"From the Fishbowl": Devising Theatre in a World Interrupted

The Theatre Times: This year, the University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television partnered with The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre to present From the Fishbowl, a new fantastical work devised in collaboration with Theatre Studies and Design & Technical Production students and directed by illusionist and physical theatre creator Wolfe Bowart. Created during the winter of the pandemic, the production features seven actors gliding magically and seamlessly between stage and screen as they explore what it means to live in a world that has become both socially distant and yet somehow more personal.

Broadway Reopened. For 36 Minutes. It’s a Start.

The Seattle Times: Three hundred and eighty-seven days after Broadway went dark, a faint light started to glimmer Saturday. There were just two performers — one at a time — on a bare Broadway stage. But together they conjured up decades of theater lore, invoking the songs and shows and stars that once filled the grand houses in and around Times Square.

'It’s very animalistic': is Malthouse's new immersive show Australia's answer to Sleep No More?

Stage | The Guardian: There’s a moment when I’m burrowing through a small room – a deranged costumier’s studio or shopfront perhaps, jam-packed with decadent evening wear hanging next to macabre pig outfits – and I spy a rack of furs. There’s a gap in the coats I can pass through, like one of the Pevensie children, and soon I’m alone in a white-tinselled winter wood, draped in a black cape, wearing a sinister rabbit mask. And I think: “Where am I?”

The reopening long shot

DC Metro Theater Arts: It’s been quite the terrifying year for us connected to the performing arts. An absolute scary time that began in mid-March 2020 as theaters went dark, lit only by their ghost lights. And now it seems we are closer to what we have missed and craved: live theatrical production with live audiences.

CHAUVET Professional Helps Luis Torres Create Connectivity At Socially Distant Pod Show

LightSoundJournal.com: For a large venue, the 115,000 sq. ft. Sonoran Lawn at the Rawhide Event Center often feels intimate to concert goers. Perhaps that’s because of the crowds that, prior to the pandemic, packed the site for the national acts that performed there.

Actors' Equity releases new safety protocols for vaccinated productions

Broadway News: Among the new guidelines is the requirement for a COVID-19 safety officer, weekly COVID-19 testing for cast members, provided provisions, housing and compensation for those who test positive for COVID and daily sanitization of the theater. The guidelines come after the union faced an uproar from some members, as well as producers over a previous set of guidelines that were seen as too restrictive and costly.

David Korins perfectly captures the way we're all feeling about live experiences right now

www.taittowers.com: A multi-award winner across theatre, music, interior design and more, there’s little in the creative world that David Korins hasn’t turned his hand to. Speaking to productionglue’s, a TAIT Company, Robyn Henry, David reflects back on a career of collaboration, a year of upheaval and the future of live entertainment.

Are We Getting Shakespeare’s Rhythms All Wrong?

JSTOR Daily: Have you ever gone to a performance of one of William Shakespeare’s plays and found yourself confused about what an actor is going on about? Take heart. Mort Paterson is a Shakespearean actor and he writes that even he has the same problem sometimes.

A Good Night Out

Exeunt Magazine: Over the pandemic year, Emma Jayne Park has joined a number of groups rethinking relationships within and around theatre, and the culture of making performance. Across the Freelance Task Force, Freelancers Make Theatre Work and others, she soon noticed a surprising common theme: “In almost every meeting, someone would say: ‘I’m part of this socialist reading group’ – that exact line. And I would be like, what is this? I want to be in on this.”

Godzilla vs. Kong’s costume designer reveals the secrets you missed while watching the fight

www.syfy.com: Godzilla vs. Kong is about the titular monsters. Audiences may like Millie Bobbie Brown, Brian Tyree Henry, and Alexander Skarsgård as actors, but they're really watching Godzilla vs. Kong to see Godzilla fight King Kong. Nobody — not even director Adam Wingard — is arguing otherwise. And yet, the people in Godzilla vs. Kong have an important role to play, even if it's overshadowed by the kaiju action. And, those people have to wear clothes, obviously.

Beechview's Jan Pascale's set decoration on 'Mank' captures '30s Hollywood glamour

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Jan Pascale seems to find her greatest success when working in black and white. The Beechview native has been a set decorator for major Hollywood projects since the 1980s, but didn’t pick up her first Oscar nomination until 2005’s “Good Night, and Good Luck,” a black-and-white film directed by George Clooney. She wound up losing out to “Memoirs of a Geisha” at the 2006 Academy Awards.

Monet and Friends: A Digitised Theme Park of Art

TheatreArtLife: What’s the connection between sharks and Monet? His company, Grande Experiences, uses advanced digital technology to display images on huge screens in large spaces. The images in the shark show were created by an international team of shark experts and marine biologists. The oceanographic cinematography created an entertaining shark experience that toured the world.

Miro Cube® 4CA – A Flexible Footlight Solution

www.rosco.com: I had the privilege of designing the lighting for the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s new Opera, Ellen West. The piece, based on a poem of the same name by Frank Bidart, had its premiere at Opera Saratoga in the summer of 2019 before it went to the Prototype Festival in New York City in January 2020. The opera was directed by Emma Griffin with scenic design by Laura Jellinek and costume design by Kaye Voyce. My assistant on the project was Jasmine Lesane.

Jimmy Fallon, Addison Rae, and the Issue of TikTok Dance Credit

The Theatre Times: On March 26, 2021, ultra-famous TikTok star Addison Rae Easterling appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. During her visit, she performed popular TikTok dance trends during one of the show’s recurring segments in which (white) TikTokers teach Jimmy Fallon trending dances (mostly) created by Black teens on the increasingly popular social media platform.

How to Deal If You Encounter Racism On Campus

Dance Magazine: U.S. college dance curriculums have long been criticized for being too Eurocentric, emphasizing Western techniques like ballet and modern while making culturally diverse dance classes optional (if they're offered at all). In these academic systems that elevate whiteness, dancers of color don't always feel welcome. Some face daily microaggressions from peers and faculty, casting discrimination and, sometimes, outright hate. So what can you do if you find yourself staring down racism in dance class?

Can These Beagles Save Live Events?

LiveDesignOnline: Andrew Gumper, founder and CEO of AG Production Services, has a plan to make the live entertainment industry safe enough to fully reopen for everyone, not just audiences and performers, but production crews as well. Gumper had heard of service dogs being used to remind diabetics in need of insulin or tip off a patient who is about to have a seizure, and determined to find out if dogs could be used to identify people with Covid-19.

Backstage with The Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show: Quarantine Edition (With Help from Popsicle Kitteh)

Control Geek: I’ve long been fans of my friends in the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, a scrappy and effective organization that has survived for more than 25 years. I’ve shot photos for them, and generally helped out whenever I could. In the before times, Bindlestiff produced a monthly “open stage” variety show at Dixon Place, which is always fun place for circus and variety acts old and new to try stuff out. The sense of community at these events is palpable.

L.A. Stage Alliance Slammed For Misidentifying Asian Actress At Awards

Deadline: More than 25 Los Angeles area theater companies, including the Geffen Playhouse, the Pasadena Playhouse and the Deaf West Theatre, have revoked their memberships in the L.A. Stage Alliance after the nonprofit organization misidentified and mispronounced the name of Asian actress Jully Lee at an awards show earlier this week.

Actors Equity Association Releases Detailed List of New COVID Safety Protocols

www.broadwayworld.com: Today, Actors Equity Association is taking major steps to get performers working again. "Today, I'm pleased to announce Equity is adding safety guidance for fully vaccinated workplaces to the resources for producers available on our website," writes Executive Director, Mary McColl. "Equity employers on collective bargaining agreements can use this guidance to streamline return to work protocols when everyone in the workplace is vaccinated. Like all of our COVID safety guidance, we will review and update this guidance as the science dictates.

5 Takeaways From the 1st COVID Theatre Think Tank Town Hall

Playbill: As more and more Americans receive a COVID-19 vaccine and theatres in New York and beyond cautiously reopen their doors, myriad uncertainties remain in the wings. To address the current state of the pandemic and its implications for the performing arts industry, the COVID Theatre Think Tank assembled its first national town hall event April 1.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

Despite vaccination, theatergoers won't fill seats soon, says new study

DC Metro Theater Arts: Despite a significant increase in vaccinations, DC-area theatergoers will be slow to return to local theaters, according to a new study by Limelight Insights by Shugoll, a national marketing research company in Rockville, Maryland. The company conducted an online survey with 1,259 DC-area theatergoers from March 25 to 29, 2021, on their intent to return to theaters.

Posted by David at 4/02/2021 09:49:00 AM

Music festivals will be very different in summer 2021 – here's what to expect

theconversation.com: Live events are set to make a welcome return as the UK moves out of lockdown in the coming months. Parklife and Wireless are the latest events to confirm that they will go ahead this year, both for September, in Manchester and London respectively. Wireless has yet to announce artists, but Parklife’s bill includes rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Dave, and electronic stars Disclosure.

Posted by David at 4/01/2021 01:42:00 PM

Sustainable Production Alliance Releases First Carbon-Emissions Report

Variety: How big of a carbon footprint does a TV show or movie take up? It depends on a number of variables — and the differences can be significant. On Thursday, the Sustainable Production Alliance, a consortium of film, TV and streaming companies dedicated reducing the entertainment industry’s overall environmental impact, released its inaugural carbon footprint report.

Posted by David at 4/02/2021 09:54:00 AM

Watch How Mandalorian S2 Used ILM's Powerful Filmmaking Tool

io9.gizmodo.com: When people think of Industrial Light and Magic, they obviously think of great visual effects, as well as the countless classic movies the company has worked on. But what you might not realize is that for many of those films, some of the effects were completely impossible until ILM specifically created the technology for them.

Posted by David at 4/02/2021 09:53:00 AM

Theatrical fog formula approved as antimicrobial air treatment

Building Design + Construction: The engineering firm NV5, which provides third-party verification on WELL v2 projects for the Green Business Certification Institute, has been recommending to its clients Safe Traces, a solution that uses DNA-based sprays and sensors to verify engineering and HVAC controls for airborne contaminants. Its veriDART control verification uses “aerosol mobility indicators” to identify hotspots, assess ventilation and filtration, and inform remediations.

Posted by David at 4/02/2021 09:50:00 AM

 

Artists Stage Sit-Ins to Protest South Africa's Mismanagement of Pandemic Aid and 'Disappeared' Funds for the Culture Sector

news.artnet.com: South Africa’s culture ministry is facing anger from the public for ineffectively supporting the arts during lockdown. Artists’ complaints reached a fever pitch at the end of March after South African media reported that R300 million ($20 million) had “disappeared” from the National Arts Council’s funds.

Sustainable Production Alliance Releases First Carbon-Emissions Report

Variety: How big of a carbon footprint does a TV show or movie take up? It depends on a number of variables — and the differences can be significant. On Thursday, the Sustainable Production Alliance, a consortium of film, TV and streaming companies dedicated reducing the entertainment industry’s overall environmental impact, released its inaugural carbon footprint report.

Then And Now: Putting Audio Technology Into Perspective

ProSoundWeb: Vintage muscle cars now commonly sell for $30,000. What the heck is going on? I mean, come on – those cars were never truly “great,” were they? I suppose it’s a subjective matter, with some nostalgia thrown in for good measure. Now that the teenagers of the 1960s are middle-aged folks with disposable income, they’re fueling a demand that seems, well, largely unfounded.

Watch How Mandalorian S2 Used ILM's Powerful Filmmaking Tool

io9.gizmodo.com: When people think of Industrial Light and Magic, they obviously think of great visual effects, as well as the countless classic movies the company has worked on. But what you might not realize is that for many of those films, some of the effects were completely impossible until ILM specifically created the technology for them.

Alumni News: Strong CMU Presence at Upcoming ADG Awards

Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama: Over twenty Carnegie Mellon alumni are represented across 13 nominated productions at the 25th Annual Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) Excellence in Production Design Awards on April 10. Academy Award® and Emmy®-winning Production Designer Stuart Wurtzel (A ‘62, ‘67), best known for his work on Hannah and Her Sisters and Angels in America, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sound Devices Scorpio and 888 Become the First-Ever Portable Mixer-Recorders with Built-In Cloud Technology

Creative COW: Sound Devices is proud to announce that the Scorpio and 888 mixer-recorders can now upload directly to Frame.io’s new subscription Camera to Cloud (C2C) system – making them the first-ever portable mixer-recorders with this groundbreaking feature. The Scorpio and 888 upload to C2C using an Ethernet port in the back of the unit. Because uploading occurs in the background, sound professionals can continue to record audio while simultaneously backing up their files to the cloud or delivering to post-production.

Hollywood’s Unions Are Racking Up Huge Dues Losses During Pandemic Slowdown

Deadline: Hollywood’s unions are hurting. Membership dues, their largest source of revenue, have plummeted during the pandemic as a result of massive job losses and dues relief they’ve provided to their members. Annual financial reports that have just been filed with the Department of Labor show that entertainment industry unions across the country suffered tens of millions of dollars in dues shortfalls last year compared with 2019. Some unions saw their dues intake reduced by more than half.

Theatrical fog formula approved as antimicrobial air treatment

Building Design + Construction: The engineering firm NV5, which provides third-party verification on WELL v2 projects for the Green Business Certification Institute, has been recommending to its clients Safe Traces, a solution that uses DNA-based sprays and sensors to verify engineering and HVAC controls for airborne contaminants. Its veriDART control verification uses “aerosol mobility indicators” to identify hotspots, assess ventilation and filtration, and inform remediations.

Beacons of Light: Kael Gillam

www.dwwindsor.com: DW Windsor is powered by people with a shared passion for light, committed to delivering outstanding lighting solutions. To celebrate those who share our passion, we’ve sought out individuals who are making a positive impact on our community and shining a light on our industry. Through this series of interviews, we are highlighting a number of unique and inspiring people who are leading the way as Beacons of Light.

Despite vaccination, theatergoers won't fill seats soon, says new study

DC Metro Theater Arts: Despite a significant increase in vaccinations, DC-area theatergoers will be slow to return to local theaters, according to a new study by Limelight Insights by Shugoll, a national marketing research company in Rockville, Maryland. The company conducted an online survey with 1,259 DC-area theatergoers from March 25 to 29, 2021, on their intent to return to theaters.

Production Designers On Building Ryan Murphy's Aesthetic

Variety: Bold and vibrant. Glitz and glamour. Spectacular locations. Those words have become synonymous with the world of Ryan Murphy. The stories might be vastly different, but audiences across the worlds of TV and film know a Ryan Murphy set when they see one.

IATSE Improves Working Benefits for Broadcast Technicians in South Florida

www.sportsvideo.org: More than 150 broadcast technicians employed by Program Productions in South Florida will receive annual raises, health and retirement contributions, and enjoy improved working conditions under a new contract negotiated by the IATSE and those workers. Their work can regularly be viewed on Bally Sports Sun and other sports broadcast outlets throughout the region and the country.

Theater People should Run the Vaccine Rollout

Technicians for Change: Kinda. The reality is that there are theater people playing vital roles in both mass testing and the vaccine rollout. The other reality is that the task of acquiring, transporting, scheduling, and distributing the vaccine is larger than even the most complex tour we’ve undertaken.

Jessica Hung Han Yun: a designer tripping the light fantastic

Stage | The Guardian: After Jessica Hung Han Yun’s first professional gig as a lighting designer, she seriously considered leaving the industry. It was Tosca at the King’s Head theatre in London in 2017. “I remember feeling like I hadn’t done this show justice but I couldn’t figure out why. At that point I wasn’t confident in myself so I wasn’t confident in my ideas. I wanted to try things but was too scared to try them so I went for a safer option.”

Broadway’s ‘Company’ During Covid, Part 3 Of Oral History: Being Alive

Deadline: As New York and its live venues begin the slow inching toward a vaccinated reopening, Company‘s March 22 tweet was as solid a Broadway forecast as we’re likely to get before the city’s weather turns steamy. Company producer Chris Harper tells Deadline that a marketing campaign and a ticket plan will kick into gear as soon as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo gives the all-clear signal, hopefully in April or May, with a target of returning to the stage this fall.

With the Help of Social Media, the Asian Ballet Community Is Speaking Out Against Anti-Asian Violence

Pointe: Amid a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes around the world, Singapore-based dancewear company Cloud & Victory posted a video on March 18 calling for a stop to the hate against the Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. It features prominent Asian dancers and allies, including former professional dancer Miko Fogarty, The Joffrey Ballet's Jeraldine Mendoza and Boston Ballet's Lia Cirio and Paulina Waski.

The Year of the Stage Manager and a Union Divided

Technicians for Change: 2020 was a year too hard to describe. On a global scale, what I want to write about may seem small and unimportant, but it is something that affects me and others both personally and professionally. Does anyone remember that 2020 was supposed to be the Year of the Stage Manager? That’s right, stage managers were going to be in the spotlight for just a little while. And as we all well know, that spotlight went out in March, for all of us. Theatres went dark across the country and we were left wondering about what we were going to do. How long would this last? How were we going to make a living? Pay our bills? Would we lose our health insurance if we didn’t work enough weeks? And on and on and on…

What Should My Fly System Inspection Tell Me?

Technicians for Change: You may have heard your fly system should be inspected annually. If your organization is like many, a random person appears one day to look at your flys. Later, someone in the office gets a report that gets shoved in a folder, in a cabinet, in some office, so you can get back to work. But, really – Why should your fly system have an inspection or you care to read the report? What should this report tell you, the user?

Don't Align Your Subwoofer to a Room Reflection

www.sounddesignlive.com: Here’s a plan view of a sound system with two mains, a sub, and a measurement mic at a fixed location. If I asked you to align this system, would you prefer to start by muting the left side to align the right side to the sub or would you like to play both left and right together with the sub?

American Theatre Wing announces $1 million donation to Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative

Broadway News: The American Theatre Wing has received a $1 million donation and matching challenge for its national initiative to support and diversify the next generation of theater industry professionals.

Lite Tek Entertainment and Elation light cheerleading championship

LightSoundJournal.com: With up to 50,000 people in and out of the Georgia World Congress Center each day over a two-day period in February, the Cheersport National Cheerleading Championship in Atlanta may be the largest event to have taken place in the world under the COVID pandemic. Rental and production company Lite Tek Entertainment supplied and designed lighting for the event and turned to an Elation lighting package of Cuepix™ and DTW™ blinders, Protron™ strobes, SixPars™ and more to highlight team routines across five different stages.

Music festivals will be very different in summer 2021 – here's what to expect

theconversation.com: Live events are set to make a welcome return as the UK moves out of lockdown in the coming months. Parklife and Wireless are the latest events to confirm that they will go ahead this year, both for September, in Manchester and London respectively. Wireless has yet to announce artists, but Parklife’s bill includes rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Dave, and electronic stars Disclosure.

Setting the Stage Once Again for Shakespeare, and Live Theater

The New York Times: Shakespeare is coming back, and I can’t be the only person who has missed him. There are signs of renewed activity at Shakespeare’s Globe, and talk of at least one star-studded production that is, after many delays, scheduled to be performed — can you believe it? — live. This comes after a year of a pandemic that has affected in various ways what has, and hasn’t, been staged, with Shakespeare a particular casualty.

Daychia Sledge, Audio Engineer, R.O.C.U. (Part 3)

Roadies Of Color United: During the slow months of January through March 2000, I had become a fully-fledged sound engineer. At this point, I was only working at the Apollo theatre. Every Wednesday night. In my free time, I was trying to push my way into the industry.

Research on Mystery Escape Room Finds “Fun” May Be the Best Way to Create Stronger Corporate Teams--and Families

Business Wire: University researchers are learning that participants having fun breaking out of Mystery Escape Rooms (www.mysteryescaperoom.com) are also capturing best practices for leadership styles, productivity and diversity. Carnegie Mellon University is reviewing data from 1,381 teams; initial findings show the most successful teams have collaborative leaders, open communication and diverse teammates.