Nevada Legislators Look at Burning Man: If It Burns, Tax It!

Hit & Run : Reason.com: Burning Man, the annual experimental temporary city of over 50,000 attendees dedicated to art and community, already kicks over $4 million a year of its ticket price to various local, state, and federal governing authorities in Nevada, where the event is held.

Is our moat too deep? (Reinvent Marketing idea)

2AMt » Blog Archive: Thesis: The American Theatre Movement has had a tendency to define itself partly by what it is not – distancing itself from community theatre and mere entertainment. This distancing should be reevaluated to determine whether its ongoing benefits outweigh its ongoing costs.

Most American theatre professionals will readily explain how professional artistic theatre differs from two other categories of performing art.

U of Cincinnati Students Freaked Out Over Vagina Art (NSFW)

CollegeCandy – Life, Love & Style For The College Girl: Walking around campus, you may be shocked to see a professor whose class you “accidentally” slipped out on, or that couple who won’t stop the PDA, even in front of the much-crowded science building but how would you react to a series of photographs depicting vaginas hung up around your campus?

This past Thursday, students at the University of Cincinnati took the issues of female reproductive health and sexuality and presented a project that they hoped would increase awareness and discussion on campus. The photos, in the project named, “Re-envisioning the Female Body,” have been enlarged to be placed on 12 poster boards the size of billboards.

Plagiarism: Maybe It's Not So Bad

On The Media: Artists often draw inspiration from other sources. Musicians sample songs. Painters recreate existing masterpieces. Kenneth Goldsmith believes writers should catch-up with other mediums and embrace plagiarism in their work. Brooke talks with Goldsmith, MoMA’s new Poet Laureate, about how he plagiarizes in his own poetry and asks if appropriation is something best left in the art world.

Artists Sampled Without Permission In 'Harlem Shake' Song Demand To Get Paid

Techdirt: Back when "The Harlem Shake" first went viral, we pointed out that it was a bit hypocritical of Baauer to use copyright to issue a takedown on a version of the song he didn't like when it was clear from his own statements that the song itself was a mashup of samples from others which he did not license. Later we wondered why it was proper that he was the one who mostly cashed in on the viral meme, since he had basically nothing to do with making the song viral.

JOB TITLE: STAGEHAND

www.osfashland.org: JOB SUMMARY:
Assists with set-ins and change-overs for all OSF productions. Participates on running crews for tech/dress  rehearsals, previews, performances of 1 – 3 shows and strike periods on shows as assigned by Stage  Operations Manager.

A note regarding Brian Johnston

Dear Friends,

Some of you may know already that UCSC's Theater Arts Department hosted an international conference on PEER GYNT this week in conjunction with our school's production of the play. This was a very special production, requiring two years of preliminary research, and garnering support from the Norwegian consulate and many other interested parties. I was the lead dramaturg (of a team of seven!) on the production, and of course my first, last, and many intermediate stops in my research were to Brian - his books, my notes from his lectures, and himself in person. We used his translation, his research, his website, and his direct advice throughout the process. 

Of course we arranged for him to join us in Santa Cruz this past weekend (March 9) to participate in a conference attached to the production. Also in attendance at this conference were some of Brian's true peers in scholarship, including Dame Vigdis Ystad (head of Ibsen Studies at Olso University, and recently knighted by the King of Norway for her work in this area), the renowned folklorist Sverre Morkhagen, the great performance scholar from Israel Freddie Rokem, the celebrated ibsenist Sarah Bryant-Bertail, the RSC actor and Ibsen expert Paul Whitworth, and several other luminaries of the field from around the world, all of whom had known Brian's work intimately and also himself personally.

J-O-B PM

Production Manager Performing Arts FINAL by dboevers

Alliance to adapt Tretheway’s Pulitzer Prize-winner as part of...

www.accessatlanta.com: The Alliance Theatre will adapt U.S. poet laureate Natasha Trethewey’s Pulitzer Prize-winning collection “Native Guard” for the stage as part of the National Civil War Project, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned. The multi-city, multi-year collaboration is being officially announced in Washington on Thursday. The Alliance will collaborate with Emory University’s Center for Creativity & the Arts and other partners at the Atlanta school as part of the National Civil War Project, which links five performing arts groups and four universities.

Shakespeare’s marriage is at center of ‘The Last Will’

A&E - Boston.com: William Shakespeare’s final years were even more puzzling and obscure than the rest of his life. Why did he retire from the stage in 1612, when he was just 48, and leave London for Stratford? How did his wife, Anne, receive him when he returned home? And then there’s his last will and testament. Why did he leave most of his property to elder daughter Susanna? Why did younger daughter Judith receive so little? Why did Anne inherit, infamously, her husband’s “second best bed”? And why is his signature on the will such a scrawl? All that and more is addressed in Robert Brustein’s new play “The Last Will,” which Suffolk University and Commonwealth Shakespeare Company are staging in a world-premiere production at the Modern Theatre.

Brits bring Shakespeare comedies to the Guthrie

StarTribune.com: England’s Propeller theater company has brought two Shakespeare comedies to the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, with a mixed result. Its production of “Twelfth Night,” about mischief and merriment, desire and deceit, has a slow first act but becomes entertaining in the second. “The Taming of the Shrew,” with which “Twelfth Night” alternates performances, comes off like an antiquated curio pulled from the closet.

New play about Isaac Newton tells story of time he supposedly put a needle in his eye

PRI.ORG: Most plays about historical events and figures take liberties with the facts — you probably couldn’t write a good play if you didn’t. Audiences, though, can be distracted by wondering whether some specific fact was really true? Lucas Hnath’s new play about Isaac Newton handles the problem in a unique way: every fact introduced in the play is written on a wall, in chalk, by a narrator character.

Chess at Point Park Conservatory

Theater Reviews + Features | Pittsburgh City Paper: The '80s weren't a good time for anyone: the fashions, Reagan, big hair, etc. And in no area was the barrel's bottom scraped more than musical theater. We're talking Andrew Lloyd Webber, Les Miz, Miss Saigon, et al. By 1989, there were only three Tony nominees for Best Musical, two of which were revues and the third ran for only 60 performances. Point Park's Conservatory Theatre presents one of the loopiest productions from that era; Chess, with music by Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus (the guys from ABBA), lyrics by Tim Rice and book by Richard Nelson.

PICT board lays out changes, hires temp director

TribLIVE: Two days after firing producing artistic director Andrew S. Paul, the Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre board is moving ahead with changes. The board has appointed actor and director Alan Stanford to serve as interim producing artistic director and Paul's directing slots are being filled with new directors.

In Baltimore, no ravin' about 'Flashdance the Musical'

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: You can take "Flashdance" out of Pittsburgh, but you can't take Pittsburgh out of ... you get the picture. In Baltimore on Feb. 16, with Ravens fans still enjoying their Super Bowl victory, there were no catcalls when lead character Alex appeared on stage in a Steelers T-shirt, and no apparent displeasure during songs such as "Steeltown Sky" or head-scratching when her dance-club manager used "yinz" in general conversation.

Animation Guild Picks Up Lunch For Overtime Workers at Rhythm & Hues

The Hollywood Reporter: The Animation Guild, Local 839 of IATSE -- coordinating with digital artist Dave Rand, who was instrumental in assembling the visual-effects demonstration held on Oscar Sunday -- provided 64 pizzas for lunch Saturday at VFX house Rhythm & Hues.

Student Board Fellowship/Mentorship Program Launched

sightlines.usitt.org: An exciting new program has been launched which will provide an opportunity for student and early career members to gain leadership training. The new Student Board Fellowship Program will allow emerging professionals to shadow the experience of serving on a non-profit board, with emphasis on membership arts and culture organizations. While the primary purpose is to introduce those chosen to a governance structure, future board service is a potential outcome.

AV: An Examination Of Bandwidth, Dynamic Range And Normal Operating Levels

Pro Sound Web: Audio signals are, of course, speech and music, and in this article we will examine the nature of those signals in terms of their requirements in bandwidth, dynamic range and normal operating levels. The nature of peak and average levels of music and speech will be discussed. In addition, we’ll look at the standard methods of dealing with signal peaks and required shifts in signal operating levels.

#NFTRW Weekly Podcast

This week's articles:

1. The Largest Floating Stage in the World
2. The Stop-Motion Puppets of Frankenweenie
3. Cover Letters: Top 10 Tips To Writing A Successful One
4. SeaWorld Orlando announces grand opening for Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin
5. Making Your Business Card Social-Media Friendly
6. "Don't Imagine That You Can Bully Me"
7. Fashion interns don't get paid
8. Failgreat (Diversify Production idea)
9. Donyale Werle to Speak at USITT 2013
10. How Big Business is Stymying Makers' High-Res, Colorful Innovations

Featuring: Matt, Cat, Margo, & Lauren

Internship

Center Theatre Group’s 2013 Sherwood Intern application is now available via www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/Internships.  The application materials are due on March 22, 2013, but an intern may be hired prior to that date.  This is a six-month, part-time internship with a $2,000 stipend. 

Applicants must have already graduated from an undergraduate program, but have been out of school for less than one year; be a current Graduate student; or be a Masters graduate who has been out of school for less than one year (no exceptions).

Originally created in 1996 as an annual fund to support innovative, adventurous theatre artists from across the country, the Sherwood Award was established in memory of Richard E. Sherwood. Sherwood was a patron of the arts with a special appreciation for the energy and talent of emerging artists who are vanguards in theatre. He was president of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and president and then chairman of Center Theatre Group’s Board of Directors from 1980 until his death in 1993. The award is endowed by the Sherwood family and honors Sherwood’s passionate commitment to theatre.

The Sherwood Intern will support the Sherwood Artistic Programs Coordinator and CTG’s Education and Community Partnerships Department in the administration of the Sherwood Award. In preparation for assisting in the coordination of the Sherwood Award process, intern will receive a mentorship in contemporary theatre and gain exposure to contemporary work being presented in Los Angeles. 

For more information, see the PDF description linked below.  Please note that applicants must visit www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/Internships for full instructions and the application form.

·         Sherwood Intern, Education/Artistic Office (pdf | 162kb)

AEA RECEIVES NATIONAL CHARTER FROM AFL-CIO

Actors' Equity Association News: Actors’ Equity Association (AEA or Equity), the Union representing more than 49,000 professional stage actors and stage managers in the US, today received an historic national charter in its centennial year from the AFL-CIO. The direct charter, which was given at the morning session of the AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting, makes AEA the 57th labor organization to receive the distinguished honor of formal association with the national federation of American unions.

Press Release: Launch of the new Congressional Creative Rights Caucus

IATSE Labor Union, representing the technicians, artisans and craftpersons in the entertainment industry: Today, Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), along with Congressman Howard Coble (NC-6), Chair of the House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, launched the new Congressional Creative Rights Caucus for the 113th Congress. The Congresswoman is currently the most senior Member on the subcommittee from the Los Angeles region.

'Don't Underestimate The Guts' Of This Modern Leading Lady

NPR: This weekend, a new adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein television classic Cinderella opens on Broadway. It stars Laura Osnes, the ingenue of the moment. But Osnes' career path has had an unusual trajectory. Six years ago, the then-21-year-old was newly wed and fresh out of Minnesota. She landed on Broadway in the lead role of Sandy in a revival of Grease. It's not surprising that that show, about teenagers, would cast unknowns in the leads, but how she and her co-star, Max Crumm, got there was unconventional, to say the least.

New Horizon Theater's Black Pearl Sings

Theater Reviews + Features | Pittsburgh City Paper: Anthropology is a tough job. On the one hand, explorers can "discover" a cultural secret, something no one else has ever seen. Conversely, anthropologists have often been accused of being arrogant, cultish and presumptuous. They make bank on the rituals and traditions of others. Some imperialists bring guns and germs; others bring a clipboard.

Dressing drag divas

TribLIVE: Transforming actors from cupcake to casino client in less than 30 seconds is only one of the challenges for the cast and crew of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical.” There may be musicals with bigger casts or more costumes and wigs or more quick costume changes. But the national touring production that begins performances here Tuesday as a presentation of PNC Broadway Across America — Pittsburgh is in a class all its own.

CMU does justice to 'Spring Awakening'; Point Park works to clean up the messy Cold War-set 'Chess'

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Your weekend is saved: This is a happy chance to see contrasting musicals by Pittsburgh's two big musical theater training programs, both of which regularly send graduates into the national professional pool. Carnegie Mellon University's drama school is the more selective, with the bigger national reputation, and "Spring Awakening" is a fitting showcase for a relatively small cast of 13, all senior music theater majors. It also showcases the work of its student designers, whose national reputation is equally high.

New School, Naked Angels team up

Variety: Naked Angels, the theater company that has developed plays including Broadway vet “Next Fall,” has partnered with Gotham’s New School for Drama to become the academic institution’s producing partner for its M.F.A. and soon-to-launch B.F.A. programs in theater. The two sides anticipate a mutually beneficial arrangement that will help the New School professionalize its legit training programs, while at the same time aid in stabilizing Naked Angels and its producing initiatives in a tough time for fundraising.

Christie Projection Mapping Display Transforms Canada’s Parliament Hill

Live Design Magazine [primary-term] press release archives: For the fourth consecutive summer Christie®3-chip DLP® projectors will be lighting up Ottawa’s famed Parliament Hill with a rich and engaging display that attracts more than 250,000 visitors annually . The gripping narrative of Canadian history via the National Capital Commission’s sound and light show, “Mosaika – Canada Through the Eyes of Its People” begins July 10 and ends September 7 this year.

Jamie Hyneman On Welding in His Workshop

Tested: The high shelves lining the walls of Jamie's workshop hold storage bins with build materials for every possible occasion, but the shelves themselves are fascinating as well. Jamie talks about how he designed and built these shelves himself--not with woodwork, but with welding.

USITT Names Neil Mazzella of Hudson Scenic Distinguished Achiever

sightlines.usitt.org: Mr. Mazzella is CEO of Hudson Scenic Studio, Hudson Sound & Light, and Hudson Theatrical Associates. He has been technical supervisor for over 40 Broadway productions, including All About Me with Michael Feinstein (2010) and The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial with David Schwimmer (2006). He co-founded Hudson Scenic Studio with Gene O’Donovan in 1980, and it has become one of the most successful providers of custom scene fabrication, automation, and painted drops for the live entertainment industry. Among its best-known projects is the automation behind the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square.

Azimov's laws in perspective

2013-02-25 20:04:43 | Packaging Digest: In the early 1940s, when science-fiction master Isaac Azimov laid out his three (and later four) "Laws of Robotics," robots, themselves, were entirely fictitious. At that time, automation technology had barely progressed beyond the Jacquard loom. Half a century later, things that can be legitimately characterized as "robots" are all around us. Periodically I get treated to the spectacle of my wife screaming into her cellphone at some slug-brained automated system with whom she's trying to negotiate an online transfer of funds to pay some bill. She screams because the obstinacy of even the politest automated clerk inspires anger and frustration.

J-O-B ATD

2 11 13 Goodman AssistantTD by dboevers

Broadway Series books Tony winners 'Once,' 'The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess'

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The PNC Broadway Across America -- Pittsburgh is bringing a trio of last year's Tony Award winners to the Cultural District next season: "Once" (best musical); "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess" (best revival) and "Peter and the Starcatcher" (best scenic, costume, sound and lighting in a play). The 2013-14 season opens Sept. 3 with the previously announced "Disney's The Lion King." The schedule features seven shows plus three season specials, including the return of "Wicked." Both "Lion King" and "Wicked" were among the shows celebrated in a Pittsburgh Cultural District event tonight that featured tour veterans Buyi Zama (Rafiki) singing "Circle of Life" and Anne Brummel (Elphaba) singing "The Wizard and I." Matt Kopec, who played the lead in "Elf," sang World's Greatest Dad," while playwright Rick Elice explained the creation of "Peter and the Starcatcher."

Why I Stand: The Definitive Case for the Standing Desk

www.avnetwork.com: What is the most resilient parasite known to man? Anyone who has seen Inception can answer that question. It’s not a virus, a bacteria, or an intestinal worm. No, the most resilient and highly contagious parasite on the planet is… an idea. I had an inception moment roughly a year ago when a highly contagious parasite overtook my brain and proved impossible to eradicate. However, this parasite was not implanted in a dream state by a team of slick-suited men and the chick from Juno. All it took was an infographic and a simple phrase: sitting is killing you.

Autism Speaks Will "Light It Up Blue" with Rosco Color Filters on April 2nd

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: Roscolux #68 Parry Sky Blue and #80 Primary Blue are the official color filters of "Light It Up Blue" and Rosco will donate a portion of the profits generated during the month leading up to the April 2nd event to Autism Speaks

Hudson Scenic Studio, Inc. Expands Ownership

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: Neil A. Mazzella, co-founder and president of Hudson Scenic Studio, Inc. based in Yonkers, New York, has announced that he has partnered with Neil O'Connor and Corky Boyd in the ownership of Hudson Scenic effective immediately. Mazzella will take on the duties of chairman, O'Connor will be the new CEO, and Boyd will be senior vice president overseeing project management and sales.

Book Wings helps collaborative art take flight

Iowa Now - The University of Iowa: The Book Wings project will link up the University of Iowa International Writing Program (IWP) with the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and with the Moscow Art Theatre (established by Stanislavsky, home stage of Chekhov) for collaborative theatre performances on Tuesday, March 12, and Thursday, March 14, respectively.

Meet The Creative Team For Matilda The Musical On Broadway

Theatre content from Live Design Magazine: Great video featuring interviews with the creative team from Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical on Broadway, including set and costume designer Rob Howell. Attendees to the Broadway Scenic Master Classes in June will see the production, and, as a faculty member, Howell will share his insights on its design.

Filabot Personal Filament Maker for 3D Printers - Desktop Extruding System

Environmentally Friendly: Filabot is a desktop extruding system, capable of grinding various types of plastics, to make spools of plastic filament for 3D printers. Not only is it user friendly, but it is also environmentally friendly. The Filabot can process things such as: milk jugs, soda bottles, various other types of plastics, and bad prints, to make new filament for a future print. Filabot will bring the real power of sustainability to 3D printing, allowing for a one stop shop to make anything.

Projection Mapping on the Venetian Hotel

preview.svconline.com: The permanent architectural projection system at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas could be considered digital signage, large-format projection, or art. Or all three. The tradition of the nighttime spectacular goes back at least to the days of son et lumière (literally sound and light). A very few pioneering artists have since mapped still images and more recently video onto the contours of a building or natural environment—even onto a moving car.

Carnegie Mellon's Spring Awakening

Theater Reviews + Features | Pittsburgh City Paper: At first, Spring Awakening looks like a silly idea: Take a 1906 German stage play about promiscuous teens, add some original pop songs, and re-dub it a "rock musical." Keep the costumes and the cringe-worthy English translation, but allow for modern lyrics, with song titles like "The Bitch of Living" and "Totally Fucked." The result should be arty and weird, like an episode of Glee produced by Werner Herzog.

Pittsburgh Film Industry Stunted By End Of Tax Credits

CBS Pittsburgh: Thousands of people who have come to depend on the film industry for their livelihoods are now unemployed. And unless they leave town, they could be on the sidelines for quite a while. Whether it’s guiding the tumbler into position in the Dark Knight, or setting up for a scene with Tom Cruise on the North Shore of the Allegheny – it has been a great run for local film workers. “It’s nice to be able to work here in our city put the money into our city and show off our city on camera,” Mamie Stein with IATSE Local 489.

J-O-B LIghting Supervisor

Bard | Employment Opportunities: Reporting to the Production Manager, the Lighting Supervisor oversees and fulfills the lighting and electrical needs of all programs and projects taking place in or produced by the Center. The Lighting Supervisor fulfills the role of Master Electrician in the Center, serves as Lighting Designer for any event not having its own designer, and acts as light board operator to fulfill programming and show run needs. The Lighting Supervisor supervises student workers and professional seasonal and hourly overhire crewmembers. Working closely with other members of the Center's production team, the Lighting Supervisor ensures a safe backstage working environment, provides training and mentorship to students, and provides high quality production support to all programs and projects in the Center.

Why Do Good Workers Leave?

Top Stories | New Equipment Digest: When trying to understand what motivates good workers to jump ship, there's an "extremely dramatic disconnect" between reality and what managers believe, according to author and management consultant Leigh Branham. Most managers, Branham has observed, blame employee turnover on the siren song of higher pay and better opportunities at other firms. But in his analysis of thousands of third-party employee exit interviews, Branham has found that people are four times more likely to leave a job because of factors within the workplace — from excessive workloads to poor relationships with managers.

BSR E1.33 Now in Public Review, Synched with Plugfest

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: BSR E1.33 - 201x, Entertainment Technology - (RDMnet) - Message Transport and Device Management of ANSI E1.20 (RDM) over IP Networks, is now available for free download and review on PLASA's TSP public review webpage. The public review period for BSR E1.33 is an unusually long one, ending at the start of May 15, 2013, so that it will be open during the RDM and sACN Developers Conference and Plugfest. Product developers working through the Plugfest will be able to turn insights from that event into public review comments, if any are warranted.

Universities, theaters in 4 cities to join in creating new theatrical productions on Civil War

Fox News: Four major universities are joining theater companies in Boston, Baltimore, Washington and Atlanta in a project to commission new plays, music and dance compositions about the Civil War and its lasting legacy 150 years later. The National Civil War Project is being announced Thursday in Washington and will involve programming over the next two years to mark the 150th anniversary of the war between the North and the South. Beyond commissioning new works, organizers plan for university faculty to integrate the arts into their academic programs on campus.

New York City IATSE President Sentenced for Embezzlement

National Legal and Policy Center: On February 13, John McNamee Jr., president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 829, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to 12 months in prison and two years of supervised release for embezzling $150,000 from the New York City union.

Bruce Rodgers Talks Super Bowl Halftime Show, Part 1

Live Design Magazine: This is my seventh consecutive Halftime Show design, my first being the Prince design and last year's Madonna show being the sixth. After Madonna’s process last year, with 1,000 gladiators, a massive drum line and choir, many dancers, and a huge video, lighting, and staging installation, we felt we were ready for anything this year, or so we thought!

Steel Wool on Fire: DIY Video Effects from the Pros

MAKE: Eli Stonberg and Jeff Greco are Fourclops, an interactive video directorial team. Their video for Au Revoir Simone’s “Knight of Wands” was nominated for “Most Innovative Music Video” in MTV’s O Music Awards. Their work has been featured on the Creators Project, the Los Angeles Times, ESPN TV, and Mashable, and their clients include Coca Cola, Blu Dot, Smirnoff, Passion Pit, and Tune Yards. While they’ve got an impressive body of work, it’s inspiring to know that some of their special effects were created using everyday household ingredients like milk, food coloring, water, and steel wool. The special effects are really kids’ chemistry experiments that anyone can do.

Berlin project takes opera to unexpected places

Culture | DW.DE | 21.02.2013: Dreary period pieces? Pricey tickets? Stuffy atmosphere? Not at the Kiez Oper! Aiming to bring opera to new audiences, the group behind the Berlin project is staging its latest production in an abandoned swimming pool. Berlin scensters are more likely to be found dancing the night away in Europe's techno mecca than enjoying altogether more soothing sounds in one of the city's three opera houses. But a new project called Kiez Oper - or neighbourhood opera - is breathing new life into the historic genre. Like all good ideas, Kiez Oper began as a discussion between friends. English writer, illustrator and art director Alex Eccleston (26) and Rowan Hellier (29), a professional opera singer from Scotland, decided that they wanted to take opera to a "different crowd of people."

Standards in Public Review, Announce Safety Alliance

sightlines.usitt.org: Three PLASA standards are now in public review, and PLASA has formed an alliance to promote safety in the entertainment industry. The public review materials for the standards are available until April 1, the last day to comment

How Will the NEA Be Affected if Congress Doesn’t Avert the Sequester by March 1?

In the Air: Art News & Gossip | ARTINFO.com: While Congress may have averted the “fiscal cliff” at the New Year, in actuality all it did was move the deadline for automatic spending cuts to go into effect from January 1 to March 1, effectively killing the scary-sounding fiscal cliff hype and replacing it with the much more obscure (and boring) term “the sequester” — all-but-ensuring that the average American cares much less about it. Fast forward two months. The sequester deadline is rapidly approaching, and you know what that means for the art world: even more cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts.

Human hearing beats sound’s uncertainty limit, makes MP3s sound worse

Ars Technica: Modern audio compression algorithms rely on observations about auditory perceptions. For instance, we know that a low-frequency tone can render a higher tone inaudible. This perception is used to save space by removing the tones we expect will be inaudible. But our expectations are complicated by the physics of waves and our models of how human audio perception works.

Production: Portable Power: The Secret Life Of Generators

Pro Sound Web: Festival season, in particular, means dealing with portable generators for show power. At performance venues, we hardly give power a second thought, simply handing our tails or feeder to the house electrician to tie into the “company switch.” Then we check the voltages at the distro end with a meter to make sure everything is connected properly, and that’s usually it – no more thinking about the power until it’s time to disconnect at the end of the gig.

Michael Kaiser: What I Hope My Search Committee Thinks About

www.huffingtonpost.com: It is official: I am a lame duck. My contract as President of the Kennedy Center expires at the end of next year and the board has just assembled a search committee to look for my successor. I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to lead this amazing institution and have enjoyed (almost) every minute of my tenure. But after 12 years as President, it is time for someone with a new and different vision to run the national cultural center.

‘Great Moments in the Theatre'

NYTimes.com: They may have dug up the bones of Richard III, but the original performance of the play that made him famous will always remain something of a mystery.

How long is too long?

|artsHub Australia: The Fine Music Network is counting down to Opera Australia’s staging of Wagner’s Ring Cycle at the end of the year. On this month’s episode of Countdown to the Ring, we hit the streets of Melbourne to try to gauge the public on their knowledge on Wagner and The Ring Cycle. Apart from several resounding ‘huhs?’ one of the more common responses was, ‘Wagner’s operas are just too long’.

J-O-B TD

Bard | Employment Opportunities: Reporting to the Production Manager, the Technical Director has daily responsibility for the stage operations of all programs and projects taking place in or produced by the Center. The Technical Director acts as the Master Carpenter, Scene Shop Foreman, and Crew Chief of the Center. The Technical Director works closely with members of the Center's production team and supervises student workers and professional seasonal and hourly overhire crewmembers. The Technical Director ensures a safe backstage wokring environment, provides training and mentorship to students, and provides high quality production support to all programs and projects for the Center.

Philadelphia Stagehands Strike Electric Factory, Call for Boycott of Erykah Badu Show

The Philly Post: It was just weeks ago when a Philadelphia stagehands union strike caused big problems for Philadelphia Theatre Company and its production of The Mountaintop at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, forcing the company to stage the performance there without much of the crew. Now that the Philadelphia Theatre Company strike has been resolved, the stagehands have moved on to their newest target: legendary Philadelphia concert venue The Electric Factory.

Metropolitan Opera to Reduce Ticket Prices Next Season

NYTimes.com: Attendance is down this season at the Metropolitan Opera, and officials there acknowledge that the fault is their own. They made going to the opera too expensive.

Peter Dubois on Ryan Landry's "M"

Huntington Theatre Company: Artistic Director Peter DuBois discusses the irreverent genius of local playwright Ryan Landry and his process of turning Fritz Lang's iconic German film noir M into a nightmarish good time (with puppets).

Space Still Available at Arduino Session

sightlines.usitt.org: There is still space available for hands-on participants in the Arduino Super Session to be held Saturday, March 23 from 2 to 4:45 p.m. as part of the Milwaukee 2013 Annual Conference & Stage Expo.

‘Hands on a Hardbody’ and ‘Kinky Boots’ on Broadway

NYTimes.com: For much of its history the Broadway musical has given us license to pursue our romantic ideals, indulge sweet reveries, contemplate cloudless skies. Sink down in your seat, listen to the orchestra tune up for the overture, and put your daily cares out of your mind. Escape, for two acts, to a world where the troubles that come will invariably be solved by the finale ultimo. Tomorrow there will be time to worry about the broken dishwasher, the grim job market, the rising cost of living.

2013 Digital Signage Expo Preview

Sign Builder Illustrated: At the end of February, the latest and greatest innovations will be showcased at the tenth annual Digital Signage Expo (DSE). Taking place February 26-28 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, those both established and new to the industry will be invited to take a look at what’s new in digital signage. “What we’d like to think of DSE as is the annual event where a lot of innovation is showcased,” says Chris Gibbs, president and COO of Exponation, which owns and produces DSE. “It’s like a little World’s Fair of the future.”

Scenic Artist Arnold Abramson to Receive Second Annual "Backstage Legends and Masters" Award

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: The Broadway Technical Theatre History Project at Purchase College-SUNY will honor scenic artist Arnold Abramson with the second annual "Backstage Legends and Masters" award on Monday, April 22, at 7pm. The event will take place in the Performing Arts Center on the college's campus at 735 Anderson Hill Road.

Take 1 Supports Event Safety Alliance Guide

PLSN: Reinforcing the growing importance of advancing event safety to all live event producers and organizers, Take 1 Insurance announced its full support of the Event Safety Alliance (ESA) and that it will be promoting awareness of the ESA’s new United States Event Safety Guide, which is now open for peer review and comment on the ESA web site, eventsafetyalliance.org.

Oscars stage manager braces for his final cues to the stars

latimes.com: He delivered a forgotten harmonica to Stevie Wonder onstage at the Grammy Awards, supplied a shoulder to lean on for a post-hip-surgery Gregory Peck at the Oscars and served as a human Xanax for hundreds of other stars in the most terrifying and exhilarating moments of their careers. Stage manager Dency Nelson, 61, works behind the scenes at the Oscars, plus at times the Grammys, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Teen Choice Awards, MTV Movie Awards and other shows. This year will mark his 25th — and last, he said — Academy Awards, as he plans to retire from one of show business' least known but most stressful gigs.

Olivier Awards: Changes under way

Variety: Behind-the-scenes changes are now under way to the Olivier Awards’ judging system, Variety has learned, with the revisions prompting sources to worry that they threaten the credibility of the kudos just as the awards show prepares to return to greater visibility with the first national TV broadcast of the ceremony in a decade. Though still officially under wraps, plans are afoot that, according to insiders, will sideline the awards’ small pool of famously impartial judges by adding the votes of members of the Society of London Theater, the org comprising some 170 theater owners, producers and general managers, in the final round of the complex voting system.

Production: Understanding Winches Of All Varieties

Pro Sound Web: Motorized winches. Lift machines. Line shaft winches. Cable drum winches. Whatever you want to call them, they’re everywhere these days, with more coming. To ride the wave, however, a lot more understanding has to be brought on board. (Get it? Wave…board?) Winches that are designed to lift scenery, lighting or other heavy stuff is what we’re talking about.

Live Sound: Monitor Wedge Tips: Tools Of The Trade To Have A Successful Show

Pro Sound Web: Touring as a monitor engineer has taught me many tricks over the years. Here are some of my favorite pieces of advice for those who may be just starting out…

Postcard from Retirement

Art Works: I’ve been officially retired now for 27 days, which seems like as good a time as any to reflect on my time at the NEA. I felt from the outset that if you were ever going to do public service, if you didn’t do it now in this administration, when you would ever do it? It was by chance, completely out of left field that the opportunity came up. Margo Lion—who was the chairman of the President’s Advisement Committee during the campaign—after the 2008 election came in and said, “Can you think of someone who’d be a really good NEA chair?” I put my hand up and said, “I’ll do it!” It struck me that this would be a real chance to do something different than I had ever done in my life. It would be an opportunity to meet new people and people who are very dedicated to making the country a better place. And that’s exactly what happened.

Holland Taylor Plays Ann Richards, Former Texas Governor

NYTimes.com: The sun was setting in the Hollywood Hills as Holland Taylor whisked a visitor into a front room of her home, a window overlooking the public garden across the street. Golden in the fading light, the den was overflowing with stacks of videotapes, dusty transcripts, books and photographs.

Marathon plays like 'Gatz' stand the test of time

 Los Angeles Times: Call it "Long Day's Journey Into Intermission." Or maybe "Waiting ... and Waiting ... and Waiting for Godot." It is the marathon play or performance piece, the theatrical equivalent of the Tour de France or the nine-course prix fixe menu at the French Laundry. Done poorly it can seem like an endurance test or a stunt. Done brilliantly it can be transformational for those putting on the show as well as those watching it.

Joshua Kobak, Former Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Stuntman, Files $6 Million Lawsuit

Playbill.com: Former Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark stuntman and original cast member Richard Kobak, who, in a lawsuit, claims he was injured during his run with the Broadway musical, is suing Live Nation Worldwide and other companies for a total of $6 million, according to TheWrap.com. As previoulsy reported, Kobak — also known as Joshua Kobak, a recent St. Jimmy in the North American tour of Green Day's American Idiot — said that he sustained two herniated discs, a concussion, whiplash and holes in both knees as a result of errors by crew members in charge of programming the aerial rigging computer.

J-O-B Rigging

Lead Rigger/Assistant Technical Director
The Glimmerglass Festival invites applications for the 2013 repertory season. Responsible for all rigging design, installation, inspection, and maintenance for a four production repertory season. AutoCAD experience required. ETCP Theater Certified Preferred. Strong knowledge of counterweight rigging, chain motors, and spot rigging. Strong organizational + management skills. Application deadline of March 15. Please visit www.glimmerglass.org/the-company/employment to submit cover letter, resume and references as one PDF. Portfolio may also be uploaded.