Robe has a laugh with Lado Bizovicar at Slovenska Muska event
LightSoundJournal.com: Slovenian writer, actor and TV personality Lado Bizovicar presented the 2024 “Slovenska Muska” extravaganza event, staged at Ljubljana’s Stožice arena, the first time in the venue’s history that a 360-degree show had been presented, which bumped up the capacity to 13,000, with every seat sold.
1884 review – interactive theatre game invites the neighbours over to resist fascism
Immersive theatre | The Guardian: The historical significance of the year 1884 is not explained at the beginning of this piece of game theatre. The atmosphere is neighbourly as we settle into groups around purpose-built model homes in a garden community on the fictional Wilhelm Street.
Review Roundup: HELL'S KITCHEN Opens on Broadway
www.broadwayworld.com: Let's hear it for New York! The new Broadway musical HELL’S KITCHEN, conceived by 16-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys and directed by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif opens tonight at the Shubert Theatre.
PMT's 'Million Dollar Quartet' Delivers a Priceless Performance
onstagepittsburgh.com: Music historians often reminisce about unique times throughout the 1900s that helped to shift, transform, or inspire the musical zeitgeist of the era. Stories are told of the jam sessions at musicians’ homes in 1960s Laurel Canyon, when Paul Simon traveled to Africa to record the Graceland album, or when dozens of celebrities convened overnight to record “We Are the World.”
Warner Bros. Reveals $115 Million Investment In Harry Potter Attraction
www.forbes.com: Called the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo - The Making of Harry Potter, the 30,000 square meter venue opened in June last year and follows a similar format to its counterpart at Leavesden Studios in the United Kingdom where all eight Potter movies were made along with the three Fantastic Beasts spinoffs.
Escape Studios announces The 12th Annual VFX Festival
befores & afters: Escape Studios, one of the UK’s leading animation, games and VFX schools, has announced the return of its annual The VFX Festival. The two-day event will be held at Britain’s largest cinema screen, BFI IMAX, between 3rd-4th June, and will explore the latest trends, technologies, and innovations.
Carlos Rosario’s Costumes Make ‘Shogun’ More Than Excellent Television
www.forbes.com: In FX’s Shōgun, Mariko doesn’t walk, she glides. Her eyes can be fire or ice, and when she decides to bare her figurative teeth, she is magnificent. Anna Sawai, the actress who portrays Lady Toda Mariko in FX’s miniseries Shōgun, is more than gifted, and is capable of telling the camera exactly what her character thinks, regardless of what her lines might be. Mariko’s prowess, when wrapped in the meticulous period costumes designed by Carlos Rosario, becomes awe-inspiring.
Oregon playwrights, seeding Fertile Ground
Oregon ArtsWatch: As its name suggests, Portland’s Fertile Ground Festival of New Works, which just completed its return to live performance this weekend, provides a nurturing landscape for homegrown acts of stage creation.
Performer paralyzed during Bellagio ‘O’ show sues Cirque du Soleil
Shows | Entertainment: Kyle Mitrione dove head-first into a moving platform during the new “Island” act in the show at the Bellagio, fracturing his neck and spine and causing “complete quadriplegia,” according to the lawsuit.
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ musical aiming for Broadway with Jon M. Chu at the helm
www.broadwaynews.com: “Crazy Rich Asians” is stage-bound. Kevin Kwan’s 2014 book trilogy — and the Warner Bros. big-screen adaptation — is in the works as a musical, with ambitions toward Broadway. Jon M. Chu, director of the 2018 film, is attached as helmer of the musical, which is being produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.
Monday, April 22, 2024
Gov. Phil Murphy Promotes New Jersey in Hollywood
variety.com: Gov. Phil Murphy has made TV and film a top priority for New Jersey ever since he took the helm of the Garden State in 2018. This week, Murphy made a West Coast swing to talk artificial intelligence with firms in the Bay Area and to talk new business with studios in Hollywood.
The Wiz revival’s choreographer: JaQuel Knight talks the Tin Man, the Poppy Girls, and Black excellence.
slate.com/culture: When it was announced that JaQuel Knight would choreograph the stage revival of The Wiz, a particular cross-section of the internet emerged to express a lot of excitement. These fans were not only those deeply familiar with the 1978 Sidney Lumet film or the 1974 Broadway production upon which the film was based, but also followers of today’s top-tier pop stars, female rappers, and R&B singers.
Even Melissa Barrera Didn't Know 'Wonka' Was a Musical
www.indiewire.com: “Wonka.” “Mean Girls.” “Joker: Folie à Deux.” “The Color Purple.” Hollywood might not be loud about its recent uptick in big-budget musicals — remember those stories about audiences not realizing that recent “Mean Girls” remake was, in fact, a musical? — but that doesn’t mean the classic genre isn’t still whirling its way through movie theaters.
Meet the Music Fan Who Runs One of the World's Busiest Arenas
www.businessinsider.com: It may not be the world's most famous, but London's O2 Arena is now one of the busiest.
The venue, part of what began life as the Millennium Dome but was renamed The O2 following its sponsorship by a cell network, sold a record 2.5 million tickets last year — about 200,000 more than in 2022 — according to AEG.
Season Finale 'Andy Warhol in Iran' Marks Masterson's Final Chapter as a City Theatre Artistic Director
onstagepittsburgh.com: It won’t be long before Marc Masterson wakes up to new adventures and some well-earned “me” time, and without the exhilaration and headaches of running a theater company. Just now, however, he’s in the thick of what he also has been doing for nearly four decades – working on a developing play.
10 Years Of Squeek Lights
www.limelightwired.com: Victor Zeiser launched Squeek Lights in 2014, beginning in a compact 5x8 storage unit in Queens. With a rental fleet now exceeding 1,000 fixtures and extensive pre-production and rehearsal areas designed for refining live performances, Squeek Lights has evolved into a cornerstone of the industry while maintaining its local shop feel.
Phish’s Trey Anastasio shares why playing at the Sphere in Las Vegas is unique
Fast Company: Over the 40 years since the band was formed at a Vermont college, Phish has amassed a reputation for its dedicated legion of fans and the dazzling light shows that accompany the improvisational jams. It follows, then, that the next stop for Phish is the new temple of immersive performances: the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Some Toronto theatres have been duped by AI-generated reviews. What role will they play in arts marketing moving forward?
www.thestar.com: These quotes describe two Toronto theatre shows. Two are from well-respected local media outlets, and one is from what many experts say is a source known for its AI-generated news.
It’s hard to tell the difference. Even those in theatre marketing are grappling with how to tell those fake reviews apart from real ones.
‘We still haven’t cracked it!’ How much does a play change during previews?
Theatre | The Guardian: Rachael Stirling picks her way from the back of the stage, joins her colleagues in the stalls, and then promptly bursts into tears. “I’m tired,” she explains. Stirling is playing Sarah Siddons, the great 18th-century actor, in The Divine Mrs S at the Hampstead theatre in London, and we’re chatting right in the middle of the preview period. It’s a fraught time.
Who Decides the Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards?
www.broadwayworld.com: The Lucille Lortel Awards are the only awards to deal with solely off-Broadway. The Lortels, which feature performance nominations irrespective of gender, have fairly typical categories. Nominations have already been announced with winners coming May 5.
What Real Dancers Think of Balletcore
Dance Magazine: Whether you like it, loathe it, or roll your eyes at it, you can’t miss it: Ballet-inspired clothing for the nondancing consumer is everywhere. The fashion and ballet worlds have a long and storied relationship, but ballet-aesthetic streetwear’s recent resurgence in popularity has been striking. According to fashion insiders, “balletcore” is already a defining trend of 2024.
How ‘Stereophonic’ Made Musicians Out of Actors
The New York Times: About a week into rehearsals for the Off Broadway premiere of David Adjmi’s latest play, “Stereophonic,” Will Butler sent an email to the cast. Butler, a former member of Arcade Fire, had a new band, Will Butler + Sister Squares, and a new self-titled album. A club in Brooklyn would soon host the record release party. Butler, the composer of “Stereophonic,” had a proposition: The actors should open for him.
NFTRW Weekly Top Five
Here are the top five comment generating posts of the past week:
How Do They Make it Rain On Stage in The Notebook?
Playbill: If you’re going to see a new Broadway show this season, you may want to make sure and bring an umbrella. It’s been raining an awful lot outside, but we’re far from safe indoors, at least on Broadway. The Notebook and The Outsiders both prominently feature rain scenes—and even Off-Broadway’s Teeth gets in on the trend, too!Best Tape Measure Reviews for 2024
Pro Tool Reviews: Tape measures are a staple in everyone’s toolbox from the most seasoned Pro to the greenest DIYer. Ranging in length and price, most cost less than $30, and there are options under the $10 mark. But are all tape measures created equally? Of course not. We’re breaking things down into the categories our Pro team says are most important when looking for the best tape measure.What I Wish My Sound Guy Knew About Mixing Drums
Church Production Magazine: One of the most common conflicts between the platform and the booth is within the drum cage. Both the drummer and the sound engineer have an idea of what they want the drums to sound like, feel like and how they should be experienced within the mix. The challenge is that often their ideas of how to accomplish excellent drum mixes are different.to make sense of color, google plays sound frequencies with changing neon lights in milan
www.designboom.com: For Milan Design Week 2024, Google Design Studio is making sense of color. In fact, that’s the name of the immersive light and sound installations, in collaboration with arts and research lab, Chromasonic. When visitors enter the exhibition at Garage 21 in Via Archimede, 26 until April 21st, they find 21 open-box rooms flanked with semi-translucent panels. Inside each box, overhead neon lights shift their hues as the rhythm of the sound frequencies being played in the background changes.Why So Many New Broadway Shows? The 2024 Spring Season By the Numbers
www.broadwayworld.com: Another openin', another show- words to take literally this spring. If you've been following this Broadway season and have been getting a sneaking suspicion that the spring calendar (see below) is looking a little bit crazy, you're not wrong...
How ‘Hadestown’ went from surprise Off-Broadway hit to Broadway mainstay
www.broadwaynews.com: When “Hadestown” premiered Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW), there wasn’t a plan to take it to Broadway. “At that point, I was like, ‘Oh, we’re going to get a warehouse space and make it an immersive thing,” “Hadestown” lead producer Mara Isaacs told Broadway News. “Then what we learned from watching the way audiences responded to the show was that we actually had something that was commercial.”
Friday, April 19, 2024
Video Games Are a Playwright’s Muse, Not Her Hobby
The New York Times: The writer Bekah Brunstetter is decidedly not a video game aficionado. Her personality type — “psychotically obsessed with productivity,” as she put it — has sealed off all gaming rabbit holes for the past 25 years.
Blending Worlds: The Rise of Phygital Spaces
Architect Magazine: “Phygital” refers to the convergence of the physical and digital realms. Phygital space represents a growing phenomenon made possible by the increased sophistication and proliferation of electronic technologies in the designed environment. This trend is exemplified by immersive art, in which simple gallery spaces are transformed into alternative worlds via seamless projection capabilities. Music performances, conferences, and other live events are likewise becoming more phygital.
‘For now, they still need you’: Video game creators scramble to unionize as AI threat looms
au.news.yahoo.com: With his black beanie hat and expressive facial muscles, ‘Bloom’ appears much like any other modern video game character – right down to his emotional backstory.
"Yes, I’ve lost many," says Bloom when asked what the resistance struggle had cost him. "My son, my friends, my home. But every loss only fuels my determination to keep going."
Phish At Sphere Las Vegas
Live Design Online: Abigail Rosen Holmes, Moment Factory, Chris Kuroda, Atomic Design, and Tait provide design and production elements for Phish — an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont in 1983 features guitarist/lead vocalist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell — at Sphere Las Vegas, with four shows on April 18, 19, 20 & 21, 2024.
What I Wish My Sound Guy Knew About Mixing Drums
Church Production Magazine: One of the most common conflicts between the platform and the booth is within the drum cage. Both the drummer and the sound engineer have an idea of what they want the drums to sound like, feel like and how they should be experienced within the mix. The challenge is that often their ideas of how to accomplish excellent drum mixes are different.
How Wētā brought costume designer’s vision to life
The Post: About 100 staff at Wētā Workshop worked to create intricate but durable costumes for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, now on display at Tākina.
The special effects and prop company was approached by award-winning costume designer Ruth Carter with an “amazing vision” for seven costumes to be brought to life, says Wētā Workshop art director Lans Hansen.
Best Tape Measure Reviews for 2024
Pro Tool Reviews: Tape measures are a staple in everyone’s toolbox from the most seasoned Pro to the greenest DIYer. Ranging in length and price, most cost less than $30, and there are options under the $10 mark. But are all tape measures created equally? Of course not. We’re breaking things down into the categories our Pro team says are most important when looking for the best tape measure.
Hamilton costume designer Paul Tazewell brings colonial flair to contemporary fashion
The Straits Times: When Hamilton first graced the Broadway stage in 2015, few could have predicted the seismic impact the Tony Award-winning musical about United States founding father Alexander Hamilton and his involvement in the American Revolution would have beyond theatre.
Pixel Artworks’ butterfly show spreads its wings to Brighton
www.avinteractive.com: Immersive experience studio Pixel Artworks has signed a deal to stage its augmented reality (AR) experience, The Butterfly Trail, The Butterfly Trail at Brighton’s Spiegeltent festival.
Inside Grown-Ish’s Costume Design And The Legacy The Show Will Leave Behind
Essence: The core of grown-ish has always been centered around its ensemble cast as they navigate their experiences in college. Through style, Michelle R. Cole, the nine-time Emmy nominee and lead costume designer for all six seasons of the Freeform sitcom, has shaped a cohesive universe.
Cosm's first 'shared reality' venue to open in LA in late June
www.avinteractive.com: Immersive sports tech specialist Cosm will open its first 8K+ ‘shared reality’ venue, in Los Angeles, on 29 June.
On its opening night, the 6,000 sq metre experiential venue will show UFC 303 on its 27m-diameter 8K+ LED dome.
46 Mapped Projectors Market Star Wars Products On One Face Of NYC’s Empire State Building
Sixteen:Nine: Forty-six projector were sync’d and blended to fill the upper levels of one facade of the Empire State Building in New York with a five minute show celebrating the Star Wars movie series and encouraging fans to buy various consumer products marketed by Lucasfilm during its “Imperial March” marketing campaign.
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Tonys Best Musical: Closed shows nominated for first time since 2013?
‘Although I’m tetraplegic, I’ve started to feel normal’: Hanif Kureishi on staging The Buddha of Suburbia
Transforming Fabric into Flesh, Tamara Kostianovsky Fuses Cruelty and Beauty
Documentary and AI: Archival Producers Draft Set of Best Practices
Paris Olympics Organizers Opening Ceremony Security Plans
How Do They Make it Rain On Stage in The Notebook?
Edit on the World’s First 8K Mini LED Professional Monitor
Disneyland Parades & Characters Cast Members File with the NLRB for Union Representation
Winners of ISFD competition for students and craftsmen
Hollywood's AI Concerns Present Complex Challenges for Legal Eagles
Documentary Producers Set Up Best Practices for Using Generative AI
'Crazy Rich Asians' gets Broadway musical from Jon M. Chu
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Feds Prep Lawsuit Against Ticketmaster Parent Live Nation
A Closer Look at Designer Gabriela Hearst’s Costumes for 'Carmen'
Pre Or Post EQ? A Key Question When Mixing Monitors From Front Of House
New York Production Vets Expect IATSE Strike Threat To Hamper Film And TV Shoots Before 2025 Rebound
Working Smarter, Not Harder
to make sense of color, google plays sound frequencies with changing neon lights in milan
www.designboom.com: For Milan Design Week 2024, Google Design Studio is making sense of color. In fact, that’s the name of the immersive light and sound installations, in collaboration with arts and research lab, Chromasonic. When visitors enter the exhibition at Garage 21 in Via Archimede, 26 until April 21st, they find 21 open-box rooms flanked with semi-translucent panels. Inside each box, overhead neon lights shift their hues as the rhythm of the sound frequencies being played in the background changes.
From ‘Woman King’s’ Costume Designer to ‘The Menu’s’ Production Designer, Variety Names 10 Artisans to Watch for 2022
Help, here comes an AI-Generated Romantic Comedy
Important Aspects To Consider When Investing In A New Loudspeaker System
Obsidian Train the Trainer Initiative Bearing Fruit
Lighting&Sound America Online - News: Last November, Obsidian Control Systems initiated Train the Trainer workshops aimed at training its European partners on the specifics of the intuitive ONYX lighting control platform. The sessions, specifically designed to springboard an Obsidian awareness campaign and grow the ONYX community, are bearing fruit as trainers across Europe amplify the platform's reach by training other partners and end-users.
How This Designer Created the Costumes on 'Road House'
Quintessence director Alex Burns addresses community concerns about his “all-male” Shakespeare productions
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
A Speculative Love Performance in the Margins
Cultural Trust bringing revival tour of Stephen Sondheim's 'Company' to Benedum Center
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The national tour of “Company” is stopping by Downtown’s Benedum Center from Tuesday through April 21. Anyone familiar with Sondheim and George Furth’s 1970 musical should know this “Company” tour is based on the Tony-winning 2021 revival that swapped its protagonist’s gender and modernized the show’s portrayals of relationships, marriage and the very human desire for companionship.
How Doja Cat’s “Fever Dream” Coachella Fashion Came to Life
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FAFSA Glitches Cause Chaos for Millions of College Students
IATSE Has "Cautious Optimism" About General Negotiations With Studios
Tandem Touring: Mixing Monitors As A Dual-Engineer Team
‘Rust’ Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Is Sentenced for Involuntary Manslaughter
Civil War Sound Editor on Whether Garland's A24 War Movie Is Too Loud
‘Rust’ gun supervisor sentenced to 18 months in prison over fatal shooting on movie set
2024 Olivier Awards: The Snubs and Surprises
'Rust' Armorer Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison
An artisan’s magic brush
Monday, April 15, 2024
Why So Many New Broadway Shows? The 2024 Spring Season By the Numbers
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Finding Peace: Strategies for a Calm and Productive Team Environment
Revised Unsinkable Molly Brown Musical Released for Licensing
Checking in with ChiArts
A new take on 'Peter Pan' soars into the National Theatre
Saudi Entertainment & Amusement (SEA) Expo to highlight empowerment of next generation Saudi workforce for attractions sector
IATSE Nears End of Local Talks, as Two Guilds Reach Tentative Deals
Wesleyan’s Jeanine Basinger on TCM Festival Robert Osborne Award Honor
How Michael Greif Directed 3 Broadway Musicals in a Single Season
SO – IL weaves 3D knitted installation 'common thread' in bruges
www.designboom.com: New York-based architecture studio SO – IL presents Common Thread, a textile installation for Belgium‘s 2024 Bruges Triennial. Opening on April 13th, the project revives a previously inaccessible 19th-century monastery courtyard, transforming it into an immersive pavilion that blends history, craft, and technology. Common Thread takes shape as a 3D knitted textile passage that winds its way through the secluded courtyard.
Miami City Ballet Management Held a Captive Audience Meeting
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