Creating a Galaxy of Sound

Uncrate: Everyone loses it over visual effects. The realism, or sometimes lack thereof, is what captures audiences and sparks conversations around the watercooler. But what you see is only half — and possibly even less — of what makes a film great. Close your eyes and you can imagine the action and movements on the screen. Mute the sound and the entire context of a scene can be lost. Star Wars broke the mold not just in its visual effects, but in the depth and complexity of its sound design, creating characters and vehicles whose aural design is as recognizable as its visual design.

Imagining Theatre as a Town Hall Meeting

HowlRound: We’re living through a moment of real disdain for artists, evident not only in the recent threats to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for Humanities (NEH), but also via the ubiquitous insult of any displeasing event as “political theatre.” From the missile strike on Syria’s Shayrat Airbase to the House Intelligence Committee’s hearings on Russia and Sean Spicer’s press briefings, Americans have been quick to denounce what they see as spectacles meant to score political points. As a director, I’m fascinated by the presence and power of theatrical gestures in the political arena, and I’ve sought recently to make work that wrestles with both senses of the term political theatre. In particular, Chains Don’t Rattle Themselves: A Concert for Youth Justice, a song cycle I directed and co-conceived this year, drew inspiration from that most theatrical of civic affairs, the town hall.

Tony Nominations 2017: New Broadway Plays Make Big Strides

Variety: Here are two nuggets of conventional Broadway wisdom: The new play is dying. And when it’s not, the Brits usually steal the spotlight.

But this year’s Tony nominations for new plays are flouting those preconceived notions. The all-American crop, from four playwrights making their Broadway debuts, speaks to the growing health of the new American play — and the increasing number of producers willing to take commercial risks on untested titles.

Parody Protection For Fair Use Is Important: Taiwanese Man Faces Jail Time Over Parody Videos Of Movies

Techdirt: Because we talk so much about fair use here, we often likewise find ourselves talking about parody. Parody is one of the forms of content protected under fair use, and that protection is responsible for the availability of a great deal of great content. Parody tends to be equal parts humor and commentary and enjoys a long history of important speech here in America.

Vintage lighting control photos you didn't know you needed in your life

et cetera...: Welcome to the latest edition of the Monthly(ish) Museum, where we explore the storeroom of vintage lighting industry equipment and ephemera in ETC’s collection.

This entry doesn’t focus specifically on gear; in addition to equipment, we have boxes full of manuals, drawings, and printed promotional material from companies throughout the the lighting industry, dating back as far as 1892. Some of those promotional materials are product brochures, and some of those product brochures contain amazing vintage images of people using – or at least posing with – lighting equipment.

Exclusive: The Leaked Fyre Festival Pitch Deck Is Beyond Parody

Vanity Fair: For many voracious observers of social media, and some depressed news consumers agonizing through Donald Trump’s first 100 days, the fiasco unfolding around the Fyre Festival in the Bahamas may have been something of a surprise. The festival, which Fyre promoters had marketed on Instagram as the next Coachella, didn’t quite turn out to be the opulent Bahamas getaway, as promised, with yachts and luxury cabanas, celebrity-chef catering, and the greatest live-music entertainment that anyone had ever imagined. Instead, it was more like Lord of the Flies dystopia meets social-media hysteria, circa 2017. The luxury cabanas appeared to be disaster-relief tents. There were no lights. The lavish spread turned out to be a couple of wedges of whole-wheat bread, school-cafeteria-styled sliced cheese, and other accoutrement that appeared picked from a garbage.

Why isn't theatre vital to youth culture?

WhatsOnStage.com: When you're young is when you feel most alive. You're at the edge of things. You fall in love for the first time. You want so much, and you feel so much. It's why our youth makes such great theatre. They live (we lived) in an unfolding, perpetual present, dreaming of the future.

It is also why young people make such great theatre audiences. When they love something it's explosive. They tell all their friends to go. They come back for a second viewing. They fall in love.

Pink Floyd Plays in Venice on a Massive Floating Stage in 1989; Forces the Mayor & City Council to Resign

Open Culture: When Roger Waters left Pink Floyd after 1983’s The Final Cut, the remaining members had good reason to assume the band was truly, as Waters’ proclaimed, “a spent force.” After releasing solo projects in the next few years, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright soon discovered they would never achieve as individuals what they did as a band, both musically and commercially. Gilmour got to work in 1986 on developing new solo material into the 13th Pink Floyd studio album, the first without Waters, A Momentary Lapse of Reason.

Arts internships are London-centric and a barrier to diversity - think tank

News | The Stage: Internships in the creative industries are too London-centric and act as a ‘barrier’ to social mobility, according to a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank.

It recommended that undergraduates should carry out a university-approved undergraduate internship, prioritising disadvantaged students “who are less likely to have the necessary social and financial capital to find a good-quality internship”, and called for placements lasting longer than four weeks to be banned.

Nevada entertainment safety training bill draws support

Las Vegas Review-Journal: The entertainment capital of the world may soon require health and safety training for workers in the entertainment industry.

The Senate Commerce, Labor and Energy Committee on Monday heard Assembly Bill 190, which would require health and safety training for supervisors and those who work with stage props, rigging, pyrotechnics and high-voltage wiring.

*The Three Musketeers*

The Tartan Online: In Carnegie Mellon School of Drama’s The Three Musketeers, the classic phrase of the eponymous trio, “All for one and one for all,” takes on a new meaning in the thrilling conclusion to Carnegie Mellon’s theater season. The show was held in the Purnell Center for the Arts from April 13 to 15 and April 25 to 29 at matinee times of 2 p.m. on Saturdays and evening times at 8 p.m. for every day of the production.

Review: Pittsburgh Opera's new 'The Summer King' makes for thought-provoking performance

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: For the company’s first world premiere in its 78-year history, Pittsburgh Opera is presenting Daniel Sonenberg’s “The Summer King,” an opera about an African-American baseball player from Pittsburgh, composed by a white New Yorker who teaches at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. This is one of Pittsburgh Opera’s most ambitious projects, and one of the riskiest. The new work has some flaws, but it’s a serious, thought-provoking theater piece, musically sound and emotionally moving.

Next Steps in Using Backing Tracks

ChurchProduction.com: The responsibility for audio, video and lighting always falls squarely on someone like you or me; one of the techs. Backing tracks are a whole different beast. Introducing tracks to your workflow can tie together a multitude of other disciplines into the process. First of all, the musician has to be involved in content and creation. Secondly, the audio engineer needs to know what content is being played back and he/she must be involved in how the tracks are split and best mixed.

ESTA Announces Plugfest v14.0

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: The ESTA Control Protocols Plugfest, the event where manufacturers and developers test their products for interoperability, is scheduled to take place July 21 - 25 at the Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Solana in Westlake, Texas. Everyone is welcome to attend the 14th version of this event.

This is the first look at the new World of Avatar attraction at Disney World

The Verge: Walt Disney World’s World of Avatar isn’t scheduled to open to the public until May 27th, so the theme park-loving masses won’t be able to enjoy the new attraction until the end of the month. However, members of the press got a preview this weekend, and helpfully gave everyone a look at what to expect from Pandora and the lifeforms that live there.

Despite Trump, NEA Lives to See Another Day as Congress Finalizes 2017 Budget

news.artnet.com: The worst fears of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) came to pass in March, when President Donald Trump announced his intentions to defund both the NEA and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in his proposed budget for the federal government.

Like many of Trump’s planned initiatives for his first 100 days in office, however, this plan did not pan out. Under the budget agreement passed by Congress today, NEA and NEH funding will continue, for the time being—and even enjoy a modest increase compared to 2016 levels.

'Indecent': A Play About A Yiddish Play That Was Ahead Of Its Time

NPR: When audience members start taking their seats to see Broadway's Indecent, the actors are already sitting at the back of the stage. Eventually, the lights go down and the performers begin a ghostly dance to klezmer music as bits of ash fall out of their overcoats.

New CM Shackle Markings and Pins Lead to Improved Operator Safety

blog.cmworks.com: Over the past few years, our forging operations in Chattanooga, Tennessee, have been working vigorously to improve product quality and deliveries. As you have seen with our In-Stock Guarantee, we remain committed to manufacturing the highest quality products in the market, stocking over 275 of our most popular chain and forged rigging attachment products and guaranteeing to ship them in 3 business days.

This double screen E Ink sheet music reader is finally shipping in September for $1,600

The Verge: It’s been a while since we heard news about the Gvido, an incredibly nice-looking double-screened E Ink tablet designed specifically for displaying sheet music. Originally announced back in June 2016, there were two big questions left unanswered: when (if ever) would the Gvido actually be released, and how much it would cost?

Dallas Theater Center to Receive 2017 Regional Theatre Tony Award

Stage Directions: The Tony Awards® Administration Committee announced that it will present the 2017 Regional Theatre Tony Award to Dallas Theater Center (DTC). The 2017 Tony Awards, which are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall, on the CBS television network on Sunday, June 11.

What is a LOAD CELL? - We explain the types

Steve Sargeant | Pulse | LinkedIn: A load cell is a highly accurate device that is used to measure weight or force in a number of different applications. They can be used to measure compression, tension, bending or shear forces.

The load cell itself is a transducer that is used to convert force into an electrical signal. Within the load cell structure is an area, or group of areas, which are designed to be stressed when a load/force is applied, normally in a linear fashion.

An Alternate Philosophical And Technical Approach To Live Recordings

ProSoundWeb: Growing up, I’d stay awake each New Year’s Eve to watch the telecast of the Times Square ball drop. It was always a bright, colorful spectacle.

In my teens, I visited Times Square in person. Standing in the middle of New York City, my gaze followed someone’s pointed finger towards the top of a distant building. “That’s where the ball drops.”

Really? How underwhelming.

Volunteer 'secretaries' type out, mail letters to Trump

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Market Square was turned into a temporary office space Friday evening as 10 “secretaries,” wearing patent leather pumps and sporting beehive hairdos, took dictation and tapped away at their typewriters.

They typed and stamped dozens of letters in three hours, as passers-by stopped to gawk, take pictures or have their own messages transcribed.

DeWalt FlexVolt 60V Max Circular Saw Review

Pro Tool Reviews: One of the products we saw at the DeWalt Experience made us wonder at first if it was really necessary – the new DeWalt FlexVolt 60V Max Circular Saw. After all, full-size cordless circular saws have been around for a while and they cut quite well, to be honest. With DeWalt’s recent success in the 20V Max/18V sector, they were due for a 7-1/4 inch model and likely could compete near the top. So why jump up to the 60V class with the rest of the FlexVolt line if you don’t need to?

Who says DeWalt merely wanted to compete?

Pittsburgh Opera is ready for the premiere of 'The Summer King: The Josh Gibson Story'

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: A decade ago, composer Daniel Sonenberg was walking Downtown after his first Pirates game at PNC Park. By that time, he had already been working on his opera about Negro Leagues star Josh Gibson for four years. The opera was nowhere near completion, but while passing by the old Pittsburgh Opera offices in Downtown, he had a revelation.

The 62nd Annual Drama Desk Awards Nominations

www.livedesignonline.com: The 62nd Annual Drama Desk Awards nominations were announced yesterday at Feinstein's/54 Below. Honoring excellence on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway, the Drama Desk Awards will be presented by Michael Urie June 4 at Town Hall.

The Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly! leads with ten nominations, followed closely by Come From Away and Anastasia with nine each.

Fyre Festival Turns Out To Be Half-Built Scene Of Chaos

The Two-Way : NPR: Perhaps you're a person who buys festival wear but finds Coachella too plebian. Perhaps you find other music festivals off-putting because you can't bring your own yacht. Or maybe you just think it sounds awesome to hang out on an island in the Bahamas and you have a few thousand dollars to blow.

In that case the Fyre Festival was supposed to be the event – nay, cultural moment! – for you.

“The Ascendants” at Bricolage Production Company

The Pittsburgh Tatler: When was the last time you had that consciousness of yours massaged? Been awhile? Well, the good people at Bricolage have got you covered. Their newest venture – the one-and-only Materfamilias Bathhouse in downtown Pittsburgh – offers a twenty-five minute spa experience that will recharge your mind and spirit.

Lessons in Stage Management

TheatreArtLife: When studying theater, one repeatedly hears the same cautionary tale… “If you can see yourself doing anything else for a career, you should do that instead.”

Fyre Festival Was Always Going to Be a Disaster

nymag.com: In early March, a friend of mine texted me to ask if I wanted to be a talent producer for the Fyre Festival. I’d never heard of it, but the gig involved going to the Bahamas and being paid extremely well. So I said yes and packed my bags. The festival was supposed to be a luxury music retreat where elite millennials could mingle with “influencers” and models. Tickets cost between $1K and $125K, gourmet food and accommodations were promised. I was planning to spend the next two months working on the festival, but a mere four days after I arrived I was back on a plane to New York because the whole thing, as everyone now knows, was a complete disaster. I was briefly involved in the planning of the event and got a front-row seat to chaos.

Flyhouse Films Presents: Inside vs. Outside Bowlines

www.flyhouse.com: Over the years there has been a discussion among riggers on whether using an inside or an outside bowline is better for the job. We decided it was time to take the question to our shop to get an answer.

Fyre Festival Organizers Sued for Fraud, Breach of Contract

Rolling Stone: One of the survivors of the disastrous Fyre Festival in the Bahamas has filed a $100 million class action lawsuit against co-founders Billy McFarland and Ja Rule (real name Jeffrey Atkins), accusing the duo of subjecting festivalgoers to "dangerous conditions" at a luxury festival that organizers allegedly knew was doomed.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

Show must go on: Local theater company's 'blasphemous' twist on Bible story draws ire

11alive.com: Throughout the centuries it has existed, the Bible has been read by millions of people across the globe, translated into thousands of languages and interpreted in several different ways.

But there’s one modern interpretation of one of the Bible’s oldest stories that has thousands of people fired up.

A new stage play from the Out Front Theater company in Atlanta called The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told is set to open later this week. The story – written by playwright Paul Rudnick in 1998 – is a retelling of the Old Testament through the eyes of gay couples “Jane and Mabel and "Adam and Steve," not "Adam and Eve."

Posted by David at 12 Comments Here

The Tony Awards Reinstate the Sound Design Categories for the 2017-2018 Season

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: The Tony Awards announces that the Sound Design categories -- Best Sound Design of a Musical and Best Sound Design of a Play -- will be reinstated for the 2017-2018 season. The categories had previously been removed in 2014, amid much protest from the theatre community and fans alike.

Posted by David at 11 Comments Here

SawStop Router Tables & New Saw Options

coptool.com: We always wondered how SawStop might expand upon their brand, we all first got introduced to them for their innovative safety feature that prevents table saw injuries. Overtime however people have come to associate SawStop Saws not just as a safety feature, but for very high quality professional table saws. Already they have expanded to every type of table saw market from large industrial saws to the portable jobsite table saw JSS-MCA, which after a quick bout of competition is again the only portable table saw option with a flesh detecting technology.

Posted by David at 9 Comments Here

10 Killer Resume Tips to Nail Your Dream Job

www.lifehack.org: Stuck in a job rut nightmare? It’s never too late to dig yourself out. And an all-star resume might just be the shovel you need.

Picture this: You finally get the chance to apply for your dream job. You already know what you’re going to wear to the interview. You’ve envisioned which pictures to hang in your office, and how you plan to decorate your desk. You just know that once they meet you in person, they won’t be able to say “No.”

Posted by David at 9 Comments Here

"Blurred Lines" Appeal Brief Says Artists Can't Copyright a Groove

Hollywood Reporter: Lines have been drawn in the copyright battle between Marvin Gaye's heirs and artists Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke — and they certainly aren't blurred.

Since Williams and Thicke appealed their 2015 trial loss, in which a jury found their "Blurred Lines" infringed upon Gaye's "Got to Give It Up," scores of musicians and songwriters have pledged their support to one side or the other.

Posted by David at 8 Comments Here