CMU to open Miami campus after $3 billion gift from Citadel founder Ken Griffin

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Carnegie Mellon University will open an innovative campus in Miami after a $3 billion donation from hedge fund CEO Kenneth Griffin, whose nationally historic gift will also aim to bolster CMU’s flagship Pittsburgh campus.

Craft Subreddit Bans Harry Potter Projects

aftermath.site: The r/Crafts subreddit has been debating banning Harry Potter crafts for months, and came to a decision last week: Explicitly Harry Potter-themed projects are no longer allowed. The subreddit's moderation team held a poll two months ago to determine how they should handle Harry Potter-themed projects, which were causing a lot of "off-topic conversations and uncivil conversations," according to a post announcing the results.

I Love The Frustratingly Realistic Sewing In Dressmaker

aftermath.site: Do you remember the reality show Project Runway? Not the zombified new version on the cable network Freeform, but the original run of the show on Bravo back in 2004. I was obsessed with that show, not just because I love drama but because it gave the viewer an in-depth look at what it takes to create a clothing pattern and then put it together. I get the same vicarious thrill from the game Dressmaker.

Kabuki theatre to return to London for the first time in over a decade

www.whatsonstage.com: Dating from early 17th century Japan, kabuki combines music, dance and acting and is traditionally performed by all-male companies. The art form was proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005.

11th Annual Ecolution Fashion Gala: Pop Couture at The Pennsylvanian (Wed., 9/30/26)

Entertainment Central Pittsburgh: The 2026 Ecolution Fashion Gala‘s theme is Pop Couture: Fashion, Fame & Obsession. Set for Wednesday, September 30, the event is always a creative, lively mix of fashion, art, dance, and music.

6 Tricks for Faking a Car Crash

No Film School: You always want your opening sequence to grab attention. How can you set up your story and hook the audience, all in one go? And how can you do it on a low budget but still get that big set piece?

Shaw Festival Names Manami Hara and Murdoch Schon Neil Munro Interns

BroadwayWorld: As part of the Slaight Family Academy, the Shaw Festival engages two directors as Neil Munro Interns each season. This prestigious internship is intended to deepen the practice and promote the next generation of Canadian theatre directors through an ongoing training “gymnasia” with resident Shaw designers, visiting directors and general theatre practitioners in the Shaw Festival's world-class repertory environment.

Audible Theater Opens Applications for Emerging Playwrights Fund

BroadwayWorld: Audible Theater has opened applications for its Emerging Playwrights Fund, offering up to five commissions of $25,000 each to early-career theatrical writers crafting original audio plays.

Visualizing Uniformity: Common Misconceptions When Reading Heat Map Predictions

ProSoundWeb: An isobaric acoustic prediction is a critically important tool that allows a sound system designer to predict and evaluate how well a sound system covers the audience area. Designers and engineers can see a “pressure map” or “heat map” of the system coverage at a particular frequency range.

How the Master FX ATLAS Ended Up in Stadiums, Tours, Clubs, and Theme Parks

www.limelightwired.com: Working with cryo is always a blast in the moment, but getting it into a show is complicated for a lot of reasons. For years, a massive vertical hit meant accepting everything that came with a traditional cryogenic system. The dewars. The hoses. The jets. The local sourcing. The floor space. The noise. The safety considerations. The effect is amazing, but the system behind it does not fit every production. Master FX built the ATLAS to deliver the look without the baggage.

Artifact: Pittsburgh Paints’ 2027 Color of the Year Is a Rare Reset

Builder Magazine: Pittsburgh Paints Co. has named Artifact its 2027 Color of the Year for both its Pittsburgh Paints and Glidden brands. Artifact, a smoky, atmospheric blue, leverages the emotional potential of color.

Makita 2026 Advent Calendar Is Packed With Real Tools

www.popularmechanics.com: Advent calendars are usually full of chocolate, tiny bottles of booze, or other stuff you probably don't need 24 of. Makita's 2026 advent calendar takes a different approach: It packs 24 small tools and accessories into a reusable Makita storage case, so there's at least something useful waiting behind the doors.

Interview: Josh Tower of BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB National Tour

BroadwayWorld: From September 22nd-27th, the national tour of Buena Vista Social Club will be gracing the stage of the Durham Performing Arts Center. I recently got to speak with Josh Tower, who's one of the understudies in the show. He has previously been seen on Broadway and on tour in RAGTIME, THE LION KING, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, SCHOOL OF ROCK, and HAMILTON. Yet before all of that, he went to graduate school at the University of North Carolina.

WANTED to Open The James Earl Jones Theatre Box Office Next Week

BroadwayWorld: Texas, 1893 — Twin sisters Mary and Martha Clarke are on the run. The sisters, Black women who pass for white and hide in plain sight, straddle a dangerous line between two Americas. But as powerful forces close in to keep their family from claiming a future of their own, Mary and Martha are driven to desperate measures to save their mother and their family's legacy.

SLAM FRANK Actor Reveals ‘People Have Walked Out’ of Controversial Off-Broadway Musical

BroadwayWorld: The production, which began preview performances earlier this month ahead of its official October 4 opening at the Orpheum Theatre, has been met with mixed responses. “I know that there are people who do get offended,” actor Olivia Bernábe, who stars as Anne, told The Guardian in an article published Saturday, September 26.

Watertown High School students hope to revive ‘Flashdance’

www.tmj4.com: Watertown High School theater students are pushing back after the interim superintendent canceled their planned spring production of the high school version of "Flashdance," citing concerns the show could be risqué or potentially controversial.

Pittsburgh Symphony Kicks Off its New Season with a Gala Worthy of the Name

onstagepittsburgh.com: The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, fresh from its acclaimed European tour, returned to Heinz Hall Saturday night in a stunning performance to launch its new season. The annual gala is the PSO’s major fundraising event of the year, with much of the proceeds supporting the symphony’s outreach to youth in Allegheny County. The stage was bathed in red, and many of the female musicians wore evening gowns, as did those who paid to attend the opening and closing receptions.

Evolution of integrated control and safety systems in industrial automation

Control Design: An integrated control and safety (ICS) system is a centralized architecture that combines basic process control and safety control measures into one system. Some may argue that safety has always been integrated, since controls engineers used to wire safety relays directly into the feed that provided a machine with control power. What is the No. 1 thing needed to turn a machine on? Control power.

Review Roundup: DIRTY DANCING Launches North American Tour

BroadwayWorld: The North American Tour of Dirty Dancing: The Musical is now underway! The tour launched at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, MN and will continue across North America, making stops in cities including Detroit, Boston, Toronto, and Washington, DC.

6 Designers You Should Know

AMERICAN THEATRE: A San Francisco-based sound designer and composer, Caruthers creates immersive theatrical soundscapes and experimental electronic music. His 300-plus credits include Troilus and Cressida for Oregon Shakespeare Festival; 1984, The Winter’s Tale, Pictures from Home, and Born Yesterday for Alley Theatre; Frankenstein: Playing With Fire for Guthrie Theater; and Sweat for Center Repertory Company. What’s next: Sound design for Assimilation and Smoke and Shadows with Word for Word at Z Space, and Alice, Formerly of Wonderland, an a cappella musical, at TheatreWorks.

Hans Zimmer Reveals the Moment That Changed ‘The Lion King’ Forever

collider.com: The Lion King may be one of those iconic films that is instantly identifiable by its music and its score. The 1994 Disney classic ultimately earned Hans Zimmer his first Academy Award, but it has endured to the point that it's no longer just a movie score. It's been transplanted onto the stage, into concerts, live-action, you name it, for more than 30 years. Yet the most remarkable thing about it might be that Zimmer never even wanted to score The Lion King in the first place.

Interview: Valerie Rachelle of COME FROM AWAY at STAGES HOUSTON

BroadwayWorld: Come From Away is the season opener for Stages Houston. The musical celebrates the kindness of the people of Gander, Newfoundland, to passengers from a rerouted flight following September 11, 2001. The production opens September 18 and runs through October 18 on the Sterling Stage at the Gordy. Valerie Rachelle, Associate Artistic Director for Stages, serves as Director-Choreographer.

A Better Blueprint for Construction Mental Health

Builder Magazine: The construction industry has made progress in addressing suicide prevention and mental health, but challenges remain. From demanding schedules and workforce shortages to stigma around asking for help, many workers continue to face pressures that can impact their wellbeing.

Every single slasher mask you can think of is on display at the Academy Museum

www.timeout.com/los-angeles: Think of all the images from scary movies that have haunted your nightmares over the years—then picture them all in one place. That’s what’s in store for you at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ new exhibition, “The Horror Show,” which opens on Saturday, just in time for Halloween season.

Can a ballerina do a stomp? Natalia Osipova on making her fearsome, foul-mouthed acting debut

Stage | The Guardian: When Natalia Osipova started rehearsals for her first ever play, it didn’t go well. “I cry. I’m shaking. I’m stressed and completely lost on the first day,” she reports. “I think, ‘I’m a piece of shit!’ I want to take a taxi and run away.”

Paramount Preps California Exit Amid WBD Legal Battle

www.thewrap.com: Paramount has informed the offices of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Attorney General Rob Bonta that it is preparing to leave the state amid a legal battle over its $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. A Paramount spokesperson had no comment when asked about the plans, while a spokesperson for Bass told TheWrap she is “focused on protecting and fighting for jobs in L.A., including critical jobs in the entertainment industry that have been a vital part of Los Angeles’ economy.”

Ditching The Daily Crisis

Sign Builder Illustrated, The How-To Sign Industry Magazine: It is only 9:15 on a Tuesday morning, and the day is already off to a rough start. The production manager is standing in the office inquiring about a rush job that the sales team promised would be ready by Friday. Meanwhile, an installer is on the phone because a cabinet sign scheduled for installation is still sitting unfinished in the fabrication department. Adding to the stress, purchasing has just discovered that a critical material was never ordered, and the owner is frantically trying to respond to emails from frustrated customers wondering why their projects are running behind schedule.

Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days has new meaning in the age of climate change

theconversation.com: In Happy Days, one of Irish playwright Samuel Beckett’s best-known plays, the body of the protagonist Winnie is embedded in a mound of sand or dirt. During the first act, she is buried to above her waist and in the second, she is buried up to her neck.

A Set For Slam Frank, The Anne Frank Afro-Latin Hip-Hop Musical

Live Design Online: Anne Frank and an Afro-Latin Hip-Hop musical may seem like strange theatrical bedfellows but they are the premise for Slam Frank, an edgy production that reimagines Anne Frank’s story through an intersectional, multiethnic, genderqueer, Afro-Latin hip-hop lens.

What If We Valued Theatre Like We Value Parks?

AMERICAN THEATRE: Since the beginning of September, thousands of people have gathered in Prospect Park to watch a play by Molière. Some arrived as lifelong theatregoers or returning audience members. Many were simply walking through the park and spontaneously decided to stay.

BLIND RUNNER to be Presented at South Coast Repertory

BroadwayWorld: South Coast Repertory will present the international multimedia hit Blind Runner, a Mehr Theatre Group production, with text and direction by award-winning Iranian theatre artist Amir Reza Koohestani. Performed entirely in Persian with English supertitles, Blind Runner runs Oct. 18-Nov. 8 on the Julianne Argyros Stage.

Federal Tax Incentive for Filming Projects Extra $125B in Production

www.indiewire.com: A new study shows that if the United States were to adopt a federal film tax incentive program, the benefits could be enormous. Production spend between 2027 and 2035 could rise an extra $125.3 billion. Nearly $250 billion in overall income for the economy could be generated. The U.S. could add an estimated 143,500 full time jobs. And America’s share of filming around the world could reach as high as 65 percent of all film and TV projects.

StubHub Wins Arbitration Ruling in CEO Ticket Fund Class Action

www.ticketnews.com: StubHub has won a ruling forcing a proposed class action over CEO Eric Baker’s ties to professional ticket reseller Andro Capital into individual arbitration, preventing the plaintiff from pursuing the case as a class action in federal court.

Ed Sheeran Cancels Gillette Stadium Shows Amid Nor’easter

www.ticketnews.com: Ed Sheeran’s two concerts at Gillette Stadium have been canceled as a powerful nor’easter moves toward New England, ending a turbulent week in which the shows had already become the center of a dispute over lineup changes and ticket refunds.

LDI & Live Design Are Thrilled To Announce The Return Of The Excellence In Live Design Awards

Live Design Online: LDI and Live Design are thrilled to announce the return of the Excellence in Live Design Awards, celebrating the outstanding projects, people, and creative and technical achievements shaping the live entertainment and events industry.

Oceans Calling 2026 Canceled as Nor’easter Track Worsens

TicketNews: Oceans Calling has canceled its entire 2026 festival in Ocean City, Maryland, one day after organizers called off Friday’s opening program while hoping to salvage the remainder of the weekend. Festival organizers announced the full cancellation Friday, saying a stronger and updated westward track for the nor’easter has made it impossible to safely continue building the beachfront event.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

Can You Bring Iced Coffee to a Job Interview? Career Experts Weigh in.

Business Insider: Iced coffee has become the latest unlikely subject of workplace controversy. TikTok users are debating whether bringing iced coffee to a job interview is a harmless caffeine fix or a frosty professional faux pas. The discourse became heated enough to reach LinkedIn News on Friday, where LinkedIn news editor Rachel Kleinman described it as a "fiery debate lighting up social media."

Where Did the Creatives of the 2025-26 Broadway Season Go to School?

Playbill: As part of Playbill's Back to School week, take a look at our annual report on the colleges and universities with the most creative alums performing on Broadway in the 2025–26 Broadway season. Below you'll find this year's top 20 most represented schools for Broadway creatives (technically 22 due to ties). Take a look and see if your school—or a school you're considering attending—made the list!

How — And Where — to Park in Pittsburgh's Cultural District

Pittsburgh Magazine: Don’t let the fear of where to park stop you from experiencing the Cultural District’s many wonders. From world-class symphonies and Broadway shows to inventive dining experiences, Downtown has a lot to offer to those willing to venture out. Here are four tips that will make navigating Downtown’s parking situation a breeze.

Library of Congress opens experiential gallery for children

AV Magazine: The Library of Congress has opened The Source, an experiential research gallery where interactive AV technology helps children explore primary sources independently. Part of the A Library for You initiative, the 370 sq metre space uses projection-mapped animation, RFID-enabled objects and digital workstations to introduce visitors aged eight to 15 to the library’s vast collections in film, text, sound and image.

Heated Rivalry Musical Recoups Off-Broadway, Extends

Playbill: The acclaimed Off-Broadway run of Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody, which officially opened May 26 following previews that began May 12 at The Culture Club, has recouped its initial investment in 13 weeks.

 

Can You Bring Iced Coffee to a Job Interview? Career Experts Weigh in.

Business Insider: Iced coffee has become the latest unlikely subject of workplace controversy. TikTok users are debating whether bringing iced coffee to a job interview is a harmless caffeine fix or a frosty professional faux pas. The discourse became heated enough to reach LinkedIn News on Friday, where LinkedIn news editor Rachel Kleinman described it as a "fiery debate lighting up social media."

How — And Where — to Park in Pittsburgh's Cultural District

Pittsburgh Magazine: Don’t let the fear of where to park stop you from experiencing the Cultural District’s many wonders. From world-class symphonies and Broadway shows to inventive dining experiences, Downtown has a lot to offer to those willing to venture out. Here are four tips that will make navigating Downtown’s parking situation a breeze.

Sennheiser Now Shipping New Spectera SKM Handheld Wireless Transmitter

ProSoundWeb: Sennheiser announced that it’s now shipping the new Spectera SKM handheld transmitter, completing the core elements of the company’s bidirectional wideband wireless ecosystem that’s designed for live sound, theatre, broadcast and house of worship applications.

Henry Hewes Award Winners Announced

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: "We are delighted to announce the 2026 Henry Hewes Design Awards honorees," says Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, chairman of the committee. "We continue to recognize the outstanding contribution designers make to the creative process in all New York theater productions, and we congratulate the 2026 honorees for their excellent work."

5 Must-See Off Broadway Shows, New and Remounted

The New York Times: The director Lucie Tiberghien stages a charming (and free!) production of Stephen Wadsworth’s swift and sparkling adaptation of Molière’s 1665 comedy about the rogue Don Juan — that serial bigamist, notorious killer, insouciant blasphemer and jerk. Three superb multitasking performers (Daniel Pearce, Michelle Veintimilla and Naomi Lorrain) become a cast of a dozen or more, all dashing around Keshav Moodliar, who plays the titular seducer, and Kaliswa Brewster, who plays Don Juan’s reluctant servant Sganarelle.

Benjamin Pajak on finding his ‘superpower’ with The Lost Boys

Curtaincallbwy.com: After making his Broadway debut in 2022 in The Music Man alongside Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, and playing the title role in Oliver! at Encores! NY City Center, Benjamin Pajak is back on Broadway to originate the stage role of Sam Emerson in The Lost Boys.

20 New Musicals to See Beyond Broadway This Fall

TDF: There are only three new musicals opening on Broadway this fall. Thankfully, there are more than six times (!!) as many bowing beyond Broadway! Highlights include a transfer of the London hit The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, John Legend and Lynn Nottage’s adaptation of Imitation of Life, the controversial satire Slam Frank, Todrick Hall’s ambitious MIDNIGHT and newly minted Tony winner Joshua Henry in a new two-person tuner he cowrote.

George Lucas Reminds Hollywood Not to Listen to the Haters

gizmodo.com: Speaking to CBS Sunday Morning, Lucas was talking about the reaction to his tinkering with the Star Wars movies for the 1997 special editions when he dropped in this little gem. “It’s hard to explain to the studios that if you listen to the people who are unhappy, it’s not going to turn out well,” Lucas said. “It’s going to be sad. Because they’re not people who know how to make movies.”

1776 Hair Plan-Related Lawsuit to Continue

BroadwayWorld: It has been over two-and-a-half years since Zuri Washington sued the 1776 tour producers for racial discrimination and retaliation, and finally a court has addressed the substance of her allegations. After a venue change and the filing of two amended complaints, a judge for the United States District Court for the District of Maryland dismissed Washington's claims for discrimination but allowed her claims for retaliation to continue.