Vienna Symphonic Library Releases Update Of Mixing & Reverb Application

ProSoundWeb: The Vienna Symphonic Library has announced the release of Vienna MIR Pro 3D, the third generation of the company’s Multi-Impulse Response convolution technology that offers several improvements and new features including 3rd Order Ambisonics, 3D audio support, 3D positioning of instruments and virtual microphones, and 3D graphics.

Broadway Unions Bring Legal Action to Paradise Square Producers, Alleging Unpaid Wages

Playbill: Actors' Equity, representing Broadway actors and stage managers, and United Scenic Artists Local USA 829, representing theatrical designers, have brought legal action against the producers of Paradise Square, citing nearly $350,000 in owed benefit contributions, wages, and payments.

Quantum Theatre takes Anton Chekhov to Hazelwood with The Cherry Orchard

Pittsburgh City Paper: Quantum Theatre delivers a haunting meditation on the pace of change with its take on Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Adapted by Libby Appel, and staged on the former site of a steel mill, the outdoor production focuses on a downwardly mobile, formerly aristocratic family in early 1900s Russia as they prepare to sell their estate, which features the large, titular cherry orchard.

Rabbit hologram acoustically levitated by 256 loudspeakers

www.avinteractive.com: A levitating 3D rabbit hologram that can be deployed near other objects and above bumpy spaces has been created using ultrasound waves from 256 little loudspeakers. The hologram, which also requires a projector and a canvas to be raised above the ground, was developed by scientists at University College London.

Meyer Sound Powers All Stages at 50th Presentation of Denmark’s Roskilde Festival

LightSoundJournal.com: The Roskilde Festival is always staggering in scale, but this year’s event, held over eight days from June 25 through July 2, was the most epic yet, showcasing more than 290 artists in music, art, and activism. Performers took to eight stages spaced throughout the sprawling festival grounds with headliners including Post Malone, Dua Lipa, Tyler, the Creator, The Strokes, Megan Thee Stallion, St. Vincent, and Haim, plus more than 130 diverse supporting acts including Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, H.E.R., Black Pumas, Kacey Musgraves, and CHVRCHES.

4 skills that are essential at every point in your career

www.fastcompany.com: Part of being a young professional is responding to new challenges. To do this, you must rely on different problem-solving abilities. But there are certain soft skills that can help you succeed at just about every step of your career.

Gareth Owen deploys Shure KSM11 on MJ the Musical

TPi: One of Shure’s recently new models, the KSM11, which claims to accurately present artists’ vocals in top tier live and broadcast productions, has recently been selected by leading Sound Designer, Gareth Owen for use in the production of MJ the Musical on Broadway. Owen shares his thoughts on the new model and how he’d utilised them in the show.

TCG Announces RESPOND Grants in Support of Theatres of Color

AMERICAN THEATRE: Theatre Group Communications (TCG), the publisher of American Theatre, has announced 20 recipients of the $10,000 RESPOND grants, part of the THRIVE! Uplifting Theatres of Color program. With $1,635,000 in support from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, TCG is working in partnership with an advisory circle of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) to provide unrestricted funds for Black theatres, Indigenous theatres, and theatres of color (BITOC) based in the U.S. (including tribal nations and U.S. territories).

Supply Chain Issues Are Killing Synth Companies And Making It Impossible To Ship New Designs

Synthtopia: Supply chain issues are killing synth companies and making it impossible for others to manufacture and ship new designs. Boutique synth maker Future Retro – creator of the FR 777, Orb and other synths – has announced that it has shut down, saying “Due to the current state of the world and global parts shortages, we are forced to close our doors.”

Britannia Row supports world’s largest children’s choir concerts

Event Industry News: Britannia Row Productions has provided a full audio package and crew for the Young Voices UK tour, which saw the world’s largest children’s choir visit arenas up and down Britain for multiple, packed-out shows.

Inside the Lucasfilm Archive: Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi Props

StarWars.com: Through the props and costumes of Star Wars, we find a tangible link to connect with the characters from a galaxy far, far away and the stories they inhabit. Inside the Lucasfilm Archive, take a closer look at these artifacts and the stories behind their design.

Cross-Departmental Collaboration: The Pros of a College That Fosters It

www.dancemagazine.com: “Interdisciplinary thinking is the foundation for innovation,” says Alissa Cardone, associate professor of dance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She believes that humans are hardwired for collaboration, and that interdisciplinary projects lead to vital learning: Collaborating helps students create a network beyond the dance world, build complex problem-solving and communication skills, and experiment with new ways of moving.

We Resign.. We, Victory Gardens’ current cohort of…

by isaac gómez | Jul, 2022 | Medium: On June 9th, 2022, the Victory Gardens Playwrights’ Ensemble and Resident Directors sent the following letter via email to the Victory Gardens Board of Directors

Bailes+Light Reflects Spirit of Greenpeace with CHAUVET Professional

LightSoundJournal.com: “Anyone who plants a tree has not lived in vain,” according to an ancient African proverb. The unknown philosopher who shared this insight was not alone. Ever since traditions have been recorded, virtually every culture in every corner of the earth has treasured these “poems written in the sky” as symbols of wisdom, peace, and unity.

Teamsters and IATSE Reaffirm 'Mutual Aid and Assistance Pact'

IATSE: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees have reaffirmed the ‘Mutual Aid and Assistance Pact,’ an agreement established for both unions to work together to achieve shared goals and initiatives.

No Dancing Required: ABT Supernumeraries Take the Stage

Playbill: Full-length ballets, such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Le Corsaire, La Bayadère, and The Nutcracker, are evocative productions involving large casts of dancers, with elaborate costumes, scenery, and lighting. Because of their scope, these works require additional stage personnel: supernumeraries, extras that appear in the background. Supers, as they are called, contribute to the stage picture, providing rich dimension and enlivened presence, key to ballet’s unique form of storytelling.

Pittsburgh native brings red carpet film premiere to Tull Family Theater

Pittsburgh City Paper: Even as Pittsburgh’s film footprint increases, red carpet premieres aren’t exactly common in the area. That didn’t stop Sé Marie. The South Hills native has started to make a name for herself in Hollywood, and yet, for one of her biggest moments, she had to bring it back home.

Scalable Display Technologies collaborates with Norxe

www.avinteractive.com: Scalable Display Technologies has undertaken a technical collaboration with Norxe, a custom designer and manufacturer of projectors for demanding applications.

Pickles and Giggles brings comedy to Picklesburgh

Pittsburgh City Paper: Picklesburgh has become a destination for food fans across the country, featuring pickle-flavored beer and desserts, pickle juice drinking contests, and other ways of celebrating the brined delight. After several years, you would think the event would have covered everything you can do with pickles.

Unions Sue Paradise Square Show for $350,000 in Unpaid Benefits, Wages

The Hollywood Reporter: Actors’ Equity and the union representing theatrical designers are separately taking Broadway musical Paradise Square to court for close to $350,000 total in owed benefit contributions, wages and other fees.

Strand Lighting, LLC Files for Bankruptcy

inside.lighting/news: Theatrical lighting and controls manufacturer, Strand Lighting, has had numerous owners throughout its 100+ year history. In 2006, the company was purchased by Genlyte Group which eventually morphed into the company we know today as Signify. On Monday, Dallas-based Strand Lighting, LLC filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas. But this isn’t a run-of-the-mill manufacturer bankruptcy filing.

New incentives expected to increase film making in Pittsburgh

WPXI: We’ve seen the street closures and closed sets even an occasional movie star sighting. But post-pandemic film making is heating up, and Pennsylvania is one of the stars of the show.

Digging Deep With Native Theatre Icon Muriel Miguel

AMERICAN THEATRE: The last time I had seen Muriel Miguel was in September 2019 in Ottawa. She was sitting on a stage at the Canadian National Arts Center, in their newly opened Indigenous wing, solely dedicated to the production of and presentation of performing arts by Canada’s First Nations. Beside her were playwrights Tomson Highway and Marie Clements; as usual, I was both starstruck and in awe of the vibrancy of First Nations theatre.

A decade of Load Cell Rental

TPi: “If you had told Richard [Young] and I in 2012 that Load Cell Rental would be working for tours across the globe and be one of the biggest dedicated weighing services providers in the music industry, I doubt we would have believed it,” laughed Load Cell Rental’s Colin Luke, reflecting on 10 years of the company providing an invaluable service to the live entertainment industry.

2022 Green Room Awards announced

limelightmagazine.com.au: The Green Room Awards, Melbourne’s annual peer-presented theatre awards, were held last night at Melbourne’s Capitol Theatre. Foregoing traditional categories last year to recognise works produced within the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, the awards returned to traditional categories for this year with nominations covering both 2021 and 2022.

Vectorworks: Bringing the industry together with CAD

TPi: The continuous evolution of the live events market has made the elements of collaboration and flexibility more crucial than ever before. There’s a wide range of creatives involved in the event design process these days, bringing lighting, visual, audio, and other departments together. Chances are, you’re already experiencing this delicate dance of synchronisation between your team and fellow entertainment professionals. How can you best meld together the various departments and talents involved (from near and far) in the live events production process?

Winners of the Shane & Cathryn Brennan Prize for Playwriting announced

limelightmagazine.com.au: Multi-award-winning playwright Mary Anne Butler has won the Stage category of the inaugural Shane & Cathryn Brennan Prize for Playwriting with her play Wittenoom, while John Armstrong has taken out the Theatre For Young Audience category with Ali in Zombieland.

Review Roundup: RICHARD III Opens at Free Shakespeare in the Park - What Did the Critics Think?

www.broadwayworld.com: The Public Theater celebrated opening night of Free Shakespeare in the Park production of RICHARD III at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The shows marks Robert O'Hara's Free Shakespeare in the Park debut and welcomes Danai Gurira back to The Delacorte after 11 years in the title role.

How to Rig Cable Assembly

www.e-rigging.com: Do you have a project around the house that requires suspension or support? Maybe you’ve heard of rigging products like cable, shackles, turnbuckles, and thimbles, but how do they all go together? We made this tutorial to help you understand how to build your first static cable assembly.

PARADISE SQUARE Will Play Final Broadway Performance

www.broadwayworld.com: Barring a dramatic upturn in business, the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Paradise Square will conclude its run with the 3:00 pm matinee on Sunday, July 17 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street). At the time of closing, the production will have played 23 previews and 108 performances.

Philly program uses dance to interest girls of color in coding

Chalkbeat Philadelphia: Women and people of color are under-represented in science, technology, engineering, and math. But there’s an effort afoot in Philadelphia to change that through an unusual mix of dance and coding lessons.

Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s Statement on cullud wattah

Victory Gardens: As a result of the white supremacist capitalist patriarchal values espoused by the Board of Directors at Victory Gardens Theater, I have pulled the production of my show, CULLUD WATTAH, effective immediately. The Board of Directors’ oppressive values were grotesquely displayed through their recent actions, including but not limited to the removal of brilliant, compassionate and radical cultural worker Ken-Matt Martin as Artistic Director; resolute opposition to and dismissal of the arts professionals on staff, Acting Managing Director, Roxanna Conner, and Ken-Matt Martin, as well as acquiring additional property—a capitalist venture that undermines land acknowledgements, offers no path toward indigenous rematriation and strains the institution’s current structural needs.

Solotech fields massive 23 hangs of MLA/Wavefront Precision for Stereophonics

LightSoundJournal.com: When Capital Sound, part of the Solotech UK Group, conceived the original design for Stereophonics’ homecoming concert at the Principality Stadium, for what would have been their ‘We’ll Keep A Welcome’ Christmas show, the idea of 23 Martin Audio PA hangs (covering both an A stage and 40-metre thrust to a B stage) was entirely achievable.

Confetti launches new collection of team building experiences as demand for DE&I in business increases

Event Industry News: With McKinsey & Company reporting that businesses with more diverse teams —whether that’s racially, socio economically or educationally— are 35% more profitable than organizations that are not, tech start-up Confetti, a website for booking virtual corporate development and team building events, has launched a new Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DE&I) collection of 27 distinctive team building experiences, aiming to release 5 new experiences every month.

The Dancer's Toolkit

Dramatics Magazine Online: Think your dancer’s toolkit has what it needs? You already know that dancing requires a high level of movement and physicality. Each audition, rehearsal, or performance is its own workout. You probably don’t need us to tell that being a good dancer requires a lot of gear—arguably more than for the other on-stage theatre disciplines.

1Hood teams up with Pittsburgh Playhouse for night of music

Pittsburgh City Paper: 1Hood combines music and activism to a one-of-a-kind effect here in the city. The Pittsburgh nonprofit's work in the community has resulted in many programs and performances, making them the recipients of awards and grants.

The Troubled State of Performing Arts in Hong Kong

The Theatre Times: Hong Kong’s branding campaign as “Asia’s World City” sings the praises of its liveability, connectivity, entrepreneurialism and more. But only the sunniest observers of the city’s tumultuous politics and crippling pandemic-related isolation wouldn’t hedge that optimism with some serious questions about the future. Prosperity, security and international influence are all rooted in the powerful trifecta of political values, culture and foreign policy that is soft power, or a country’s ability to engage with global audiences.

Actors' Equity Association Releases Statement in Support of Victory Gardens Theater Workers

www.broadwayworld.com: Actors' Equity Association has issued a statement in response to recent events at Victory Gardens Theater. It was recently reported that the Victory Gardens board of directors informed the staff that the current artistic director, Ken-Matt Martin, had been placed on leave and that the final candidate for the open position of executive director, Marissa Lynn Ford, had withdrawn.

Theatre Communications Group Announces RESPOND Grant Recipients

Playbill: Theatre Communications Group has announced the recipients for its RESPOND grants, which will each receive $10,000 of immediate support as part of the THRIVE! Uplifting Theatres of Color program.

Adam Immerwahr, Laura Lee to Lead Village Theatre

AMERICAN THEATRE: Village Theatre, a company dedicated to producing musical theatre, has announced an artistic turnover, indeed a new model for the theatre, from a single to a dual leadership, with Adam Immerwahr, formerly of Washington, D.C.’s Theater J, as its next artistic director, and Laura Lee, formerly of Seattle’s ArtsWest, as the company’s first managing director.

Review: ‘Pages of Time’ at Liberty Magic

onStage Pittsburgh: The adversities of our current historical moment serve as a magnified reminder of the struggles for equal rights, gender equality, and simply being able to express individuality safely. These sentiments make Paige Thompson‘s residency at Liberty Magic, running from July 6th through July 31st, all the more significant and even triumphant.

Peter Brook: Seeker, Philosopher, Bridge Builder

AMERICAN THEATRE: It is impossible to summarize the life and career of Peter Brook. He was 97 years old when he passed away on July 2, and for over 75 of those years he was working at the very height of the profession. His productions of Marat/Sade, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Mahabharata are the stuff of legend. His books The Empty Space, The Open Door, and Between Two Silences are seminal texts for actors and directors.

Victory Gardens Theater cancels remaining performances of ‘cullud wattah’ amid company upheaval

Chicago Sun-Times: Victory Gardens Theater, currently amid a week of tremendous upheaval, announced on Friday the cancellation of all remaining performances of Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s critically acclaimed production of “cullud wattah,” effective immediately, following the playwright’s decision to pull the play from production.

The Sun Sets on Southern Rep

AMERICAN THEATRE: Southern Rep Theatre announced its plans to close in a statement released by the board of directors on Wednesday, July 6. After a tumultuous few years, the theatre had struggled to keep up with expenses while meeting the needs of its community and audiences.

Objectified, derided, demeaned: sexism is still rampant on stage in the era of #MeToo

Theatre | The Guardian: If the theatre industry were to carry out an internal audit of what has been achieved since the #MeToo watershed of 2017-18, how would it fare? There were certainly great signs heralding a new epoch in the direct aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein case. Equity launched Safe Spaces, a campaign to reduce harassment in the workplace that is still active; artistic directors programmed new work addressing the issues head-on; and female practitioners became more visible.

Detroit Public Theatre Launches Residency Program

AMERICAN THEATRE: Detroit Public Theatre (DPT) will be launching their first residency and partnership program, Third Avenue Garage (TAG), as part of its 2022-23 season in its new home at the Third Avenue Garage at 3960 Third Avenue.

Light and Magic Trailer: ILM Documentary Hits Disney+ July 27

gizmodo.com: The trailer that follows will be the most epic, star-studded thing you see today. I don’t care if Marvel announces Avengers 5 and dead characters come back from the grave, cross over with Star Wars, and they all fight the DC Universe. This trailer has it beat.

The Awe-Inspiring and Vibrant World of Cirque du Soleil’s "CRYSTAL": Circus On and Above Ice

The Theatre Times: An incredible spectacle, Cirque du Soleil’s CRYSTAL is an artistic feat, blending circus arts with various forms of skating, united with a brilliantly inventive and captivating lighting, sound, set, and costume design. The creative direction by Stefan Miljevic was impeccable, as the unification of all of the creative and technical elements was seamless and completely effective in evoking a vibrant and deeply imaginative world.

Live Nation Expands in Asia-Pacific With TERO Acquisition

www.ticketnews.com: Live Nation continued its long campaign of growth through international expansion, announcing its strategic acquisition of the Concerts and Entertainment division of TERO (TERO C&E) in Thailand. The deal builds upon a joint venture between TERO and Live Nation that was launched in 2015 with the birth of Live Nation Tero.

Lewis Black sues Pandora for $10 million over copyright infringement

The Verge: Comedian Lewis Black filed suit against SiriusXM-owned audio streamer Pandora on Thursday, arguing that the company ran recordings of his performances without obtaining the copyright to his written work. It is the latest escalation in the messy fight between comedians, streamers, and the performing rights organizations that have recently stepped in to standardize spoken-word copyright in the digital age.

EU Parliament Passes Digital Services Act, Adding Ticket Regulations

www.ticketnews.com: The European Parliament has voted to approve the Digital Services Act (DSA), to better deal with online harms. New regulations tied to the legislation will include several measures related to the sale and resale of tickets online in the EU, including verification of professional sellers, requirements for annual reporting, and measures that some believe will help make ticket buying clearer and safer for consumers.

Review: Kinky Boots at the Pittsburgh CLO

Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents: Last night my musical loving friend, Sarah P, and I went to see Kinky Boots as part of the Pittsburgh CLO summer series. Kinky Boots will be in Pittsburgh from July 5 through July 10, 2022. Sarah P saw Kinky Boots with Billy Porter, which would have been an awesome experience. However, I do not want to take away from this version at all.

Diane Paulus and Jeffrey L. Page Discuss Reckoning With American History in Broadway-Bound 1776

www.broadwayworld.com: They knew they would make history, but not what history would make of them. Fed up with living under the tyranny of British rule, John Adams attempts to persuade his fellow members of the Continental Congress to vote in favor of American Independence and sign the Declaration.

Evoke Studios visuals at the centre of Ed Sheeran's in-the-round live experience

LightSoundJournal.com: Global music megastar Ed Sheeran returned to stadiums in 2022 with the Mathematics Tour; an all-new, in-the-round live experience featuring a Mark Cunniffe production design that included a colossal halo screen and six huge LED guitar picks flown around a revolving central stage.

A Dramatic Mosaic Ceiling Created With Rosco Color Filters

Rosco Spectrum: Elisabeth Brockmann is a Düsseldorf artist renowned for changing the appearance of prominent buildings through artistic light installations. For her recent project, “Drama, Space and Light” at the Baukunstarchiv NRW, she used hundreds of Rosco Supergel Color Filters and numerous mirrors to transform the museum’s empty central atrium into an immersive interplay of color, reflection, and movement.

A Little Roadies of Color United Association Backstory "Roadies of Color United Working to Backstage Diversity"

Roadies Of Color United: Around 2009, longtime friends and touring buddies Lance “KC” Jackson and Bill Reeves noticed in the live event trade magazines (including this one and PLSN) that the stories seemed to always be on the same group of people, pretty much all of the same sex and ethnicity. “If an alien came down and only looked at these two magazines, they’d think no Black people participated in this industry,” Reeves says bluntly.

Missouri Botanical Garden digs into sounds made by plants and wood

Arts and theater | stltoday.com: Remember that scene in “Titanic” where Kate Winslet, floating on a door in the North Atlantic, turns her head and her frozen hair crackles? That was the sound of frozen lettuce in a recording studio.

Is a certified rigger a qualified rigger?

The Hook: Even though OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC- Crane & Derrick Standard for Construction went into effect November 10, 2010, it still continues to prompt individuals to debate whether a certified rigger is considered a qualified rigger. In this article I have included my personal opinions along with wording and facts from the standard itself.

Three Carnegie Mellon Alumni Win Six 2022 Tony Awards

www.cmu.edu/news: On the hallowed stage of Radio City Music Hall, the Tony Awards just delivered one of the most robust productions of its 75-year history. The four-hour celebration of Broadway's finest kicked off with an exclusive Paramount+ stream and transitioned to a national/international telecast on CBS.

Victory Gardens Theater's Resident Artists Resign Citing Grievances With the Chicago Theatre's Board of Directors

Playbill: The entire cohort of resident artists at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater has resigned citing grievances against its board of directors, specifically involving recent staffing and financial decisions and the theatre's commitment to diversity and inclusion.

A powerful and moving 'Music Man' comes to Olney Theatre Center

DC Theater Arts: The Music Man, Meredith Willson’s classic 1957 musical, was never just about Harold Hill, the con man who sets out to convince the citizens of River City, Iowa, that what they need, more than anything, is a boys’ band, complete with pricey instruments, uniforms, and instruction books.

metaLAB’s futureSTAGE: Sentient AI and the Arts

The Theatre Times: Embodying a portfolio of projects, metaLAB (at) Harvard is a think tank spotlighting the networked arts and humanities. Set at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, the idea foundry is keen on discourse, inventiveness, theorization, speculation, and hands-on projects blending customary methods of inquiry with hacking, art-making, and original research. . One of the blueprints set forth is its celebrated futureStage manifesto—a set of conventions created by a group of 40 thought leaders in the performing arts.

Pittsburgh CLO’s ‘Kinky Boots’ Provides a Spirit Booster for Summer

onStage Pittsburgh: Spirit-lifting entertainment is always in too-short supply, but just now, it’s a necessity. Enter Kinky Boots, striding onstage at the Benedum Center to raise you up and lend a helping hand.

Interview: Julia Lester on Being the Last Little Red Stephen Sondheim Sent Into the Woods

TheaterMania: When Stephen Sondheim chose Julia Lester for the two-week Encores! run of Into The Woods, he didn't know he was both handpicking his last Little Red, and poising the then 21-year-old to make the most auspicious Broadway debut a young actor could dream of.

How to get the most out of the 'Bridgerton Experience' in San Francisco

Datebook: When Netflix’s “Bridgerton” premiered on Christmas Day 2020, its lavish costumes and sets were the only escape or treat that many isolated, homebound viewers around the world got to enjoy.

Roadies of Color United Honored on 2021 Pollstar Impact 50 List

Roadies Of Color United: Each year, Pollstar compiles a list of executives who impact the live entertainment industry. As they state in their current publication, “Compiled by the Pollstar editorial team with input from the industry, the list represents individuals who embodied such attributes as creativity, innovation, strategic management, financial success, leadership, artist development and career longevity, vision, fan engagement, consistency and commitment to excellence.”

Peter Brook didn't just revolutionize theater. He challenged theater critics to be better

Datebook: If you were new to seeing Peter Brook’s work, as I was, when his “Battlefield” arrived at American Conservatory Theater in 2017, you had to completely recalibrate your expectations of what stage acting looks like and how it relates to its audience.

Broadway’s box office holds steady as ‘Into the Woods’ begins previews

Broadway News: Broadway’s box office held steady during a holiday week – and for many, the first week of summer vacation – as “Into the Woods” began previews. For the week ending July 3, Broadway grossed $29,926,106, down less than 3% from the previous week. The 28 productions played to nearly 87% capacity, nearly holding steady from last week at a less than .5% decrease.

Somerville Theatre – Somerville, MA

After the Final Curtain: The 1,100 seat Somerville Theatre originally opened on May 11, 1914 in Somerville, Massachusetts. It was designed by the architecture firm of Funk and Wilcox, who also designed the Strand and Franklin Park Theatres. It was part of the Hobbs Building, which also had a bowling alley, a billiards hall, a basement cafe, and a 700-person dance hall, the Hobbs Crystal Ballroom.

What all these Netflix-inspired immersive experiences mean for S.F. theater

Datebook: Practically overnight, immersive theater in the Bay Area has a major new player in Netflix. With the June launch of “Stranger Things: The Experience” and this week’s opening of “The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience,” the streaming giant has built two walk-through worlds in San Francisco, each inspired by a hit TV series.

Get a 1st Look at the New Broadway-Bound Musical A Beautiful Noise

Playbill: Following several show cancellations due to positive COVID-19 cases in the company, the Broadway-bound musical A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical at Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre will resume preview performances July 7, with an opening night still set for July 10.

Sisters On Tour: Yamaha RIVAGE PM5 Joins The Dolly Dots

LightSoundJournal.com: From September 2021 through to the end of 2022, Dutch girl band the Dolly Dots is saying a final farewell to its loyal fanbase, performing an array of hits and bringing back memories of their 1980s heyday to enthusiastic, sold-out audiences throughout the Netherlands. A Yamaha RIVAGE PM5 digital mixing system is helping them to roll back the years.

Alan Stanford fired as head of PICT Classic Theatre

onStage Pittsburgh: In a press release, the PICT board of directors announced that the board “determined that it was necessary to make a change in the organization’s leadership and voted to remove Alan Stanford as the Artistic and Executive Director at PICT. Eileen Clancy, Co-President of the theatre’s Board of Directors, will also serve as PICT’s Acting Executive Director until further notice. The Board did not name an Acting Artistic Director.”

Adam Jacobs, Celinde Schoenmaker & More Broadway and West End Stars to Perform at Gala Honoring Alan Menken

www.broadwayworld.com: Stars from Broadway and West End will pay tribute to 8-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken on September 23rd with a concert and on September 24th with a concert and award ceremony where the acclaimed composer and songwriter will be honored with the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award by the city of Vienna.

Vari-Lite announces large scale IP-rated luminaire that is lightest in its class

LightSoundJournal.com: Vari-Lite, the originators of the modern moving head and a Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) entertainment lighting brand, today announced the VL3600 PROFILE IP, a large-scale, high output production profile fixture with an IP65 rating.

Best Hans Zimmer Scores, Ranked

The Mary Sue: As Tumblr user nichtwing said, in one of the best text posts I’ve ever come across in my years-long career on that beloved blue hellsite, “u know when u watch a movie and afterward you’re like ‘god the score was so fucken good who composed it’ and the answer is hans zimmer every time.” It’s a universal experience, I think—because Hans Zimmer is just that incredible.

BroadwayCon returns live to NYC July 8-10

DC Theater Arts: Featuring 135 sessions over a full three days, the popular theater convention BroadwayCon, after a two-year pandemic hiatus, is back live in NYC this summer, running from July 8-10, at Manhattan Center and the New Yorker Hotel. With more than 130 hours of programming, panels, performances, workshops, autograph and photograph opportunities, and other events, there is something for every Broadway aficionado to love.

TiMax SoundHub spatial audio engine at the core of Queen’s Jubilee Party sound design

TPi: Sound designer Ben Milton, of Ben Milton Associates, instinctively knew TiMax SoundHub would be at the core of his complex sound design for the televised Queen’s Platinum Jubilee event, staged around the Queen Victoria Monument directly outside Buckingham Palace, with two end-on stages, North and South radiating outwards from the palace railings, a smaller Palace stage positioned between them in the palace forecourt, plus the main central QVM stage at the front of the Victoria Monument.

8 Ways to Score Cheaper Theater Tickets in New York

TheaterMania: Like many a New Yorkers, I love to see as many shows as possible each season. But with inflation, the cost of living in NYC, and Broadway ticket prices, it can be hard to justify the price tag of seeing one show, let alone dozens. But, with a lot of sleuthing, dedication, and this handy guide, good deals can be found!

Kat Borderud’s music-driven Turnstile design draws on CHAUVET Professional and Squeek Lights

TPi: Being well versed in music definitely helps in the lighting design process. Some might even say it’s absolutely essential to driving a show that moves fans on multiple levels. The power of this musicality is amped up even further when a designer is able to exchange ideas on a song- by-song basis with the lead singer of a red hot band.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Awards $2.1 Million to National Social Service Providers

Playbill: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has awarded $2,135,000 to 262 social service providers throughout the United States. This is the third and final round of grants for the fiscal year, which brings BCEFA's 2022 National Grants Program to $5,712,500 for 435 social service organizations.

CPL supplies LED screens for 2022 Hay Festival

TPi: CPL (Central Presentations Ltd) supplied LED screens and all associated processing and vision control for two major stages – The Baillie Gifford Stage and Friends Stage – at the 2022 Hay Festival of Literature & Arts. The acclaimed, high profile and ever-vibrant annual literature and “leading festival of ideas” was staged in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, returning for the first time as an in-person event since 2019.

When Paying Dues Doesn’t Pay the Rent, How Does the Theater Survive?

The New York Times: A woman who has been working for about 16 years in a costume shop at a midsize theater in a midsize city in the Midwest agreed to discuss her job. A typical 40-hour week finds her cutting, draping, patterning, tailoring, altering, stitching, dyeing, distressing, repairing and “whatever else comes up.” The pay is $18.64 an hour, but only during the theater’s nine-month season.

San Diego County to convene arts and culture commission

The San Diego Union-Tribune: For the first time in nearly 30 years, San Diego County will form an arts and culture commission to manage funding and support arts activities in the region. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved the new commission through its consent calendar last week, directing staff to begin organizing the 13-member body.

Peter Brook’s legacy is everywhere in today’s theatre

Peter Brook | The Guardian: Never meet your heroes, the saying goes. When I first encountered Peter Brook, in 2010, he was not so much hero as legend: guru, shaman, magus, maestro. He was frail – tiny, too, shuffling into the theatre in enormous, thick-soled white shoes. But the moment he trained his famous ice-water-blue gaze on you, it was clear his mind was made of steel.

We take a break at Madrid's Amor de Dios flamenco center

NPR: The pandemic placed competitive flamenco dancing on pause in Madrid. And for the dancers at the legendary Amor de Dios flamenco center, a return to in-person events means a return to the stage.

Italian power voice Gianna Nannini on tour through Germany with RCF

LightSoundJournal.com: Gianna Nannini, the female Italian rock voice par excellence, finally played some concerts in Germany on her European Tour 2022. At a total of ten concerts in halls and open airs, the German tour organised by Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion, the premium line array system HDL 50-A 4K, was the PA system of choice to convey Gianna Nannini’s power to the audience appropriately.

A Producer’s Tarot Reading

SoundGirls.org: I consider myself an exceptionally slow producer. I’ve been working on this one original song since January, and I’ve made four other versions of this song in the past three years that I didn’t like. Typically when I sit down to work on the song, I start to pick at a certain aspect of the track (recently I’ve been mulling over the specific bass sound) and I sit with it for the day and try to get it to a place I’m happy with. I wouldn’t wish this method upon my worst enemy because it gets me stuck in the process and makes it difficult to move forward with the next steps.

Pa. Senate approves bill restricting fireworks

Pittsburgh City Paper: Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate approved legislation on Thursday proposing reform to the state’s existing fireworks law, including restrictions on when they can be set off.

The New Hazlett Theater Announces its 10th Season of Community Supported Art (CSA)

onStage Pittsburgh: Running from October 2022 to April 2023, Season 10 offers a broad range of performances, including several original plays, a hip-hop performance, a multidisciplinary concert, and a movement-based work.

Nearly 100 JDC Lines provide powerful white lights for White Lies at Eventim Apollo

LightSoundJournal.com: When London-based post-punk revival band White Lies played the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith – a stone’s throw from where they formed back in 2007 – the landmark show, part of their pan-European tour, highlighted an expansive stage production populated by 94 of GLP’s JDC Line 1000 hybrid strobes. This is the largest complement of these fixtures so far deployed on a single show in the UK.

Do You Know Who Designed the Lincoln Memorial Statue? A New Documentary About an Often Forgotten Sculptor Aims to Fix That

Artnet News: You may not know the name Daniel Chester French, but you absolutely know his work. The American Renaissance sculptor designed Abraham Lincoln, the larger-than-life seated statue at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., as well as other monuments across the U.S.

‘The greatest director the world has ever seen’ – actors salute Peter Brook

Peter Brook | The Guardian: I’ve never seen a director discard so many brilliant ideas because they didn’t quite fit what he wanted the audience to feel. Peter was always paring things down to their simplest, most honest form. He was softly spoken, very gentle, incredibly astute. His powers of observation were the best I’ve known.

A 3D Printer Big Enough To Print A Kayak

Hackaday: When one of your design goals for a 3D printer is “fits through standard doors,” you know you’re going to be able to print some pretty big stuff. And given that the TAUT ONE printer by [Nathan Brüchner] could easily be mistaken for a phone booth, we’d say it’ll be turning out some interesting prints.

The ten best "Made in USA" tools tested by Project Farm

Boing Boing: To celebrate the 4th of July, Todd at Project Farm runs through the ten best tools he's ever tested on his channel that were manufactured in the USA. He covers the best locking pliers, knife sharpener, rounded nut extractor, torque wrench, adjustable wrench, lineman's pliers, knife, burr bit set, ceramic spray coating, and automotive plastic trim restoration.

‘Friends’ Creator Marta Kauffman Donates Money to Brandeis University

IndieWire: The One With a Charity Pledge: “Friends” co-creator Marta Kauffman announced a $4 million donation to her alma mater Brandeis University to establish a fund to support scholars studying Africa and the African diaspora.

Lumber Prices Jump 7% As Mortgage Rates Fall for First Time in 4 Weeks

markets.businessinsider.com: Lumber prices surged more than 7% on Thursday to $638 per thousand board feet, representing the biggest daily gain for the essential building commodity in months.

Pittsburgh theater company accused of canceling show over alleged "sexual misconduct"

Pittsburgh City Paper: The American theater scene is ready to get rid of its “monsters.” That’s the sense given by an extensive, indicting New York Times article written by the publication’s chief theater critic Jesse Green. In “Is It Finally Twilight for the Theater’s Sacred Monsters?,” published on June 8, Green takes down the revered giants of theater, all men, all with histories of being mentally, physically, and sexually abusive toward young talent, particularly women.

'SportsCenter' shifts to annex while main studio gets updates

NewscastStudio: Connecticut-based editions of “SportsCenter” on ESPN and ESPN2 typically originate from Studio X inside of Digital Center 2 in Bristol, with the studio custom-built for the program.

Fireworks Shortage, Wildfire Risk Impacting July 4th

www.businessinsider.com: The 4th of July will be noticeably quieter in many cities and towns across the country this year. That's because fireworks — and the local workers who make fireworks shows happen — are in short supply due to a combination of supply-chain lags and pandemic-related job changes.