Art Lecture Series: Pat Oleszko
Event: School of Art Lecture Series
Location: McConomy Auditorium, Campus
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 20
Time: 5 pm
Cost: Free
Pat Oleszko, the Spring 2010 Kraus Visiting Professor of Art, makes a spectacle of herself and doesn't mind if you laugh. Known as "Ms Tricks of Dis Guise," she has a large body of work which includes many Unnatural Acts. Utilizing elaborate costumes and props, she has created lithe performantzes, films and installations that a-dress trees, knees, breasts, butts, elephants and fingers. There have been notorious spatial events with the cast-off thousands. She has worked from the popular art forms of the street, party, parade and burlesque house to the Museum of Modern Art; from Sesame Street Magazine to Ms, Playboy and Artforum. A much decorated artist both literally and figuratively, she has been amply rewarded for her diverse efforts pumping irony and disparately trying to bring home the beacon. The truth squirts.
More info at http://lectureseri.es
MUSIC EVENTS
For more information about music events visit http://www.music.cmu.edu
Sergey Schepkin, Piano
Event: School of Music Performance
Location: Kresge Recital Hall, Campus
Date: Monday, Oct. 19
Time: 7:30 pm
Cost: Free
Sergey Schepkin, associate professor of piano, performs Book II of J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier.
Dialogue of the Carmelites by Francis Poulenc
Event: School of Music Opera Production
Location: Philip Chosky Theatre, Campus
Date: Wednesdy, Oct. 21-24
Time: 8 pm
Cost: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for Carnegie Mellon students with ID
Dialogue of the Carmelites by Francis Poulenc, Music Director
Elizabeth Bachman, Stage Director
The "Dialogues of the Carmelites" (in French, Dialogues des Carmélites), is an opera in three acts by the celebrated 20th century composer Francis Poulenc.
Set in a Paris convent during the French Revolution, the "Dialogues of the Carmelites" is a dramatic tale of faith tested and triumph in a time of chaos and uncertainty.
Order tickets online at Purnell Center Box Office.
School of Music Convocation, Elizabeth Bachman
Event: School of Music Convocation
Location: Kresge Recital Hall, Campus
Date: Thursday, Oct. 22
Time: 1:30 pm
Cost: Free
Stage director Elizabeth Bachman consistently receives critical praise for her innovative operatic productions. The Washington Post described her Baltimore Opera production of L'assedio di Corinto as "simply terrific," and went on to say, "Elizabeth Bachman's staging made this essentially static opera visually interesting." Opera News wrote of her production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann with Madison Opera, "Director Elizabeth Bachman kept the action crisp and clean, delineated her characters clearly and offered a variety of charming touches."
Spilling Ink Project: Vijay Palaparty and Nalini Prakash
Event: School of Music Project
Location: Kresge Recital Hall, Campus
Date: Saturday, Oct. 24
Time: 7 pm
Cost: Free
Vijay Palaparty and Nalini Prakash are founders and directors of The Spilling Ink Project and an acclaimed pair of dancers who have performed widely throughout the United States and India.
They have extensive experience in choreography and performance in two distinct forms of classical dance from South India-Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. Their performances are characterized as highly energetic with a special emphasis and mastery in the nritta-rhythmic dance aspect of both forms.
Carnegie Mellon Chamber Orchestra
Event: Chamber Orchestra Performance
Location: Third Presbyterian Church, Fifth and Negley
Date: Sunday, Oct. 25
Time: 8 pm
Cost: Free
Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony 87
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Serenade for Winds in c minor K. 388
-Intermission-
György Ligeti - Ramifications
Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony 82
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
NFTRW Weekly Top 5
Here are the top five comment generating posts from the past week:
27 Visual Theatre Cliches
Props: "Though this is almost a month old, I’ve been wanting to get around to it. In Time Out London, Andrew Haydon has made a list of cliches of visual theatre that should be banned. He posits that these metaphorical objects and devices are so overused, that they’ve lost their impact. Here is the list with my commentary as it relates to props."Disney debuts do-it-yourself thrill ride
CNN.com: "Epcot on Wednesday opened a new attraction called 'Sum of All Thrills,' which lets kids use computer tablets to design a virtual roller coaster, bobsled track or plane ride. After inputting their designs, kids climb into a robotic carriage that uses virtual-reality technology to help them experience the ride they've created."*Walking to the Sky* art piece is more than just pole in ground
The Tartan Online: "The campus community has watched as Pittsburgh’s typical fall showers have delayed the progress of the reconstruction on Carnegie Mellon’s iconic art structure. Walking to the Sky was created by Carnegie Mellon alumnus Jonathan Borofsky, who earned his BFA in 1964."City Theatre's 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' gets a new look
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "City Theatre is bringing a new look to a timeless classic, says Tracy Brigden, the company's artistic director.
The production of 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' that begins performances Saturday will have a look and feel that's more Goth than Victorian, says Brigden, who is directing the production."'Sleeping Beauty' kicks off Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's 40th season
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Perfection is said to be in the eye of the beholder.
But artists look at what they create before the audience does, and the folks at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre are confident that 'The Sleeping Beauty' is a perfect way to celebrate the opening of its 40th-anniversary season."
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Live Nation, Ticketmaster working out deal with U.S.
Reuters: "Live Nation Inc and Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc are in negotiations with U.S. regulators to come up with concessions that would allow a merger between the two most powerful companies in the live music business, people familiar with the talks said."
A Glimpse of Beauty at the Cadillac Palace Theatre
Chicago Stage Review: "The Palace Theatre opened its doors near the corner of Randolph and LaSalle Streets on October 4, 1926. Inspired by the palaces of Fontainebleau and Versailles, legendary theatre architects the Rapp Brothers created a uniquely splendid venue, originally opened as the flagship of vaudeville’s legendary Orpheum Circuit. Stars like Jimmy Durante, Mae West, Jack Benny, Sophie Tucker and Bob Hope played the Palace."
All Saturdays
Roadies in the Midst: "I remember one show back when I was mixing Rage Against the Machine in a field and the venue told me I had a 98db A weighted limit at mix position. Bummer, especially with Rage. 'Who measures, it? How is it measured?' I asked. They introduced me and and I saw the sound meter and met the human. That's the rule? No variation? 98 at mix, period? 'yes, no leeway, do not go over or the band will be fined $10,000 per minute over, it is in the contract.'. I pondered and looked out at the FOH setup and then asked for 6 stage hands. I had them break down mix position which was at 80 feet and moved it to 175 feet away. They had a full meltdown, but hey, it was in the contract. I was happy. The rules make it fun. I love finding the lines and seeing how far they bend."
Rainy Days and Mondays
Re-Imagineering: "Two of WDI's senior Imagineers just were given their walking papers, leaving a tsunami of questions in their wake."
What Cue Server and Client
iSquint | Entertainment Lighting News & Review: "Doing some internet research last night, we stumbled upon a new iPhone app called What Cue Client from Hard Edge Software. What Cue Client is an iPhone app that connects with a lighting network and console to relay the current cue, cue description and timing information from the desk to your iPhone."
‘Finian’s Rainbow’ Goes Back to Missitucky
NYTimes.com: "THE 1947 musical “Finian’s Rainbow,” set in the Deep South state of “Missitucky,” was arguably the most racially provocative production to reach Broadway in its day. The white residents of utopian Rainbow Valley live and work happily alongside blacks and immigrants. The production featured white and black performers dancing and holding hands, which was almost unheard of at the time. One character, a racist white senator, is magically turned black so he can experience bigotry firsthand — just one of the musical’s satirical subplots about racial reconciliation."
Landesman outspoken as NEA chairman
Variety: "Say what you will about Rocco Landesman -- and right now, people are saying -- the guy sure knows how to make an entrance.
Even before his swearing-in as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, the blunt-talking Broadway producer and until recently head of Jujamcyn Theaters set tongues wagging with comments about his new job’s priorities. He derided current levels of federal arts support as 'pathetic,' and said he would base future grants on artistic merit rather than disbursing money to arts orgs within every congressional district."
Even before his swearing-in as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, the blunt-talking Broadway producer and until recently head of Jujamcyn Theaters set tongues wagging with comments about his new job’s priorities. He derided current levels of federal arts support as 'pathetic,' and said he would base future grants on artistic merit rather than disbursing money to arts orgs within every congressional district."
'Okavango Macbeth' is Botswana's first opera
Variety: "Botswana’s lush, wild Okavango Delta might seem an odd setting for opera buffs. But for Alexander McCall Smith, bestselling author of the 'No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency' series, it was the perfect backdrop for his latest venture."
Saturday, October 17, 2009
'Sleeping Beauty' kicks off Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's 40th season
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Perfection is said to be in the eye of the beholder.
But artists look at what they create before the audience does, and the folks at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre are confident that 'The Sleeping Beauty' is a perfect way to celebrate the opening of its 40th-anniversary season."
But artists look at what they create before the audience does, and the folks at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre are confident that 'The Sleeping Beauty' is a perfect way to celebrate the opening of its 40th-anniversary season."
Review: 'Forever Plaid' brings back the age of harmony
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Thomas Wolfe may have been right when he said you can't go home again.
But it is apparently possible to make repeat visits from the afterlife.
The Plaids did it in 2004 when they returned from their celestial hiatus when 'Forever Plaid' was the opening act for the then-new CLO Cabaret and stayed for 15 months. Three years later they brought 'Plaid Tidings' to the CLO Cabaret's Christmas season."
But it is apparently possible to make repeat visits from the afterlife.
The Plaids did it in 2004 when they returned from their celestial hiatus when 'Forever Plaid' was the opening act for the then-new CLO Cabaret and stayed for 15 months. Three years later they brought 'Plaid Tidings' to the CLO Cabaret's Christmas season."
J. R. Sullivan Takes Over Pearl Theater, Now at City Center
NYTimes.com: "Stage II, the Pearl Theater’s home at City Center, not only turns out to be the troupe’s new location but also describes the next phase in the company’s career arc."
Returning to Laramie
Berkeley Rep Blog;: "Estimates for last Monday night’s audience at The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later are impressive. Somewhere in the realm of 50,000 people (according to the New York Times) attended one of the 150 staged readings of the new play around the world — including at least one in each of the 50 states."
Most Produced
The Wicked Stage: "You may be familiar with TCG's annual list of plays that will get the most productions in the coming season; this year Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's boom took top honors. But after going through season survey (in the October issue of American Theatre, I discovered that while Nachtrieb's play will certainly get the most productions of any single play, he's not the most produced playwright this coming season."
Friday, October 16, 2009
Hollywood Comes Home
Carnegie Mellon University: "Paula Wagner and Steven Bochco, two of Carnegie Mellon University's most notable alums in Hollywood, came home this fall to share insights, wisdom and advice with students in the School of Drama.
Wagner became the first female agent at the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), producing numerous blockbusters including Mission Impossible I, II, III; The Others; and The Last Samurai.
A writer and producer, Bochco is best known for his groundbreaking television work including Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blue."
Wagner became the first female agent at the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), producing numerous blockbusters including Mission Impossible I, II, III; The Others; and The Last Samurai.
A writer and producer, Bochco is best known for his groundbreaking television work including Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blue."
New Works Festival doles out Donna Awards
Post Gazette: "The Pittsburgh New Works Festival has announced the winners of the Donna Awards for its 19th season. The awards are named for the festival's founder, Donna Rae."
New Ideas for New York
Createquity.: "On September 30, the New York City Mayor’s Office announced a set of five new initiatives involving a collaboration between the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and its Economic Development Corporation. Ever since I started following trends in creative economy policy and research a couple of years ago, it has seemed to me that despite having one of the most active cultural economies in the world, New York was embarrassingly behind the times in comparison to places like Massachusetts, Austin, and the UK. Thus, I’m overjoyed to see the city finally considering the arts in their broader economic context in a more explicit way."
Burning Man, the opera
CNET News: "For Ron Meiners, the aha! moment came during Burning Man 2006.
A longtime attendee of the countercultural arts festival, Meiners had been thinking about how one would explain what Burning Man is to someone who had never been. The answer, he decided, was obvious: an opera."
A longtime attendee of the countercultural arts festival, Meiners had been thinking about how one would explain what Burning Man is to someone who had never been. The answer, he decided, was obvious: an opera."
27 Visual Theatre Cliches
Props: "Though this is almost a month old, I’ve been wanting to get around to it. In Time Out London, Andrew Haydon has made a list of cliches of visual theatre that should be banned. He posits that these metaphorical objects and devices are so overused, that they’ve lost their impact. Here is the list with my commentary as it relates to props."
Visual theatre's tired cliches
Time Out London: "Queuing for some show or other recently, I happened to overhear the following from a young director who’d spent the previous ten minutes talking about how talented he was: 'Oh, by the way, if you’ve got any stories or anything, it’d be wicked if you could write it. I know exactly how I want the show to look, but haven’t got any narrative yet.'
I restrained my urge to turn around and throttle him on the spot. But only just."
I restrained my urge to turn around and throttle him on the spot. But only just."
An Interview with Scott Buckwald, Prop Master for the Hit TV Show Mad Men
Collectors Weekly: "Scott Buckwald has been the prop master on a variety of popular movies and television programs, including Race to Witch Mountain and The Prestige. Recently, Buckwald spoke with us about his experiences as a prop master for AMC’s hit show Mad Men. He discussed what life was like in the early 1960s, when Mad Men takes place, and the lengths he had to go to to source and create authentic period props for the show. He also talked about TV and movie props generally, and his personal experience as a collector."
Z Corporation's ZPrinter 350 will create a 3D object of any color you want, so long as it is white
Engadget: "We're not quite to the point where everybody has a 3D printer sitting on their desktop, spewing out conceptual widgets and free energy devices, but by golly if we aren't getting close."
Dominic West of ‘The Wire’ Brings Passion to Murder
Bloomberg.com: "Prince Segismundo (Dominic West) lives in chains and eats from a bowl on the floor. The king has locked him away in a tower since birth. His clothes are rags. He’s not what you’d call a contented individual."
Addio Booing at Met Opera’s Glittering ‘Rosenkavalier’
Bloomberg.com: "Things have calmed down at the Metropolitan Opera since an annoyed opening-night audience booed a depressing new production of “Tosca.”"
Elvis Spoof ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ Is Back With a Bang
Bloomberg.com: "Still fresh at nearly 50, the 1960 musical “Bye Bye Birdie” rebounds on Broadway remarkably well as a takeoff on Elvis, rock and roll, and high-school hijinks, a triumph of lovable silliness. It also spoofs the shenanigans of show-business."
Adrienne Arsht Gives Kennedy Center $5 Million for Musical Theater
washingtonpost.com: "The role of Washington as a hotbed for musical theater advanced solidly Thursday when the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced it had received a $5 million gift for that express purpose."
Noises off: Australian theatre should get real
guardian.co.uk: "G'day! And welcome to a Noises Off Australia special. Two major rows have blown up for Aussie theatre bloggers of late, and so this week I'm digging down under to find out what has got everyone so upset."
Berkeley Rep takes spotlight as Broadway star
SFGate: "Berkeley Repertory Theatre is fast emerging as one of Broadway's most important 'farm teams,' and that's good news not only for the East Bay theater, but perhaps for Bay Area theater in general."
L.A. Production Drops 14% in Third Quarter
Backstage: "Gains in on-location film and commercials production failed to offset a big third-quarter drop in TV shoots as filming across all categories of location-based production fell 14% in the period."
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Disney debuts do-it-yourself thrill ride
CNN.com: "Epcot on Wednesday opened a new attraction called 'Sum of All Thrills,' which lets kids use computer tablets to design a virtual roller coaster, bobsled track or plane ride. After inputting their designs, kids climb into a robotic carriage that uses virtual-reality technology to help them experience the ride they've created."
New Software: SpotTrack Followspot Cue Software
iSquint | Entertainment Lighting News & Review: "SpotTrack is a new program for making and managing followspot cue sheets – something that has traditionally been done in Excel or Word using ad-hoc documents created from scratch as required. SpotTrack, by contrast, has been built for the job"
PLAE it again, Sam!
One Producer in the City: "I tried this over the summer and it went really well. So well in fact, that I have a testimonial from a graduate of my class below and I’m happy to announce that PLAE will be going Bi-Coastal and alumnus Margie Kment will be teaching the course in LA! After doing the course over the summer, I have decided that I will only accept 8 people in the class. The one on one time that each class member gets with the speakers works best when we have a very small group and I want to maintain that integrity, so I hope that you’ll apply as this next one should be very cool."
Opera Porgy and Bess gets 1960s Soweto setting
Reuters: "The role of Porgy, the crippled beggar in 'Porgy and Bess,' has always been hard to pull off as he changes from grump to lover, but a Cape Town Opera version opening in Britain this month sets him a Herculean challenge:
To get back his Bess, Porgy has to make his way from Soweto to New York City...in a goat cart."
To get back his Bess, Porgy has to make his way from Soweto to New York City...in a goat cart."
North London venues to host adult puppetry festival
The Stage: "Islington’s Little Angel Theatre is to launch the first adult puppetry festival to take place in London in more than 25 years.
The ten-day Suspense festival will feature masterclasses, lectures and performances by 24 companies, including UK organisations Faulty Optic, Green Ginger and Horse + Bamboo Theatre, and international groups TAMTAM Objektentheater and Inkfish."
The ten-day Suspense festival will feature masterclasses, lectures and performances by 24 companies, including UK organisations Faulty Optic, Green Ginger and Horse + Bamboo Theatre, and international groups TAMTAM Objektentheater and Inkfish."
Job Cuts Come to Shakespeare & Company
NYTimes.com: "Being $6.8 million in debt and struggling with diminished fund-raising, leaders of the Shakespeare & Company theater in Lenox, Mass., announced on Tuesday afternoon that they were cutting jobs, restructuring the theater’s business model, and taking other steps in hopes of shoring up its year-round productions and education programs."
Stellaaahhh!!! Festival Honors Tennessee Williams
Backstage: "Fans of the playwright Tennessee Williams will be shouting for Stella this weekend in Clarksdale, Miss.
Williams drew some of his most powerful images from his boyhood hometown in the Mississippi Delta, where an annual festival now celebrates the city's role in Williams' award-winning stories."
Williams drew some of his most powerful images from his boyhood hometown in the Mississippi Delta, where an annual festival now celebrates the city's role in Williams' award-winning stories."
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Stage Review: Fabrique shines as Fitzgerald in 'Ella'
Post Gazette: "As Ron Haynes plays the muscular opening notes on his trumpet, the biomusical 'Ella' transports us to the magical jazz age of Louis Armstrong and the teenage girl who grew up to be the First Lady of Song. Or, as the Italians called her during the famous birthday concert in Rome, La Prima Bella Cantata."
Pittsburgh Ballet names music director
Post Gazette: "After four years without an official music director, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has signed a three-year contract with Charles Barker, giving him the dual titles of music director and conductor."
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre starts 40th year with classic 'Beauty'
Post Gazette: "The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will open its 2009-2010 season Friday with a traditional rendition of 'The Sleeping Beauty.'"
Review: 'Ella' might earn singing legend new fans
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The lives of great performers do not always make for great drama.
For those who live most fully and vibrantly onstage, the times between performances are a dormant period they endure impatiently until the next gig.
Ella Fitzgerald was one of those performers."
For those who live most fully and vibrantly onstage, the times between performances are a dormant period they endure impatiently until the next gig.
Ella Fitzgerald was one of those performers."
Pittsburgh Ballet welcomes music director, conductor
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Charles Barker is the new music director and conductor of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. His three-year contract begins with weekend performances of 'The Sleeping Beauty,' which opens the company's 40th season. Barker's previous performances with the ballet include 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Cinderella' during the 2008-09 season"
'Blasphemy of Bees' takes 5 Donna Awards at Pittsburgh New Works Festival
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The Thoreau NM production of 'Blasphemy of Bees' received five of the seven Donna Awards at the Pittsburgh New Works Festival's annual gala. The play was written by Christopher Dimond of Astoria, N.Y."
Prime Stage Theatre brings 'Our Town' to life
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The beauty of the classic play 'Our Town' by Thornton Wilder is its simplicity and its universal message about the human experience, say the directors of the play that will show for the next two weeks at the North Side's New Hazlett Theater."
City Theatre's 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' gets a new look
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "City Theatre is bringing a new look to a timeless classic, says Tracy Brigden, the company's artistic director.
The production of 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' that begins performances Saturday will have a look and feel that's more Goth than Victorian, says Brigden, who is directing the production."
The production of 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' that begins performances Saturday will have a look and feel that's more Goth than Victorian, says Brigden, who is directing the production."
'Sleeping Beauty' kicks off Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's 40th season
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Perfection is said to be in the eye of the beholder.
But artists look at what they create before the audience does, and the folks at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre are confident that 'The Sleeping Beauty' is a perfect way to celebrate the opening of its 40th-anniversary season."
But artists look at what they create before the audience does, and the folks at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre are confident that 'The Sleeping Beauty' is a perfect way to celebrate the opening of its 40th-anniversary season."
Sound Board Operator Needed
Craigslist: "McCaffery Mysteries, Inc. (A Murder Mystery Dinner Company) is in need of a sound board operator."
Irish Rep Takes On Troubling Despot - ‘Emperor Jones’
NYTimes.com: "The drama, which is currently in previews at the Irish Repertory Theater and opens on Sunday, is about Brutus Jones, a black American convicted of murder who escapes from a chain gang and becomes the despot of a tiny Caribbean island. It portrays blacks alternately as violent, superstitious and lazy, it includes symbols of primitivism like tom-toms and a witch doctor, and is written in dialect."
Hearing Actor as Deaf Man in McCullers Play Draws Protests
NYTimes.com: "When the playwright Rebecca Gilman began adapting the Carson McCullers novel “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” for the stage several years ago, she made a bold and controversial artistic leap: opening and ending the play with speeches by a central character, John Singer, who is deaf and mute throughout the book."
*Walking to the Sky* art piece is more than just pole in ground
The Tartan Online: "The campus community has watched as Pittsburgh’s typical fall showers have delayed the progress of the reconstruction on Carnegie Mellon’s iconic art structure. Walking to the Sky was created by Carnegie Mellon alumnus Jonathan Borofsky, who earned his BFA in 1964."
FCEs need to be made useful to students, staff
The Tartan Online: "Regardless of whether students have what they believe to be either the best or worst professor in their entire academic career, it is highly unlikely that they will ever fill out the Faculty Course Evaluation (FCE) for the class unless they’re offered some highly elusive and coveted extra credit."
Art on campus should invoke discussion, interest
The Tartan Online: "The pole is down.
Long live the pole.
With the un-eagerly anticipated resurrection of Walking to the Sky sometime this week, our campus will once again be graced by a large metal rod hovering over the Cut. This new one should hopefully not strike fear into the hearts of both campus administration and passersby as they stare at it swaying maniacally in the breeze. And isn’t that a relief?"
Long live the pole.
With the un-eagerly anticipated resurrection of Walking to the Sky sometime this week, our campus will once again be graced by a large metal rod hovering over the Cut. This new one should hopefully not strike fear into the hearts of both campus administration and passersby as they stare at it swaying maniacally in the breeze. And isn’t that a relief?"
Hollywood comes to Pittsburgh
The Tartan Online: "With the recent amount of unending media attention and popularity being thrown at Pittsburgh, Hollywood executives are finally discovering everything that this city has to offer."
A look into the life of Ella
The Tartan Online: "Tina Fabrique brought down the house as the title character in Ella: The Musical!, the show currently playing at the Pittsburgh Public Theater. Fabrique’s soaring vocal range and exquisite rendering of jazz songs — made standards by the late Ella Fitzgerald — left one wondering why the show wasn’t titled Tina: The Musical!."
Asked & Answered: I don’t have a formal contract. How do I make sure I get my credit?
The Law Offices of Gordon P. Firemark | Entertainment Attorneys: "Q: I applied to write a short for a small independent film company when they advertised for a writer. I confirmed that I would write for credit only.
We went back and forth with story ideas and the director sent a couple of very rough drafts with just a few scenes to give an idea of what he wanted. I finished the script and sent it to them and the producer told me they were happy and he would let me know when they were shooting it in case they needed changes. I have not heard from them since and they are not responding to my emails. It may be that the project has fallen apart but I have no way of knowing. What is my position if they produce the script and do not give me a writing credit?"
We went back and forth with story ideas and the director sent a couple of very rough drafts with just a few scenes to give an idea of what he wanted. I finished the script and sent it to them and the producer told me they were happy and he would let me know when they were shooting it in case they needed changes. I have not heard from them since and they are not responding to my emails. It may be that the project has fallen apart but I have no way of knowing. What is my position if they produce the script and do not give me a writing credit?"
Pitt, CMU cited for positive impact on city
Post Gazette: "The president of Westfield State College in Massachusetts today announced his list of schools that positively impact their urban surroundings, and the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon were highly ranked."
Will 'Paranormal Activity' Teach The Movie Industry A Lesson?
Techdirt: "I have to admit I don't usually like scary movies, and I didn't like the Blair Witch Project at all. But I can't help but be impressed that the Blair Witch movie cost just $60,000 and pulled in a cool $140 million back in 1999. That kind of return makes me wonder why more movies aren't filmed on really small budgets."
We'll save you seat....Even if you don't take it.
One Producer in the City: "During the NYMF run, I came across something else about our industry that I have a problem with.
We had a sold out show and we had people on a waiting list, and I was there to witness people being turned away while seats were left empty."
We had a sold out show and we had people on a waiting list, and I was there to witness people being turned away while seats were left empty."
Survey: Pittsburgh in top third of job markets
Pittsburgh Business Times:: "The Pittsburgh metro area improved its standing on the survey over the past two years, moving up from No. 84 in 2007, to No. 56 last year, to No. 30 this year. The region lost 31,300 private-sector jobs since mid-2008, a 3 percent decline. That's still better than the 5 percent decline in private sector jobs recorded nationally, according to the study."
PITTSBURGH'S ARTISTIC RENAISSANCE
More Intelligent Life: "Once a shell of its former industrial self, Pittsburgh has been busily making itself over. Now its cheap rents and artistic legacy are luring a new generation of creative pioneers, writes Yael Friedman ..."
Regional Theatre/New Play Development - April, 1993
American Theatre Wing: "The panelists - theatre critic Howard Kissel, Artistic Director of Manhattan Theatre Club Lynn Meadow, actor/director Zakes Mokae (The Song Of Jacob Zulu), producer/general manager Dorothy Olim, producer/general manager Albert Poland, general manager Ben Sprecher, and playwright Wendy Wasserstein (The Sisters Rosensweig) - discuss how not-for-profit and regional theaters differ from commercial productions, developing plays out of town, escalating production costs, and viable stage careers compared to television and film."
The Gravesend Inn, A Haunted Hotel
Control Geek: "The Gravesend Inn is a high-tech haunted hotel which we do at City Tech as our annual, major Fall production. The audience, while unaware, actually runs the entire attraction."
Cirque Technical Director Joins FIRST
Fascination! Newsletter: "FIRST®(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people`s interest and participation in science and technology, announced that the internationally-recognized technical director for Cirque du Soleil, Calum Pearson, and Hollywood film and TV producer, Paul Lazarus, have joined the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Game Design Committee to ensure that the game challenges are appealing to all ages and audiences, while at the same time pushing the limits of the students` ability to innovate new robotic designs and applications."
Answers
99seats: "I was not actually engaging the question of 'the state of black theatre.' Reading the piece in the Guardian had certainly gotten my mind thinking about and thinking about why we weren't talking about it. Those are two separate thoughts. One thought is 'What is the state of black theatre in the U.S. right now?' Another, separate thought is 'Why isn't anyone asking or talking about it?'"
Live Lighting
On Stage Lighting: "Before tiny electronic lighting controls and predictable fade times, the theatre world relied on the physicality of men in coats pulling levers, twiddling dials and a direct connection between them and the light seen on stage. The reason that early modern lighting consoles looked suspiciously like they were based on a pipe organ, was that the real time connection of an lighting technician and his lights was highly regarded."
Stammering Stars Ponder Health Crises in ‘Let Me Down’: Review
Bloomberg.com: "Acclaimed for one-woman shows in which she played people affected by race riots in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, Anna Deavere Smith now turns to the hot-button issue of health care."
Asian American Theater Festival Begins in Manhattan
Yahoo! News: "Running through Oct. 18 at the Theater for the New City and Julia Miles Theatre, the festival highlights a collection of work from established and emerging writers including Kristina Wong, Alice Tuan, Soo-Jin Lee, Sheetal Gandhi and Shishir Kurup."
Who Let the Dogs Out? '101 Dalmatians' Musical Parks and Barks in Minneapolis
Yahoo! News: "Rachel York is Cruella de Vil, the villainess with a taste for fur, in the new family-friendly touring show The 101 Dalmatians Musical, which is unleashed in its world premiere starting Oct. 13 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis."
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Arts & Culture in Pennsylvania's FY2010 Budget
Philaculture.org: "State governments, like all sectors of the economy, have been hit hard by the national recession, and Pennsylvania is no exception. Declining revenues and a difficult economy forced the state to create a leaner FY2010 budget, down $500 million from FY2009’s total of $28.3 billion. This has led to cuts in many areas, including arts and culture. This article outlines the status of arts and cultural funding in the recently-adopted FY2010 budget."
Theatre Projects Puts Final Touches on Wyly Theatre and Winspear Opera House
Lighting&Sound America Online - News: "Theatre Projects is putting final touches on two performing arts spaces: the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre and the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, as last-minute preparations continue for the October 15 grand opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas."
Tait Towers Builds The Video Music Awards
LiveDesign: "Ambitious by any measure, the total transformation of New York's iconic Radio City Music Hall for this year's Video Music Awards (VMAs) on September 13 was nothing short of breathtaking. With the auditorium floor cleared of seats and replaced with towering structures that flanked the walls, the resulting image was a potent blend of New York brownstone and the wedding cake tiered balconies of Milan's La Scala opera house"
Local labor protests
Oregon Daily Emerald: "After protesting in front of McArthur Court on Wednesday, a local union convinced organizers of musician Bob Dylan’s concert to drop the out-of-town stagehand staff scheduled to work the show and hire its workers instead for a higher hourly rate."
Hollywood insiders Bochco, Wagner return to Carnegie Mellon
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "They probably don't have to worry about being stalked by paparazzi or tailed by TMZ.
But Hollywood's constellation of stars might be quite different without the contributions of Carnegie Mellon University graduates Steven Bochco and Paula Wagner."
But Hollywood's constellation of stars might be quite different without the contributions of Carnegie Mellon University graduates Steven Bochco and Paula Wagner."
Ax falls on Miami film office, county expects to feel effect
MiamiTodayNews: "Despite a late outpouring of support, the City of Miami balanced its budget without including any of the Mayor's Office of Film and Cultural Affairs' about $245,000 budget.
'The smoke cleared from the financial battlefield, and I had to let my two fulltime people go,' said Director Robert Parente.
The budget reduction means he's now under the city manager's budget with a main focus on film permitting, Mr. Parente said. He has kept a part-time receptionist who is not trained to help out in permitting.
'I might look into training' the part-timer,' he said."
'The smoke cleared from the financial battlefield, and I had to let my two fulltime people go,' said Director Robert Parente.
The budget reduction means he's now under the city manager's budget with a main focus on film permitting, Mr. Parente said. He has kept a part-time receptionist who is not trained to help out in permitting.
'I might look into training' the part-timer,' he said."
Nominations Open for USITT Young Designer Awards
Stage Directions: "USITT will again be giving its Awards for Young Designers & Technicians in the Performing Arts based on a review of portfolios and letters of nomination from current USITT members. Students can start the nominations process at http://www.usitt.org/YoungDesignersTechnicians.aspx."
Barrymore Awards Honor Philadelphia Theatre
Stage Directions: "The 15th annual Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre were held on Monday night, celebrating Philadelphia theatre by handing out 26 awards celebrating the work of local theatre artists as well as the vibrancy of the region’s theatrical offerings. Something Intangible was the runaway winner with seven awards for Arden Theatre Company, while Charlotte Cloe Fox Wind was honored with the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist and The Lantern Theatre Company received the 2009 Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service for its Classroom Connections Program."
ULS
Monday, October 19 – 5:30pm – Porter Hall 100 (Gregg Hall)
In conjunction with Brazil Today course
The Many Faces of Brazilian Jazz
Lilly Abreu, Soprano and Jazz Vocalist
Monday, October 19 – 7:00pm – Rashid Auditorium in the Gates Center for Computer Science
Giler Humanities Scholars/International Relations and Politics Program Speaker Series
American Politics: A View From Home and Abroad
Andrew Sullivan, British blogger, author, and political commentator
Tuesday, October 20 – 4:30pm – Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall 103 (Breed Hall)
International Relations & Politics Program Program Speaker Series
Annotations on Europe after the 2009 Parliamentary Elections
Eva Maria Höller-Cladders, former Senior Vice President, Robert Bosch GmbH
Wednesday, October 21 – 12:00pm, Hamburg Hall 1000, Heinz College
International Relations Politics Program Speaker Series
America’s Global Navy: In the Middle East and Beyond
Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations
Thursday, October 22 – 4:30pm, Porter Hall 100 (Gregg Hall)
Title TBA ( on growing food in urban settings)
Dickson Despommier, Columbia University
Friday, October 23 – 2:30 pm – TBA
From Research Lab to Jungle Ops: Computer speech translation for humanitarian relief
Alex Waibel, Carnegie Mellon Unviersity
Saturday, October 24 – 7:00pm – Kresge Recital Hall, CFA
Special Event: $10 general admission/ $8 students/ seniors
alekhya: spilling Ink presented by the Spilling Ink Project, (Washington, DC)
NFTRW Weekly Top Five
Here are the top five comment generating posts from the past week:
The Grapes of Wrath
Pittsburgh City Paper: "Consider the horror movie: A group of people ends up stranded. They aren't bad people, just naïve. They've made a deadly choice, but they're oblivious to the danger. One by one, they die off. They're knifed and strangled and electrocuted, and the audience guesses, with gritted teeth, which plucky hero will survive."
This Is a Photoshop and It Blew My Mind
Gizmodo: "PhotoSketch is an internet-based program that can take the rough, labeled sketch on the left and automagically turn it into the naff montage on the right."'The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later'
Los Angeles Times: "Monday's new productions around the country of “The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later” revisit not only the first Tectonic production but also an ambitious experiment of the WPA’s Federal Theatre Project in the 1930s."Theatre brawl stops show at The Grove
Leighton Buzzard Today: "DRAMA moved from the stage to the stalls during a show at The Grove Theatre on Saturday night, when a brawl broke out in the audience.
Two men in the centre of the auditorium started the fight by throwing punches at each other just minutes into the second half of street dance and aerial skills production Cacophony, by The Generating Company."'Potter' star spells out 'Business' plan
Variety: "Daniel Radcliffe will head the cast of an upcoming New York reading of 1961 tuner 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,' marking the first musical turn for the 'Harry Potter' star.
Producers Broadway Across America, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are test driving the project for a potential Rialto revival."
Sunday, October 11, 2009
How Iago Explains the World
NYTimes.com: "This time it’s “Othello,” now running at New York University’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in Greenwich Village. Mr. Sellars has updated Shakespeare’s tragedy of jealousy and revenge with cellphones, Blackberrys and wall monitors.
But Mr. Sellars needn’t have bothered with all the new technology. The play itself speaks to one of the most salient confusions of our time: the conflict between transparency and secrecy."
But Mr. Sellars needn’t have bothered with all the new technology. The play itself speaks to one of the most salient confusions of our time: the conflict between transparency and secrecy."
Musicians Starting To Assert Copyright Termination Rights Against Record Labels
Techdirt: "There's been a lot of attention recently to the news that the heirs of comic book artist Jack Kirby are alerting companies of plans to take back the copyright on various Kirby characters, using the termination rights in the Copyright Act. This followed a very long and drawn out lawsuit involving a similar attempt over Superman. The details are really complex, but copyright law allows the original creator (or heirs if that creator has passed away) certain opportunities to basically negate a deal that was signed early on to hand over the copyright on certain works. The idea was to help protect artists who signed bad deals, but in practice, it's just been a total mess."
Gantter – The Ultimate Free Creative Project Management Tool
MakeUseOf: "For the most part, I’m a very task oriented and “to-do list” sort of guy. At work I’m able to manage the many projects and even small tasks that I’m responsible for through Microsoft Project – which is, in my humble opinion, one of the most powerful project and task management applications available for desktop PCs.
The problem is that most home users of moderate means can’t usually afford the Office package that includes Microsoft Project. The majority of home computer users will have the standard office package, such as the 2007 Home and Student edition which has Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote."
The problem is that most home users of moderate means can’t usually afford the Office package that includes Microsoft Project. The majority of home computer users will have the standard office package, such as the 2007 Home and Student edition which has Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote."
Meet The Barry Twins, New York City's Newly Famous Job Seekers
Jezebel: "There should be a required course for everyone during senior year of college called 'Nobody Owes You Anything,' wherein your professor informs you that the economy is terrible, the job market sucks, and your degree is no longer an instant ticket to a dream job. The course should also force students to come up with a backup plan (or several) should they find themselves in a position where they have to make ends meet while waiting for their big break to arrive."
50 Years Older, ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ Is Back in Its Birth Nest
NYTimes.com: "“BYE BYE BIRDIE,” which on Thursday opens for its first Broadway revival in a Roundabout production at the newly renovated Henry Miller’s Theater, has for years been one of the most produced shows in the United States. Like Disney’s “High School Musical,” which may overtake it someday, “Birdie” is a standby in high schools, where its appeal is practically guaranteed. It has a large number of teenage parts, most of them easy to sing and perform, and the plot, such as it is, is all about the generation gap. On progressive high school stages these days, it’s not unheard of for the principal to take the role of the uptight Mr. MacAfee, who just doesn’t understand what’s wrong with kids today."
"Let the Sun Shine In": Hair Tribe Attends National Equality March Oct. 11
Playbill News: "The cast of the Tony Award-winning revival of Hair takes a day off from their Broadway 'be in' at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre to participate in the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 11."
Theatre brawl stops show at The Grove
Leighton Buzzard Today: "DRAMA moved from the stage to the stalls during a show at The Grove Theatre on Saturday night, when a brawl broke out in the audience.
Two men in the centre of the auditorium started the fight by throwing punches at each other just minutes into the second half of street dance and aerial skills production Cacophony, by The Generating Company."
Two men in the centre of the auditorium started the fight by throwing punches at each other just minutes into the second half of street dance and aerial skills production Cacophony, by The Generating Company."
National Theater broadcasts onto bigscreen
Variety: "'I’m confident that we have pioneered a new genre,' says National Theater artistic director Nicholas Hytner, who has every reason to sound buoyant.
In creating NTLive, Hytner and his producer, David Sabel, have pulled off a trick once regarded as unthinkable, if not unwatchable: they have taken live theater and broadcast it via satellite into movie houses in the U.K. and abroad."
In creating NTLive, Hytner and his producer, David Sabel, have pulled off a trick once regarded as unthinkable, if not unwatchable: they have taken live theater and broadcast it via satellite into movie houses in the U.K. and abroad."
Heavy sked for West End despite recession
Variety: "You might imagine that, in a recession, theater owners would be begging producers for available product to fill their houses. Yet despite the perennial financial risks inherent in legit production, future shows are circling London’s West End like planes in a holding pattern."
Welcome to the CMU Drama Logo Shop!
Carnegie Mellon Drama: "All of these great products are embroidered with our CMU Drama logo! All proceeds go toward Carnegie Mellon University Drama Showcase, wherein the Class of 2010 ventures to New York and LA to audition for top agents and industry professionals. For ordering questions contact us at info@spiritlogoshop.com Be sure to tell them it is CMU Drama you are asking about."
Saturday, October 10, 2009
'The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later'
Los Angeles Times: "Monday's new productions around the country of “The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later” revisit not only the first Tectonic production but also an ambitious experiment of the WPA’s Federal Theatre Project in the 1930s."
Review: 'Ella' might earn singing legend new fans
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The lives of great performers do not always make for great drama.
For those who live most fully and vibrantly onstage, the times between performances are a dormant period they endure impatiently until the next gig.
Ella Fitzgerald was one of those performers."
For those who live most fully and vibrantly onstage, the times between performances are a dormant period they endure impatiently until the next gig.
Ella Fitzgerald was one of those performers."
Kennedy Center Enlists Art Groups for Education
Backstage: "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is starting a new program that could reinvent arts education for schools struggling with budget cuts and fewer art teachers, organizers said Friday."
Scribe With A Router
Toolmonger: "To get a piece to fit an irregular wall, you can scribe the contour of the wall onto the work piece, make the cut with your jigsaw, touch it up with a belt sander, and check it against the wall — then repeat the process until you get it perfect or you give up and call it “good enough.” Rather than go through all that trouble, the QuickScribe lets you cut the piece with a router in one step."
They don't walk alone
Berkeley Rep Blog: "American Idiot is a high-energy show. The cast members act, they sing, they dance – as loud as they can, hard as they can, eight shows a week.
And, sometimes, they get hurt.
I’m not saying we’re carrying folks out on stretchers night after night...but this is a strenuous performance."
And, sometimes, they get hurt.
I’m not saying we’re carrying folks out on stretchers night after night...but this is a strenuous performance."
Slung Low shows how regional theatre can stay fresh
guardian.co.uk: "No sooner does Lyn Gardner ask, than she receives. Last week Lyn bemoaned the lack of experimentation in regional theatres. This week I went to Salford for Slung Low's latest show, Beyond the Frontline. How best to describe it? Well, it's a site-specific, promenade melange of new writing, installation, movement, a newly commissioned requiem and the biggest cast I've ever seen (134), running around in full British army fatigues amid big explosions and pyrotechnics. If this isn't risk-taking, and on a scale that makes the word hubristic seem a bit understated, then I don't know what is."
Broadway’s Next Finale - Talk-Backs at Shows Like ‘Oleanna’
NYTimes.com: "As it was last spring, Broadway is now virtually glutted with new productions: eight plays and three musicals opening over a 31-day period. And as they did last spring, producers are offering an increasingly common bonus — post-performance talk-backs between audiences and the actors — in hopes of standing out from the crowd and perhaps selling more tickets."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)