Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Machining Fundamentals: Introduction to Toolpaths
Fusion 360 Blog: We created the Machining Fundamentals series to help you brush up on your CAM knowledge, whether you work in a machine shop or are just getting started. In-house machinists at our Birmingham Technology Center host each episode and provide a detailed overview of a tool/process. In the last edition, we covered post processors. Here we have an introduction to toolpaths, where you’ll get an in-depth look at various toolpath types, from 2D to 5-axis, and how you can program them with Fusion 360.
Meet Disney's Darth Vader Marionette Designer David Hyde
attractionsmagazine.com: For many of us who grew up playing with Star Wars toys, the opportunity to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and take home an exclusive souvenir is like a dream come true. But what would it be like to not only help create the largest-ever expansions at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, but also have the designs you crafted transformed into toys that guests can purchase in the theme parks? To find out, we talked with master props designer David Hyde, a veteran of the theme park industry who has worked for both Disney and Universal, about becoming an accidental designer of collectible toys like the Darth Vader marionette now offered inside Galaxy’s Edge.
Live from Chicago: Inside the 19th Annual Experiential Marketing Summit
Event Marketer: Cautious optimism. A new lease on data. Technology as an equalizer. Smaller and regional. These were among the key themes that emerged during the 19th annual Experiential Marketing Summit, Oct. 5-7, at McCormick Place in Chicago. The “family reunion,” in-person for the first time since the 2019 event, offered education, discussion forums, networking experiences, a Hall of Ideas featuring solutions providers and the 2021 combined Ex Awards + Experience Design & Technology Awards ceremony.
James Bond hasn't changed much, and neither have his problematic villains after 25 films
Salon.com: In many ways, Daniel Craig's Bond swan song "No Time to Die" delivers everything fans have come to expect from the franchise: thrilling action sequences, beautiful women, snappy one-liners . . . and a disfigured villain.
Review Roundup: IS THIS A ROOM Opens On Broadway!
www.broadwayworld.com: This Is A Room is the astonishingly true story of Reality Winner, the 25-year-old former Air Force intelligence specialist who was surprised at her home by the FBI on June 3, 2017. The play's text is taken from the FBI transcript of her interrogation - and from these pages, Tina Satter has wrought an extraordinary human drama between Reality (Emily Davis) and the agents who question her. In this theatrical thriller, Reality's life is upended before our eyes, and we're left questioning American values and the very nature of the truth.
A Potential Strike May Impact Hollywood
INSIDE COMPLIANCE: The biggest industry strike among Hollywood production workers since World War II may be impending. On October 4, 2021, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) announced that members overwhelming granted the union’s president the authorization to strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The crux of the demands by the union revolves around increasing workers’ quality of life. Average working days consist of fourteen hours or more, with meal breaks often avoided, leaving little to no personal life outside of the industry.
Nautical pavilion promotes sustainability in Dubai
newatlas.com: Dubai's Expo 2020 event recently kicked off and Carlo Ratti Associatti (CRA) and Italo Rota have designed and installed a pavilion to represent Italy. Hoping to produce a temporary structure that wouldn't eventually end up in landfill, the team used a wide range of recycled and recyclable materials to promote sustainable building practices, including upturned boats, rope made from millions of recycled bottles, and even old orange peel.
Leisure Expert Group & Zierer partner on new dark ride concepts
blooloop: Leisure Expert Group (LEG), a leading experience design company, has partnered with German ride manufacturer Zierer to market a variety of Advanced Dark Ride concepts. The collaboration between the two companies was announced during the recent IAAPA Expo Europe in Barcelona.
Sonic Environment At NeueHouse Madison Square In New York Enhanced With L-Acoustics
ProSoundWeb: NeueHouse Madison Square, a private members club in Manhattan that recently reopened after a renovation, has been equipped with a customized sonic environment utilizing L-Acoustics loudspeakers and amplified controllers in a design and install by AV systems integrator See Factor.
How do we begin to heal from all this?
Exeunt Magazine: “What makes Newham, Newham? Describe your first contact with a covid positive (or covid suspected) patient? Is clapping enough? What was your most challenging moment?
And what was your most beautiful moment? Are you going to be ok?”
'Is This a Room' is based on transcripts of Reality Winner's FBI interrogation
NPR: By 2017, Tina Satter's New York downtown theater company Half Straddle — which she had founded nine years earlier — had toured the European theater circuit and mounted productions at esteemed off-off Broadway theaters. But to pay the bills, Satter still needed to take temp jobs on occasion.
Monday, October 11, 2021
Bolshoi Theatre performer killed in accident on stage during opera
CNN: A performer at Moscow's renowned Bolshoi Theatre was killed on Saturday in an accident on stage during an opera.
The Bolshoi, one of Russia's most prestigious theaters, said the incident occurred during a set change in Sadko, an opera by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
IATSE Stagehands Avert Threatened Strike Against Kennedy Center In D.C.
Deadline: A threatened IATSE strike against the Kennedy Center has been averted. Following late night bargaining Friday and a unanimous vote to strike earlier this week, stagehands represented by IATSE Stagehands Local 22 have reached an agreement for a new three-year contract with the management of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The agreement was ratified by the union’s membership at a meeting on Saturday.
Review Roundup: CHICKEN & BISCUITS Opens on Broadway; What Did the Critics Think?
www.broadwayworld.com: This dynamic ensemble cast leads a raucous family comedy so full of laughter and love, it'll leave you begging for seconds. The Jenkins family is coming together to celebrate the life of their father-hopefully without killing each other! But any hopes for a peaceful reunion unravel when a family secret shows up at the funeral. CHICKEN & BISCUITS had its world premiere on February 28, 2020 at Queens Theatre, but the engagement was cut short less than two weeks later, when the theater industry suspended operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Theatre in UK faces exodus of women after pandemic, study finds
Theatre | The Guardian: Leading women in British theatre have expressed concern that cash-strapped theatres could prioritise staging “safe” work by men and face an exodus of female talent if urgent action is not taken to support women after the pandemic.
“Kalopsia The Musical” at the New Hazlett Theater
The Pittsburgh Tatler: Dear Reader, for this post I’m doing something a little different. Instead of offering my own reflections on the new musical Kalopsia, which opened last week, I’m going to offer you the thoughts of one of the artists who helped bring it to life. My CMU colleague Tomé Cousin, who directed the show, generously carved time out of his busy schedule to reflect on the work. What follows is an edited excerpt of our conversation.
Stage Manager Stories: Greg Livoti, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
www.broadwayworld.com: Stage Manager Stories: Greg Livoti, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Need a cue? Call a stage manager. Need a line? Call a stage manager. Need a day off? Call a stage manager. Need a call time, a schedule, an inspection, a to-do list, a floor plan, a script, or just a pep talk? Call a stage manager!
How a new NOVA theater will go on with the show despite a hit
DC Metro Theater Arts: NOVA Nightsky Theater was preparing for its first-ever production when a tragic accident to one of its lead actresses—who is also a co-founder of the new Falls Church theater—almost derailed the show. She was struck by a car. What follows is a remarkable “the show must go on” storyline.
Liberty Magic: Chris Capehart in JOURNEY OF THE MASTER
onStage Pittsburgh: At the risk of shirking my duty as a reviewer, my reaction to Journey of the Master, currently playing at Liberty Magic, can best be summed up in four little words: just buy a ticket.
50% of UK theatres streaming shows online during Covid revert to in-person only
Theatre | The Guardian: More than half of UK theatres that offered online performances during the Covid pandemic have reverted to in-person shows this autumn, raising concerns that improved accessibility for disabled audiences could be lost.
Research has found that 56% of publicly subsidised theatres that had at least one online performance during the first 18 months of the pandemic have none scheduled for the autumn season.
5 Ways to Cope With Triggering News About Sexual Abuse in the Dance World
Dance Magazine: Survivors of sexual assault and harassment are pulling back the curtain on a pernicious problem in the dance world.
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, several have come forward in the past few years to share their stories. Now, there are two major cases in the mainstream news: In a federal lawsuit filed September 27, former Boston Ballet principal Dusty Button and her husband Mitchell Taylor Button are accused of raping and sexually abusing dancers, including minors, for years. Another lawsuit filed this week alleges that dance faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts perpetrated sexual abuse and exploitation of minors in the 1970s and '80s.
Could It Be Sentience or Just Expert Coding? The Emerging Role of Robots in the Arts
AMT Lab @ CMU: Few innovations represent the intersection of humanity and technology more famously than that of the robot. Like art, robots are the result of humanity’s urge to create something new in its own image – and, also like art, they have become an inescapable part of our world. In the 21st century, robots have surpassed the limitations which restricted them to industrial manufacturing and technological research, now occupying roles across all industries and disciplines. Incorporating robotics into the arts industry blends two very different expressions of human creativity: bringing exciting new technological innovations to the arts and giving robotics a touch of humanity.
Expo 2020 Dubai releases 2020 sustainability report
blooloop: Expo 2020 Dubai has released its 2020 sustainability report after the United Arab Emirates announced the ‘UAE net zero by 2050 strategic initiative’.
Expo 2020 Dubai, which aims to be one of the most sustainable World Expos in history, surpassed several sustainability-focused targets last year and during the first months of this year.
Chizu Nara
Women in Lighting: My name is Chizu Nara. I'm a lighting designer and the co-founder of New Light Pottery, which I started with my husband.
My major was economics at university, although I was interested in architecture in high school. I didn't have enough background to apply for the architecture faculty, so I couldn't choose what I wanted at that time.
Sunday, October 10, 2021
NFTRW Weekly Top Five
Here are the top five comment generating posts of the past week:
6 body language tips for your next interview
www.fastcompany.com: Body language provides a key to succeeding in job interviews. Non-verbal cues make up 60 to 80% of face-to-face communication. Even more than your words, your physical presence shows your strengths (or shortcomings) as a candidate.Age-Blind Casting Reinforces Male Privilege
Ms. Magazine: Sir Ian McKellen is ushering in post-COVID theatre with a new interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Theatre Royal Windsor in London. McKellen, 82, is playing the young Danish prince. Yes, he’s playing Hamlet in what is being advertised as “age-blind casting.” McKellen is one of my favorite actors. But, let’s call the “age-blind” casting what it is—a gimmick that reinforces male privilege.Light Show Goes Wrong When Drones Start Plummeting Out of the Sky
futurism.com: In an eerie bit of imagery, drones literally started raining from the sky in Zhengzhou, a city of 10 million people in the Chinese province of Henan. Videos shared on social media show a constellation of drones starting to quickly lose altitude before clattering down on the ground. Onlookers can be seen jumping out of the way to avoid getting struck by the small drones.Opinion | Don’t Let Amazon Eat the Film Industry
The New York Times: In the 1930s and ’40s, five major Hollywood studios dominated the film industry and tried to lock up distribution and exhibition channels as well by taking over movie theaters across the country. Courts and regulators saw that allowing studios so much power up and down the film supply chain posed grave threats to the integrity of the industry and to viewer choice.No Time to Die: the problem with Bond villains having facial disfigurements
theconversation.com: As the 25th James Bond film No Time to Die hits the cinemas, we are once again reminded of the way that disability is depicted negatively in Hollywood films. The new James Bond film features three villains, all of who have facial disfigurements (Blofeld, Safin and Primo). If you take a closer look at James Bond villains throughout history, the majority have facial disfigurements or physical impairments. This is in sharp contrast to the other characters, including James Bond, who are able-bodied and presented with no physical bodily differences.
Friday, October 08, 2021
Kennedy Center Union Authorizes Strike Over Pay Cuts & Layoffs
Deadline: With the Tony-winning Hadestown set to make its Washington D.C. debut at the Kennedy Center next week, stagehands at the celebrated venue have authorized a strike vote over what it calls “draconian” wage cuts, job eliminations and other proposed workplace changes.
Review Roundup: LACKAWANNA BLUES Opens on Broadway!
www.broadwayworld.com: Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway premiere of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's Lackawanna Blues, opens tonight at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Read all the reviews as they roll in!
Lackawanna Blues is written, performed, and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, with original music by Bill Sims Jr. performed on stage by Grammy Award-nominated blues guitarist Junior Mack.
Kennedy Center IATSE Local 22 Members Vote To Potentially Strike
www.broadwayworld.com: After 16 months of negotiations, stagehands at Washington's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts unanimously voted to strike today, in response to plans by the performing arts center's management to slash wages 40 percent, eliminate jobs along other related cuts and changes to working conditions - per a statement made today from the union.
Kennedy Center Stagehands Vote to Authorize Strike
Playbill: After 16 months of negotiations, stagehands at Washington, D.C.'s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts unanimously voted to authorize a strike October 7. The vote by the members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 22 gives the Local 22 executive board the authority to call a strike and for members and supporters of the union to set up picket lines outside the famed performing arts center.
Netflix Edits ‘Squid Game’ Phone Number After Woman Is Bombarded by Calls and Texts
www.thewrap.com: Fans who thought the phone number in the hit Netflix series “Squid Game” was part of some expanded game ended up harassing a woman in South Korea.
MyMethod presents CLONE
LightSoundJournal.com: MyMethod is a new brand in the market of global stage lighting. The manufacturing company is based in Poland, offering decorative fixtures for the entertainment industry and managing product design, development, and production processes internally.
Kennedy Center stagehands authorize strike
NPR: Stagehands at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. have voted unanimously to strike if the performing arts center's management imposes what the workers call "draconian cuts and changes to working conditions." According to a statement from the stagehands' union IATSE Local 22, which is part of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, those changes include wage cuts of 40% and the elimination of jobs.
Lincoln Center’s free ‘Passport to the Arts’ offers virtual and in-person events for people of all ages with disabilities
DC Metro Theater Arts: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ annual Passport to the Arts returns for its Fall 2021 season, running October 16-December 19, with free classes, performances, and custom-designed experiences for children, teens, and adults with disabilities and their families. The programming, both online and in-person, offers an accessible introduction to the performing arts from partners across the iconic Lincoln Center campus and beyond, with families remotely participating in dance, music, or drama classes with renowned artists, seeing behind-the-scenes content from Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady, attending exclusive live matinee performances of Cinderella and The Magic Flute, and meeting performers.
'Romy and Michele's High School Reunion' is becoming a musical!
www.timeout.com/newyork: You may have passionately skipped your own high school reunion, but this is one gathering you won't want to miss.
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, the 1997 cult classic about best friends (Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow) who attend their 10-year high school reunion, is about to hit the stage. Because truly the only improvement these two iconic best friends could have would be more singing and dancing.
MAMMA MIA! Resumes Performance At North Shore Following IATSE Local 11 Strike
www.broadwayworld.com: BroadwayWorld has learned that performances of MAMMA MIA! will resume tonight, October 7th, 2021, following last night's IATSE strike which caused the evening's performance to be cancelled.
Dance Beat: Attack Theatre’s New Home
onStage Pittsburgh: Located at the corner of Butler and 42nd Street, just across from New Amsterdam restaurant, the new location was the result of years of searching, with actual tours of 150 possible locations.
So it had to be pretty special.
IAAPA Expo Europe returns | report from Barcelona 2021
blooloop: There were a number of protocols in place due to the pandemic. For instance temperature checks on arrival, and face masks. There were also extra-wide aisles on the show floor and socially distanced seats in the conference areas. Yet once the 8,500 industry professionals that attended IAAPA Expo Europe met in the Spanish city, business relationships and friendships resumed as if they’d never been interrupted.
Thursday, October 07, 2021
No Time to Die: the problem with Bond villains having facial disfigurements
theconversation.com: As the 25th James Bond film No Time to Die hits the cinemas, we are once again reminded of the way that disability is depicted negatively in Hollywood films. The new James Bond film features three villains, all of who have facial disfigurements (Blofeld, Safin and Primo).
If you take a closer look at James Bond villains throughout history, the majority have facial disfigurements or physical impairments. This is in sharp contrast to the other characters, including James Bond, who are able-bodied and presented with no physical bodily differences.
Pittsburgh Public Theater streams Wendy MacLeod’s Slow Food, a hangry experience.
onStage Pittsburgh: Imagine you and your spouse have just taken a long flight to Palm Springs for an anniversary getaway. The kids are away at college, a cool car has been rented, and a room with a hot tub has been secured at a lovely hotel.
And then reality and the associated stress sets in. The flight is late getting into Palm Springs, the cool rental car isn’t available, just a work van, and the hot tub in the room is out of order.
A Fantasy Cape + pseudo tutorial
Avant Garbe: Like many folks, I’ve ogled over the beautiful fantasy dresses over at Firefly Path. While it would take some serious doing (and I’m not sure I have the skills) to make a dress like that, the capes seemed within the realm of possibility.
New leader, new lobby, no more assumptions in Sean San José's Magic Theatre
Datebook: There’s a long list of ways that Sean San José differs from other Bay Area theater leaders, but here are just two:
First, his emails look like e. e. cummings poems, all line breaks and lowercase letters, even when they’re about the world’s least poetic subjects, such as confirming press tickets to a performance. They’re written with such warmth that, as with other poetry, they supply spiritual nourishment, which gets at another rare San José quality.
Hippotizer Amba drives visuals for Spring Awakening at Central School of Speech & Drama
LightSoundJournal.com: London’s The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama staged a production of the musical Spring Awakening recently, which saw lighting and video design students create, programme and operate the visual aspects using Hippotizer Amba Media Servers.
Meyer Sound and Solotech amplify Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival
TPi: The Life is Beautiful Music & Art Festival returned to Las Vegas from 17 to 19 September, drawing a record 170,000 attendees with a three-day lineup of performances by Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, A$AP Rocky, Green Day, and more than 100 additional acts. Between shows, festivalgoers took in comedy events, culinary demonstrations, and multidisciplinary creative installations by local, national, and international artists.
99% of IATSE Members Vote to Authorize Strike
www.backstage.com: An overwhelming majority of IATSE members voted to authorize a film and television production strike after contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers stalled. IATSE leaders’ requests from membership to authorize a strike if needed were approved, with almost 99% voting yes. While the authorization vote does not mean the union will go on strike, it does mean additional leverage for IATSE.
IATSE Members Teamed to Pay $70,000 in Back Dues
TheWrap: The overwhelming approval by IATSE members to authorize a strike came after months of grassroots organizing, creating a network of Hollywood workers so tightly knit that they raised $70,000 to help cover dues payments for members who had fallen behind due to the pandemic shutdown of production.
Na’cho turns to zactrack SMART for Alanis Morissette’s World Tour
TPi: Orlando-based Na’cho Production & Design is using a zactrack SMART automated follow system for the 2021-22 world tour by Alanis Morissette celebrating 25 years of Jagged Little Pill.
Seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette kicked off the 35-date US leg of her amphitheater tour in Austin, Texas in August. It wraps in October in Los Angeles, which includes a two-night special at The Hollywood Bowl.
350 GLP Moving Heads Light Up RTL Summer Games
LightSoundJournal.com: Banijay Productions Germany GmbH recently produced a special kind of live two-day sports show on behalf of RTL. LD Arkin Atacan from atacan design, who was responsible for the lighting and media design of the location, based this technically demanding production largely on fixtures from GLP. Around 350 moving heads from the German manufacturer were used for various lighting purposes.
CHAUVET Professional illuminates I Am Woman conference
TPi: Each year, Lighting Designer, Alexander Lehman strives to provide Faith Church’s two-day I Am Woman Conference, which takes place in both St. Louis and West Palm Beach, a visual flourish, not just through the use of brightness and colour, but also with a commanding geometrical centrepiece.
Expanding and Building Your Creativity
SoundGirls.org: For many of us in the creative industry, our passion and drive for creating new art can come and go. It is therefore important to give yourself the space and time to recharge and reset before returning to your practice. If you are stuck and looking for new ideas, however, I have created a list of a few things that can help break you out of a creative block and perhaps challenge you to think and work differently.
Wednesday, October 06, 2021
Jeremy O. Harris Withdraws SLAVE PLAY from CTG Season of Disproportionately Male Playwrights; CTG Responds
www.broadwayworld.com: Playwright Jeremy O. Harris' Tony-nominated Slave Play was set to arrive on the west coast next year as a part of Center Theatre Group's new season; however, the show may not run as planned. Harris writes in a tweet today that he is withdrawing the play from the season to make room for works from young, female playwrights.
The New Normal: How Shipping and Supply Chains Are Going to Affect Your Job
Technicians for Change: If you’re like many people who are excited to get back to work, you may not be fully aware of the extent that supply chain issues have affected the industry. After all, last time you needed to buy supplies, these issues simply didn’t exist. And while we were all probably aware of the Ever Given’s infamous Suez Canal blockage, you may not know that even that was a result of trying to put too many shipping containers onto a single ship to meet the demands of backlogged trade.
15 Questions to Ask About Perks and Benefits During the Job Process
www.businessinsider.com: Once you've found a job and company that you're really excited about, salary might top your list of priorities. But while salary is important, it's only part of the overall offer. To get the full scope of what you'll really earn at a job, you need to factor in the perks and benefits that a company offers, too.
6 body language tips for your next interview
www.fastcompany.com: Body language provides a key to succeeding in job interviews. Non-verbal cues make up 60 to 80% of face-to-face communication. Even more than your words, your physical presence shows your strengths (or shortcomings) as a candidate.
Saving New York Independent Theater: An Update
New York Theater: If you think that reopening has solved the problems of New York’s theaters and theater artists, listen up:
“We’re talking about life and death: The life and death of our neighborhoods; the life and death of our culture,” Olympia Kazi, of NYC Artist Coalition.
“Without a doubt, the community of working artists in New York is at a tipping point,” Jenny Dubnau, of the Artist Studio Affordability Project.
“The small theater industry faces increasing challenges from rising operation costs,” Guy Yedwab, of the League of Independent Theater, .
IATSE receives backing from Directors Guild in contract fight
Reel 360 - We are Advertainment: The Directors Guild of America (DGA) released a statement of support standing with the film and television workers in their contract fight with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
V8 Architects' Dutch pavilion generates water and food at Dubai Expo
www.dezeen.com: Dutch practice V8 Architects has created a pavilion with its own enclosed water, energy and food system and a leave-no-trace philosophy as the Netherlands' contribution to Expo 2020 Dubai.
Age-Blind Casting Reinforces Male Privilege
Ms. Magazine: Sir Ian McKellen is ushering in post-COVID theatre with a new interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Theatre Royal Windsor in London. McKellen, 82, is playing the young Danish prince. Yes, he’s playing Hamlet in what is being advertised as “age-blind casting.”
McKellen is one of my favorite actors. But, let’s call the “age-blind” casting what it is—a gimmick that reinforces male privilege.
Welcome to Your New Gig, Here Are All the Things
Technicians for Change: For freelance workers, entering a new workspace can be both thrilling and confusing. Each place has its own quirks and unique working processes and styles. To help acclimate new workers, here is a list of items to consider for employers to offer and for workers to ask for when starting at a new place. Different combinations of this information may be more useful depending on what is required of the worker – this is intended to be an overview primarily targeted for freelance designers and crew heads, but you may find these suggestions helpful for whichever job you take on.
Filmmaking in Chicago is 'significantly up' with record breaking production
Reel Chicago - At the intersection of Chicago Advertising, Entertainment, Media and Production: A record 15 television productions are currently in the city including 61st Street, The Chi, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Work in Progress, Paper Girls, Light Years, Southside, The Big Leap, The Nanny, Be My Eyes, and Power Book IV: Force among others.
What Happened to Save Our Stages?
Technicians for Change: Way back a dozen years ago at the beginning of the pandemic, a lot of folks in the industry organized around #SaveOurStages. In the Twin Cities, we joined in the national effort for Red Alert and turned dozens of our local venues red for a night. We did a Road Case Push through downtown Minneapolis in solidarity with an international effort to raise awareness about the plight of the unemployed workers. We joined in a chain of Empty Events in which we set up and tore down a corporate-style event without ever having an audience. All of these were national and international efforts focused on telling our story to the public and to the people elected to power.
Light Show Goes Wrong When Drones Start Plummeting Out of the Sky
futurism.com: In an eerie bit of imagery, drones literally started raining from the sky in Zhengzhou, a city of 10 million people in the Chinese province of Henan.
Videos shared on social media show a constellation of drones starting to quickly lose altitude before clattering down on the ground. Onlookers can be seen jumping out of the way to avoid getting struck by the small drones.
Tuesday, October 05, 2021
7 Ways to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at a Theatre Near You
Playbill: Hispanic Heritage Month is already underway (it begins September 15 to commemorate the start of the Mexican War of Independence and ends October 15) with plenty of theatres around America honoring the work of Latine playwrights, performers, directors, and creative artists working in the industry.
Opinion | Don’t Let Amazon Eat the Film Industry
The New York Times: In the 1930s and ’40s, five major Hollywood studios dominated the film industry and tried to lock up distribution and exhibition channels as well by taking over movie theaters across the country. Courts and regulators saw that allowing studios so much power up and down the film supply chain posed grave threats to the integrity of the industry and to viewer choice.
Hollywood's potential IATSE strike explained
EW.com: Throughout the summer of 2021, long-simmering tensions in the entertainment industry were coming to a boil. Crew members across the industry, from cinematographers to costume designers to grips, were increasingly raising their voices to protest the long hours, low wages, and lack of basic benefits that have long been taken for granted in Hollywood.
Is Hollywood Going on Strike? IATSE Members Vote
dot.LA: As giants like Apple, Netflix and Disney spend big on streaming content and fight for subscribers, their apps are supplanting theaters, premium cable, reruns and even the humble DVD box set.
Hollywood’s Impending Largest Union Walk Out Since WWII May Affect Santa Clarita Film Industry
www.hometownstation.com/santa-clarita-news: The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) plans to vote on a strike against film and television production companies in the largest union walk out since World War II, but what does this mean for Santa Clarita?
Hollywood Workers Vote to Authorize Strike
The New York Times: Hollywood moved closer to a production shutdown on Monday after one of the film and television industry’s lower-profile unions said that members had overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike.
The Las Vegas Strip show comebacks we’re still waiting on
Las Vegas Sun Newspaper: On November 24, “KÀ” will return to the stage at MGM Grand, making Cirque du Soleil’s portfolio of Las Vegas Strip production shows whole again. In just over a week, Lady Gaga will bring back her “Jazz & Piano” residency shows to Park MGM on October 14, the return of another one of the Strip’s biggest live entertainment draws.
IATSE members vote overwhelmingly to authorize nationwide strike
Reel 360 - We are Advertainment: The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) announced today that 60,000 members who work in television and film production across the country have voted—by a nearly unanimous margin—to grant IATSE International President Matthew Loeb the authority to call a strike.
How Imagineers Help Build Disney's Next Dreamliner
Variety: When the artisans at Walt Disney Imagineering set out to design the newest cruise ship in the Disney fleet, the Wish, they aimed to make it as efficient as possible while creating a fully immersive experience for passengers.
Hollywood’s behind-the-scenes crews vote to authorize strike
Las Vegas Sun Newspaper: Film and television production in North America is in jeopardy of coming to a standstill after its behind-the-scenes workers overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike for the first time in its 128-year history.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees said Monday that nearly 99% of registered members who participated, or 52,706 people, voted in support of a strike over the weekend.
Conventional brainstorming doesn’t work. Try the 6-3-5 method
www.fastcompany.com: I have written several times before about the perils of traditional brainstorming. Getting people together in a group to throw out ideas leads to what is called “productivity loss from brainstorming:” Individuals working together using rules of brainstorming come up with fewer ideas (and fewer good ideas) than the same number of people with the same expertise working alone.
AR exhibition opens at botanical gardens including Eden Project
blooloop: The Eden Project has opened an augmented reality (AR) exhibition called ‘Seeing the Invisible’, which is appearing at 12 botanical gardens across six countries.
Seeing the Invisible features contemporary artworks created with AR by 13 international artists, including Ai Weiwei, Refik Anadol, El Anatsui, Mohammed Kazem, Sigalit Landau and Sarah Meyohas.
Monday, October 04, 2021
IATSE Members Vote to Authorize Film and TV Production Strike
Variety: The members of the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees have voted to approve a strike authorization, giving the union president the power to shut down film and TV production across the country.
IATSE Votes in Favor of a Nationwide TV and Film Strike
gizmodo.com: In a move that’s likely going to escalate tension throughout the film and TV industries, an overwhelming majority of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees members voted in favor of approving a nationwide strike that could bring all productions to a grinding halt.
Behind the scenes, film and TV workers want less drama
Film industry | The Guardian: I woke up this morning feeling sorry for Bond, which was a new one for me. Poor Bond, though, delayed for months, Daniel and his little weapons suspended in the jelly of Covid during lockdown, now opening under a new and curious weight of pressure as the world watches to judge if cinema’s still a thing. Feeling sorry for a multimillion dollar movie is a side-effect, I think, of currently following negotiations in Hollywood between the studios and IATSE, the union of people who work behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. In the evenings now I’ll watch TV, and while I’m watching TV, I’ll watch the hashtags, too, one eye on the work, the other on the workers.
Campania Teatro Festival 21: A Conversation with Ruggero Cappuccio at the Real Bosco di Capodimonte
The Theatre Times: The Real Bosco di Capodimonte is more than a public park in Naples: it is a Paradise, not far from the center of the city. The visitors have the possibility to enjoy a huge, green area with a prestigious history connected to the Bourbon dynasty, and have the impression to walk in an enchanted and peaceful space. It is a place of relax and meditation, in which Art and Nature create a wonderful duet. In fact, the park hosts the Royal Palace and the Royal Museum of Capodimonte with their countless treasures, including the beautiful Capodimonte ceramics.
The Academy Museum Finds Good Intentions in Messy Film History
The New York Times: Tucked in the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opened Thursday in Los Angeles, is a surprisingly modest exhibit of “significant Oscars.” The museum, after all, is the latest venture of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that each year entertains, inflames and invariably stupefies movie lovers of every taste and critical persuasion with that gaudy bacchanalia of self-love known as the Oscars.
Costume Designer Sandy Powell to Receive Variety Honor at Savannah Film Fest
www.yahoo.com/entertainment: Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell will be honored at the 24th annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival with the Variety Creative Impact in Costume Design Award.
Broadway Theatres In New York City Extend Vaccination and Mask Requirement For Audiences Through the End of the Year
www.broadwayworld.com: The Broadway League announced today that the owners and operators of all 41 Broadway theatres in New York City will continue to require vaccinations for audience members, as well as performers, backstage crew, and theatre staff, for all performances through the end of the year. Masks will also be required for audiences inside the theatre, except while actively eating or drinking in designated locations.
IATSE Strike: We'll Find Out Monday Whether Hollywood Crews will Walk Out
www.lamag.com: For many Hollywood crew members who work behind the scenes on film and television productions, the last year’s COVID lockdown was the first time that they were able to rest.
Kerala-based Rangachetana Theatre Group Initiates a Unique Project to Help Artists in Need
The Theatre Times: Drama has been the only source of income for 51-year-old Bhanumathy A. The Thrissur-based theatre practitioner has been part of several drama troupes across Kerala for the past 27 years before the pandemic completely upended her life as stage performances came to a standstill. Then Rangachetana, a theatre collective of Thrissur stepped in to help.
The Rep launches programs to bring art to all segments of the St. Louis community
BrandAveStudios | stltoday.com: Hana S. Sharif, artistic director of St. Louis Repertory Theatre, has a mission beyond putting first-rate theater on The Rep’s stages: She wants to bring the joy of live theater to all segments of the St. Louis community, especially historically underserved groups.
Garfield Lemonius Named Dean of the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University and Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh Playhouse
onStage Pittsburgh: Garfield Lemonius, M.F.A., has been appointed dean of the Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) at Point Park University and artistic director of the Pittsburgh Playhouse. Lemonius was previously appointed acting dean and artistic director, and prior to that served as chair of the Department of Dance.
Broadway's comeback brings back business
NPR: some of the biggest Broadway shows have reopened over the past few weeks. And this fall, more and more marquees will light up. It'll be the return of a billion-dollar industry in New York City, and it's not just theaters that are benefiting.
Expo 2020 Dubai opens Eden-designed Terra pavilion
blooloop: Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion, a groundbreaking visitor experience co-designed by the Eden Project, has opened as part of Expo 2020 Dubai in the UAE.
Terra is the first Eden-designed experience to open to the public outside the project’s home in Cornwall, UK. Eden Project International co-led the landscape design and visitor experience alongside partners Grimshaw, Thinc Design and Expo 2020 Dubai.
TV and film crews may strike over work hours, quality of life issues
www.ajc.com: David Chameides, a camera operator for the Netflix drama “Ozark,” hardly gets any meal breaks anymore.
When he has a few seconds, he’ll grab a boxed lunch and find a dark corner to eat. “I’m a 52-year-old grown man and I hide while I eat my lunch,” Chameides said.
Sunday, October 03, 2021
NFTRW Weekly Top Five
Here are the top five comment generating posts of the past week:
These Hollywood Horror Stories Could Inspire the Biggest Industry Strike Since World War II
Vanity Fair: The @ia_stories page is an unpretentious Instagram account that rarely posts pictures—mostly just white text on a black background, which makes it especially unmemorable in the visually saturated space of Hollywood–adjacent social media. But within its hundreds of posts are some of the juiciest secrets in the industry, with most identifying details carefully edited away.Over 40% of Interns Are Unpaid Thanks to This Legal Loophole
www.businessinsider.com: Unpaid internships are not only legal in the US — they're shockingly common. More than 40% of interns said they were unpaid in this year's Internship & Co-op Survey Report conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.Exploring Accessible Technology in Theatre: Captioning
AMT Lab @ CMU: Many people attend theatrical performances as a way to escape daily life for a few hours. However, there are some who are unable to share these experiences. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, one in eight people in the United States ages 12+ have hearing loss in both ears.20 Famous Artists Everyone Should Know, From Leonardo to Frida Kahlo
mymodernmet.com: Museums and textbooks are full of names of artists who've left their mark in history. Certain names, however, still stand out from the rest. Whether it is through their distinctive style, their participance in a pivotal art movement, or their eccentric life, these artists have achieved astounding fame. And while these creatives are well-known in popular culture now, many of them were not recognized for their talents until decades after their death.The secret to creating amazing work? You have to hate it first
www.fastcompany.com: The first time I heard that a feeling of gloom might be a normal part of creative work, I was incredibly depressed about what I was currently producing. It was a project focused on irrigation tools for small-plot farmers in Myanmar, and a week before the final presentation I was having a full-blown crisis of confidence. Compared to the needs of the farmers we were working for, our solution for redesigning, and thereby reducing, the cost of a water pump seemed inconsequential.
Friday, October 01, 2021
MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL Partners With Groundswell To Produce Murals Exemplifying Truth, Beauty, Freedom & Love
www.broadwayworld.com: Moulin Rouge!
In a celebration of creativity and community, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Moulin Rouge! The Musical has partnered with Groundswell, a New York based organization that brings together youth, artists, and community organizations to use art as a tool for social change. Moulin Rouge! The Musical is now playing at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th St, NYC).
These Hollywood Horror Stories Could Inspire the Biggest Industry Strike Since World War II
Vanity Fair: The @ia_stories page is an unpretentious Instagram account that rarely posts pictures—mostly just white text on a black background, which makes it especially unmemorable in the visually saturated space of Hollywood–adjacent social media. But within its hundreds of posts are some of the juiciest secrets in the industry, with most identifying details carefully edited away.
BC/EFA's Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction Will Take Place This Sunday
www.broadwayworld.com: Attend Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction and you could walk home with a Tony Award, win a private chat with Patti LuPone and even watch Dear Evan Hansen's Will Roland lead the live auction. Produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the much-anticipated celebration will provide multiple ways to join in person and online this Sunday, October 3, 2021.
USB Microphones
SoundGirls.org: In the search to professionalize our content, we find an immense amount of information. Articles, videos, and countless opinions. That consequently leaves us with many doubts. which make us resort to more articles, videos and of course many more opinions.
Squid Game phone number turns out to be real, and a Korean man is bombarded with calls and texts; a fringe Korean presidential candidate offers to buy it for US$85,000
South China Morning Post: A South Korean presidential hopeful has offered 100 million won (US$85,000) to buy the phone number of a man who says he has been bombarded with unwanted calls and messages after it was shown in the hit Netflix series Squid Game.
IATSE Strike Vote: Everything You Need to Know
Variety: A year after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the entertainment industry worldwide, the studios are churning out content at a breakneck pace. Workers are in high demand, and it has been hard for some shows to find enough grips and set decorators to keep up.
It’s somewhat strange, then, to think that it could all come to a screeching halt.
BottleRock Festival Yields Low COVID-19 Numbers: Health Officials
Variety: Eleven Napa County residents who attended the BottleRock Napa Valley Festival over Labor Day weekend have tested positive for COVID-19 according to country health officials, who saw the number as an indicator of successful safety protocols.
20 Famous Artists Everyone Should Know, From Leonardo to Frida Kahlo
mymodernmet.com: Museums and textbooks are full of names of artists who've left their mark in history. Certain names, however, still stand out from the rest. Whether it is through their distinctive style, their participance in a pivotal art movement, or their eccentric life, these artists have achieved astounding fame. And while these creatives are well-known in popular culture now, many of them were not recognized for their talents until decades after their death.
6 Pittsburgh parks to shine during Parks Conservancy celebration
nextpittsburgh.com: The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has been in the spotlight since the pandemic sparked people’s renewed interest in outdoor recreation. Now the parks are literally going to shine on Friday, Oct. 1 and Saturday, Oct 2 as part of the Conservancy’s silver anniversary celebration.
Exploring Accessible Technology in Theatre: Captioning
AMT Lab @ CMU: Many people attend theatrical performances as a way to escape daily life for a few hours. However, there are some who are unable to share these experiences. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, one in eight people in the United States ages 12+ have hearing loss in both ears.
PPG’s Fall dance preview: What to see in person by 10 Pittsburgh-based arts groups
onStage Pittsburgh: Several Pittsburgh-based arts organizations will return in the coming months to the theater for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. For audiences, that means a robust fall for dance.
But the pandemic isn’t over yet. For the latest safety measures, check each company’s website for updates. Some groups also plan to continue online options through at least the end of the year for those who aren’t quite ready yet to be part of an in-person audience.
Aaron Sorkin on Scott Rudin: “He Got What He Deserves”
Vanity Fair: On October 5, more than 18 months after COVID-19 shut down Broadway, To Kill a Mockingbird will reopen at the Shubert Theatre. Aaron Sorkin’s hit adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel, now the highest-grossing American play in Broadway history, will return with original stars Jeff Daniels, as Atticus Finch, and Celia Keenan-Bolger, in her Tony-winning performance as Scout Finch. But according to Sorkin, the show will not be exactly like it was during its first run. The Oscar-winning scribe and director Bartlett Sher have spent several weeks in rehearsals making subtle changes to the play that better fit the current time and the societal reckoning brought on by the Black Lives Matter protests that occurred during a global pandemic.
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