Designers Make It Work: Five Local Theater Designers Detail Their Dream Projects

Newcity Stage: Frequently overlooked (even, admittedly, within the pages of this publication), designers do not so much make the world of theater go round as they make the world, period. From storefront chic to Broadway bombast, every time you enter a theater you are bearing witness to a prismatic vision constructed by a network of collaborators at the behest of directors, playwrights and other fickle types. They are creators on command. So we thought it would be illuminating if we let a few designers tailor their own projects. We found the results edifying and we’re sure they will resonate with you as well.

Five Routes into the Scenic Art Industry

Guild of Scenic Artists: Painting scenery is one of those jobs people don’t think about. As a kid, I watched countless movies and plays without ever thinking about the scenery and how it got there. I also grew up drawing and painting and knew I wanted to earn a living as a painter in some way. I simply didn’t put the two things together. And I don’t think I’m alone. When you think about the Scenics that you know, most will have started off training to be theatre designers, fine artists or illustrators and very few, if any, will have always wanted to paint scenery for a living.

Nine #MeToo Moments That Defined The Golden Globes

www.fastcompany.com: Way before the first acceptance speech was awkwardly rushed through, it was clear that this year’s Golden Globes would not be typical award show fare. During a pre-show red carpet interview with E!, Debra Messing called out the network itself for posturing as “woke” while paying female correspondents far less than their male counterparts, and Meryl Streep walked the red carpet with Ai-Jen Poo, the executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

‘Book of Will’ Fails to Diversify The Bard

rescripted.org: “Casting should be diverse. Shakespeare is meant for everyone.”

This simple statement, written atop the casting breakdown of Lauren Gunderson’s new play, THE BOOK OF WILL at Northlight Theatre, filled me with so much hope.

I am a woman of color who regularly directs Shakespeare and regularly encounters pushback when trying to convince producers and audiences that the words people often assume were written primarily for white, cis, able-bodied men can be shared by, well, everyone.

Northlight Theatre’s Artistic Director Statement on ‘Book of Will’

rescripted.org: With regard to The Book of Will, our objective was to be inclusive in our casting. Our casting process extended invitations to actors of color. Indeed, we made offers to multiple actors of color. All of whom turned down the roles for a variety of reasons, with availability being chief among them. We extended the casting process, and searched on.

The beauty and fascination of London's theatres - in pictures

Stage | The Guardian: The New Wimbledon Theatre, the biggest touring venue in outer London, creates an Italian opera house effect with its mural and marble magnificence.

Tarana Burke, Other Activists Issue Statement on Their Golden Globes Appearance

Colorlines: Me Too campaign creator Tarana Burke, National Domestic Workers Alliance director Ai-Jen Poo and several other female activists of color made intersectional justice for sexual assault survivors a core part of last night’s (January 7) 75th Golden Globe Awards.

Nominees for the MUAHS Announced

Make-Up Artist Magazine: The Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild (MUAHS, IATSE Local 706) announced nominees today for their annual awards recognizing outstanding achievements in motion pictures, television, commercial and live theater. Winners will be announced at the gala on Saturday, February 24, at The Novo by Microsoft at L.A. Live, hosted by Comedienne Loni Love

Players 2018: The Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago

Newcity Stage: With great trials come both exultant successes and disorienting failures. This past year, we were witness to both: macro and micro, personal and political (if there is even a distinction between the two anymore), brilliant and brutal, often all at once. During a time when just checking the news can be a triggering experience, performance and craft require a commendable effort. It is a testament to the strength and resilience of the artists within these pages that all year, whether they wanted to or not, they made the art that helped things feel bearable or even, occasionally, bright. And while art, witnessing or making it, can be therapeutic, it is not therapy. The year to come will undoubtedly contain its share of tests and we must be prepared to engage with them as fully as we are able to. The stakes are great but the possibilities are paramount.

Golden Globes Red Carpet: A Night of (Literal) Fashion Statements

The Atlantic: Black clothing—particularly when that clothing is the high-end stuff of red-carpet couture—has a way of refining things, of clarifying things, of cutting to the chase: Stripped of bright color and its pretty distractions, the focus can become the details that allow fashion to double as art. The perfect tailoring. The artful seaming. The layering and beading and draping. The testing of craft—and of true skill and talent and artistry—that tends to come with constraint.

The Whispers Were Deafening at the Golden Globes

www.thecut.com: At last night’s Golden Globes, everybody looked the part. Men and women alike wore black eveningwear and “Time’s Up” pins to show their support for the feminist reckoning taking place in their industry and in the world at large. Various female luminaries (and Seth Meyers) sounded out notes of optimism. Oprah took us all to church: “I want all the girls watching right now to know that a new day is on the horizon, and when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women,” she proclaimed, as eyes watered throughout the room.

Podcast Episode 144 – Tony Award Winning Director, Pam MacKinnon

The Producer's Perspective: Here’s a statistical truth bomb for you: women direct only about 17% of the shows on Broadway.

How do I know that? Pam MacKinnon has been keeping track.

Pam is already one of the few female A-list directors that make up that unbalanced percentage, having directed as many shows on Broadway as any woman out there (only Stroman has her beat). But that doesn’t mean she’s not determined to help others get to where she is today.

30 Years of Introducing Teens to Theatre

Theatre Development Fund – TDF: Years ago, I took a group of English Language Learners (ELLs, formerly known as ESLs) to see the short-lived Broadway version of Carrie. I think TDF tickets were around 15 bucks each back then, and most of the kids could swing it. Some prop machine didn't work and someone had to come out, apologize, and explain they were fixing it. My students talked about that for the rest of the year.

Pollstar’s 2017 In Review: Festivals – Fyre, Pemberton, Route 91 Harvest & More

Pollstar: There are three music festivals from 2017 that will stick in almost everyone’s minds – two that never happened and one that ended in tragedy.

Fyre Festival, co-organized by Ju Rule and Fyre Media’s Billy McFarland, was to debut as a luxurious “once-in-a-lifetime” two-weekend event but was canceled at the last minute after festivalgoers had already started arriving in the Bahamas. Fyre became a nightmare for guests who were stuck on the island with bare-bones food and accommodations and now McFarland faces more than a dozen civil lawsuits in connection to the festival. Fyre Media was forced into Chapter 7 bankruptcy in July and the 25-year-old McFarland pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and making false statements in October.

The Theater People Podcast Welcomes Broadway's Aladdin, Telly Leung

www.broadwayworld.com: On Monday, January 8, Theater People podcast welcome's back Broadway favorite Telly Leung.

For the episode, Leung discusses recently winning the title role in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway. He also shares stories from his recent work on IN TRANSIT and ALLEGIANCE. Leung also shares his thoughts on being an openly gay leading man on Broadway and shares some insight on how he's achieved his successes.

Local presenter dropping Ben Vereen from awards program over reports of sexual misconduct in Florida

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Touring presenter Broadway/San Diego announced this morning that it is severing ties with the actor Ben Vereen, namesake of a local theater awards program that the company oversees, in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct during an unrelated Florida production Vereen directed in 2015.

“Effective immediately, Broadway San Diego is ending its association with Mr. Ben Vereen,” the statement reads.

How to Pay Off Student Loan Debt While Still Saving and Investing

twocents.lifehacker.com: How to prioritize paying off student debt while also trying to save & invest?

This is what individual experts have to say* generally about an issue that affects each person differently—if you want personalized advice you should see a financial planner.

Interview with Werewere Liking of the Theatre Company Village Ki-Yi Mbock

HowlRound: This past October, I had the opportunity to live in residence with the theatre company and students in training at the Village Ki-Yi Mbock, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Werewere Liking, a sixty-seven-year-old multidisciplinary artist of Cameroonian descent, founded the Village Ki-Yi Mbock (which means "ultimate universal knowledge" in Bassa, Liking’s mother tongue) in 1985, and has trained more than a thousand young artists there in the decades since.

Chez Stock: The Girl With The Audio Tattoo(s)

ProSoundWeb: I remember meeting Chez Stock for the first time. The first thing I noticed were the tattoos across her fingers spelling out “COMP” and “GATE.” I made a comment along the lines of “nice digital inserts” (I pun involuntarily) and, in spite of that, we had a nice conversation.

Toronto Theater Director Resigns Amid Sexual Misconduct Accusations

The New York Times: You could call it Canada’s Weinstein moment, take two.

One of the country’s most powerful theater directors, Albert Schultz, on Thursday resigned from his post as leader of the Soulpepper Theater Company after four actresses said this week that they had been sexually harassed, groped, touched and repeatedly propositioned by him over 13 years.

They filed a lawsuit against him and the company, a nonprofit he co-founded, for a combined $6.2 million, or $7.85 million Canadian dollars.

The Tonya Transformation

Make-Up Artist Magazine: For a brief time in the 1990s, before America became obsessed with the O.J. Simpson trial and the internet turned gossip into a cottage industry, Tonya Harding was the cause célèbre. The first female figure skater to successfully execute a triple axel in competition, she was in the running for Olympic gold at the 1994 Games in Lillehammer. But Harding’s dreams came crashing down harder than a missed landing on the ice after an assault on chief rival Nancy Kerrigan was linked back to her. The ensuing scandal ended her skating career.

Virtual Reality, Animatronics Stand Out at 2017 IAAPA Attractions Expo

InPark Magazine: I’ve lived in Orlando for 21 years and written about the destination’s travel highlights all that time. I’m at the media openings of new water parks, theme park rides and a bevy of other attractions. I spend my days seeking out high-tech, all-natural, educational, family friendly and otherwise-noteworthy guest experiences to share with my readers.

In other words, I’m a journalist who knows the themed entertainment industry from the travel and visitor side. Now, my work with InPark Magazine has opened a door into a new dimension of the business – I’ve been getting a crash course in how these attractions are conceived and created.

Made in Chicago: Chicago Scenic Studio

WCIU, The U: Chicago scenic studios has spent nearly 40 years mastering the complexities of dynamic environments, challenging interactive experiences, theatrical productions, and entertainment attractions of all types, and they make it all happen right here in Chicago.

Shonda Rhimes, Other Hollywood Women Unite Against Sexual Harassment

New Pittsburgh Courier: The time is now for pushing back against sexual harassment in Hollywood, several women in the entertainment industry have shouted loud and proud recently. One of those women, Shonda Rhimes, is leading the charge to combat the devastating issue with a new mobilization effort that was announced on Monday.

Lady Roadie: Touring life on the tech crew (when you don’t look like the other boys!)

RocknRoll Yogi: My name is Becky Pell and I am an anomaly. I’m a sound engineer, and I’m a woman. It’s an unusual combination, but I’m rarely conscious of it until someone points it out. Usually the conversation goes something like: ‘wow, a female engineer, you don’t see that very often’. Me: ‘No, there aren’t many of us’. Them: ‘Why is that?’ Well I have to confess ignorance; as I am one, I’m kind of the wrong person to ask! Why are we the unicorns of the touring world? And what’s life like as a woman on the road?

Ars Nova Finds a New Theater in Greenwich Village

The New York Times: Ars Nova, the daring Off Broadway company that has nurtured the career of Lin-Manuel Miranda and shows including “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” will move its home base from Hell’s Kitchen to Greenwich Village beginning in early 2019.

The company plans to keep its current home on 54th Street in Manhattan, but will use the Greenwich House Theater as its primary venue for performances. That space is currently the home of Barrow Street Theater, which was notified on Thursday that its lease would not be renewed.

Theatre Communications Group Releases Theatre Facts 2016 Research Report

Stage Directions: Not-for-profit theatres contributed more than $2.3 billion to the U.S. economy and attracted 31 million attendees, according to Theatre Facts 2016, released by Theatre Communications Group (TCG). Based on the annual TCG Fiscal Survey, Theatre Facts is the only in-depth report that examines the attendance, performance, and overall fiscal state of the U.S. professional not-for-profit theatre field.

CLO Cabaret veterans star in world premiere musical 'Up and Away'

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh CLO has announced the cast of its world premiere musical comedy "Up and Away," a CLO Cabaret show described as "an epic tale of the world’s FIRST superhero."

Introduced with a staged reading at this past spring's New Musicals Weekend, "Up and Awary" showcases five actors playing more than 50 characters.

Planning on Being an Predator in Hollywood? #TIMESUP

The Mary Sue: The end of 2017 was all about expressing solidarity and speaking truth to power in the realm of Hollywood sexism and abuse. 2018 is all about taking action. You thought there was a reckoning before? It’s only just started. For those who would abuse, prey on, or otherwise demean or diminish women in any industry: time’s up.

Addressing Environmental Topics in Theatre by Using Greenturgy

HowlRound: August 2017 saw Houston under water, Hurricane Irma headed toward Florida, and large swaths of the Pacific Northwest on fire. In response, the director of the Environmental Protection Agency Scott Pruitt declared that now is not the time to talk about climate change.

In a way, he was right. The time to talk about climate change was decades ago. Now, the greenhouse effect has caused temperatures and sea levels to rise enough that coping with the seemingly endless succession of natural disasters made worse by climate change keeps us too busy to talk much about the underlying causes.

STAR WARS: A FORCE FOR INNOVATION

VFX Voice Magazine: When George Lucas formed Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) in 1975, the director’s aim was for the company to deliver the ambitious visual effects for his space opera, Star Wars. Of course, ILM went on to revolutionize the way effects and story meet in that film, and across nine other Star Wars saga movies, plus scores of other releases.

Fashion Illustrations Playfully Combine Found Objects to Create Magnificent Evening Dresses

mymodernmet.com: Armenian illustrator Edgar Artis playfully combines his pencil-drawn fashion illustrations with real life, miscellaneous objects. His work to date includes food art masterpieces such as a magnificent spaghetti ball gown, and a kiwi cocktail dress. Other great examples include an elegant gown rendered from colored pencil shavings, and a puffy princess dress made from cotton wool balls. Artis’ most recent work continues to incorporate a wide range of found objects, which are cleverly positioned on hand-drawn, posing models to create three-dimensional ensembles worthy of the catwalk.

Sound Designer Ryan Hickey: Listening as an Art Form

NEA: While sound has always been an integral part of theater, sound design is relatively new as a distinct craft. And just to complicate things, sound designers often wear two hats. For “straight” plays, they work with the director to create the right sound for the play—which can mean content building, such as composing incidental music, creating sound effects and sound beds. For musical theater, on the other hand, the sound designer’s main job is to create sound systems that allow the music, the singing, and the dialogue to be heard uniformly and organically throughout the theater.

Tech Director’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)

Church Production Magazine: Sadly, it often takes a tragic event for emergency protocols to be established. In the wake of the Las Vegas and Ariana Grande shootings, as TDs, we should be keenly aware of the inherent dangers that exist for terror incidents at live venues. Even more so, because Christians are often a targeted and persecuted demographic, establishing an Emergency Operations Plan is vital.

Step-By-Step RF

ProSoundWeb: For many in pro audio, working with wireless systems is still thought to be a “nightmare” filled with peril, an accident waiting to happen, and so on. In actual fact, wireless systems are meant to work and in fact do work every day in thousands of concerts, theatrical productions, festivals, churches, broadcasts and the like, all around the world.

Pittsburgh powers through a frigid First Night

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Cold weather, Courtney Czarniak said, is actually the best weather for face-painting.

“It’s all water-based, it’s basically watercolor, so when everyone’s sweating in the summer, we hate it,” said Ms. Czarniak, head of Pittsburgh Princess who was responsible for face-painting at Sunday night’s Highmark First Night Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “This is an ideal setup.”

Peter Martins will retire from New York City Ballet after a sexual harassment accusation

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: After a sexual harassment accusation, followed by allegations of physical and verbal abuse, Peter Martins, the powerful leader of New York City Ballet who shaped the company for more than three decades, will retire, the chairman of the ballet’s board said in a statement Monday night.

State Of The Union: The RF & Wireless System Picture Heading Into 2018

ProSoundWeb: One year ago, the U.S. pro audio industry was anxiously awaiting the impending outcome of the 600 MHz auction. We didn’t know much except that RF products operating in the 600 MHz band would likely be phased out over the next three years.

When the auction was completed in April 2017, the big winner was T-Mobile, which spent just under $8 billion for its share of radio spectrum across the country and immediately announced plans to start testing by year’s end.

Instead of All-Black, Actors Protesting Sexual Harassment Should Just Wear Jumpsuits Painted With Their Salaries

jezebel.com: In case you have not heard, actresses will be protesting sexual harassment at the upcoming Golden Globes ceremony by wearing black. And now, predictably, men want to get in on the protest too, by also wearing black.

I know what you’re thinking: don’t most men wear black every year to the Golden Globes because it’s a black-tie event where actors come in tuxedos? Yes, they do, which makes this a pretty lazy way to protest.

Paramount Pictures Launching First-Ever Virtual Reality Movie Theater

Deadline: Paramount Pictures has just created another platform — or maybe even a new distribution window — to display its feature content.

The studio, in partnership with Bigscreen, is collaborating with several tech companies leading efforts in the virtual reality space — Oculus, Samsung, HTC and Microsoft, among others — to launch a first VR movie theater. A viewer puts on a VR headset and sits in a “theater” in front of a huge screen watching a movie as you would in a brick-and-mortar theater.

The Craft of Bijou at Canada's Stratford Festival

Stage Directions: Whether it is razzle dazzle, Elizabethan pomp, or high society elegance the Stratford Festival's Bijou department finishes off the details with craftsmanship that is second to none in the theater world. Stratford Festival Bijou craftsperson, Rebecca Dillow gives us a look inside at their meticulous work.

Joyce Carol Oates Asks if "Othello" Works Without Race

The Mary Sue: Joyce Carol Oates is one of the most brilliant living writers of our time. She’s also a white woman and therefore prone to say some really problematic things when it comes to race. Not with malice mind you, but just a general lack of understanding.

Paint Not Paint Mugs are Funny Coffee Mugs for Your Favorite Artist

mymodernmet.com: Artists, how many times have you almost ingested your gunky paint water thinking it was your afternoon tea? It’s an unwelcome surprise, but one that doesn’t have to happen anymore—thanks to illustrator Hallie Bateman. She’s created a handy set of mugs labeled “paint water” and “not paint water” so that you’ll never make the mistake again.

How theater should respond to a democracy in meltdown

LA Times: How should artists respond to a nation in crisis? Playwrights and their collaborators, not wanting to be the proverbial fiddler sawing away as Rome burns, have had no choice but to contemplate their responsibility in a year of stark political turmoil.

Since Donald Trump was elected president, America has undergone a savage transformation. Institutional norms have been flouted, ethical constraints have been ignored, constitutional principles have been muddied and longstanding alliances have been kicked to the curb.

Don’t Despair, Protest: Playwright Lucy Kirkwood Sees No Other Choice

The New York Times: The British playwright Lucy Kirkwood gets the jitters on opening nights, and it was no different earlier this month when she made her Broadway debut with “The Children.” But at the post-show party, at a blues club near Times Square, politics proved an unexpectedly pleasant distraction.

It was election night in Alabama, and as word of Roy Moore’s Senate loss filtered through the crowd, Ms. Kirkwood said she felt that was reason enough to celebrate, no matter what the critics turned out to think.

“Despair is not an acceptable position,” she said over coffee later that week, “but it’s hard not to feel like the last year has been quite a hopeless time.”

Broadway Shockers 2017: The Great Comet Burns Out Too Soon

TheaterMania.com: On February 15, it was announced that Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan, the original Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in Hamilton, would replace Josh Groban as Pierre in Dave Malloy's Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 beginning July 3. On July 1, it was announced that Onaodowan's start date would be pushed a week to July 11.

Onaodowan had only been in the show for two weeks when the production announced that he would play his final show on August 13, to be replaced by Tony and Emmy winner Mandy Patinkin in his "long-awaited return to Broadway." Patinkin's run was set for August 15-September 3; Onaodowan's own final performance was expected to be September 3.

Schedule Announced for BroadwayCon Industry Day

www.broadwayworld.com: BroadwayCon is pleased to announce the BroadwayCon Industry Day schedule. BroadwayCon Industry Day is a one-day conference for theatre professionals, featuring panels and discussions exploring new and innovative ways to engage with Broadway's biggest fans. Curated by Situation, BroadwayCon Industry Day will take place on Thursday, January 25, 2018 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan. F

Don’t Tell Anyone—A Call to Action for a Healthy Work-Life Balance in the Arts

HowlRound: One week before heading off to play one of my dream roles, I found out I was pregnant. What should have been a happy and exciting time turned into one of the darkest periods of my life. I had so many questions, and no role models in my life to guide my way. I believed, however, that once I called my union, I would receive guidance on how to navigate this unexpected turn of events.

Olivia Munn pens essay on sexual harassment in Hollywood

EW.com: In an interview with the BBC [in the wake of allegations against Harvey Weinstein, which Weinstein denies], Woody Allen said he felt sad for Weinstein and warned of a “witch-hunt atmosphere…where every guy in an office who winks at a woman is suddenly having to call a lawyer to defend himself.” However, the possibility of an overcorrection is much less worrisome than all of the injustices that led us to this moment. Woody’s gut instinct to fear what this might become would be better suited to a gut instinct to hold back an urge that could be wrong.

HAMILTON Designer David Korins Shares Inside Look at West End Production

www.broadwayworld.com: HAMILTON set designer David Korins is giving fans an inside look at the design process for the West End transfer of one of Broadway's biggest smash hits. Watch his Instagram video below to check out the set building process from sketches to the finished product.

HAMILTON re-opens the newly rebuilt and restored Victoria Palace Theatre, and it officially opens tonight, 21 December 2017. HAMILTON is currently booking to 30 June 2018.

Stage Door: The 1937 Film that Reveals Why Hollywood’s Sexual Harassment Reckoning Took So Long to Arrive

pictorial.jezebel.com: The eighty-year-old Best Picture Academy Award nominee stars Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers as actresses who confront a producer who treats sex as the price of fame. It’s an eerily timely movie to encounter in the wake of the allegations against Harvey Weinstein, James Toback, and so many others. The casting couch is often called an “open secret,” and the story of Stage Door is a study in the kind of willful ignorance required to keep something so widely known from endangering those in power.

'Mindhunter' actor Cotter Smith will open barebones' 15th season in new Braddock home

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Cotter Smith, whose most recent TV role is Unit Chief Shepard on the Pittsburgh-filmed “Mindhunter,” will help reintroduce barebones productions’ Braddock theater as the star of the 2017 play “Rules of Seconds.”

Creating The Next Bechdel Test

FiveThirtyEight: The Bechdel-Wallace Test — more commonly abbreviated to the Bechdel Test — asks two simple questions of a movie: Does it have at least two named female characters?1 And do those characters have at least one conversation that is not about a man? A surprising number of films fail the test. Although the test is punchy and has become pervasive, it doesn’t address the core inequalities in Hollywood films.

CMU Classmates Gad, Odom Jr. Reunite in “Murder on the Orient Express”

www.cmu.edu/news: Nearly two decades after meeting as first-year drama students in the halls of the Purnell Center for the Arts at Carnegie Mellon University, Josh Gad and Leslie Odom, Jr. are performing together professionally for the first time. The 2003 graduates from the School of Drama are playing Hector Macqueen and Dr. Arbuthnot, respectively, in Kenneth Branagh’s reboot of the 1974 film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express.”

Smiley’s Martin Luther King Stage Show Scuttled in Wake of Misconduct Allegations

The New York Times: A stage adaptation of a book written by Tavis Smiley about the final year of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s life, set for a 40-city tour coinciding with the 50th anniversary of King’s death, was suspended on Friday in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against Mr. Smiley.

Lady Gaga signs for 2 years at The Park on Las Vegas Strip

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Saying, “It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to play Las Vegas,” Lady Gaga is making it all come true beginning in 12 months. Her residency at The Park Theater begins in December 2018, and in a news release issued today is described as “a two-year, multidate love affair with Las Vegas.”

Drama fest carries on

Cornwall Standard Freeholder: The show must go on.

Despite the loss of $200,000 in annual sponsorship for what was known as the Sears Drama Festival, local high school students are well into preparations for this school year’s competition, which is just a few months away.

“The festival will move forward at all three levels – the district, the regional and provincial (levels),” Holy Trinity drama teacher Jim Malyon said on Tuesday.

Shocking Situations

ProSoundWeb: I’ve been a professional audio engineer for 40-plus years and a musician for 10 years more than that, and during that time, I’ve witnessed hundreds of shock events on performance stages, recording studios, and even factory floors.

Writers Guild Accuses Studios of ‘Insufficient’ Response on Harassment

Variety: Leaders of the Writers Guild of America have blasted studios and agencies for “insufficient response” on the issue of sexual harassment.

In a message sent to members Tuesday, the WGA West said, “We are determined that not only member rights, but also member responsibilities, be clearly defined. It is also imperative that we address what so many of us perceive as an insufficient response on the part of studios and agencies.”

Operating the Sesame Street Puppets Looks So Cool and So Exhausting

The Mary Sue: Wired recently shared a fascinating look at all the puppeteering that goes into making an episode of Sesame Street. Having grown up on the series, and really only ever seen the finished product, I found it super-interesting to see all the different puppet mechanisms, voice work, tromps around in Big Bird and Snuffleupagus suits, and supplementary stagehand help that goes into creating these characters.

Andrew Lloyd Webber Slams Lack of Diversity in British Theatre

www.broadwayworld.com: Introducing findings from a recent study of diversity in British theatre, Andrew Lloyd Webber has slammed the "hideously white" demographics of workers both onstage and off.

Hemp Houses: Know the Ropes

AMERICAN THEATRE: In 1991, I was on staff at New York City’s Theatre for a New Audience when founding artistic director Jeffrey Horowitz and his team produced a revival of Romeo and Juliet at the Victory Theater on West 42nd Street. I remember being in that huge, musty theatre with the company for the first time. The Victory dated back to 1900, yet the young, energetic actors ran around the place like it was their own personal playground, climbing to various levels and remarking on the theatre’s historic details.

The Band’s Visit and Come From Away Designers Among 2017 Henry Hewes Design Award Recipients

Playbill: Five theatre designers will be honored at the American Theatre Wing’s 2017 Henry Hewes Design Awards luncheon. Among this year’s recipients are The Band’s Visit lighting designer Tyler Micoleau and Come From Away costume designer Toni-Leslie James.

BOB DOEPEL & CHICAGO SCENIC STUDIOS - 40 Years Of Making It All Come Together

CONVERSATIONS with Ed Tracy: To hear Bob Doepel reflect on Chicago Scenic Studios, the company he founded almost 40 years ago, you might think that it just happened to come together. In truth, Doepel has elevated the process of making things come together, often under impossible deadlines, on projects that materialize overnight, to an art form. His company has a vast array of resources, and coordinates with other industry professionals, to collaborate with clients to turn vision into reality.

High Winds Cause Deadly Stage Structure Collapse in Brazil

Control Geek: After a string of weather-related stage structure collapse tragedies in the US (which documented and commented on in a series of blog posts which you can read here), and a great reaction by the Event Safety Alliance and others, I really hoped I had written my last posts about weather-related stage structure collapses. But via Pollstar this morning comes news of a deadly collapse at the tragically named Atmosphere Festival in Brazil

Is a Certified Rigger a Qualified Rigger?

news.thecrosbygroup.com: Even though OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC- Crane & Derrick Standard for Construction went into effect November 10, 2010 it still continues to prompt individuals to debate whether a “Certified Rigger” is considered a “Qualified Rigger”. In this article I have included my personal opinions along with wording and facts from the standard itself. I hope you find this information useful and rig safe!

Ballet companies throughout the U.S. reimagine “The Nutcracker”

Salon.com: “It’s fair to say you’ve never seen a musical quite like this,” says Kevin Weisman (best known for his role in “Alias”) during the introduction for “The MeshugaNutcracker.” A Jewish take on the classic Christmas ballet, “The MegshugaNutcracker” opens with a call to “grab your yarmulke, it’s time for Chanukah, a musical just for you, whether gentile or a Jew.”

Bumppo to Haven, the top-10 best in off-Loop theater of 2017

Chicago Tribune: In a year when the political and international drama went up to 11, Chicago theaters offered up a raucous and rousing array of productions, from world premieres to classic revivals. Here are 10 shows — listed alphabetically — that stood out as best in class.

Experts Weigh Disney-Fox Antitrust Concerns

Hollywood Reporter: The Walt Disney Co. may be willing to wager $2.5 billion that its 11-figure deal with 21st Century Fox will pass regulatory muster, but antitrust lawyers aren't so sure.

The companies expect the regulatory review and closing process to take up to 18 months, which will likely include a thorough analysis of whether the combined entity could substantially lessen competition in the marketplace.

Anita Hill Chairing Hollywood Anti-Sexual Harassment Commission

Variety: Spurred by the multitude of sexual abuse scandals, top Hollywood executives have tapped Anita Hill to chair the newly formed Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace.

The commission made the announcement Friday following a meeting convened by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, Nike Foundation founder and co-chair Maria Eitel, Nina Shaw, and venture captialist Freada Kapor Klein.

How Christmas Story Live! Tackled a Chinese-Restaurant Scene

www.vulture.com: When families and “You’ll shoot your eye out!” obsessives gather ‘round the old flat-screen to watch Fox’s ambitious musical event, A Christmas Story Live!, they may notice a few adjustments to the beloved 1983 film that inspired the special.

Stage Collapse In Brazil Kills DJ, Wounds Others: Breaking

Pollstar: DJ Kaleb Freitas was killed Dec. 17 during the Atmosphere festival in
Brazil after strong winds blew over part of the stage at the electronic
music party in Rio Grande.

Amahl and the Night Visitors

Pittsburgh in the Round: There is certainly joy in listening to live classical music. There is joy in the artistry of skilled musicians. There is joy in the unadorned sound of classical instruments. There is joy in well-honed voices filling a space with the arias and choruses of an opera. The Resonance Works’ production of Amahl and the Night Visitors provides many opportunities for joy, along with unfortunate moments of disappointment and sadness.

The Broadway League Elects New Chairman of the Board

www.ticketnews.com: The Broadway League is pleased to announce that Thomas Schumacher, President & Producer, Disney Theatrical Productions, was elected as Chairman of the Board of The Broadway League today. Mr. Schumacher takes over the role from Chairman Robert E. Wankel, President, The Shubert Organization, following the completion of Mr. Wankel’s full three-year term.

25 Things You Didn’t Know About the Christmas Spectacular (and the Rockettes!)

The Rockettes: The Christmas Spectacular is a holiday tradition unlike any other—from watching us Rockettes perform time-honored classic dance numbers (“Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” anyone?!) to Santa Claus taking you on a 3-D sleigh ride while Radio City Music Hall turns into an immersive winter wonderland—it’s a 90-minute extravaganza that’s sure to put fans of all ages in the Yuletide spirit. As you can imagine, this annual tradition is full of rich history—after all, it’s been more than 85 years since the show’s inception!

Veteran stage manager Chris Porter saves Toronto show

The Globe and Mail: When veteran stage manager Chris Porter worked on Cirque du Soleil's water-themed production of O at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, there was an emergency procedure in place called "save the show." It involved sending out the clowns (literally), who would improvise until a technical situation could be resolved.

Casting director booted from ‘Norma Rae’ musical after union push

NY Daily News: Norma Rae wouldn’t take this sitting down.

A Broadway casting director lost out on a reading for a new musical based on the iconic 1979 film “Norma Rae” because she wanted producers to make contributions to a Teamster health and pension fund, the Daily News has learned.

Great lecture from SIGGRAPH: War for the Planet of the Apes

fxguide: Weta Digital in concert with SIGGRAPH has released their brilliant lecture from SIGGRAPH LA on the motion capture on the blockbuster War for the Planet of the Apes.

This is such a good talk from Weta's Visual Effects Supervisor Anders Langland. Here at fxguide, we especially love the Bad Ape performances and animation which Langlands explains in the lecture.

Roundabout's Entire Theatrical Workforce Development Program Cohort Lands Jobs

www.broadwayworld.com:
Roundabout Theatre Company and Education at Roundabout have announced a 100% job placement rate for the first cohort of the Theatrical Workforce Development Program (TWDP), the theatre industry's first workforce development program to train and place young adults in professional technical theatre careers.

Decibullz Bluetooth Wireless Earphones Review

Pro Tool Reviews: There are a wide variety of options when it comes to how we listen to music or videos privately. You can go with over the ear headphones, on the ear headphones, earbuds, or bone conduction. Then you can go wired or wireless. And of course, there’s price to consider. So what do Decibullz Bluetooth Wireless Earphones offer in this crowded space and where do they fit?

DMX Demystified

TheatreArtLife: DMX is not something we think a whole lot about, but we use it extensively in the lighting world to control dimmers, moving lights, and some special effects. For something that has a big impact on what we do, it seems few people know how DMX communicates from control desk to dimmers/fixtures. It is a very robust system that can travel long distances compared to newer systems and has proven to be incredibly reliable.

Klein Tools Cross-Line Laser Level Review

Pro Tool Reviews: Lasers don’t seem to get any less cool no matter how old I get. Sure, instead of toys they are tools now, but that’s no matter. I guess I could still use a laser-equipped tool to pretend I have a lightsaber or make the cat go crazy when no one’s looking. But in my adult life, lasers are proving to be much more useful than they ever were as a kid (when they really only got me into trouble).

Christmas Meets Broadway and Vegas

Church Production Magazine: The audience has just settled into Gateway Church’s 2016 Christmas show, “Chasing Lights,” when the room appears to shake and the image of a solid brick wall on the church's expansive 50-foot by 20-foot video wall crumbles to the ground. Suddenly disoriented, the onlookers react with a collective gasp, then chatter with nervous excitement. “It is the last thing anyone is expecting,” says Gateway’s Associate Director of Lighting Production Tim Logsdon, “and it gets a huge reaction from every audience.” If the audience wasn’t sure when they walked in, they now know this is not a typical Christmas show.For many Christian churches around the world, the eagerly anticipated Christmas show has become a time-honored way to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Hollywood Women Tell Their #MeToo Stories

Variety: While a tsunami of women in Hollywood tweeted #metoo, the powerful hashtag didn’t give most the opportunity to tell their sexual harassment stories. Many women still fear that naming names will bring about career repercussions and potential legal action. With this piece, we decided to empower women to come forward only by identifying themselves and revealing their long-held secrets. Many of these stories took place when these women were starting their careers — young, naive, and powerless, they didn’t know who to tell. They didn’t want to lose their jobs. And while no one equated their harassment story with those who had been raped or assaulted, these incidents left their mark, and changed how these women function in an industry where sexual harassment is systemic.

Global Entertainment Companies Combat Sexual Harassment

Variety: Hollywood movies have long had an outsize impact on the rest of the world. Now a Hollywood scandal is as well.

What began as an exposé of sexual misconduct by Harvey Weinstein has snowballed into a global cause célèbre, one that’s roiling not just the entertainment industry but also the realms of politics, business and education far beyond American shores. Senior officials in Britain have been forced to quit amid harassment allegations. Members of the European Parliament share their #MeToo stories. The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, says his country is “sick with sexism” and has vowed to fight discrimination and violence against women. “We must act before it’s too late,” Macron declared.

Sexual Harassment in Writers Rooms: When Spitballing Ideas Goes Wrong

Variety: Television writers rooms are not like most workplaces. They’re creative spaces where people — many of whom gravitated toward the field because they blanched at thoughts of working straight jobs — spitball freely and rely on the group to police bad ideas. Intimate personal stories are often shared. Behavior that would not be tolerated elsewhere is given a pass, to the purported benefit of the final product.

Sexual Misconduct: Powerful Men Can’t Plead Ignorance

Variety: Power.

It’s the theme that ricochets through countless TV shows, especially in the past decade or two. Who has influence, how can mastery of other people or a profession be achieved, how can ambition be cemented into unassailable and fear-inspiring dominance?

Those kinds of themes have been so prevalent — through the Golden Age of the aughts and even now — that a critic can easily grow a little tired of them. Being a privileged white guy is hard. We get it.

How New York Times Broke the Harvey Weinstein Story

Variety: Want proof that journalism matters? Look no further than Harvey Weinstein. Were it not for The New York Times and The New Yorker, the indie mogul would still be hobnobbing at Oscar parties, attending movie premieres and, if allegations are to be believed, routinely abusing and harassing women.

Jeff Awards Plan Steps to Diversify, Integrate with Theater Community

PerformInk: The Jeff Awards have released the results of an independent research project to identify areas for improvement, and action steps the committee is considering to address the findings. Taproot+, a non-profit organization that provides pro bono services by volunteer professionals, conducted the study, which consisted of phone interviews with 21 leaders of theater organizations, and a survey that was provided to every Jeff-participating theater.

Review: Holiday spirit soars in Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's 'Nutcracker'

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: While the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s production of “The Nutcracker” is undeniably a family treat, it’s the matinees that truly bring out Marie wannabes and Sugar Plums aplenty in the audiences at the Benedum Center.

Clickspring Design Helps Comic Con VIPs Party In The Future

Live Design: Known for its unique characters and mixture of art, storytelling, and fandom, Comic Con celebrates a broad section of popular culture including comic books, videos games, movies, and television.

ETC Tops $300K in Pledge-a-Product Donations to Behind the Scenes

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: On the LDI show floor this year, ETC presented Behind the Scenes with a check for $24,873.84, representing this year's proceeds from the company's iRFR and aRFR focus remote applications. Since the launch of the iRFR in 2009, ETC's mobile app sales have generated an impressive $322,825 in donations, helping the charity bring assistance to many ill or injured entertainment technology colleagues and their families.

The Future of Technology—and Engagement

Church Designer Magazine: As a church designer, you probably don't buy the hype that more moving lights, bigger LED screens and giant speakers are the answer to where technology is going. And as it turns out, evidence suggests that the future isn’t about "big" at all.

Sexual Harassment Panel Offers Definitions, Strategies

Animation World Network: Under a projected image of disgraced Hollywood studio mogul Harvey Weinstein, a panel of experts convened Wednesday night in Burbank at the IATSE Local 80 union building to define sexual harassment, explain people’s rights and responsibilities, and discuss strategies for how to create safer work environments for the animation industry.

Former Charlie Rose Producer Rebecca Carroll on Working With the PBS Host

www.esquire.com: In 1997, I joined the production team of Charlie Rose’s popular interview show. I was the only black journalist on staff. At the time, there was little to no recognition of what it meant to be black and female in a workplace dominated by white men. Twenty years later, in this watershed moment of examination and reckoning as one powerful white man after another is disgraced following allegations of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to assault, we’re still not talking about the ramifications for black women—or the broader connection to structural racism in America.

How to Motivate Workers to Save More for Retirement

Nasdaq.com: Suzanne Shu, an associate professor of marketing at UCLA, has done extensive research into why we save--and why we don't. While studying for her PhD at the University of Chicago, she worked closely with Richard Thaler, who won the 2017 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his pioneering research in behavioral economics.

Radio twist brings 'A Christmas Story' to life on stage

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: They say Christmas comes but once a year, but it sure seems like more as the year turns quicker and quicker. This tends to fray some familiar Christmas traditions. It’s one of those good news-bad news things: here comes “A Christmas Carol,” and here comes “A Christmas Carol.”

Why All of Us Should Be Fundraising in Nonprofit Arts

www.clydefitchreport.com: Nonprofit arts organizations face a long list of challenges these days, from declining participation to increasing competition from a broad range of live and digital options. And then there’s Baumol’s cost disease, which suggests that because there are no productivity gains over time in the way that art is created, and given that costs are always increasing, producing organizations are falling further and further behind every year in terms of their financial sustainability. This means, through no fault of their own, that arts organizations have to raise more money each and every year just to stay even.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

What I Learned By Letting My Mood Dictate How I Worked For A Month

www.fastcompany.com: My job has two basic parts, and chances are yours does, too:
Generating ideas
Implementing them
In my case, as a writer, the challenge is to come up with something to write about in the first place, and then turn that idea into some sort of coherent, engaging piece of content. The first half requires creativity, and the second requires me to focus without distraction. Many if not most knowledge workers’ roles are set up similarly: First you’ve got to come up with a solution or an action to take, and then you’ve got to put it into action. Nailing both steps is the real productivity challenge.

Posted by David at 12/08/2017 02:33:00 PM

The Best Leatherman Multi-tools for EDC

Everyday Carry: For many EDCers, Leatherman needs no introduction. The multi-tool maker has been covering bases and getting things done with their impressive array of tools for decades. But while they have plenty of options in their catalog, some multi-tools are better for EDC than others. Given how useful their tools are, it's a daunting task to pick the best one to carry, but we're here to help.

Posted by David at 12/08/2017 02:29:00 PM

Please Stop Complimenting Me On My Body

www.refinery29.com: These past couple of weeks have been the most meaningful of my life. Not only do I get to continue to live my dream every single night on Broadway with the most talented, radiant company, but I'm also lucky enough to be in Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig’s deeply human, hysterical, heart wrenching, magical film. And yet, with all of these insanely wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experiences happening, I have been a little confused lately. You see, people seem to have a lot to say to me. That alone is not that surprising; I’m a dreamy conversationalist! It is the topic of conversation that is puzzling. Everyone keeps commenting on something that I haven’t thought about in years: my body.

Posted by David at 12/07/2017 11:36:00 AM

pantone announces 'ultra violet' as 2018 color of the year

www.designboom.com: following marsala in 2015, rose quartz and serenity in 2016, and greenery in 2017, pantone has announced that its 2018 color of the year is… ‘ultra violet’. described as ‘inventive’ and ‘imaginative’, the color experts say that the shade communicates ‘originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future’.

Posted by David at 12/08/2017 02:28:00 PM

Can't Pay Your Student Loans? In Some States, That Means You Can't Work Either.

Hit & Run : Reason.com: Shannon Otto took on thousands of dollars in student loan debt to pay for nursing school before an unexpected medical issue left her unable to work for more than a year. While she was recovering, her loan payments lapsed into default. When Otto was ready to go back to work, she got more bad news: The state of Tennessee had revoked her nursing license, leaving her unable to work legally in the field she'd spent years mastering. Getting her license restored would require an additional payment of $1,500.

Posted by David at 12/05/2017 11:33:00 AM

Pittsburgh Public Theater names new leadership team to replace Ted Pappas

TribLIVE: The Pittsburgh Public Theater has announced a new team to lead the troupe when producing artistic director Ted Pappas leaves next year after 18 seasons.

It is promoting Louis A. Castelli to managing director and named Marya Sea Kaminski, the current associate artistic director at Seattle Repertory Theatre, as artistic director.