Kushner, Waterston, Marvel, Kulick and More Shed Light on Brecht's Work in CSC Festival

Yahoo! News: "'Brecht's plays redefined the very nature of theatrical presentation to address the most pressing concerns of his tumultuous generation,' according to CSC. Four of Brecht's seminal works will be read: The Caucasian Chalk Circle, In the Jungle of Cities, The Good Person of Sezuan and Life of Galileo."

A Decade Later, 'Laramie Project' Will Get an Epilogue

Yahoo! News: "This month, Tectonic members return to Laramie 'to find out what has happened over the last 10 years. Has Matthew's murder had a lasting impact on that community? How has the town changed as a result of this event? What does life in Laramie tell us about life in America 10 years later?'"

Thugs, Nerds Rumble in Berkeley Rep's Nightmare `Yellowjackets'

Bloomberg.com: Muse Arts: "High school is a horror show for most kids, and Itamar Moses's new drama ``Yellowjackets'' captures a lot of it, from the inanity of the classroom to the physical risk of muggings or worse."

`Enter Laughing' Charms With Melodious Rant, Backstage Comedy

Bloomberg.com: Muse Arts: "``Enter Laughing'' is now making its fifth entrance. First it was Carl Reiner's semiautobiographical novel (1958), then a stage comedy adapted by Joseph Stein (1962), next a movie directed by Reiner (1967), followed by a 1976 musical-comedy version by the present authors, Stein and Stan Daniels, as ``So Long, 174th Street.'' Revised and reverting to the original title, it re-enters laughing at the York Theatre Company."

Broadway hopes Shrek, Billy defy economic woes

Reuters: "Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe gets naked, Tom Cruise's wife Katie Holmes does Arthur Miller and cartoon ogre Shrek vies with ballet-dancing Billy Elliot in a battle of the monster musicals."

University Bans Access To Facebook; Claims It's A Security Issue

Techdirt: "We've seen plenty of stories of silly politicians trying to ban access to social networks in high schools, but in colleges especially things like Facebook are basically the way students communicate with each other. So it's rather surprising to find out (via Michael Geist) that Concordia University has banned access to Facebook on any computer connected to the university network via a wired connection"

E-mail is as addictive as gambling

CNET News: "In a study last year, Dr. Thomas Jackson of Loughborough University, England, found that it takes an average of 64 seconds to recover your train of thought after interruption by e-mail. So people who check their e-mail every five minutes waste 8 1/2 hours a week figuring out what they were doing moments before."

Producing (WIT #155)

ATW: "The panel — A Few Good Men’s director Don Scardino and playwright Aaron Sorkin, director George C. Wolfe (Spunk) and director Luke Yankee (The Cherry Orchard) — discusses their current productions and how each show was conceived. The creative team of Once On This Island — book writer/lyricist Lynn Ahrens, director/choreographer Graciela Daniele, and composer Stephen Flaherty — talk about adapting the musical from a novel, and the show’s development at Playwrights Horizons."

NIN Dazzles With Lasers, LEDs and Stealth Screens

Wired.com: "A vast wall of swirling static dances on a giant screen as Trent Reznor and his band launch into their song, 'Only.' Initially obscured by this sea of visual white noise, the Nine Inch Nails front man intermittently appears to push through the particles of snow with his hands and body, popping in and out of view and opening up random tunnels in the chaos."

'Shrek' musical team work over time

Variety: "'Shrek the Musical,' which opened here Sept. 10 in its pre-Broadway engagement, has been percolating for five years, including three readings, a seven-week workshop and a month of previews."

Wonderglen Projects Need Experienced Associate Producer

Craigslist: "Do you have a beautiful mind and a capable body to deal with lots of possible traveling and schlepping gear, and being on-call 24/7. Bonus points for computer skills and emotional intelligence."

After 27 Years, the Curtain Is Going Down on ‘Forbidden Broadway’

NYTimes.com: "The Off Broadway mainstay that has lampooned Patti LuPone, mocked Stephen Sondheim and found many other unwitting foils among Broadway’s greats and not-so-greats for more than a quarter century is closing its curtain, perhaps forever, after more than 9,000 performances."

Tragedy in the Theater and a Bit of Drama Around It in the Getty Villa’s Staging of ‘Agamemnon’

NYTimes.com: "As the sun set over the Pacific Ocean on a recent September evening, washing the Malibu hills in a faded purple glow, the lights came up in ancient Greece, where Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, anxiously pondered whether to trade his daughter’s life for the chance to sail for Troy to rescue Helen and avenge his homeland’s honor."

A Trove of Golden Broadway Images, Stuck in a Tangled History

NYTimes.com: "But now that 1957 photo and thousands of other famous images by Mr. Friedman — Rex Harrison looking over a shabby Julie Andrews in “My Fair Lady,” Robert Preston conducting his make-believe trombones in “The Music Man” — are in limbo, largely uncataloged, caught in a dispute between the photographer and the New York Public Library’s performing arts collection at Lincoln Center, to which he had the pictures sent in 1971."

Two from Warhol Museum appointed to run Three Rivers Arts Festival

PostGazette: "At the moment, at least, there is a commitment to keeping the festival going.
'I don't think the Carnegie Museums would have gotten into this position if they didn't think it was important,' Ms. Criste said."

Warhol official to lead arts festival

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The deputy director of The Andy Warhol Museum was appointed Thursday as acting director of the financially troubled Three Rivers Arts Festival."

NEA Chair to Step Down

Backstage: "National Endowment for the Arts chairman Dana Gioia announced today that he will resign in January 2009 to pursue writing and a part-time position at the Aspen Institute as director of the Harman/Eisner Program in the Arts."

Inspirational -- MoI Takes on the Industry

CAD Insider: "I had been hearing glowing reports about MoI from CAD insiders. The consensus was: a very easy-to-use CAD 3D modeling program. I was curious. I also wanted to meet what appeared to be one man, who all by himself, was taking on industry giants such as SolidWorks and Autodesk."

Theresa Rebeck Sounds Bugle, Female Playwrights Charge?

The Clyde Fitch Report: "The New York Times tells us this week that this is the Year of the Man. This year is nothing like last year, when there was actually one new play, written by a woman(me), on Broadway. At the tail end of the season a revival of Top Girls by Caryl Churchill snuck into the lineup too. And then lots of awards went to Tracy Letts -who is a man, but whose name sounds like it could be a woman's name. So that's TWO women and one guy whose name sounds like a woman's. It was exhausting dealing with all that estrogen. Time to give the men a chance."

The Week in Tools: Toolmonger Top 5

Toolmonger: "It’s been a busy week here at Toolmonger. If you’ve been spending time in the shop — you should! — and you haven’t had a chance to keep up with Toolmonger this week, we suggest you start with these posts, which our readers helped to select:"

At the New York Clown Theater Festival, Classes on How to Be Silly

NYTimes.com: "In the face of uncertainty, some people go to church. Others dive onto their analyst’s couch. The next time life gets confusing, how about a clown workshop?"

Broadway's Chicago Will Offer "Talkback Tuesdays" Beginning Sept. 23

Playbill News: "The long-running, Tony-winning revival of Kander and Ebb's Chicago, now playing Broadway's Ambassador Theatre, will launch a new post-show discussion series Sept. 23."

AMPTP inks deal with casting directors

HollywoodReporter: "The AMPTP said Friday that it has inked yet another deal with a union, this time with casting directors and casting associates, and suggested that Hollywood is indeed back to work."

Girl power plays a role in retelling of Greek myth

The Boston Globe: "'Eurydice' is not a children's tale."
It is a play by Sarah Ruhl about one's descent into death, the lure of painful memories, and, ultimately, deep love.

OnStage: A quiet clash

StarTribune: "Theatre Latté Da makes its first trip into the Guthrie Studio. But rather than doing a large-scale musical, director Peter Rothstein has chosen an intimate work for two actors."

The Rocky Horror Show

Pittsburgh City Paper - Pittsburgh: "Give the Rage of the Stage Players high marks for ambition, especially in dazzling visuals, when mounting a production like The Rocky Horror Show. But as some long-ago critic said, nobody ever left the theater whistling the scenery."

Brooklyn Boy

Pittsburgh City Paper - Pittsburgh: "Consider the Polaroid. Its apparatus is big and simple and plastic. It doesn't look like a camera so much as a toy camera. The flash is automatic, no matter what a light-meter might read. The near-instant pictures -- flapped in the air by impatient photographers -- are glossy to the touch, nicely pre-framed in thick, white photo paper."

Without You

Pittsburgh City Paper - Pittsburgh: "Side by side, City Theatre has two productions each featuring one man standing on a stage talking directly to audiences about memories. The Wonder Bread Years, a simple, nostalgic entertainment, has fun with bygone cultural innocence. Meanwhile, next door, Anthony Rapp reminisces about a time when he too was innocent, probing something significant: dealing with death. While both productions remain theatrically limited, Rapp's Without You comes across as a serious alternative to the fluffiness of The Wonder Bread Years."

Death of a Salesman

Pittsburgh City Paper - Pittsburgh: "One of the (many) remarkable things about Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is that each time I see it the play changes. This story about poor Willy Loman at the desolate end of his life, struggling to find out how he got there, began (60 years ago) as a powerful condemnation of the American Dream. As the years passed, it morphed into an equally powerful examination of the American Family. But who knew that Miller, way back in 1949, could predict the collapse of not just the American Dream, but America itself?"

Battleground Lebanon

PRI.ORG: "Lebanon has been a political and religious powder keg for decades, but it's also a nation known for its intellectual and cultural capital."

Cowardly season lineup not good for cultural health of Las Vegas

ReviewJournal.com: "Producers owe it to their playhouses to be concerned about a healthy box office, but do producers owe anything to the community? -- especially an artistically hurting community like Vegas?"

Theatre pollution threat to London revealed

The Stage: "The findings are outlined this week in a document entitled Green Theatre - Taking Action on Climate Change, a joint initiative between Mayor Boris Johnson and leading theatre groups, including the Society of London Theatre, National Theatre, the Theatres Trust and Ambassador Theatre Group."

IATSE to Cover All Obama Campaign Events

-||- IATSE National -||: "The Obama for America campaign has signed with the IATSE to cover all events held in support of Barack Obama’s bid to become President of the United States. The contract, which became effective Sept. 5, includes jurisdiction over stagecraft, building, electrical, sound, rigging, audio-visual, properties, wardrobe, and other related work traditionally under the IA’s purview. It will run until Nov. 5, the day after the national election."

U.S. Marks Somber 7th Anniversary of 9/11

Backstage: "As the nation pauses to mark the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the spotlight from a presidential campaign and a new memorial at the Pentagon are joining the familiar rituals of remembrance on this solemn day."

Fall Arts Preview: Stage

PostGazette: "Take a look at the goodies announced so far. And there will be more, so keep up with the PG as we try to keep up with Pittsburgh's theater and performance art scene. Note that some listings follow a series right into spring, while others emphasize the fall only."

Stage Review: Playhouse Rep stays true to the tragedy of 'Salesman'

PostGazette: "What can be harder than tackling a mountain everyone thinks they know but few actually risk? That's 'Death of a Salesman,' or rather, the salesman himself, Willy Loman."

PICT plans big season while reducing budget

PostGazette: "Undeterred by a midseason disagreement over a deficit that split the board of directors, Andrew Paul, artistic director of Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theater, has announced a challenging season for 2009 under the rubric, 'New and Ideal.'"

Carnegie Science Center unveils expansion plans

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The Carnegie Science Center is planning to expand by 80,000 square feet, build a new sports science exhibition building and create an outdoor 'eco park' in the next 10 years."

Apple Hill Playhouse seeking Stage Manager - starting immediately

Craigslist: "Apple Hill Playhouse is seeking a stage manager"

Apple Hill Playhouse seeking light/sound op. STARTING THIS SUNDAY

Craigslist: "Production of Christmas Belles is in need of a light board & sound operator"

Seeking Theatre Sound Designer

Craigslist: "Carnegie Mellon School of Drama is looking for a sound designer/engineer for our first mainstage production"

Richard Monette - Obituary

NYTimes.com: "Richard Monette, a Canadian actor and director who became the artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and led it into the most robust artistic and financial period in its history, died on Tuesday in London, Ontario. He was 64 and lived in Stratford, Ontario."

Mad Opera: Watch The Science, Mutation, Fights And Sex Scenes Of The Fly Opera

I09: "The buzz about The Fly The Opera in Los Angeles is undeniable. But don't take our word for it judge this scifi opera for yourself with new video footage from the 2008 cast. Watch as fly-man crawls along the ceiling of the opera house, sexes up his girlfriend rips some biker guys arm in two during a casual arm wrestling match all while belting beautiful science-filled songs. Plus we threw in some gruesome fly-guy concept and makeup art."

Hive Five: Five Best Calendar Applications

Lifehacker: "Nothing's more important to your productivity arsenal than a solid scheduling tool, and considering so much of what we do happens at the computer, a good calendar application is just the thing to bring order to your agenda. On Tuesday we asked you to share your favorite calendar application, and today we're back with the five most popular answers."

Fake Fail: BSOD Repeatedly Strikes Nine Inch Nails Concerts

Gizmodo: "BSODs have been plaguing NIN on their current tour. In fact, one has been popping up on the giant display behind them at just about every concert. So what's the deal? Will Trent be forced to fire his tech guy? Hardly. The truth is that it is all part of the act."

Mamet to actors: Stay out of school

Arts and Entertainment: "“…the life of the academy, the graduate school, the studio, while charming and comfortable, are as removed from the life (and the job) of the actor as aerobics are from boxing.”"

London’s “Green Theatre” Plan

ecoTheater: "In short, I’m amazed with the document they produced, and the related “Green Theatre Calculator 2008″ (download your own excel copy here), which is a great tool for theaters everywhere. Thank you London."

Lifehack: Carry Your Portfolio on Your iPhone

JofArnold.com: "So here’s the scene - you’re at a networking event and someone asks you “what great projects have you done?” If you’re lucky, you might be able to blurt out something the other person will already know… but it’s more likely they’ll just draw a blank. At this point you’ll probably start explaining your work, but we all know that it’s rare for potential clients to talk nerd and in any case a picture speaks a thousand words"

With time, the chorus line evolves

The Boston Globe: "'Years ago, you had to come to New York City, to someplace like American Ballet Theatre or Juilliard,' says Lee. 'Now we have kids honing their craft all over the country before coming to New York.'"

The leading man

New Statesman: "After more than a decade as Czech president, Václav Havel has returned to writing plays. Has his artistic vision survived the compromises of power?"

No, It's Not Juliet & Juliet

washingtonpost.com: "No sooner had the Shakespeare Theatre Company -- the big kahuna of classical theater in town -- begun auditioning for an all-male 'Romeo and Juliet' than Lise Bruneau and Marcus Kyd of Taffety Punk Theatre Company determined to counter the production with an all-female one."

Packages personalize theatergoing experience

STLtoday: "Buying season tickets to a theater does two valuable things: It more or less forces you to attend a live performance, and it gets you a better price than you'll usually find at the last minute."

Stage Right amps up the special effect in 'Oz'

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "At the same time a touring production of Broadway's 'Wicked' is singing the praises of the witches of Oz at Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, Stage Right opens its 10th anniversary season with 'The Wizard of Oz' at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg."

Final bid to head off West End strike ballot

The Stage: "West End performers will be balloted over strike action within a matter of weeks if a final attempt by Equity to secure them better pay conditions from London theatre managers is rejected."

MORE THAN SKIN DEEP

New York Post: "WHEN Daniel Radcliffe made his stage debut in 'Equus' last year in London, all the press could talk about was his nude scene. That didn't bother the producers, who were happy to tally up ticket sales. But it sure as hell annoyed the playwright, Peter Shaffer."

Got Tickets?

Carnegie Mellon University: "The curtain is about to rise on the School of Drama's 2008-09 season at Carnegie Mellon University. Theater-goers can look forward to a spectrum of delights, ranging from powerful acrobatics to the best of Stephen Sondheim to a masterfully crafted Tony Award-winning score and much more."

How to be an Organized Student

IansMessyDesk: "The school year is underway here in Canada. Students are changing from a relaxed summer schedule to the structured program of school and other activities. The key to success in achieving your academic goals is good organization and time management."

Time, Attention, and Creative Work | 43 Folders

43 Folders: "Here’s something I wrote last week for this site’s new “About” page:
43 Folders is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.
Call it a motto, or a charter, or — if you have to — a “mission statement.” But, for both of us, it’s a stake in the ground that keeps me focused on what I feel best suited to do for you with this site right now."

Sundance Accepting 2009 Theatre Lab Submissions

Playbill News: "Created as a protected environment where professionals can explore their work far from the eye of critics and commercial pressures, the Sundance Theatre Lab has been the breeding ground for such works as Spring Awakening, Grey Gardens, Well, The Laramie Project, The Good Negro, The Light in the Piazza and Passing Strange."

All-Male 'Romeo and Juliet' Bows in DC

Yahoo! News: "'Staged in the thrust configuration, the production features period costumes and music influenced by the Renaissance to explore theatre traditions prevalent in Shakespeare's day,' according to STC."

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

The top five comment generating stories in the last week...

Sony Follows the Met Opera to the Movies

MusicalAmerica - Performing Arts News: "With such phrases as “for the first time ever,” Sony Pictures’ Hot Ticket division has announced plans to “cinecast” the final performance of “Rent,” which closes on Sunday after a 12-year run on Broadway. The event will be cinecast in “select movie theaters….utilizing the latest in High-Definition video and digital audio technology.”
Sound familiar?"

Beerfest kickoff marred by post-event accident, 20 hurt

INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos: "The Oktoberfest beer party in Ortigas Friday night ended with a bang but downed 20 crewmen soon after following an accidental electrocution as workers dismantled the stages and barricades that had enclosed the concert area."

Harvard raises the bar in lowering tuition costs

The Tartan Online: "While Carnegie Mellon has been named a “New Ivy” by Newsweek based on its academic rigor, Harvard University’s aggressive aid campaign has made it clear that our green value in giving aid money just cannot compare."

9 Tools to Keep You in Sync With Clients and Colleagues

FreelanceSwitch - The Freelance Blog: "These days the idea of a design team is usually wide open to location. Your creative director could be in LA while the designers work in New York, and the client lives in Texas. To keep in sync and get all the work done on time, I’ve found that I can’t work without certain tools. Here’s a small list of applications and websites that aid collaboration over long distances that and are either free or very affordable."

'Rent' Drops Curtain on Broadway Run

Backstage: "They cheered, they cried and gave the show a standing ovation even before the first note was sung.
Broadway said goodbye Sunday to 'Rent,' 12 years and 5,124 performances after it first became a rock musical with a message for theatergoers of all ages."

Irish & Classical announces 2009 season

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "After indulging its passion for Irish plays in 2008, Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre will spend its 2009 season celebrating contemporary classics."

Carnegie Museums taking charge of arts festival

PostGazette: "Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, which has become 'increasingly concerned about the financial health' of the Three Rivers Arts Festival, is assuming responsibility for day-to-day operations and has eliminated the festival's two senior managerial positions."

Hip-Hop Musical 'Clay' Plays KC Rep

Yahoo! News: "New KC Rep artistic director Eric Rosen kicks off his first season as the troupe's new guide with the Shakespeare-inspired project, written and performed by Matt Sax and developed in collaboration with and directed by Rosen. Opening is Sept. 12."

Sewing a perfect 3-D corner (for a cube)

Instructables: "I have always had trouble making tidy corners for 3-D sewing projects. Since I worked out this technique I thought I'd share; it works well on heavier fabrics and for projects like fabric baby blocks where it really shows if you fudge the corner."

No Day But Today: Broadway's 'Rent' Sign Comes Down

Yahoo! News: "At its close, the Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning musical by the late lyricist-librettist-composer Jonathan Larson will have played 5,124 performances and 16 previews, making it the seventh longest-running musical in Broadway history."

Joffrey Ballet finally has a place to call home

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: "A crucial component of the Joffrey Ballet's founding myth is the donation of a red-and-white Chevrolet station wagon that in 1956 made it possible for the company to embark on its first national tour: 23 one-night stands."

Crooked Pol's Death in Brothel Sets Staff Scurrying in Satire

Bloomberg.com: Muse Arts: "``Johnny on a Spot,'' Charles MacArthur's 1942 comedy about a Southern governor who expires in a brothel, is a reminder in three acts that the foibles of a recent New York state governor have precedent."

Terrible Ruling: Judge Halts Publication Of Harry Potter Lexicon

Techdirt: "Despite the fact that J.K. Rowling relied on emotional, rather than legal reasons for not wanting the publication of a guidebook about the Harry Potter universe, called the Harry Potter Lexicon to go forward, it appears that a judge was convinced. The judge has halted the publication of the Lexicon, saying that it violates Rowling's copyrights and did not establish a fair use defense."

Dog head for “There Will Come Soft Rains”

www.maryrobinettekowal.com: "The producer and the director of “There Will Come Soft Rains” — which you should go see — asked me to build a new head for the dog in the show. We discussed budget and at one point the producer asked if I needed money up front for materials.

I laughed. “There is no materials cost for this project.”"

Diane Paulus (DSC #218)

AmericanTheatreWing: "Diane Paulus, director of the acclaimed 40th anniversary revival of the musical Hair in Central Park, talks about her long-standing love of the musical — despite the fact that she’d never actually seen it — and how she indoctrinated her youthful cast with the spirit of the 60s."

"Shrek the Musical" gets off to a great start in Seattle

Jim Hill: "It's often been said that you only get one chance to make a first impression. But with this opening number, 'Shrek the Musical' manages to do in seconds what the original animated feature struggled for an hour or more to do. Which is give the audience a reason to actually care about the title character."

Wong, Longbottom, Bogardus, Colella and Lewis Will Take Part in NAMT's Festival of New Musicals

Playbill News: "In addition to populating the eight new productions with notable Broadway show folk, NAMT has announced a line-up of accomplished directors, including Tony Award winners B.D. Wong and David Zippel as well as Robert Longbottom, Jerry Dixon and Christopher Gatelli."

Streisand, Freeman, Tharp, Jones, Townshend and Daltrey Are 2008 Kennedy Center Honorees

Playbill News: "Recipients of the 31st Annual Kennedy Center Honors include stage and screen star Morgan Freeman; singer George Jones; Academy Award-winning actress, director and singer Barbra Streisand; Tony-winning choreographer Twyla Tharp; and 'The Who' musicians Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey."

Production assistant Wanted

Craigslist: "Leading audio/video production company is seeking a professional and responsible person to assist in various productions"

Events pile up like autumn leaves

PittsburghCourier: "The leaves are starting to fall as the curtain rises on the beginning of the 2008-2009 arts season in Pittsburgh. After you get through this appetizer for the next three months’ events, you won’t be at a loss for things to do in the ’Burgh and remember—this ain’t everything!"

Musicians' union to protest Texas Ballet Theater's decision to use recorded music

The Dallas Morning News: "The dance company, which says it needs $2 million in cash and pledges by Wednesday to survive, announced last month that it plans to use recorded music in place of live music by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Opera Orchestra."

Carl Reiner, Martin Short to kick off Brinker International Forum series

The Dallas Morning News: "One of them has interviewed a 2,000-year-old man. The other has interviewed just about everybody in showbiz, with hilarious results. And Tuesday evening, comedians Carl Reiner and Martin Short will sit down and interview each other at the Meyerson Symphony Center."

'The Fly' Stirs New Buzz

NPR: "A man who accidentally recombines his DNA with an insect during an experiment? Exactly what you'd expect from science fiction. It's not what you'd expect from opera."

'Rent' Takes Final Bow On Broadway

NPR: "The curtain comes down on Rent for the last time Sunday night, after 12 years on Broadway. Although critics call the musical dated, it will live on in a touring production and countless high school drama classes."

Sarah Ruhl's "Eurydice": Love, death and a myth retold

Seattle Times Newspaper: "But Sarah Ruhl's play 'Eurydice,' by all accounts, is unique in its approach to the myth. Here it's conveyed from the seriocomic angle of Eurydice — who usually plays second lyre to her ardent musician-husband, Orpheus."

Stage Review: 'Wicked' just as entertaining as on first visit

Post Gazette: "Talk about magic: 'Wicked' manages to have it both ways at once, several times over. It attracts us with the beloved story of Oz, but it turns it upside down, revealing it to be a whitewash. This revisionism is full of allusive pleasures for the thinking adult, but it's also become a favorite of young girls. And although the major story line is tragic with horrifying side plots, there's giddy humor in the telling."

Artist looks at re-use of former retail sites

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Change is a fact of life. But what happens when big retailers move out of their big-box shells has been a phenomenon of change that inter-disciplinary artist and researcher Julia Christensen has been worrying about for the last six years."

Co-founder Marinelli reflects on developing the ETC with Pausch

The Tartan Online: "With the birth of the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) in 1998, Don Marinelli and Randy Pausch’s futures were sealed together. Drawing inspiration from the University of South California’s ETC, Raj Reddy, the dean of the School of Computer Science at the time, brought up the idea of forming Carnegie Mellon’s own ETC to Pausch and Marinelli who followed it to completion."

'Rent' Drops Curtain on Broadway Run

Backstage: "They cheered, they cried and gave the show a standing ovation even before the first note was sung.
Broadway said goodbye Sunday to 'Rent,' 12 years and 5,124 performances after it first became a rock musical with a message for theatergoers of all ages."

01SJ FEATURES LOCAL STARS

ARTSHIFT San José: "SJSU graduate student, Sarah Lowe, is fabricating an inflatable and ephemeral 25-foot-tall monument titled Ice Age on Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park on Saturday night, June 7 2008. With a footprint of over 58 feet by 30 feet this inflatable iceberg and performative sculpture will anchor one end of the plaza from 2pm to 10pm and is probably best viewed at night. Construction of Ice Age is currently taking place in the Berkeley Repertory Theater’s scene shop in West Oakland."

9 Tools to Keep You in Sync With Clients and Colleagues

FreelanceSwitch - The Freelance Blog: "These days the idea of a design team is usually wide open to location. Your creative director could be in LA while the designers work in New York, and the client lives in Texas. To keep in sync and get all the work done on time, I’ve found that I can’t work without certain tools. Here’s a small list of applications and websites that aid collaboration over long distances that and are either free or very affordable."

Harvard raises the bar in lowering tuition costs

The Tartan Online: "While Carnegie Mellon has been named a “New Ivy” by Newsweek based on its academic rigor, Harvard University’s aggressive aid campaign has made it clear that our green value in giving aid money just cannot compare."

Expand Your Verbal Intelligence

Stepcase Lifehack: "The most common method of thinking in the Western world is verbal thinking. Although we have a range of intelligences including numerical, musical, spatial, emotional, verbal and kinaesthetic intelligences, it is verbal intelligence that we depend on most. We tend to think and express ourselves in words."

As ‘Rent’ Ends 12-Year Run, a Gathering of Fans Overflows With Emotion

NYTimes.com: "It was only a matter of time before it happened. Bring together 50 young fans who have memorized every word of the musical “Rent,” provide free beer, pipe the show’s rousing songs through a set of restaurant stereo speakers, and sooner or later, they may well start dancing on the tables as the characters do in the play’s riotously joyous paean to freedom at the end of Act I, “La Vie Boheme.”"

David Mamet on ‘Speed-the-Plow’ and Drama That Brings Home the Bacon

NYTimes.com: "Drama is about circumstances and how they affect behavior. In the drama the individual is forced to make a moral choice. This choice is never between good and evil (it would be clearly immoral to reject the good) but between two evils."

At Signature Theater, It’s a Black History Year

NYTimes.com: "But this year the Negro Ensemble Company, founded in 1967, will receive a very public boost from Signature Theater Company, which is known for selecting a single playwright to honor each season. Rather than choosing one playwright, Signature is devoting this entire season to the Negro Ensemble Company, showcasing several of its most prominent plays from its four decades of work."

On Tap for Broadway - A Male, Male, Male, Male World

NYTimes.com: "TO study the behavior of men under stress you won’t need to look much farther than the front pages of newspapers this fall. The surprise entry into the race of a certain moose-eating, gun-toting grandma-to-be caused a minor shift in the focus, but most of the news-media glare will soon rest once more on the flaws and strengths, the goofs and the gaffes of the two men leading the tickets."

Zoo Story: A Preview of the Fall 2008 Broadway Season

Playbill News: "All sorts of strange animals will be herded through Broadway's many stages during the coming autumn months. Human animals, too, of course, though some will take the seeming form of sacrificial lambs (Sydney Carton in Tale of Two Cities and Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons), sharks (everyone in Speed-the-Plow), and a wolf and foxes (Joey and his various female prey, respectively, in Pal Joey)."

Judge halts unofficial Harry Potter lexicon

: "A U.S. judge on Monday halted publication of an unofficial encyclopedic companion to the popular Harry Potter book series in a copyright case author J.K. Rowling argued would threaten other authors."

'Rebecca' heads to Broadway

Variety: "Under the new banner of Global Broadway, producers Ben Sprecher and Louise Forlenza have pacted to bring the musical adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel “Rebecca” to Broadway in 2010."

University Celebrates Pausch's Life; ABC News To Webcast Memorial

Carnegie Mellon University: "Carnegie Mellon will celebrate the life of Professor Randy Pausch, who died July 25 at age 47, with a special memorial event at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22 in Rangos Hall. 'Remembering Randy: A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Randy Pausch' will include recollections and tributes from a number of Pausch's friends and colleagues."

Smile: The fall theater season is here

The Denver Post: "Smile! The fall theater season is here. And so are our 10 recommended plays and musicals to watch.
Get to know a featured actor from each play in this special photo essay by Nathan W. Armes, and get to know their plays in their own words.
You'll also find a special video of each of our featured actors below. They are listed chronologically buy opening date."

Acting out contributes to brain health as we age, study shows

chicagotribune.com: "For nearly 15 years, Helga and Tony Noice have been studying how acting skills can improve brain function in older people.
They've documented that memory, comprehension and problem-solving skills all improve in people who apply mental exercises used by actors. And now, with a third grant from the National Institutes of Health, they'll be able to share what they've learned with a wider audience."

Evil Dead meets its bloody end at last

TheStar.com: "Put that chainsaw down, my friends, it's finally kicked the bucket. Evil Dead: The Musical, the show with more lives than any of Andrew Lloyd Webber's felines, is playing its final performance this evening at the Diesel Playhouse."