Tech Focus: Dynacord Ghost Power

ProSoundWeb: Modern professional audio power amplifiers have little in common with their predecessors of just a few years ago. They are now equipped with built-in DSP, microcontrollers, digital interfaces and displays. This means that the amplifier has to “boot up” in the same way as a computer. Boot times vary between manufacturers and can easily reach 30 seconds or more.

The Stage Managers’ Association Creates the Council for Equity and Advocacy

Stage Directions: Formerly the EDI Committee, the Council for Equity and Advocacy (CEA) has been created by the Stage Managers’ Association of the United States (SMA). The CEA is led by chair Kat Meister and includes members who are SMA Members as well as industry professionals from outside the organization. The Council advocates for the ideals of equity and champions all stage managers in their efforts to build an equitable industry.

Colleges cancel diversity programs in response to Trump order

www.insidehighered.com: Two campuses are halting diversity efforts in relation to the White House’s recent executive order against “divisive concepts” in federally funded programs.

In a campus memo, the University of Iowa’s interim associate vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, Liz Tovar, said, “Let us state unequivocally that diversity, equity and inclusion remain as core values within our institution.”

Indiana coronavirus: Entertainment workers rally for pandemic relief

www.indystar.com: More than 100 workers from one of the industries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic rallied Monday in downtown Indianapolis and called on federal lawmakers to pass legislation to provide another round of the pandemic unemployment benefits they have relied on for the past half year.

The Lowdown On Mixing - Re-recording mixer Jacob Cook

SoundGirls.org: If you’re like me, then you think being a re-recording mixer sounds not only intimidating but also very confusing. I think of the giant mixing board with a ton of buttons and nobs on it. YIKES. I thought the best way to get my questions answered was to ask one of our re-recording mixers, Jacob! He has his hands in all of our shows so he definitely has the lowdown. Let’s jump right in!

Live Event Producers and their Insurance Providers Must Adapt to New COVID-19 Landscape

LiveDesignOnline: It’s undeniable. COVID-19 has taken an unprecedented toll on the live events industry. A sector that at one time was growing exponentially was put on hold in an instant. But this isn’t the end for live events, not by a longshot. Until some sense of normalcy returns, every single person looking to stage a live event, experienced or otherwise, must creatively adapt — with their insurance agents following suit.

Best Miter Saw Stand Reviews 2020

Pro Tool Reviews: We’ve used over a dozen miter saw stands throughout the years. The best miter saw stand for the carpenter may not be best for the guy adding an addition to a home. One may prioritize portability and simplicity while the other may want a more robust unit that rolls over typical jobsite terrain.

How Black Dancers Regularly Confronting Racism Can Protect Their Mental Health

Dance Magazine: From dancers using their art to speak truth to power to theaters opening their doors to protesters, the dance community is mobilizing in our national reckoning with racial injustice. But what is the impact of confronting systemic racism in our dance organizations, especially for Black dancers? How does confronting racism and implicit bias regularly in their creative work affect artists psychologically?

Equity-League Health Fund Addresses Issues Raised by Actors' Equity Over the Impact of Recently Announced Changes

www.broadwayworld.com: Equity-League Benefit Funds has released the following message, addressing issues raised by Actors' Equity over the impact of the Health Fund changes, which will require members to work more weeks per year to qualify for coverage.

"We want to address the three specific issues raised by Actors' Equity in the email they sent to members and in their statements to the press.

Trump halts stimulus negotiations, postponing possible theater industry relief

Broadway News: “There is no other way to say it. Without a subsequent COVID-19 relief bill, entertainment workers and their families face economic desolation,” the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees said in a statement.

IATSE and Equity both emphasized the longevity of the shutdown and the uncertain timeline for a return to work.

Trump Ends Negotiations On The HEROES Act; Equity Responds

www.broadwayworld.com: Actors' Equity Association has released the following statement in response to Donald Trump's tweet asking the Senate to block all coronavirus relief until after the election.

"The President's reckless and irresponsible decision to postpone relief talks while most of the arts and entertainment sector is unemployed is an insult not just to our members, but Americans everywhere who will suffer with a slower and more uncertain economic recovery,"

Giant refugee puppet to walk from Syria to UK in public art event

World news | The Guardian: A giant puppet of a nine-year-old refugee girl will travel 4,971 miles (8,000km) from the Turkey-Syria border through Europe to the UK in what is being billed as one of the most ambitious public artworks ever attempted.

The Good Chance team behind The Jungle, the celebrated dramatisation of refugee life in Calais, is teaming up with the creators of the War Horse puppets to present an adventurous work that will last from April to July next year.

A Clear Path to Razor-Sharp Estimating

Remodeling: The typical progression of a building contractor is this: You work as a carpenter, start doing work on your own, hire a helper, hire an experienced carpenter, start doing more complicated work, and, before you know it, you’re doing a half million in volume and realize you don’t actually know if you’re making any money or not. At that point, you start looking for resources that can help you move from busy to profitable.

Wynn Resorts Plan On-Site COVID Testing Lab To Allow Events

www.ticketnews.com: With the future of live events at scale dependent on consumer confidence in safety and local regulations, Wynn Resorts is taking a unique approach to reopening its doors. The Las Vegas entertainment giant has plans for launching its own COVID-19 testing lab, churning out rapid results to allow concerts and conventions to take place.

Getting Jobs Into Production by Eliminating Waste

Remodeling: When there is a surge in leads, sales and projects in design, remodeling companies are left with the challenge of getting projects through pre-production (estimating, design, material ordering and project planning) quickly and accurately to get jobs into production. Business owners that are facing this challenge can look to improvement of their pre-production processes.

Pittsburgh's Long-Running Satirical Revue And Fundraiser Goes Online

90.5 WESA: With 19 years under its belt, “Off The Record” is surely Pittsburgh’s longest-running satirical musical revue. But while the coronavirus pandemic won’t stop it, neither will the 20th annual production be quite the same.

#LetMusicLive: 400 Musicians Gather in Parliament Square

TPi: 400 freelance professional musicians from all corners of the live events and entertainment industry have joined forces in support with musical figures including David Hill, Raphael Wallfisch, Emma Johnson and Tasmin Little, Bill Barkley to perform in Parliament Square and Centenary Square, Birmingham, shining a light on the need for targeted support for freelance musicians and all those who work in the arts and entertainment sector.

Combat Fatigue With the Army's 'Aggressive Napping' Strategy

lifehacker.com: After more than a century with an image problem, napping is getting a rebrand, courtesy of the U.S. Army. Many of our perceptions of naps—and the kind of people who take them—go back to Victorian times, when women were seen as physiologically weak and frail and prone to fainting, requiring periods of rest and recovery to get through the day.

MovementPass: App Provides COVID-19 Immunity Passport

TPi: Spearheading the launch of a COVID-19 verification tool, Norwegian-based creators have developed the MovementPass app to ensure the industry is prepared and ahead of the game, when live events can operate again, with corroboration that ticket holders are COVID-19 free.

As ‘The Batman’ Gets Delayed, The Future Of The Theatrical Model Is In Jeopardy

www.forbes.com: As the theatrical model continues to crumble amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Warner Bros. announced an overhaul for their release calendar in 2021. Multiple tentpole films on their slate were pushed last night, chief among them being Matt Reeves’ The Batman.

Live Streaming Comparison Guide

Sound & Video Contractor: Many organizations are now using live streaming to market, sell, support, evangelize, and in some cases, deliver their products or services. In this buyer’s guide, I’ll review the features offered by live streaming service providers in different categories, and factors to consider when choosing a service.

As COVID Wreaks Havoc in the Performing Arts, Do We Still Need a National Opera Company?

The Theatre Times: Anyone looking for evidence of just how devastating the COVID-19 pandemic has been to Australia’s performing arts industry need look no further than its flagship company, Opera Australia.

Only last year it was boasting an operating surplus. Last month, however, Chief Executive Rory Jeffes announced an organizational restructure, which the industry union claims could result in up to 25% of permanent staff losing their jobs.

Robe on the Rig for NHL Return to Play

LightSoundJournal.com: North America’s National Hockey League (NHL) spectacularly returned to play – without live audiences but with massive enthusiasm, determination and impressive TV and online followings – for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoff series which had been suspended in April during the Coronavirus pandemic.

'You're left to rot if you speak up': the abuse faced by female roadies

Music | The Guardian: Sandwich-maker. Foot-rubber. Mother. Eye candy. Enabler. Subordinate. Weakling. Women and non-binary (NB) touring crew members have heard it all while working as managers, sound techs, drivers, engineers and other roles – and resistance is mounting as live gigs fitfully begin to return.

The Invention Of The Phonograph: From Early Recordings To Modern Time

ProSoundWeb: A good place to begin an exploration of the technological development of the record and the industry it spawned is in the early 1860s. This was when a Frenchman named Leon Scott, working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Massachusetts), came up with a device called a phonautograph for tracing vocal patterns.

Manual Cinema’s “Frankenstein” at City Theatre’s Drive-In at Hazelwood Green

The Pittsburgh Tatler: Mary Shelley is said to have invented the genre of science fiction with Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus, a novel she wrote in response to a competition proposed by Lord Byron during a cold summer she and her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley spent at Byron’s villa on Lake Geneva. Her novel combines elements from the epistolary novel, the gothic romance, and the ghost story to extrapolate the impact of her protagonist Dr. Frankenstein’s quest to use his scientific knowledge to bring dead matter to life.

Roblox has big plans for virtual music events

The Verge: On a Friday night in September, more than a million people showed up to an album launch party inside the virtual world of Roblox. American pop star Ava Max held a “virtual fan meetup” in the game to celebrate the launch of her new album Heaven & Hell. It was a relatively simple affair. Max first appeared on a huge screen in front of a colorful dance floor floating in the sky, talking about her inspirations behind the album. Later, she performed a few songs while players ran around amid flashing lights, fireworks, and, eventually, a backdrop that transformed into a cartoonish vision of hell.

How Do You Know What Sounds Good?

ProSoundWeb: Most of us feel that we know good sound when we hear it. We also have tools to help us analyze the properties of sound, and we’ve learned to interpret those measurements and equate them with good and bad.

Live Aid Too

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: As negotiations resume, once again, between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the White House about a pandemic relief bill, your voice is needed more than ever. Michael Strickland, CEO of Bandit Lites and the industry's eyes and ears in Washington, DC, has written this statement, which makes the ideal basis for a letter to your senators and representatives. We urge you to write them sooner rather than later as this is an especially critical moment.

Led Zeppelin Win "Stairway to Heaven" Copyright Battle After Supreme Court Declines to Hear Case

Consequence of Sound: Led Zeppelin’s years-long copyright battle over “Stairway to Heaven” has finally reached its conclusion. Today, the US Supreme Court declined to hear the case, upholding a March 2020 appellate court decision that said the band’s classic hit did not infringe on Spirit’s song “Taurus”.

William Jackson Harper: Trump Order Kept Cadets From 'Malcolm X'

Variety: In a lengthy statement posted to both his Twitter and Instagram, Harper explained that he was meant to make an appearance at a virtual event for Arts in the Armed Forces, for which he selected a movie to screen. According to Harper, he gave the organization three options to choose from: Andrea Arnold’s “American Honey,” Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” or Spike Lee’s “Malcom X.” “Malcolm X” was the selected film.

#WeMakeEvents is Felt Around the World with Global Action Day

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: Yesterday marked the #WeMakeEvents Global Action Day, in which countries from across the globe came together in solidarity to highlight the plight that is currently facing the worldwide live events industry. In total, over 25 countries took part at 8pm local time, with activations delivering a range of creative responses, such as lighting iconic buildings in red to highlight how the industry is in red alert, as well as beaming shafts of white light into the sky to highlight the mass job losses.

Las Vegas' Star Trek Experience: Rare Behind-the-Scenes Footage

io9.gizmodo.com: If you visited Las Vegas between January of 1998 and September of 2008, you may have also visited an attraction known as Star Trek: The Experience at the off-strip Hilton Hotel. (It’s now called the Westgate.) It gave Star Trek fans the chance to experience their favorite movies and shows (years before what Galaxy’s Edge did for Star Wars fans) and despite now being closed, you can relive parts of the experience through rare behind-the-scenes videos of the attraction under construction.

Mic Technique: The Ultimate Analog EQ

Church Production Magazine: Most of us are used to reaching for the EQ as soon as we notice something we don't like or something we feel that we need to add. If we can't get the job done with the built-in EQ on the channel strip we can even insert a 10-band EQ on top of that to get more surgical. We essentially have endless ways to carve out the sound we are after. I've walked up to consoles and seen engineers have two EQ's inserted on a channel, that then goes to a group that has an EQ inserted on the group. At some point you begin to work against yourself and you are just lowering (or raising) overall gain.

Using ZOOM to Create Theatre by Suzanne Willett

WIT journal: When the news hit in the spring that theatres in New York were going to be shut down, I–like many of my fellow theatre-makers–was devastated. Our movement company, 10C, had been developing our third science-based piece throughout the fall and winter of 2019 and the quarantine felt like we drove 50 mph into a wall. Shortly after the shutdown, I began taking mental health walks in the city. As I continued venturing out, I could not help but notice new sounds: the silence, the birds, and ambulance sirens. I noticed that the sirens provided a morose counterpoint to these natural sounds.

The state of festivals and concerts: preparing for live events to commence

www.ticketnews.com: With COVID-19 continuing to have an impact on events for the foreseeable future, it’s safe to say that concerts and festivals, as we have known them, will not be happening anytime soon. However, promoters and organizers around the world are finding new ways to bring back live events faster than anyone could have imagined.

Equity-League Health Fund addresses areas of concern about new health plan

Broadway News: The Equity-League Health Fund has addressed some of the concerns expressed by Actors’ Equity about changes to health coverage.

The health fund, which is a separate entity from Actors’ Equity, said it will study the potential impact its new coverage options may have on members of color and offer a COBRA subsidy to new parents who lose coverage.

On This Day, October 2- Remembering August Wilson

www.broadwayworld.com: August Wilson authored Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running, Seven Guitars, Jitney, King Hedley II, Gem of the Ocean, and Radio Golf. These works explore the heritage and experience of the descendants of Africans brought to North America, decade-by-decade over the course of the twentieth century, and together, they form a compilation entitled The American Century Cycle.

Festool Limited Edition Systainer Installer's Set

Pro Tool Reviews: The Festool Limited Edition Systainer Installer’s Set comes across as an interesting solution for tool organization and storage. The four units that make up the system use the T-Loc latching system to keep your tools secure and protected during transport. Festool designed it to provide a turn-key solution for finish carpenters, kitchen installers, millwork installers, and other onsite trade professionals.

Changes to Equity-League Health Fund’s Medical Coverage Require More Weeks of Work for Less Coverage

Playbill: The Equity-League Health Fund, which administers healthcare benefits to members of Actors’ Equity Association, has announced new changes beginning in 2021 that will require more weeks’ work to be eligible for a level of coverage similar to the current plan.

Currently, Equity members are required to submit 11 weeks of work during a 12-month lookback period for six months of coverage, or 19 weeks for 12 months. Under the new guidelines, members will have to work at least 16 weeks to qualify for six months of Tier 1 coverage, which provides benefits similar to the current Health Fund plan but with higher deductibles, copays, and out-of-pocket maximums.

Actors’ Equity Calls For Review Before Equity-League Health Fund Adopts Tougher Eligibility Rules

Deadline: Actors’ Equity is calling on union trustees of the Equity-League Health Fund to withdraw their support from a plan that will make it more difficult for theatrical actors and stage managers across the country to qualify for health benefits when legitimate theaters reopen.

The Health Fund, which provides health coverage to thousands of participants and their dependents, said that changes in eligibility rules announced today are necessary because the loss of revenue from the closure of theaters has “drastically affected the Fund’s financial position.”

Diversionary Theatre's busy calendar includes a virtual visit from George Takei

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Diversionary Theatre’s stage went dark in March, but its leader says the University Heights company has never been busier as it opens its 35th season with a large slate of online programming, the launch of a new membership program and a virtual visit from stage and TV star George Takei.

#WeMakeEvents is Felt Around the World with Global Action Day

LightSoundJournal.com: Thursday 30th of September marked the #WeMakeEvents Global Action Day, in which countries from across the globe came together in solidarity to highlight the plight that is currently facing the worldwide live events industry. In total, over 25 countries took part at 8pm local time, with activations delivering a range of creative responses, such as lighting iconic buildings in red to highlight how the industry is in red alert, as well as beaming shafts of white light into the sky to highlight the mass job losses.

New Equity-League Health Plan Ups Employment Requirements for Health Coverage

www.broadwayworld.com: The Equity League Health Fund has announced a new health plan for Equity members which would require union members to work a higher number of weeks per year in order to qualify for health coverage.

Equity members' health insurance is tied to how many weeks out of the year they work on contract.

Center Theatre Group counters COVID with a new Digital Stage

Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles’ largest nonprofit theater company, Center Theatre Group, said at the end of March that it hoped to stage live performances by fall at all three of its venues: the Ahmanson, the Mark Taper Forum and the Kirk Douglas. But by mid-June, the company said it would have to lay off more than half of its staff and remain dark until April 2021.

More Diversity Among Casts Needs More Diversity in Makeup Artists

Variety: Waiting for production to restart, makeup artist Kirin Bhatty has spent her summer giving makeup consultations via FaceTime, preparing stars including Geraldine Viswanathan of “The Broken Hearts Gallery” to look their best for drive-through red carpets and Zoom interviews.

Playing Othello as a Black woman in today's America

CANVAS Arts: When Jessika D. Williams takes the stage as Othello, she sometimes doesn’t know if she’s reacting as the character or herself.

Williams, 35, has never felt this way in a role. But playing Othello as a Black woman amid nationwide protests against systemic racism, she sees parallels between racism in the play and in real life.

Arts bailout delay leaves jobs at risk in UK and theatres on brink of ruin

Arts policy | The Guardian: None of the £1.57bn arts rescue fund announced by the government in July to great fanfare has yet been handed out to theatres in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, leaving many organizations on the brink of collapse.

Many had hoped to hear what they would receive this week, but because of what officials have called “the complexity and volume of applications”, there has been a last-minute delay.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

 Here are the top five comment generating posts from the last week:

I'm a Professional Dancer With Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Here's Why Dance Companies Need to Start Prioritizing Mental Health

Dance Magazine: My name is Abi Stafford, and I have generalized anxiety disorder.

I've had this "hook" in my mind for how I'd open an important essay my entire dance career, but I was never ready to talk about it, until now.

I might be the only dancer to say this, but the best change to result from the coronavirus shutdown is company class moving to Zoom.

Posted by David at 10/02/2020 10:47:00 AM

Carnegie Mellon reviews its teaching, research and practices in light of sustainable development goals

www.insidehighered.com: Carnegie Mellon University may be the first university to conduct a review of how its teaching, research and practices align with the United Nations-adopted sustainable development goals.

The review attempts to map how the university's varied activities align with each of the 17 SDGs, also known as the Global Goals, which focus on elimination of poverty and hunger, environmental sustainability and climate action, access to clean water, gender equality, quality education, and other areas.

Posted by David at 10/02/2020 11:02:00 AM

Randy Orton’s Tattoo Artist Sues Take-Two For Using Her Designs In WWE Games

kotaku.com: Take-Two and World Wrestling Entertainment are headed to trial after a judge ruled WWE 2K games copied the work of an artist responsible for some of pro wrestler Randy Orton’s tattoos.

Posted by David at 9/30/2020 11:22:00 AM

Theme park storytelling

InPark Magazine: As a child growing up in Los Angeles, I regularly visited Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Universal Studios Hollywood. I was awed by the attractions at the parks and they left a lasting impression. What I did not understand at the time was that elements of storytelling were what so appealed to me, whether narrated or environmental. Fast forward to now, where I have two college degrees centered on stories, a Ph.D. where most of my research focused on theme park narratives, and classes I teach that emphasize the power of storytelling for great guest experiences. The stories in theme park spaces that I encountered over the years were major inspirations for my career path.

Posted by David at 9/29/2020 12:51:00 PM

Will Congress Save Cinema? Hollywood’s Top Filmmakers Issue Stark Warning

www.forbes.com: America’s most influential film directors sent America’s top lawmakers a fact-filled letter overflowing with powerful sentiment, urging Congress to use funds left over from the CARES Act to either bail out or at least temporarily save the country’s giant community of small to medium-sized theaters.

Posted by David at 10/01/2020 11:34:00 AM

Carnegie Mellon reviews its teaching, research and practices in light of sustainable development goals

www.insidehighered.com: Carnegie Mellon University may be the first university to conduct a review of how its teaching, research and practices align with the United Nations-adopted sustainable development goals.

The review attempts to map how the university's varied activities align with each of the 17 SDGs, also known as the Global Goals, which focus on elimination of poverty and hunger, environmental sustainability and climate action, access to clean water, gender equality, quality education, and other areas.

Union accuses Strathmore of unfair practices after 19 layoffs this summer

bethesdamagazine.com: The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that the arts organization violated a tentative agreement that it reached with the union in April and “long-standing labor policies” by laying off the workers.

Filming halted on Vancouver TV productions due to COVID-19 testing delays

www.citynews1130.com: Just weeks after filming resumed, some major productions have been halted around Vancouver because of delays in processing COVID-19 tests.

NEWS 1130 has independently confirmed that Riverdale and Batwoman have had production temporarily suspended due to this issue.

Power Procedures: Ways Of Driving Loudspeakers Via A “Parade Route” Scenario

ProSoundWeb: There are several competing philosophies among audio power amplifier designers as to how an amplifier should behave under load. They can be constant voltage, constant power, or some hybrid between the two.

Secrets to Great Webcast/Broadcast Audio

Church Production Magazine: Most churches broadcast their worship services to some sort of mass media transport such as the Internet (video streaming), radio, TV channel, to other campuses, or they just record them for distribution later in audio CD, DVD, or Video-on-Demand (VOD). Unfortunately, not many churches have a good audio signal in their broadcast.

Wurth Zebra Pass-Through Reversible Ratchet Set Review

PTR: The Wurth Zebra Pass-Through Reversible Ratchet Set (07131300) is a small metric set that makes for a nicely portable set for mobile mechanics. In the shop, it can get you out of a bind on long bolts and threaded rod where a normal socket would bottom out. Depending on the vehicle, that might show up on shocks, swaybars, and tight spaces under the hood.

Mellon Foundation to Provide $5 Million to Aid Black Theaters

The New York Times: Black theaters across the country will receive a significant financial boost thanks to a multimillion-dollar program announced today by the Billie Holiday Theater, a Black-led artistic institution in Brooklyn.

I'm a Professional Dancer With Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Here's Why Dance Companies Need to Start Prioritizing Mental Health

Dance Magazine: My name is Abi Stafford, and I have generalized anxiety disorder.

I've had this "hook" in my mind for how I'd open an important essay my entire dance career, but I was never ready to talk about it, until now.

I might be the only dancer to say this, but the best change to result from the coronavirus shutdown is company class moving to Zoom.

New health plan for Equity members will require more work weeks for coverage

Broadway News: In a new plan unveiled Thursday by the Equity-League Health Fund, members will need to work 16 weeks to qualify for six months of coverage, compared to the previous threshold of 11 weeks. The health fund, which operates separately from Actors’ Equity, said the changes had to be made due to a lack of employer contributions, which make up 88% of the fund’s revenue.

Celebrate National Hair Day with These 7 HAIR Throwback Videos

www.broadwayworld.com: While National Hair Day might not be celebrating the Broadway show Hair, we're still taking a look back at past performances from the show!

Hair premiered on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre on April 29 in 1968. It has since been revived four times, with the 2009 revival winning the Tony Award for Best Revival.

Voter Registration, Vote by Mail, & 2020 Political Advocacy Resources

IATSE Cares: With just a handful of weeks until Election Day, implementation of the IATSE 2020 political program is in full swing. One of our primary focuses, over the summer and into the fall, is making sure our U.S. locals have the tools they need to ensure their members are registered to vote and furthermore that they are educated on the various ways to vote safely and engage politically in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Monash students fight to save Centre for Theatre and Performance

www.limelightmagazine.com.au: Students at Melbourne’s Monash University are fighting to save the universities’ Centre for Theatre and Performance, which has been slated to close at the end of the year. The university’s cuts, which Monash has attributed to “a shortfall in revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic”, will also affect musicology units.

When The Lights Went Out: Costume & Scenic Designer Vita Tzykun

LiveDesignOnline: Costume and scenic designer Vita Tzykun shares how she is coping with COVID-19 closings in this series, "When the Lights Went Out," where theatrical designers discuss what they are doing these days.

Silent Partners on the Scene at the 2020 MTV VMAs

LiveDesignOnline: Silent Partners Studio was invited to handle the broadcast content package for the 2020 MTV VMAs early in the year. But after their work on Katy Perry’s extended reality performance for American Idol in mid-May, creative director Paul Caslin inquired about the xR possibilities for a virtual awards show that could adhere to COVID-19 restrictions. Take an in-depth look at Caslin's vision.

Best SawZall Blade for Any Job

Pro Tool Reviews: Now, you might think choosing the best SawZall blade for any job would be incredibly easy. Just select bi-metal or carbide (among the various carbides). Then, decide how long the blade needs to be. Pick from 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 18, or 24 TPI configurations. Decide whether to prioritize cutting metal (thick or thin), wood, nail-embedded wood, PVC, shingles, or even roots.

Laser Focus

Sign Builder Illustrated: If sign shops are looking to bring in a machine that offers a multitude of capabilities, then they should look no further than a laser engraver/cutter. "A laser engraver or cutter is a smart addition to any sign shop," says David Stevens, industrial applications manager, Trotec Laser, Inc.

Will Congress Save Cinema? Hollywood’s Top Filmmakers Issue Stark Warning

www.forbes.com: America’s most influential film directors sent America’s top lawmakers a fact-filled letter overflowing with powerful sentiment, urging Congress to use funds left over from the CARES Act to either bail out or at least temporarily save the country’s giant community of small to medium-sized theaters.

A Crash Course in Natural Language Processing to Beat the ATS

by RezScore | RezScore: Every job search boils down to a numbers game, with the odds stacked high against you. You can expect you are competing against upwards of 250 other candidates for any given position, chalking your odds at a brutal 0.4% of landing the job.

VR system moves furniture with robots to make virtual objects real

newatlas.com: As amazing as VR can be, nothing breaks the immersion like putting your hand right through a wall. While some teams are using haptics to simulate the sense of touch, a new study has a clever alternative – robots that move physical furniture around, so there’s a real chair or wall waiting for you.

SAG-AFTRA Stunt Performers Press Leaders on Racism Allegations

Variety: SAG-AFTRA leaders are being pressed to respond to stunt performers allegations of racism, nepotism, intimidation and slander.

The issue arose due to an open letter sent Wednesday on behalf of stunt performers who are BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+ and people with disabilities.

Latino Storytellers Discuss Diversity, Representation for Afro-Latinos

Variety: “The Good Doctor” actor Nicholas Gonzalez says Latinx representation in media is often stereotyped, and even when it isn’t, the characters are only temporary.

The Responsibility of Creativity

Cultural Weekly: In 1981, the Hungarian film Mephisto won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film of the Year. The story, which begins before the outbreak of World War II, follows the arc of an actor who—when faced with dilemmas posed by the incoming Nazi regime—relinquishes his integrity and compromises professed personal values so that he could continue to practice his art as well as to assure personal survival. In every situation where pressure is brought on the film’s protagonist, he would rationalize that his duty was not to the world or other people but to the continuation of his art.

ABC Sets New Inclusion Standards to Amplify Underrepresented Groups On TV

Variety: In a bid to create a “further catalyst for real and sustained change,” ABC Entertainment has set forth a slate of new inclusion standards for all primetime series to “ensure multidimensional representation across the entire creative and production process.”

Strong backing: Prolight + Sound 2021 meets current challenges in close cooperation with the industry

LightSoundJournal.com: Despite the difficult situation for the event industry, Prolight + Sound sees itself on track for the coming edition from 13 to 16 April 2021. The great confidence placed in the leading trade fair by exhibitors and partners, even in times of crisis, proves to be a decisive factor in its success. Messe Frankfurt is responding to the industry’s desire to meet up in person in Europe for the first time since the lockdown, to present new products and to jointly send out positive and constructive signals for the event industry. A comprehensive hygiene concept ensures safe participation and can be flexibly adapted to current requirements.