‘Chicago’ cast member’s suicide probed after backstage bullying allegations

Page Six: Broadway musical “Chicago” has launched an investigation after friends of a cast member claimed he killed himself because he was “bullied” by the show’s directors.

You should stand in meetings — don’t worry about what others might think

Salon.com: Standing in meetings may be good for our health, but it can also make those that are standing feel self-conscious, anxious about how others perceive them, and disengaged from the meeting. These findings, taken from our recent study, suggest that efforts to encourage office workers to sit less and move more must acknowledge the realities of the workplace that conspire to keep people chained to their seats.

Longread. Katie Mitchell On Chekhov, Stanislavsky, And Characters Of Flesh And Blood

The Theatre Times: Katie, or rather, Katrina Jane Mitchell, is a leading British theatre director whose creative drive seems to be truly inexhaustible. Early in her career, she worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1996 she won the Evening Standard Award for Best Director. The Department of Theatre and Performance at the Victoria and Albert Museum invited Mitchell and Leo Warner of 59 Productions to conceive and produce a video installation exploring the nature of “truth in performance.”

Freeport Theatre Festival opens season with 'Washington in the Ohio Country'

TribLIVE: Real-life action heroes, past and present, will be celebrated as Freeport Theatre Festival opens its 29th summer season July 13.

The festival features two reprised plays by Allegheny Township playwright Rennick Steele.

The Full Monty

Pittsburgh in the Round: Nailed It! is a competition show in which amateur bakers compete to win fast cash by recreating intricate desserts originally crafted by professional bakers. What they end up with is usually more of a hilarious fail than a true culinary feat, hence the ironic title.

Dancer Preserves The Work Of Black Choreographers, In One Video At A Time

NPR: When she was in her 20s, dancer Gesel Mason started emailing black choreographers she admired, asking them to create a solo for her. To her surprise, many of them said yes.

"I did not know I was making my life's work when I started it," she says. "I was just really interested in dancing with some choreographers."

At Old Globe, 'The Lorax' brings Dr. Seuss' environmental saga to vivid life

The San Diego Union-Tribune: If you go see “Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax” expecting an environment-minded variation on the Old Globe’s “Grinch” musical, get ready for a darker shade of green.

Both shows feature lime-hued lunkheads who prove a little slow to face the error of their ways. But “The Lorax,” a British import that just landed at the Globe as part of a two-city U.S. debut, is a slightly edgier piece of work that plays out in an often less cartoon-y mood than its much-loved predecessor.

Diana Rigg annoyed that ‘My Fair Lady’ star is taking Sundays off

nypost.com: Lauren Ambrose, the Tony-nominated star of Lincoln Center Theater’s hit revival of “My Fair Lady,” finds the role of Eliza Doolittle too taxing to perform eight times a week.

So she’s skipping Sunday matinees and having her understudy go on.

That doesn’t sit well with her co-star, the great Dame Diana Rigg, who plays Henry Higgins’ formidable mother.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

Pixar Designer Talks About Sexism at the Company

The Mary Sue: In a harrowing personal essay, former Pixar graphic designer Cassandra Smolcic discusses the habitual sexism and harassment she endured while working for the storied animation giant. Smolcic describes a pervasive atmosphere of harassment and objectification that defined Pixar’s corporate culture, starting with its CCO John Lasseter.

Posted by David at 6/28/2018 02:01:00 PM

Theatre shuts out the working class. I’m devastated to think of the voices silenced

Mish Grigor | Stage | The Guardian: In 2015, I made a theatre show, The Talk, about my working class family and their working class sex lives. I interviewed them about their sexual histories, and edited their stories into verbatim scenes that I get audiences to read.

Posted by David at 7/02/2018 02:17:00 PM

A Guide to Theater Etiquette the New York Way

www.timeout.com: I am a dyed-in-the-ethically-sourced-sustainable-cashmere coastal lefty elitist. I am strenuously inclusionary and empathetic to a fault. I apologize to inanimate objects when I bump into them. I am a socialist Democrat and pacifist to the core. I love everything and everyone and the divine in me honors the divine in you. Truly.

Posted by David at 6/29/2018 02:50:00 PM

Sound Designer Kai Harada on the Audio Systems for The Bands Visit on Broadway

Stage Directions: Following the Tony Awards ceremonies in early June, the subtly engaging new musical, The Band’s Visit was recipient of an astonishing ten awards, along with a Tony Award for Best Sound Design in a Musical for Sound Designer Kai Harada. Once again Meyer Sound systems were a part of Harada's sound design. Meyer Sound products are used for this production as well as powering the music along the Great White Way, with numerous hit productions relying on LEO Family line arrays and UltraSeries loudspeakers.

Posted by David at 7/05/2018 02:41:00 PM

Who Else Misses Old-Fashioned Theatre Tickets?

Theatre Development Fund – TDF: At least I didn't have to worry about forgetting the tickets. In my many decades of theatregoing, that had only happened once. But now, so much else could go wrong. For Disney's Frozen, my phone was my ticket. Technologically challenged as I am, I only chose this new-to-me option because it was the cheapest way to purchase the rather expensive seats.

Posted by David at 7/03/2018 10:53:00 AM

The Face Stylist

Make-Up Artist Magazine: We love being inspired! Don’t you? Recently Make-Up Artist magazine crossed paths with an award-winning make-up artist that pushes the boundaries of creativity. Samantha Klein is innovative and has carved out an impressive career. Read on to learn about her most recent project, what inspired her and uncover techniques she uses to help others feel beautiful in their skin.

Get more Van Gogh, Monet and Degas at The Frick Pittsburgh

TribLIVE: In response to the popularity of its "Van Gogh, Monet, Degas: The Mellon Collection of French Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts," The Frick Pittsburgh will keep the exhibition on view through July 15.

It also is extending normal hours of operation at the Point Breeze site for the show's final week, remaining open until 9 p.m. July 10-15.

Your Nonprofit is “Committed to Diversity”? How Diverse Is Your Board?

Bitter Gertrude: “People ask me sometimes, when do you think it will it be enough? When will there be enough women on the court? And my answer is when there are nine.” — Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Few consider it odd that almost all Supreme Court justices in the court’s 229 year history have been white men, but many considered Justice Ginsberg’s statement to be highly controversial. The idea of an all-female court seemed upsetting and threatening to many people, but an all-male court has always seemed unremarkable.

Advocates Call on NJ Governor to Veto Law Passed Without Hearings

www.ticketnews.com: Word has gotten out of the New Jersey legislature’s rapid passage of a bill stripping away a limit on tickets held back from the public in the Garden State, and many are questioning why the bill made it through the legislature with zero public hearings on the matter. The measure, which Gov. Phil Murphy has yet not indicated whether or not he intends to sign, was pushed hard by venue ownership in the state, which would stand to profit wildly due to the removal of the 5% cap on held back tickets for industry insiders.

Intel drones help Travis Air Force Bay provide fireworks alternative for special needs military families

InPark Magazine: Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, collaborated with Intel to replace a traditional Independence Day fireworks display with an Intel® Shooting Star™ drone light show. In celebration of July Fourth and Travis Air Force Base’s 75th anniversary, 500 Intel Shooting Star drones danced across the nighttime sky in a choreographed aerial routine that honors active military and veterans.

The Radical Looks of Sorry to Bother You

The Mary Sue: Sorry to Bother You has over 100 costume looks: a significantly high number for an independent film. Each one is carefully crafted, as distinct as the character wearing it. The man With No Name, the utilitarian but subtle Squeeze, Omari Hardwick’s Mr. Blank, a power caller. Each outfit told a story and Govan placed a big emphasis on being balanced, “a complete equanimity with all of the characters.”

A Fantastic Woman Director on Scarlett Johansson's Trans Role

themuse.jezebel.com: Scarlett Johansson—who likes to occupy minority roles in films and then say self-protective nonsense when it inevitably causes controversy—is set to star in the upcoming film Rub & Tug, which details the life of trans man Dante “Tex” Gill, famous for operating a massage parlor and brothel in 1970s/80s Pittsburgh.

GUEST BLOG: TALES FROM A MUSICAL FESTIVAL CURATOR

The Producer's Perspective: As I type this, we are four days away from the 15th annual New York Musical Festival (NYMF). On July 9th, 30+ new musical productions, concerts, readings, and educational events will descend upon midtown Manhattan (West 42nd St between 9th and 11th Avenues, to be precise) and showcase their developmental work to a New York audience over the course of four weeks.

Mysterious Maker Knife deploys its blade with a flick of the finger

newatlas.com: Retractable utility knives are versatile cutting tools, but clicking the blades in and out can require a bit of elbow grease, and once the blade is out many can suffer from slippage. Artisan knife-maker Giacomo Di Muro reckons he's come up with a better solution, with an elegant everyday carry option claimed to simply slide into action and lock securely in place.

Cirque du Soleil expands live offerings with acquisition of VStar Entertainment and Cirque Dreams

InPark Magazine: Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group has announced the acquisition of Minnesota-based VStar Entertainment Group and its Florida-based circus arts subsidiary Cirque Dreams. The addition of VStar Entertainment Group to its portfolio allows the Montreal creative powerhouse to expand its audiences with plug-and-play creative content specifically designed for children and families.

Scarlett Johansson playing a trans man makes no sense.

slate.com: There are early reports that Scarlett Johansson has been cast to play a trans man in a movie about Dante “Tex” Gill, a mob-connected brothel owner who insistently identified as a man throughout his life. Johansson, a cisgender woman known for her sexiness, is—to put it mildly—a particularly poor choice for such a role. It’s still early days for the project, having just been bought at auction by New Regency (with Rupert Sanders directing and Johansson having a producing role along with five others): Let’s hope that means there’s still time for things to change.

Sound Designer Kai Harada on the Audio Systems for The Bands Visit on Broadway

Stage Directions: Following the Tony Awards ceremonies in early June, the subtly engaging new musical, The Band’s Visit was recipient of an astonishing ten awards, along with a Tony Award for Best Sound Design in a Musical for Sound Designer Kai Harada. Once again Meyer Sound systems were a part of Harada's sound design. Meyer Sound products are used for this production as well as powering the music along the Great White Way, with numerous hit productions relying on LEO Family line arrays and UltraSeries loudspeakers.

ILM Modelmakers Share Star Wars Stories and Secrets

Tested: ILM veterans gathered at Maker Faire to talk about their Hollywood modelmaking memories. Here are some of the best Star Wars behind-the-scenes stories and tips from modelmakers with more than 100 years of combined experience.

We Are Releases Panels from Women in Games Industry

Variety: The ESA Foundation released a series of videos related to women in the games industry on the website of their We Are initiative.
The objective of We Are is to connect women in the games industry, while recognizing their impact and legacy and inspiring more women to contribute to the industry.

Scarlett Johansson continues problematic streak, will play a trans man

The Verge: A year after Scarlett Johansson’s appearance in 2017’s adaptation of Ghost in the Shell, in which she played a canonically Asian woman and sparked a conversation about whitewashing in Hollywood, the actor has made yet another questionable decision: next year, she’ll be starring in Ghost director Rupert Sanders’ Rub & Tug, a biopic based on the real-life story of massage parlor boss Dante “Tex” Gill.

Amber Tamblyn on the #TimesUp and #MeToo revolution: “The foundation has been ripped open”

Salon.com: Actor/writer/director/activist Amber Tamblyn is famous for her roles in "General Hospital," "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and "Joan of Arcadia." And when she came on BUST magazine’s podcast "Poptarts" recently, she was in the midst of a whirlwind publicity tour promoting her debut novel, "Any Man." But before she left our studio, I wanted to check in with her about what was next for the #TimesUp movement.

Lights Out Gathering Conjures Memories and a Few Ghosts at the Playhouse

Pittsburgh in the Round: When theatre practitioners gather there are stories to be told. When Point Park University invited former performing arts students and friends to the venerable Pittsburgh Playhouse for a final party on two stages, the event was a sell out. It was a sentimental and vibrant evening–warm hugs and cold drinks on a hot spring night–full of memories, conversations with old friends from past shows and classes, and chances to “be remembered” by writing on surfaces soon to disappear. Think class reunion meets cast party.

Trace Lysette and Jamie Clayton Slam Scarlett Johansson For Trans Role

Variety: The actress is set to star in the crime biopic “Rub & Tug,” based on the real life story of Dante “Tex” Gill. Gill was a trans crime boss of the 1970s who ran several illegal massage parlors. In real life, Gill lived his life as a trans man, which led a lot of folks to inquire why a trans actor wasn’t considered for this role.

Scarlett Johansson Will Play a Trans Man In Her New Movie

screencrush.com: Apparently Scarlett Johansson didn’t get the memo about how problematic it is for actors to play characters of different racial and gender identities. Despite the whitewashing controversy around Ghost in the Shell, Johansson is reteaming with her Ghost director Rupert Sanders for another problematic portrayal.

Theater professionals of color decry the Muny's casting, unwelcoming culture

St. Louis Public Radio: The boos launched by a group of protesters mid-show at the Muny two weeks ago are continuing to reverberate. Actors and directors of color in St. Louis say it’s time for theaters to stop casting white actors to portray people of color.

Anthrocon convention brings flurry of Furries to Pittsburgh

TribLIVE: Keep your eyes peeled. And, in the spirit of offering kindness to strangers, maybe have a spare water bottle handy.

The (13th annual) summer invasion of Anthrocon and Furries is about to arrive in Pittsburgh.

Why calling women 'strong female leads' is degrading

www.usatoday.com/story/life: Good news first: Screenwriters are learning that not all women are downer wives, hot girlfriends or shrews. But in a knee-jerk reaction to the times, Hollywood is trying to make up for lost ground, trumpeting every female character as a "strong female lead," someone who's a pitch-perfect blend of tough resolve, intellect and conviction in a man's world.

It's not only grating, it's ... weak.

Video Quick-Bit: The Things That Move Robots

Hackaday: Magenta Strongheart returns for a look at some of the coolest robotic entries from this year’s Hackaday Prize. Each of these answered the challenge for modular designs that will help supercharge new robot projects.

'Star Wars' Card Game App Lawsuit Produces Copyright Win for Lucasfilm

Hollywood Reporter: A California federal judge has ruled that the maker of an app that lets Star Wars fans play a card game of Sabacc has violated copyrights belonging to Disney’s Lucasfilm. In a summary judgment decision on Friday, the judge is reserving the question of willful infringement for a jury.

Pittsburgh Festival Opera to reimagine Puccini classic as 'La Boheme Warhola'

TribLIVE: Pittsburgh Festival Opera will open its 41st season with a reimagining of Giacomo Puccini's classic “La Boheme,” which tells the story of four friends living a Bohemian lifestyle in an 1800s Parisian garret.

“La Bohème Warhola,” set in a new era and influenced by one of Pittsburgh's most famous natives, artist Andy Warhol, will open at 7:30 p.m. July 6 at the Winchester Thurston School in Shadyside.

Who Else Misses Old-Fashioned Theatre Tickets?

Theatre Development Fund – TDF: At least I didn't have to worry about forgetting the tickets. In my many decades of theatregoing, that had only happened once. But now, so much else could go wrong. For Disney's Frozen, my phone was my ticket. Technologically challenged as I am, I only chose this new-to-me option because it was the cheapest way to purchase the rather expensive seats.

‘Awakening: After Parkland’ Interview

www.vulture.com: Three months after the Valentine’s Day massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Sawyer Garrity and five of her peers performed in a local production of Spring Awakening — a show they started rehearsing before the mass shooting that claimed 17 of their schoolmates. Their rehearsals and performances were chronicled in Awakening: After Parkland, a short documentary that premiered Monday on Topic.

8 Great Performance Opportunities Beyond Broadway

Theatre Nerds: Broadway may be the ultimate goal for many aspiring theatre performers, but it certainly isn’t the only way to make a living. Here are some avenues worth exploring

Edgy theatre content sparks off-stage debate about trigger warnings

CBC News: If you want to trigger a strong response from theatre folk, ask them how they feel about trigger warnings: The debate about if and when to use them has the theatre community deeply divided.

These new type of audience advisories warn of specific plot points that may provoke psychological trauma in some audience members.

Theatre shuts out the working class. I’m devastated to think of the voices silenced

Mish Grigor | Stage | The Guardian: In 2015, I made a theatre show, The Talk, about my working class family and their working class sex lives. I interviewed them about their sexual histories, and edited their stories into verbatim scenes that I get audiences to read.

Disney Imagineering has created autonomous robot stunt doubles

TechCrunch: For over 50 years, Disneyland and its sister parks have been a showcase for increasingly technically proficient versions of its “animatronic” characters. First pneumatic and hydraulic, and more recently fully electronic, these figures create a feeling of life and emotion inside rides and attractions, in shows and, increasingly, in interactive ways throughout the parks.

Opinion | Dave Eggers: A Cultural Vacuum in Trump’s White House

The New York Times: This White House has been, and is likely to remain, home to the first presidency in American history that is almost completely devoid of culture. In the 17 months that Donald Trump has been in office, he has hosted only a few artists of any kind. One was the gun fetishist Ted Nugent. Another was Kid Rock. They went together (and with Sarah Palin). Neither performed.

'Tilikum' tells dark story of a captive orca at SeaWorld

Chicago Tribune: In 2010, a captive whale named Tilikum killed his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, by grabbing the 40-year-old woman’s ponytail and pulling her into the water. This was the third death of a human that involved this orca, first captured in Iceland and subsequently obliged to perform at marine parks in North America. Brancheau’s death took place at SeaWorld Orlando, following a show called “Dine with Shamu,” wherein guests ate dinner as Tilikum and other orcas entertained the paying customers. Tilikum, also known for his prowess as a stud, continued to live at SeaWorld until his death last year.

Blue Rooms

Pittsburgh in the Round: Poetry is in many ways the original form of storytelling. Long narrative poems like The Odyssey preceded the alphabet and were passed down the generations through oral tradition. Oral poets tethered listeners with recitations of Odysseus’ travels across the whale roads (seas). In this way, Amanda Filippelli’s play, Blue Rooms, participates in and builds on a long and illustrious tradition. Blue Rooms is, in fact, a staged recitation of her book of poetry by the same name.

How GLOW Season 2 Made Its Flashiest ’80s Costumes

www.vulture.com: As GLOW returns for its second season on Netflix today, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling are getting makeovers. Quite a few characters have new additions to their in-ring costumes, though others are still sporting the same hole-ridden sweaters in their day-to-day life (cough, Ruth). Still, fans can expect season two’s looks to be a fashion version of Now That’s What I Call the ’80s — big shoulders, big hair, and big accessories.

Swarm of drones perform at the opening of the Great Exhibition of the North

www.dezeen.com: One hundred drones flew in formation through the night sky to electronic music last week at the opening of Great Exhibition of the North in Newcastle, England.

Leeds-based creative studio Newsubstance orchestrated the autonomously flown, swarm drone performance which featured one hundred drones made by Singaporean company Skymagic.

The Importance of Military Theatre in Europe

HowlRound Theatre Commons: The term “military theatre” usually conjures up images of battlefields on land, at sea, and in air. But real military theatre—with musicals and dramas, actors and actresses—exists for soldiers, their spouses, and their children on Army and Air Force bases in four European countries: Germany, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Beyonce & Jay-Z Stranded MidAir After Stage Malfunction on Tour

themuse.jezebel.com: File this one under things that will literally never happen to you or I: Beyoncé and Jay-Z, currently enjoying the European leg of their On the Run II tour, experienced something of a hiccup on Saturday, June 30 in Warsaw, Poland.

The Bridges of Madison County

Pittsburgh in the Round: If you’ve been living under a theatrical rock in Pittsburgh for the last several years or you haven’t yet seen Carnivale Theatrics’ dazzling production of The Bridges of Madison County, it may seem like one of those pairings is not like the others. Sure, Caroline Nicolian and David Toole’s shelves are not yet fully stocked with Oscar and Tony gold like the shelves of those other twosomes. Still, I compare them to those greats not just because they’ve all taken on the roles of Francesca Johnson and Robert Kincaid created by Robert James Waller for his best-selling novel of the same name, but also because they are just that good.

Eleni Uranis: A Cabinet of Subconscious Curiosities

www.cirquefascination.com: The big top passed through Portland, Ore., last year with Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities. One of the first things you notice about Kurios’ steampunky design is its centerpiece. A clock is positioned up high, visible for all to see. Auspiciously set to 11:11, it doesn’t take long to realize, as the show gets going, that time has stopped and we have been transported. According to a few numerologists, 11:11 is a significant moment because it gives you access to the mysteries of the universe and the deepest parts of who you are and what is true. It is synchronistic—an opportunity to reflect and focus on your highest potential. The Kurios universe quickly becomes an amusement park for the senses.

Music Industry's Nonsense 'Myth Busting' About EU's Censorship Machines Is Basically Saying 'Nuh-uh' Repeatedly

echdirt: A few weeks back we busted the bogus myth busting by the big EU publishers who were trying to fight back against people explaining why the proposed EU Copyright Directive's Article 11 "link tax" was so damaging. That myth buster was so full of nonsense that it was easy to take apart.

The Renaissance Tradition of Using Cadavers in Drawing Classes Is Still Alive

Artsy: Surprises were rare in Herbert Danielson’s undergraduate Art History 101 class at Ohio Wesleyan University. Lectures followed a predictable slideshow of greatest hits, a well-trodden path to Western art appreciation devoid of canonical twists and turns. But one anecdote, shared almost in passing, left the young artist-in-training thunderstruck: Renaissance
master Leonardo da Vinci
, the professor said, systematically dissected human bodies in order to improve his figure drawing skills. Danielson’s classmates winced with disgust. He was riveted.

Ask Jonah: Clearing Up Misunderstandings About Compression

ProSoundWeb: This time out, we’re conquering a trio of common confusions about compression. Even the term can be troublesome. In the context of live sound, compression refers to a type of dynamics processing that acts to reduce the dynamic range of the signal; basically, reduce the difference between the loud parts and the soft parts.