NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

Alec Baldwin Fired Prop Gun That Killed DP and Wounded Director

Variety: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun while filming a scene in New Mexico on Thursday, causing the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

Posted by David at 10/22/2021 09:21:00 AM

Broadway's set-building maestro, Neil A. Mazzella, puts hammer and nail to the job of restoring theater's sparkle

The Washington Post: Back and forth across the country Frank Swan flew for months this spring and summer, dusting off all the dormant "Hamiltons": a "Hamilton" due to restart in Los Angeles, another "Hamilton" in Tempe, Ariz., a "Hamilton" in Atlanta and a "Hamilton" in San Francisco. Sets for these touring and sitting productions had to be retrieved from warehouses and storage trucks; backstage motors and wheels and audio equipment had to be retested and fixed.

Posted by David at 10/22/2021 09:17:00 AM

The real star of Wes Anderson's films? The model maker who meticulousl

www.fastcompany.com: In one of the opening scenes of Wes Anderson’s latest movie, capital letters poke off the top of a mid-rise building advertising a magazine and its office below. The French Dispatch, about the foreign bureau of a New Yorker-ish American publication, is set in a made-up French town, and much of its action takes place within the rooms of this sign-topped building.

Posted by David at 10/21/2021 09:22:00 AM

Here’s How a Prop Gun Using Blanks Can Still Fire a Fatal Shot

www.yahoo.com/entertainment: Scroll back up to restore default view. The Wrap Here’s How a Prop Gun Using Blanks Can Still Fire a Fatal Shot Ross A. Lincoln Fri, October 22, 2021, 1:22 AM·5 min read A horrific tragedy occurred Thursday on the New Mexico set of the upcoming western, “Rust,” when the film’s cinematographer, 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins, was killed, and director Joel Souza gravely injured in an accidental shooting. A prop gun, filled with blanks, malfunctioned when it was fired by star Alec Baldwin, an event that is still under investigation by local law enforcement.

Posted by David at 10/22/2021 09:09:00 AM

Did You Know – Color My World

ASTC: Did You Know (DYK) that a Black Box Theatre does not have to be black? It can easily be a deep, rich, warm, dark color such as a deep royal blue or a deep purple, or some other lovely, deep and dark color that absorbs more light than it reflects.

Posted by David at 10/22/2021 09:15:00 AM

 

Alec Baldwin Fired Prop Gun That Killed DP and Wounded Director

Variety: Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun while filming a scene in New Mexico on Thursday, causing the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

Corning Works challenges the imagination with The Other Shoe at the New Hazlett

onStage Pittsburgh: Corning Works opened their season with The Other Shoe, a full-length dance/theater project in their Glue Factory series. The Other Shoe explores the state of our country and society today, where we are inundated by a torrent of information that we must process, evaluate and deal with.

Broadway's set-building maestro, Neil A. Mazzella, puts hammer and nail to the job of restoring theater's sparkle

The Washington Post: Back and forth across the country Frank Swan flew for months this spring and summer, dusting off all the dormant "Hamiltons": a "Hamilton" due to restart in Los Angeles, another "Hamilton" in Tempe, Ariz., a "Hamilton" in Atlanta and a "Hamilton" in San Francisco. Sets for these touring and sitting productions had to be retrieved from warehouses and storage trucks; backstage motors and wheels and audio equipment had to be retested and fixed.

5 Best Hammers of 2021

www.businessinsider.com: Few hand tools provide more bang for your buck than a basic hammer. They don't weigh much and take up minimal space, and their simple design allows users to generate a huge amount of force without much effort. Whether you're using it to drive and pull nails, pry apart materials, or demolish areas for remodeling, a hammer is an invaluable tool to have in your home.

Alec Baldwin fired shot on movie set that killed woman, authorities say

Las Vegas Sun Newspaper: Alec Baldwin discharged a prop firearm on the set of a Western he was making in New Mexico on Thursday, killing the film’s director of photography and wounding the movie’s director, the authorities said.

Did You Know – Color My World

ASTC: Did You Know (DYK) that a Black Box Theatre does not have to be black? It can easily be a deep, rich, warm, dark color such as a deep royal blue or a deep purple, or some other lovely, deep and dark color that absorbs more light than it reflects.

How the ‘Dune’ Stillsuit Costumes Transformed the Cast Into ‘Karate Masters’

www.thewrap.com: The sad truth about some of the coolest movie costumes is that for as great as they look on screen, they can be a bear for an actor to actually perform in. Not so with the costumes from “Dune” though, as the film’s costume designers boasted that the film’s stillsuit outfits gave the cast a confidence and swagger that set the tone for the whole movie.

Theatre for One: A New Kind of Theatre Experience

The Theatre Times: Theatre is coming back slowly but surely. Though a difficult medium to translate online, it has been done with numerous shows, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Theatre for One: We Are Here is a collaboration between The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, the US-based Octopus Theatricals, and Kenya-based Nairobi Musical Theatre Initiative and Rainmaker Limited.

Mechanical Linkage CAD For Everyone

Hackaday: As much as some of us don’t like it, building things for real requires some mechanical component. Maybe it is something as simple as an enclosure or even feet for a PCB, but unless you only write software or play with simulators, you’ll eventually have to build something.

Film Industry Reacts to Halyna Hutchins' Death on the Set of 'Rust'

Variety: The film industry is shocked, dismayed and angry following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Thursday. She was killed while filming “Rust” when one of the movie’s actors, Alec Baldwin, discharged a prop gun on set.

Who Was Halyna Hutchins, the ‘Rockstar Cinematographer’ Killed at 43 by a Prop Gun on ‘Rust’ Set?

www.thewrap.com: Halyna Hutchins, the award-winning cinematographer killed Thursday when actor-producer Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun on the New Mexico set of the indie Western film “Rust,” was a 43-year-old “rockstar cinematographer” and rising star in the industry.

Here’s How a Prop Gun Using Blanks Can Still Fire a Fatal Shot

www.yahoo.com/entertainment: Scroll back up to restore default view. The Wrap Here’s How a Prop Gun Using Blanks Can Still Fire a Fatal Shot Ross A. Lincoln Fri, October 22, 2021, 1:22 AM·5 min read A horrific tragedy occurred Thursday on the New Mexico set of the upcoming western, “Rust,” when the film’s cinematographer, 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins, was killed, and director Joel Souza gravely injured in an accidental shooting. A prop gun, filled with blanks, malfunctioned when it was fired by star Alec Baldwin, an event that is still under investigation by local law enforcement.

Directors of Inclusion in Theatre Need to be more than Symbolic Positions

OnStage Blog: Last year, when I finally got the call that I had been hired, I was over the moon. Having worked in other industries, but always being a theater fan, this seemed like a dream come true. The position I was hired for was described as being a key part of leadership discussions on how to improve not only how we cast shows, but also hire for other positions, and how we value the contributions of those employed by us going forward.

New Hazlett Theater announces latest Community Supported Artist season

Theater | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper: Pittsburgh has a thriving community of artists and creatives, and New Hazlett Theater will highlight five of these artists in its ninth season of Community Supported Art.

Make Some Paper and Tape Prototypes!

ExhibiTricks: The Museum Exhibit Design Blog: Earlier this month I was delighted to present an exhibit prototyping workshop at the Museums Alaska conference. Thomas Edison said, "To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." His reference was to inventing, but he could have also been speaking about prototyping.

Aurora Theatre opens Lawrenceville Arts Center with public tours this weekend

ARTS ATL: After much anticipation, the curtain rises this week on the $35 million, 59,500-square-foot Lawrenceville Arts Center, as it hosts grand opening tours Friday through Sunday. Completing a city block for the arts in downtown Lawrenceville, the complex is the product of a remarkable partnership between Aurora Theatre and the City of Lawrenceville — one that, over many years, has played a significant role in revitalizing the Gwinnett County seat’s central business district.

Broadway ticket buyers make more last-minute decisions

Broadway News: Unlike prior seasons, many ticket buyers are purchasing Broadway tickets one to two weeks before or even the day of the show, rather than several weeks ahead of time, according to ticketing companies and producers. The buying trend underlies the uncertain and evolving landscape of the industry’s return as Broadway shows vie to attract non-tourist audiences.

Talking shop with Las Vegas woodworking expert Jamie Yocono

Las Vegas Weekly: In high school, Jamie Yocono was barred from her dream elective. “Back then, girls weren’t allowed to take wood shop,” Yocono recalls. “I thought that was so ridiculous.” So she struck a deal: If Yocono took home economics—the required course for girls—she could also take wood shop. “From the moment I walked into the wood shop, I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Yocono says.

Varjo Aero Announced: $1990 SteamVR Headset, 2.9K Per Eye

uploadvr.com: The Varjo Aero launches orders today with the first shipments expected in December. It’s a $1,990 wired SteamVR headset that is still largelly intended to be sold to commercial markets, but Varjo also envisions top-end enthusiasts that want the best experience for simulator apps like Microsoft Flight Simulator picking the headset up.

45 Moments from 45 years at ETC

et cetera...: On Christmas eve 1975, ETC was founded, and a tale of impressive growth and expansion began. As we wrap up our 45th year in business, we thought it would be fun to look back at the moments that have made us who we are today.

“Live From the Edge” created and performed by UNIVERSES at City Theatre

The Pittsburgh Tatler: Seven virtuosic performers from the company UNIVERSES are in town at City Theatre with Live From the Edge, a production that might best be described as a “highlight reel” of their unique brand of musical storytelling. Using nothing but the human body as an instrument, the ensemble generates an astonishing richness of harmony, melody, and rhythm as they deliver songs that blend and juxtapose the musical vernaculars of the spiritual, gospel, jazz, hiphop, Spanish bolero, Portuguese fado, beatboxing, salsa, and the blues, with the occasional nod to Motown and the American musical.

PRG turns to GLP impression S350 Wash for Virtual Production Studio-xR

LightSoundJournal.com: Since the end of 2020, PRG, along with its subsidiary Cinegate, has been running the Virtual Production Studio-xR in Hamburg, a facility that specialises in digital events of all kinds. Across 360m² of pure studio space, company events, as well as film and music video shoots, advertisements, and livestreamed concerts (eg Wacken World Wide), can be realised in a virtual environment.

Culture and storytelling | East meets West part 3

blooloop: In the third piece of this East meets West series, Louis and Amy now talk about how society helps to inform physical design with consideration of the guests embarking on each experience. This goes beyond the story: it involves sizing, location, and family dynamics within individual societies.

The real star of Wes Anderson's films? The model maker who meticulousl

www.fastcompany.com: In one of the opening scenes of Wes Anderson’s latest movie, capital letters poke off the top of a mid-rise building advertising a magazine and its office below. The French Dispatch, about the foreign bureau of a New Yorker-ish American publication, is set in a made-up French town, and much of its action takes place within the rooms of this sign-topped building.

ESTA's Technical Standards Program Has Five Draft Standards in Active Public Review

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: ESTA's Technical Standards Program currently has five draft standards in active public review. The reviews are open to anyone having a material interest in the subject matter. The review opportunities are as follows.

How to Be an Antiracist Theatremaker

AMERICAN THEATRE: As live, in-person theatre begins to return, many artists and administrators are focusing on the ways they can make this moment count—to come back to a changed industry rather than business as usual. In September, New York City’s Playwrights Realm gathered of a cohort of theatre professionals to wrestle with the question, What Does Anti-Racist Producing Look Like? Led by Hope Chávez, the four discussed the many ways they’re seeking to embrace a values-centric approach to putting on a show.

What is MR and How Does it Create Exceptionally Immersive Experiences?

AMT Lab @ CMU: MR, or Mixed Reality, is appearing across the arts world, but its actual meaning is not well understood. A strong beginning includes a foundational understanding of the concepts of reality and virtuality. The concept of the reality-virtuality continuum was introduced as an anthropological concept by Paul Milgram, referring to the scale of continuity between fully virtual and fully real with an application in displays.

How Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jane Campion, and Other Women Filmmakers Are Upending Hollywood Expectations

Vanity Fair: Nicole Holofcener knows she’s not the first person who comes to mind for a medieval action movie. For more than 20 years, the indie-film icon (Lovely & Amazing, Enough Said) felt perfectly content directing her own screenplays, biting slices of life in which rich dialogue was the main attraction. Then Ben Affleck came knocking. “He emailed me a strange request: Would I want to write a sword-fight movie with him and Matt Damon,” says Holofcener.

Pittsburgh Ballet returns to Benedum Center with classics and a world premiere

90.5 WESA: When Susan Jaffe started her new job as artistic director at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, it was July 1, 2020 – not even four months into the coronavirus pandemic. As with most of the nation’s performing-arts calendar, the final shows of PBT’s previous season had been postponed, and the group was weeks from canceling its announced fall shows.

New IATSE Contract: Everything We Know

Variety: The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees is beginning to roll out more details of its tentative contract with major film and television studios to its members, as it looks to build support for a ratification vote.

One Perspective on IATSE's New Contract

Larchmont Buzz - Hancock Park News: Many in Hollywood are breathing a sigh of relief that the strike no one wanted has been averted. But there’s still plenty of concern that the IATSE negotiators may not have won enough concessions to suit the nearly 60,000 members of the union, now looking over the fine points of the deal. Members are expected to vote on the contract over the next three to four weeks.

A Hollywood strike may have been averted. But radio performers are still waiting for justice.

www.nbcnews.com: The 60,000 members of Hollywood’s International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees who work in film and television were able to avert a national strikewhen their collective demands were partially met. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents major film and TV production companies, agreed to fairer wages, more time for sleep, meal breaks and weekend rest periods. The agreement is now before IATSE members.

IATSE Strike Averted—For Now

Progressive.org: On October 16, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the union representing 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers in the film industry, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) negotiated their way to a deal.

InfoComm 2021 Adds Virtual Experience

Commercial Integrator: In addition to the in-person InfoComm 2021 show on Oct. 27-29, 2021, in Orlando, Fla., show producer AVIXA will also host a virtual experience that will include livestreamed content from InfoComm.

Frame Of Reference: Choosing The Right Material For Critical Listening

ProSoundWeb: When I was a budding sound engineer with the U.S. Air Force Band during the 1990s, one of my mentors was a consultant in the Washington, D.C. area named George Weber. He was a somewhat eccentric guy and definitely a dyed-in-the-wool audiophile. George had done some modifications to the band’s K&H studio loudspeakers, and those things did sound amazingly good.

IATSE, AMPTP Reach Agreement, Averting Strike

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: The potential IATSE strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers was averted on Saturday when the two sides struck a deal. The tentative three-year agreement for The Basic and Videotape Agreements affects 40,000 film and television workers represented by 13 West Coast IATSE local unions.

Friday Essay: A World of Pain – Australian Theatre in Crisis

The Theatre Times: Australia’s performing arts sector has long been recognized as an ecosystem. It is a community of artists, arts organizations and institutions, all affected by factors such as education and training, audiences, policy and revenues. It comprises commercial organizations; not-for-profit, government subsidized companies; independent grassroots ventures; and amateur groups making and touring creative works for audiences locally, nationally and internationally.

Gender Casting: Theatre Educators in the United States Need to Pay Attention to Title IX Developments

HowlRound Theatre Commons: As a theatre educator who has spent the last few years working with high school students, I find some of this year’s headlines troubling. This summer, Laurel Hubbard made news as the first transgender woman to compete in the Olympics. Many celebrated this highly publicized, international victory for transgender people. However, just a few months before, on a much smaller, more local stage, the rights of transgender students were being threatened. In March, Tennessee governor Bill Lee joined like-minded officials to pass a law that requires students participating on a girls’ or boys’ sports team to show a birth certificate to prove their assigned sex.

Support for Latinidad Onstage: A Lifelong, Not a Month-Long, Job

AMERICAN THEATRE: Being a playwright in the American theatre means getting used to scarcity: There are not enough resources to support everyone, or at least that’s what we’re constantly told. For some of us, this pessimism is compounded by other barriers; being a Latinx/e writer in this industry means constantly balancing the upholding of one’s identity in the face of those who reject it while avoiding being pigeonholed into creating stories that fit a narrow vision of who we should be.

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD Hires Patricia Dayleg as Director of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

www.broadwayworld.com: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has announced Patricia Dayleg has joined the company as Director of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. She officially begins in the newly created role today, October 18th following ten years in government and community-based nonprofits.

The Folger’s Karen Ann Daniels: Making the Shakespeare We Want

AMERICAN THEATRE: Karen Ann Daniels (she/her) has long had an interest in Shakespeare. From a trip to the Old Globe in middle school to seeing Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington in the film of Much Ado About Nothing (still her favorite Shakespeare play) or Laurence Fishburne in Othello, Daniels wasn’t just impressed—she also saw a place for herself. “Oh, I guess I could do that,” she thought, she recalled in a recent interview.

Worldwide Industry Conference, EPIC, Will Launch This January

www.broadwayworld.com: Introducing the Entertainment & Performing Arts Industry Conference (EPIC), a global online entertainment conference event to be held in one 24-hour period on January 10, 2022. EPIC is for anyone working in, studying, or interested in the entertainment or performing arts industries. The online event will feature 50 sessions with international industry leaders from numerous disciplines and provide opportunities for participants to ask questions and engage with fellow conference attendees.

How to Know If Your Benefits Offer Is the Total Package

www.businessinsider.com: Anytime you head into a job interview, you're probably more than ready to dive into a salary conversation. By the time you're sitting across the table from the hiring manager, you've read all the advice, you're armed with stats + industry information + a whole lotta confidence… But are you ready — really ready — to discuss the benefits?

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre brings dance back to Benedum Center

Dance | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper: Local ballet fans have had to mostly go without live, in-person performances for well over a year, as COVID-19 left Pittsburgh companies grappling with how to bring their art to the public. The wait will soon end when the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre leaps back on to the Benedum Center stage later this month.

Shure helps Tony Awards welcome back Broadway with unparalleled wireless audio technology

LightSoundJournal.com: Shure was proud to support the 74th Annual Tony Awards® and thrilled to welcome the theatre community home after a year without Broadway. Broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+, this year’s Tony Awards, hosted by Audra McDonald and Leslie Odom Jr., achieved cutting-edge audio for the entire ceremony and subsequent “Broadway’s Back!” event.

Quantum’s Chimerica finds its performance space at East Liberty’s The Maverick Hotel.

onStage Pittsburgh: Directed by Quantum Theatre’s Founding Artistic Director Karla Boos and featuring Art Direction by Susan Tsu, the original 2020 cast and crew finally join for this examination of capitalism and culture, journalism, and censorship, which takes a point of departure from the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, 1989.

MLA Conquers The Notorious Hill at Historic Leeds Castle Concert

LightSoundJournal.com: Organisers of the annual Leeds Castle Concert, worked tirelessly to reschedule this year’s event, featuring the world-famous Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, following the easing of restrictions—staging it later than normal, on September 4th.

Single channel RTA targets to improve your mixes

www.sounddesignlive.com: How good is your live stream mix? What does it sound like on the audience end? How do you quantify that? Loudness metrics are helpful. I discovered YouLean meter like a lot of other sound engineers who have been doing more broadcast gigs during the pandemic. I monitor the live stream on a mobile device on ear buds to experience what the target audience might be hearing.

Racism Shouldn’t Have to Be My Muse

AMERICAN THEATRE: Even as white America wakes up like never before to the realities of its biased and oppressive institutions, there’s a hugely traumatic aspect of the Black experience that remains largely unseen and undiscussed. The United States has placed its Black citizens in a form of emotional incarceration from which we desperately want to be freed. Black people learn from a young age that our very presence is seen as a threat, and our emotions, when they aren’t completely invisible, can be terrifying to our white counterparts. This conditions us to understand that self-expression is both dangerous and futile, like staring into the sun while asking to not go blind.

Opinion: Is It Time for Performers to Renegotiate the Eight-Show Week?

TheaterMania: Broadway is back — and so are the insane schedules that performers (and crews) must deal with. Many productions have returned to eight-show weeks and announced grueling holiday schedules with 10 shows or more before a night off. Add in rehearsals and put-ins and you've got incredibly intense workweeks. Sacrificing rest and time spent with loved ones is a given, and maintaining these schedules is especially exhausting for more vocally and physically demanding roles.

Review Roundup: DANA H. Opens on Broadway

www.broadwayworld.com: Dana H. tells the harrowing true story of a woman held captive in a series of Florida motels for five months. Told in Dana's own words and reconstructed for the stage by her son, playwright Lucas Hnath, this groundbreaking work shatters the boundaries of the art form and challenges our understanding of good and evil.

How to get your team to work like a Formula One pit crew

www.fastcompany.com: If you’ve ever watched motor racing, you’ve likely been in awe of the pit crew. A team of two dozen individuals changes tires, fills the fuel, and checks the aerodynamics in a well-choreographed series of actions. How well they execute can make the difference between getting the checkered flag and being seconds behind.

IATSE and AMPTP reach tentative agreement

Reel 360 News: With a walk-out looming at 12:01 a.m. Monday, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have reportedly reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining deal.

Mexico's new culture war: decolonizing or rewriting history?

Los Angeles Times: A replica of the Great Temple of the Aztecs, about a third of the size of the original, rose from the floor of the central square of Mexico’s capital this summer like a gargantuan child’s toy, more than 50 feet high, a gleaming form smack in front of the baroque National Palace. At night, the pyramid’s slanting white walls became a video-mapping screen that told a dramatic animated story of the rise and fall of the Mexica, or Aztec Empire — an event that took place 500 years ago, right on this spot in a city on a lake that was once called Tenochtitlan.

What It's Like to Plan Weddings for Celebrities, Billionaires

www.businessinsider.com: I was working in four- or five-star restaurants for years before I started my own wedding-planning company. My husband, Bryan Keck, said it sounded like a terrible idea, but I did it anyway. I started by placing an ad on Craigslist and immediately booked a wedding at a huge estate with 100 people. I still don't know how it happened.

FX Infuses Soundscapes From its Top Series into Interactive Sculptures

Event Marketer: FX Networks is renowned for executing largescale, multisensory activations at tentpole events like San Diego Comic-Con. But amid the pandemic, the brand has been exploring new avenues for in-person engagement that allow for maximum throughput, but minimal crowding. The most recent example is the network’s multi-city Sound FX campaign featuring the installation of interactive sound sculptures in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles in September.

IATSE And AMPTP Reach a Deal, Averting Nationwide Strike

Variety: Negotiators from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees have reached a deal for a new three-year contract, averting a strike that would have shut down film and TV production across the country.

IATSE and AMPTP Close to Deal to Avert Strike as Monday Deadline Looms

www.thewrap.com: With just days to go until the Monday deadline, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are making “very good progress” on a new labor agreement, which would avoid one of the biggest strikes in Hollywood history.

IATSE Strikes Deal: Union Crew May Not Ratify

IndieWire: Saturday evening IATSE claimed victory with a “landmark” tentative agreement with the AMPTP for new three-year contract for its West Coast Film and Television Workers, who were prepared to go on strike in just little over 24 hours. Negotiations still continue over the Area Standards Agreement, governing production in major production hubs like New Mexico, Georgia, and Louisiana.

Hollywood Strike Averted; IATSE Producers Reach Deal On New Film/TV Contract

Deadline: The new three-year contract, which must now be ratified by the union’s members, comes just hours before the deadline – midnight Sunday – imposed by IATSE president Matthew Loeb. The union and the Carol Lombardini-led AMPTP are expected to make the agreement public very shortly.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

Mind Your Language

SoundGirls.org: I’m a big fan of cognitive behavioural therapy. I think everyone should learn about it, whether they’re in need of therapy or not because it explains so much about how we think and how to control our mindset. One of the main insights I have taken away from it is that when we’re tired, stressed out, or even bored our brains revisit the same thoughts and memories that we already think about the most.

Posted by David at 10/15/2021 09:37:00 AM

How Do We Walk the Line Between Plagiarism and Direct Inspiration?

nofilmschool.com: Inspiration is one of those buzzwords in all artistry that I think probably gets overused. Nevertheless, I find myself looking to be inspired day in and day out. What material will spark my creative juices and get me excited to chase down the next spec script? What worlds will I find so enthralling they'll lead me to write a new pilot?

Posted by David at 10/13/2021 09:49:00 AM

Imposter Syndrome Gets a Bad Rap.

SoundGirls.org: We like to blame everything on that voice in our head telling us we’re not good enough. But it hit me the other day that maybe we are so focused on ignoring any negative voices in our head that we are depriving ourselves of progress.

Posted by David at 10/14/2021 09:42:00 AM

Trans 'Hamilton' Actor Claims Discrimination by Production

www.themarysue.com: Suni Reid, a transgender performer on the hit Broadway show Hamilton, has accused the production of discrimination against them for asking for a gender-neutral dressing room. Per the complaint, which was published by The Hill, Suni Reid, who has been apart of the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles Hamilton productions, did not have their contract renewed.

Posted by David at 10/15/2021 09:42:00 AM

The SFX supervisor on 'No Time To Die' breaks down the film's five biggest practical effects

befores & afters: Chris Corbould has worked on 15 James Bond films, and has been the special effects supervisor for nine of them; No Time To Die is his latest. And amongst all that intense practical effects supervision, he has slowly been transitioning into second unit directing, an area he now plans to concentrate on.

Posted by David at 10/15/2021 09:35:00 AM

 

Hollywood Faces Major Strike Monday Unless Deal Is Reached

www.forbes.com: The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) will go on strike Monday unless it strikes a deal with Hollywood producers, the union announced Wednesday, which could shut down most film and television production nationwide as 60,000 crew members and behind-the-scenes workers would walk off the job.

The Dramaturg’s Perspective: A Conversation with Amauta Firmino

The Brooklyn Rail: Dramaturgical labor is so expansive in scope that defining it is a fool’s task. Any definition is sure to miss some aspect of a dramaturg’s varying contributions to a production. The last time you saw a play, did the joke land right? Probably the work of a dramaturg. Were the costumes believable? Probably the work of a dramaturg.

New Musical The Visitor, on Day of Scheduled 1st Preview, Delays Off-Broadway Start

Playbill: The Visitor, a new musical by composer Tom Kitt, librettist Brian Yorkey, and book writer Kwame Kwei-Armah, has pushed back its first preview dates for the second time this month. The Public Theater now intends for the production to start October 16 on the Off-Broadway company's Newman Theater stage, instead of the previously announced October 14. Opening night is still set for November 4.

IATSE Making “Progress” At Bargaining Table To Avert Strike, Deal “Not There Yet”

Deadline: IATSE and the AMPTP are making progress at the bargaining table, but the two sides still have a ways to go to avert a threatened strike on Monday. “We did make progress,” a union source said. “Yesterday was a pretty good day, but we’re not there yet, by any means.”

Trans 'Hamilton' Actor Claims Discrimination by Production

www.themarysue.com: Suni Reid, a transgender performer on the hit Broadway show Hamilton, has accused the production of discrimination against them for asking for a gender-neutral dressing room. Per the complaint, which was published by The Hill, Suni Reid, who has been apart of the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles Hamilton productions, did not have their contract renewed.

Pittsburgh Native Kyle Abraham Shows Hometown Love in a Hometown Show

Pittsburgh Magazine: When Kyle Abraham was preparing his latest work, “An Untitled Love,” he took his dancers on a tour of the Hill District. “Everyone who knows me knows how prideful I am of my Pittsburgh roots,” says the award-winning, New York-based choreographer from Lincoln-Larimer. “This was the first time we did a tour … and it’s something that we’re going to do again when they come back just to give more of the history of the city and having the dancers have much more of a connection to the rich history Pittsburgh has.”

Review: 'Jesus Christ Superstar' in San Francisco an Awkward Resurrection

KQED: We live in Anniversary Hell. Our cultural calendar revolves around the 30th anniversary of this album, the 10th anniversary of that movie, the 17th anniversary of this episode of this one show on this one network, all while new and relevant art continues to be made, and not given prominence, all over the city, constantly, every single day.

Mind Your Language

SoundGirls.org: I’m a big fan of cognitive behavioural therapy. I think everyone should learn about it, whether they’re in need of therapy or not because it explains so much about how we think and how to control our mindset. One of the main insights I have taken away from it is that when we’re tired, stressed out, or even bored our brains revisit the same thoughts and memories that we already think about the most.

Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating Isidro Rodriguez

IATSE: Meet Costume Technician (stitcher, costume construction) and professional dresser, Isidro Rodriguez. He is the Recording Secretary of IATSE Theatrical Wardrobe Local 896 and has been a PROUD member of his Local since 1998.

Live From the Edge at City Theatre

onStage Pittsburgh: City Theatre opened its new season with a raucous, in-your-face company of performers of color that shook the dust off its reopened South Side venue closed during the pandemic year.

The SFX supervisor on 'No Time To Die' breaks down the film's five biggest practical effects

befores & afters: Chris Corbould has worked on 15 James Bond films, and has been the special effects supervisor for nine of them; No Time To Die is his latest. And amongst all that intense practical effects supervision, he has slowly been transitioning into second unit directing, an area he now plans to concentrate on.

A South Side Story: How Joshua Allen’s “The Last Pair of Earlies” Chronicles the Struggles of the Great Migration

Newcity Stage: In the early-to-mid-twentieth century, the Great Migration brought more than a half-million African Americans to Chicago who hoped to escape the brutal oppression and economic depression of the Jim Crow South. While some thrived in some of the most vibrant Black neighborhoods in any American city of the time, others faltered in an over-promised land of inopportunity.

Lynn Nottage, Clint Ramos, and More Call for the End of 10 out of 12s

thebroadwayblog.com: Prominent theater artists are calling for the end of 10 out of 12s, a shorthand that describes the theater workdays during tech, which have traditionally consisted of a 12-hour work day, six days a week, with only a two-hour break each day. Such long workweeks, with only one day off, have made it more difficult for theater artists and technicians who are also parents, those who live farther away from the theater, and others.

Imposter Syndrome Gets a Bad Rap.

SoundGirls.org: We like to blame everything on that voice in our head telling us we’re not good enough. But it hit me the other day that maybe we are so focused on ignoring any negative voices in our head that we are depriving ourselves of progress.

From Pygmies to Puppets: What to Do with Roald Dahl’s Enslaved Oompa-Loompas in Modern Adaptations?

The Theatre Times: But there is a troubling aspect to this story. In the first edition of Charlie (1964), the Oompa-Loompas are black pygmies who Wonka imports from “the deepest and darkest part of the African jungle” and enslaves in his factory. In this latest stage production, the Oompa-Loompas are transformed into “humanettes” (living dolls that are part human, part puppet). Their recent manifestation raises a number of questions. What do the Oompa-Loompas represent? And how should they be portrayed in modern-day adaptations?

North Side’s Moonshot Museum, dedicated to space exploration, unveils final designs

nextpittsburgh.com: It’s one small step for man — and just a few small steps from the Carnegie Science Center — but soon Pittsburgh will be closer to the moon and space travel than ever before.

IATSE Leaders Face Pressure From Members to Deliver in Negotiations

Variety: IATSE leadership got a big win on Oct. 4, when more than 98% of the rank and file voted to authorize a strike. Having riled people up, the leaders now face pressure to deliver the goods. Within days of the vote, members were growing frustrated at the slow pace of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

‘Slave Play’ Back On Track For Los Angeles Production

Deadline: Slave Play will arrive in Los Angeles after all. Playwright Jeremy O. Harris announced last night that his Tony-nominated comedy-drama will remain on the line-up at Center Theatre Group’s Mark Taper Forum in light of commitments made by the venue to expand opportunities there for women, trans and non-binary artists.

Hollywood crews set to strike next week if new contract deal not reached

National | Globalnews.ca: The union representing film and television crews says its 60,000 members will begin a nationwide strike on Monday if it does not reach a deal that satisfies demands for fair and safe working conditions.

Film TV workers union says strike to start next week

PBS NewsHour: The union representing film and television crews says its 60,000 members will begin a nationwide strike on Monday if it does not reach a deal that satisfies demands for fair and safe working conditions.

Former ‘Hamilton’ actor files complaint

Chicago Tribune: A former “Hamilton” cast member filed a federal workplace complaint against the show Wednesday, alleging that the show had retaliated and refused to renew a contract after the actor had requested a gender-neutral dressing room.

The nation’s oldest park ranger is also a singer-songwriter, and now she has a musical

Datebook: As Betty Reid Soskin listened to recordings of herself singing her own compositions, she kept her legs gingerly crossed, her fingers knit tightly together. But as she mouthed along with the lyrics, recorded decades ago, she tilted her face toward the sky and arched her eyebrows, the way singers do when they’re making an offering or blissfully communing with the muses.

Japan’s all new circus team ‘CIRQUEWORK’ debuts in Tokyo this month

Japan Today: If you’ve ever been lucky enough to witness the amazing acts of a Cirque du Soleil stage performance, then I envy you. The entertainment company travels the world, mesmerising audiences in more than 400 cities across 60 countries. With performances of such high stakes, it can be quite the challenge to get your hands on tickets.

AV Stumpfl to exhibit new products at InfoComm

blooloop: AV Stumpfl, Austrian award-winning creator of mobile and installation projection screens, multi-display and show control systems, will be heading to InfoComm 2021, which takes place in Orlando from 27 – 29 October.

Bay Area theater artists who called out discrimination find that as some doors close, others open

Datebook: The first rule of theater is you don’t speak out against theater, but no one has to say that rule out loud. Every ingenue crowding into an audition room, every playwright lobbing a script into the void, every college grad applying for the privilege of an unpaid internship can tell that if you get branded as difficult, there are plenty of others eager to take your place. Speak out loudly enough, and you might never work again.

How Do We Walk the Line Between Plagiarism and Direct Inspiration?

nofilmschool.com: Inspiration is one of those buzzwords in all artistry that I think probably gets overused. Nevertheless, I find myself looking to be inspired day in and day out. What material will spark my creative juices and get me excited to chase down the next spec script? What worlds will I find so enthralling they'll lead me to write a new pilot?

Philly’s Protect the Artist protestors take…

Broad Street Review: If the Walnut Street Theatre (WST) hoped to quell public criticism of its hiring practices and failure to live up to its own Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) statement with Wednesday night’s season opener, Beehive: The 60s Musical, it failed. Let’s get one thing out of the way: this is not a proper review of Larry Gallagher’s condescending, passé 1986 revue, though some discussion of it necessarily figures in.

Delete These Distracting (and Potentially Detrimental) Things From Your Resume

lifehacker.com: While it’s true that your resume should highlight your accomplishments and experience relevant to the job you’re applying for, recruiters usually only spend about 7 seconds looking at resumes, on average. At this stage of the application process, they’re looking for a reason to reject applicants, which is why you don’t want to waste a precious second of their time on unnecessary information. Here’s all the stuff recruiters say you don’t need to include on your CV.

Towards Fairer Contractual Practices for Freelance Dramaturgs: A Conversation Facilitated by Catriona Craig

The Theatre Times: On 21 June 2021, the Dramaturgs Network (a volunteer arts organization by and for dramaturgs working in the United Kingdom) held an online roundtable discussion to mark the launch of the d’n Dramaturgs’ Contract Package, a set of recommended practice documents designed to help dramaturgs and producers create fairer and better-informed employment contracts. The creation of this package was a six-year-long process that drew on the expertise of a wide range of employment and theatre professionals. At the heart of the work is a desire to enhance the visibility of the dramaturg’s work by identifying the many concrete tasks that the role embraces.

Schiff, Padilla and 118 Members of Congress Call for Improved Wages and Working Conditions for Behind-the-Scenes Entertainment Workers

IATSE: Today, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), along with 118 Senators and Members of the House sent a letter to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers urging the association to negotiate collaboratively and in good faith with Hollywood craft workers advocating for improved wages and working conditions on movie and television sets.

Art or censorship? Expo shows just top of famed David statue

Las Vegas Sun Newspaper: One of the most talked about attractions at the world’s fair under way in Dubai is a towering statue made of marble dust that’s raising eyebrows just as the original did more than 500 years ago.

Titmouse Workers Ratify IATSE’s First Animation Agreement in Canada

IATSE: On September 24, animation workers at Titmouse Vancouver made history by voting to ratify the IATSE’s first animation agreement in Canada. Ballots revealed a resounding 96.9% in support of the new agreement. The agreement will cover approximately 200 workers and also marks the first-ever contract for the recently chartered Animation Guild, IATSE Local 938.

How To Create Large-Scale Papier-Mâché Scenery

www.rosco.com: Set against the backdrop of 1920s Appalachia, DARLIN’ CORY is a haunting new musical by Playwright & Novelist Phillip DePoy and Sugarland’s Grammy Award®-winning frontman, Kristian Bush. To create the set for their world premiere of the musical, Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre called upon the skills of Tony Award®-winning Scenic Designer Todd Rosenthal. His design re-created granite mountain passes and Blue-Ridge forests on stage.

New Order of MegaPointes

LightSoundJournal.com: Legendary post-punk electronic rock band New Order played two hugely memorable one-off shows ahead of a London O2 Arena show scheduled for November, which also celebrated the re-opening of full capacity live shows and performances in the UK … in what we all hope will be the start of a new ‘post pandemic’ era of music, creativity, and fun.

Live Nation Venues Among Targets of Florida Officials Over Mandates

www.ticketnews.com: A large number of live entertainment spaces in Florida have found themselves targeted by the Florida Department of Health for potential fines, according to numerous reports. The venues are among hundreds of private entities that state officials say are in violation of the state’s ban on vaccine passports, which was put in place by Republican governor Ron DeSantis.

‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ at 50: What Was the Buzz?

The New York Times: It was the spring of 1970, and Yvonne Elliman, an 18-year-old singer and guitarist from Hawaii, had just finished performing at a London nightclub when a breathless young man rushed the stage. “You’re my Mary Magdalene!” a wide-eyed, 22-year-old Andrew Lloyd Webber announced.

IATSE Demands Respect in AMPTP Contract Talks

Variety: When the industry came together last fall on a hard-fought agreement among multiple unions and the major studios on COVID safety protocols for production, some executives were wary of the precedent set by new limits on working hours.

“There Is No Backup Plan”: Can the Threat of a Strike Make Hollywood Live Up to Its Ideals?

Vanity Fair: Hollywood’s workers are on the edge of their seats, waiting to hear whether they will be going on a picket line. Eight days ago, 98% of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees members who voted chose to authorize a strike if the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers doesn’t offer them a better deal. With 60,000 IATSE members covered by the movie and TV contracts being negotiated—in jobs like makeup artist and set designer, grip and editor—a walkout could cripple the entertainment industry.