Ottawa Fringe Coordinators on Accessibility

Intermission: This year, the Ottawa Fringe Festival has dedicated itself to access and inclusion, as demonstrated by recent strides it has taken in its accessibility accommodation and ancillary programming. The festival emphasizes collaboration and inclusion, and is committed to ensuring that no one in its community is left behind due to a lack of accommodation.

Dough: David Lescot’s play weighs a man’s life in his bank balance

Edinburgh festival 2023 | The Guardian: The award-winning French author, director and composer David Lescot’s play Dough is all about money: how a man makes it, manages it – or fails to – and mostly loses it through his lifetime. The show – programmed at this year’s Edinburgh fringe – examines one person’s relationship with le fric (as “dough” translates in French) as a continuous transaction between themselves and others.

Bebe Neuwirth Will Host the 2023 Actors' Equity Foundation Awards, Honoring Brian Stokes Mitchell, Mary K. Klinger, and More

www.broadwayworld.com: The Actors' Equity Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting the professional theatre community, has announced that Brian Stokes Mitchell and Mary K Klinger have been added to their roster of 2023 award recipients to be celebrated at an event hosted by Bebe Neuwirth. Previously announced recipients include Alex Newell and Bonnie Milligan, both of whom won Tony Awards this past weekend for their work this season.

'It's the Little Show That Could!' Victoria Clark Reacts to Kimberly Akimbo's Best Musical Tony Win

Playbill: At the Tony Awards, after the statues are given to the winners, they are taken to the media room, where they speak to journalists about their prizes. Playbill was able to have some one-on-one time with some of the 2023 Tony winners. We spoke with Victoria Clark after winning the prize for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her work in the title role of the Tony-winning Best Musical Kimberly Akimbo.

The complete list of 2023 Tony Award winners

The Seattle Times: The 76th Tony Awards will be led this year by Ariana DeBose and is the first major awards show to be affected by Hollywood’s ongoing writers’ strike. Despite fears of a possible cancellation, the show is going on, and this year’s Tony nominations are led by the stage adaptation of “Some Like It Hot’’ with 13 nods, followed by musicals “& Juliet,” “Shucked” and “New York, New York,” each with nine nominations.

WGA Thanks Supporters Who Attended 76th Annual Tony Awards

Playbill: Though it has been a tumultuous journey leading up to this year's 76th Annual Tony Awards with the WGA Strike forcing the ceremony to go unscripted, the evening proved to be an important example of solidarity with the arts and entertainment communities, according to the union.

More than 300 GLP spots in linear action at Mayday 2023

LightSoundJournal.com: Now in its 31st year, Mayday has long been one of the really big European techno institutions and at the same time a modern interpretation of the traditional May dance. With the 30th anniversary last year, the time was ripe for a return to the origins of the festival and a complete redesign of the production, in which over 300 spots from GLP played the leading role.

Tony Winner Casey Nicholaw Admits That People Assume Some Like It Hot Is a Revival

Playbill: At the Tony Awards, after the statues are given to the winners, they are taken to the media room, where they speak to journalists about their prizes. Playbill was able to have some one-on-one time with some of the 2023 Tony winners. We spoke with director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw after winning the prize for Best Choreography for the Tony-nominated musical Some Like It Hot.

As reparations for Black Californians gain traction, this S.F. drag show is already paying them

Datebook: Settling in for “Reparations,” Nicki Jizz’s monthly all-Black drag show at the South of Market nightclub Oasis, I wasn’t just tipping; I was paying Black performers what they’re due. At these shows, “tipping is not customary. It is mandatory,” Nicki Jizz, in a wig allegedly made out of 5,000 gold rhinestones, told the crowd on Friday, June 9.

Incredible scenes! Prague stages design spectacular with a giant cat, tiny flats and a 16-legged theatre

Stage | The Guardian: ‘Hello stranger.” This cheery neon greeting, inside one of the pavilions at a former slaughterhouse, welcomes you to the UK exhibit of the Prague Quadrennial. It’s a reminder that, four years after this vast festival of performance design and scenography last took place, a few months before the Covid-19 outbreak, the arts are still beckoning audiences back and adjusting to the pandemic’s impact.

Review Roundup: The 76th Annual Tony Awards

www.broadwayworld.com: Hosted by Ariana DeBose, the 76th Annual Tony Awards featured performances from the casts of nominated best musicals and revivals, including Camelot, Into The Woods, & Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo, New York, New York, Parade, Shucked, Some Like It Hot and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Inside the Tony Awards: No script, but plenty of song, dance, high spirits and history

The Seattle Times: There was plenty of uncertainty in the run-up to this year’s Tony Awards, which at one point seemed unlikely to happen at all because of the ongoing Hollywood writer’s strike.

Tony Awards Recap: Writer-Less, Dance-Filled

Dance Magazine: First things first: It was an extraordinary year for dancing and choreography on Broadway, and last night’s Tony Awards telecast was the beneficiary. Between the swirling expressionist ensemble in which Steven Hoggett cocoons the macabre tale of Sweeney Todd, the leaping, tumbling Jennifer Weber youthquake accompanying the journey of a post-Romeo Juliet in & Juliet, and the consummate artistry of master dancemakers (and past Tony winners) Susan Stroman and Casey Nicholaw, represented this season by New York, New York and Some Like It Hot, the 76th Annual Tony Awards show was going to be bursting with movement no matter what.

Elizabeth Forward Completes Comeback, Wins Big at 2023 Gene Kelly Awards

onStage Pittsburgh: In a dazzling display of talent Saturday night, the big winners at the 2023 Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre were Our Lady of Sacred Heart, Westinghouse Arts Academy, Hampton and the comeback story of the year, Elizabeth Forward. Devastated in February by a fire in the school’s auditorium, EF moved forward with the help of Kelly competitors – particularly Thomas Jefferson High – and other school and community support to win eight Kellys in Budget Level III.

Over 600 Robe moving lights help dazzle at 2023 Eurovision Song Contest

LightSoundJournal.com: Award-winning lighting designer Tim Routledge and a hugely talented team of creatives and technical specialists – working across multiple disciplines – helped deliver a dazzling, slick, streamlined and highly emotional 2023 Eurovision Song contest event at Liverpool Arena in the UK on 13th May.

Gravity® VARI®-ARM series now available

LightSoundJournal.com: Gravity® announces the availability of the new VARI®-ARM series. The versatile product series includes four models (VARI®-ARM M14, VARI®-ARM M38, VARI®-ARM L38 and VARI®-ARM L TV) with different threads and brackets and enables the safe and flexible positioning of different equipment – from cameras and camera monitors to microphones and pop filters to recorders or smartphones. The special feature of the VARI®-ARM: the three joints are locked and released with only one central adjusting screw, making the VARI®-ARM a universal tool for creative applications.

Rorschach Theatre to premiere immersive rock experience

DC Theater Arts: Rorschach Theatre announces the world premiere of an immersive rock experience, Angel Number Nine, adapted by James L. Rogers III and Jenny McConnell Frederick from the novel by James L. Rogers III, directed by Jenny McConnell Frederick.

Life of Brian: John Cleese denies reports he is cutting controversial scene from Monty Python stage show

The Independent: John Cleese has denied that he is cutting a controversial scene from Life of Brian involving a transgender character from his forthcoming stage adaptation. The 83-year-old is currently in the process of adapting the classic Monty Python comedy from 1979 for the stage, with plans to perform it in London next year.

L.J. Playhouse's 'Love All' looks at tennis icon Billie Jean King, who changed the world of sports for women

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Mention the name Billie Jean King, and most Americans — at least those who were around on Sept. 20, 1973 — will remember the “Battle of the Sexes,” when the international tennis champ easily defeated self-proclaimed “chauvinist pig” Bobby Riggs in a televised match watched by more than 90 million people.

Tony Nominee Katy Sullivan Says It's Time For More Disability Representation on Broadway

Playbill: Last year, Katy Sullivan made her Broadway debut as Ani in Cost of Living, a play she's remained with throughout several iterations over the past seven years—including Off-Broadway, in London, and in Los Angeles. With this, she became the first-ever actress who is an amputee to perform on Broadway, and now, she's the first ever Tony-nominated amputee in general

This Year’s Tony Awards Have a Notable Number of Asian Nominees

Playbill: When it comes to Asian American theatrical history, 1988 was a banner year. That was the year of M. Butterfly, where David Henry Hwang was the first Asian playwright to win a Tony Award and BD Wong was the first Asian actor of any gender to win a Tony. (Coincidentally, that was the year the author of this article was born.) So if 1988 was a good year for Asian Americans on Broadway, then 2023 is also shaping up to be momentous. Because this year, there are a notable nine artists of Asian descent nominated for a Tony Award.

Tour world premiere for EW-DX

LightSoundJournal.com: 20 years of Culcha Candela! The band celebrated this anniversary in March 2023 with an extensive tour of Germany. During the shows, Sennheiser EW-DX wireless systems not only help to provide powerful sound, they ensure the witty song lyrics are clearly understood and give the multi-cultural Berlin band exceptional freedom of movement on stage for their high-energy, full-throttle performances.

Tracktion Waveform Pro 12.5

LightSoundJournal.com: Tracktion Corporation announced the launch of Waveform Pro 12.5, a FREE update for all Waveform Pro 12 users. The update brings huge new features including enhanced video support, DJ edit tools, stem separation and a host of workflow and UI improvements. Building on the existing Waveform Free Feature Expansions, the launch of 12.5 adds two brand new packs to the list – ‘Pro Video’ and ‘DJ Mix Tools’.

AES Europe 2023 Delivers Immersive Experience to Sold-Out Audience in Finland

LightSoundJournal.com: The Audio Engineering Society, celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023, maxed out the capacity of the venue for the recent 154th AES International Convention, held at Aalto University, Espoo, Helsinki, Finland, May 13-15. AES Europe 2023 delivered over 140 sessions to near 450 participants, who came from over 30 countries to learn from world-leading audio experts and experience the latest audio technologies and techniques.

‘They don’t know the rules’: actors hit back at theatregoers phoning, drinking and fighting

Theatre | The Guardian: Punch-ups in the stalls. Drunken audience members singing and shouting over songs. Theatregoers filming performances – or just watching something else on their phones instead. These are just some of the examples of bad behaviour recently reported in theatres. What on earth is it like for actors to contend with such unruliness?

Review: Billy Porter Delivers Dynamic Concert, Feels the Hometown Love at Heinz Hall

onstagepittsburgh.com: The sparkling talent and dedicated drive were always there, pushing against walls of denial and prejudice. Then along came some dynamite named Lola, and Billy Porter became the unstoppable force he was always meant to be.

Writers Guild asks members not to attend 2023 Tony Awards

www.broadwaynews.com: On May 27, an email to members of the Writers Guilds of America East and West (collectively referred to as the WGA) asked union members to refrain from attending the 76th annual Tony Awards in person as the nationwide WGA strike continues.

No “Problem” With Hari: A Preview of Hari Kondabolu at the Den Theatre

Newcity Stage: While nearly everyone shut down their lives during the COVID-19 epidemic, comedian Hari Kondabolu found his life was opening new doors he never expected. He and his wife had a surprise pregnancy that turned their lives upside down, and living that adventure inspired him to create his latest one-hour special, “Vacation Baby,” which he regards as his most personal material ever.

Musical Theatre for Dummies

New York Theater: The “For Dummies” book series began thirty years ago by offering step-by-step practical and unintimidating guides to computer programming geared to intimidated novices. The first title, in 1991, was “DOS For Dummies” (as in Disk Operating System.) “Windows for Dummies” has sold some 15 million copies. The series clearly has branched out since then, because now we have “Musical Theatre for Dummies” (John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 395 pages), which is written by Seth Rudetsky.

Announcing the 2023 Dora Mavor Moore Award Nominees -

www.intermissionmagazine.ca: Announced earlier today, the 2023 Dora Award nominations recognize the achievements of more than 140 eligible productions, with a total of 228 nominations across seven divisions. In addition to the nominees for the professional theatre, independent theatre, dance, opera, musical theatre, theatre for young audiences, and touring divisions, the press conference also revealed this year’s recipient of the Province of Ontario’s Pauline McGibbon Award, Samantha McCue.

The Museum Consultant's Calendar Trick

ExhibiTricks: The Museum Exhibit Design Blog: Sometimes when I'm speaking with a new consulting client, our perceptions of the time needed to complete project tasks on-site at their museum are very different. Usually, my contact will express that there is "no way" we will complete all the activities I've proposed to happen at their museum in the time allotted. It doesn't matter whether the time involved is two days or two weeks.

“Every Brilliant Thing” at Kinetic Theater Company

The Pittsburgh Tatler: In the minutes before the show Every Brilliant Thing proper begins, actor Marcus Weiss darts among the audience handing out yellow post-it notes. Mine says “995. Bubble wrap”; my theater-going partner has “2. Water fights.” On the walls around us there are more post-its: “Free parking on Sundays”; “Sand between my toes”; “Fresh cup of coffee”; “Cats watch out the window and chirp at the birds.”

Excerpt: "Shakespeare without a Life" by Margreta de Grazia

Folger Shakespeare Library: Did Shakespeare give much thought to how his works would survive after his death? Margreta de Grazia argues that, judging from his poetry, he did. “Posterity looms large in the Sonnets from their onset,” she writes in Shakespeare without a Life, a new book published in April by Oxford University Press. De Grazia’s account of the development of the “idea” of Shakespeare is based on the 2018 Oxford Wells Shakespeare Lectures. Read the full excerpt below.

Lin-Manuel Miranda says the Tony Awards ‘should not be the be-all-end-all’ of access to this Broadway season

www.broadwaynews.com: On May 19, a crowd of Broadway fans gathered on 46th Street, outside the Richard Rodgers Theatre, for a special “Ham4Ham” mini-concert performance. Lin-Manuel Miranda announced this will be the first in a “Ham4Ham” series slated for this awards season.

Annaleigh Ashford, ‘Into the Woods’ among winners at 2023 Drama League Awards

www.broadwaynews.com: Winners of the 2023 Drama League Awards, celebrating achievement on Broadway and Off, have been announced. The 89th annual awards ceremony was held on May 19 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. Broadway productions from the 2022-2023 season swept in all seven categories.

Very funny 'Exclusion' tells serious story of anti-Asian bias, at Arena Stage

DC Theater Arts: Who gets to tell stories, and for what purpose? Those are the key questions animating Kenneth Lin’s Exclusion, now playing in a world premiere at Arena Stage. Lin’s well-crafted, simultaneously very funny and highly serious, script concerns two related stories. First is the story of pogroms and legislation targeting Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century, which lasted well into the 20th. Second is the story of how that history gets transformed into a commercially successful TV series by today’s entertainment industry.

Onstage in ‘An American Tail,’ a Family’s Jewishness Comes to the Fore

The New York Times: The 1986 animated feature film “An American Tail” begins with a mouse family, the Mousekewitzes, forced to flee their home after men on horseback (and accompanying cats) set fire to their village in Russia in 1885. They travel to the United States, because, Papa sings, “there are no cats in America, and the streets are paved with cheese!”

Tara Nicole Hughes on How The Little Mermaid Brings Dance Under the Sea

Dance Magazine: Bringing Disney’s animated classics to live-action life has taken more than a dusting of pixie dust over the years. The latest adaptation, The Little Mermaid, may be the most extravagant yet: It features a star-studded cast that includes Halle Bailey (Ariel), Daveed Diggs (Sebastian), and Melissa McCarthy (Ursula). But the finished product has been a long time coming. After the pandemic forced a seven-month abandon-ship in the middle of shooting, the film will finally hit theaters on May 26.

The Mixbus Uses A Studer Vista X For Eurovision’s Music Mixes

LightSoundJournal.com: The final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Liverpool, UK, on May 13th and attracted a worldwide television audience of over 160 million people. Throughout the week-long extravaganza, music for all of the televised live shows and rehearsals was mixed on the Mixbus, a music and audio outside broadcast facility that now incorporates an Evertz Studer Vista X console.

1,403 exhibitors ready to turn up the volume at Prolight + Sound Guangzhou

LightSoundJournal.com: Opening this week from 22 – 25 May in Area A of the China Import and Export Fair Complex, the 21st Prolight + Sound Guangzhou (PLSG) is set to cater to market demand for advanced professional AV and entertainment technology. This edition is featuring 1,403 exhibitors, marking a 35% increase from last year, and even surpassing the pre-pandemic exhibitor numbers in 2019. With 13 thematic halls and the Y-channel demonstration area covering 130,000 sqm of exhibition space, the fair will once again serve as a hub for global collaboration and production.

City Theatre honors Tomé Cousin, Tacy Byham With Annual Robert Frankel Awards

onstagepittsburgh.com: Tacy Byham and Tomé Cousin were recipients of City Theatre’s annual Robert M. Frankel Awards today, May 20. The awards, bestowed since 1994, are named for the longtime City board leader and were established “to recognize artists and community members who have provided significant and substantial impact on the organization, field and Pittsburgh.”

New play highlights improbable friendship between boxer Gene Tunney and Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw

Chicago Sun-Times: Chicagoans endlessly parse their city’s best-known features: pizza and hot dogs, crime and weather, the blues and the Cubs. While other significant aspects of Chicago are too often simply ignored. Boxing, for instance. Chicago was a big boxing town. The top three heavyweight champions of the 20th century — Jack Johnson, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali — all lived in Chicago.

“Parade” Comes to The White House to Honor Jewish American Heritage Month

The BroadwayBlog: President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed Parade composer Jason Robert Brown and stars Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond to a White House event celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month, where they performed songs from the musical currently playing on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th Street).

Lewis Capaldi tours with over 170 GLP flexible hybrid LEDs

LightSoundJournal.com: Having played one of the last concerts before lockdown in March 2020, the Scot was out with a lighting package provided by Neg Earth, and new conceptual stage scenography orchestrated by Cassius Creative. This was constructed largely around GLP lighting solutions, notably a large grid of 102 powerful JDC1 hybrid strobes.

Find music, art, and giant puppet hands at the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival

Pittsburgh City Paper: Every year, it happens, and every year, Pittburghers hope it does not, once again, get rained out. The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival returns with another robust lineup of live music, visual art, family-friendly entertainment, and food, with new expansions, partnerships, and more.

review: Emotionally Charged 'Falsettos' Lands With Post-Pandemic Jolt

onstagepittsburgh.com: For those of us who lived through “The AIDS Crisis,” few things may astonish more than life-sustaining drugs advertised on network television. Yet that’s where we are in 2023. Thousands still die annually from HIV/AIDS related illnesses, while tens of thousands more can thrive with the disease.

“Falsettos” at Front Porch Theatricals

The Pittsburgh Tatler: Meet the five Jews who comprise the central “family” in Falsettos: there’s Marvin (Chad Elder), a man who has left his wife Trina (Jenna Kantor) for a much younger male lover Whizzer (Sal Bucci); Marvin’s therapist Mendel (Justin Borak), who falls in love with Trina after Marvin divorces her, and Marvin and Trina’s young son Jason (Matthew Frontz), who – like his mom – is left grappling with the fact that his “father’s a homo.”

Situation Project and BAD CINDERELLA Partner to Bring Over 2000 Students to Broadway

www.broadwayworld.com: Situation Project, in partnership with the producers of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella and the NYC Department of Education, with generous support from The Ronald and Jo Carole Lauder Foundation and Mr. Robert and Dr. Dana Kraft, hosted matinee performances on April 19th and April 26th for students from under-resourced communities.

For His Tony-Nominated Play, Stephen Adly Guirgis Wanted to Keep It in the Family

Playbill: Actor Stephen McKinley Henderson and playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis begin the telling of the Tony-nominated play Between Riverside and Crazy origin story the same way. Henderson had just had hip surgery and was walking with a cane. Guirgis visited him at his home in Buffalo and Henderson divulged that he was slowing down. It was just a year after Henderson had received his first Tony nomination for the 2010 revival of Fences and he was just in his early 60s, but he wasn’t feeling great and thinking of retiring.

The Sewing Goatherd: My 1897 Valentines Paisley Wrapper

thesewinggoatherd.blogspot.com: Several years ago I found a bolt of fabric, a paisley striped cotton, at Joann’s that just cried out to be turned into a late Victorian wrapper. Every time I was in the store I would stop and admire it. “Take me home” it would say, but I could never quite justify that.

review: Little Lake Theatre Tells the Story of 'Amélie'

onstagepittsburgh.com: Paris, Montmartre, France, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s. As a young girl, Amélie witnesses her mother’s tragic and unexpected death, at which time her father becomes overly protective of her and the memory of his wife. As Amélie matures, she realizes that kindness, the bonds of friendship, and love ultimately make life worth living.

Camp sci-fi parody ‘Khan!!! The Musical’ has landed Off-Broadway at Players Theatre

DC Theater Arts: Now playing a limited world-premiere engagement that opened on May the 4th (be with you) at Off-Broadway’s Players Theatre, Peekskill Productions’ Khan!!! The Musical – a wacky sci-fi parody of the iconic Star Trek media franchise, written by Brent Black (book, music, and lyrics), co-conceived by Alina Morgan (additional materials), and directed by John Lampe – offers a “Trek-tacular” send-up of the popular 1982 film The Wrath of Khan.

How Sabrina Mandell met Mark Jaster and Happenstance Theater began

DC Theater Arts: Chatting with Sabrina Mandell and Mark Jaster is great fun. The pair finish each other’s sentences, almost always with an exclamation point. And when one does go on at length, the other looks on, listens attentively, and nods in agreement. As the third party to this tête-à-tête — nodding, responding enthusiastically, and laughing at the feel-good, self-deprecation — I fell quietly in awe at the love these two have for their art and for each other.

Our 'Naked Mole Rat' is in the running for three Helen Hayes awards!

DC Theater Arts: First off, naked mole rats don’t wear clothes, nor do they play electric guitars. But in Imagination Stage’s winter production of Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience, they did both and more. They played drums, piano, and other instruments while enacting a rousing musical theater adapation of the beloved Mo Willems children’s book about one of their kind who — yazooks! — decides to strike out on his own and wear clothes.

3G Productions Invests in Kinesys

LightSoundJournal.com: The purchase comprises 500kg and 1000kg Kinesys Elevation Liftket motors with Elevation drives, Vector control console, multiple PD-ES Array Power Distros, and all necessary Libra Cell digital load cells, Libra Pro controllers, and networking switches.

Actors Who Mean Business

WIT journal: Most actors balance efforts to find work on stage or screen and refine their professional skills with the challenge of earning a living. In any given year, estimates reveal that between 90% to 98% of actors do not earn money from the practice of their craft. They navigate a maze of side hustles, gig work, temping, and day jobs to support themselves while retaining the flexibility they need to continue on their artistic path.

'Audrey: The New Musical' entertains on a grand scale at Creative Cauldron

DC Theater Arts: Creative Cauldron presents the regional premiere of Audrey: The New Musical, with book, music, and lyrics by Danielle E. Moore, directed by Laura Connors Hull, and with musical direction by Merissa Driscoll. This is the company’s second production in its Bold New Works series, which focuses on uplifting the voices of under-represented artists through the development of works written by women or women-identifying writers.

Pattern Recognition, Reconstructed: The Unlikely Return of Fornés’s ‘Evelyn Brown’

AMERICAN THEATRE: The great American playwright María Irene Fornés loved flea markets, secondhand shops, thrift stores—anywhere she might find a discarded object that for her exuded a simple charm or raw beauty. On occasion, one of these hidden gems inspired her work on a new play, and none more so than the 1909 diary of a small town New Hampshire housekeeper named Evelyn Brown. Fornés came across the diary in a Massachusetts antique shop in the late 1970s and became so fascinated by its matter-of-fact accounts of daily routines—chores completed, visits made or received, news about the locals—that she decided to use portions of the diary as the text for a theatre piece featuring patterned movement, outbursts of music and dance, even breadmaking.

Hollywood CEO Pay 2022 Revealed: Top Executives Compensation

The Hollywood Reporter: “Show me the money,” Cuba Gooding Jr. famously tells Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire. Wall Street has been pressuring Hollywood to do the same, as investors push for streaming profits amid economic headwinds. Key parts of the solution for industry players, from Disney to Amazon Studios, have been cost cuts. But while entertainment companies have been showing the door to thousands of staffers, they have also shown their top executives the money — again.

Could Ed Sheeran’s Copyright Win Change Landscape of Music Lawsuits?

The Hollywood Reporter: When a jury determined “Blurred Lines” borrowed from Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” and Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke were ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages, it not only shook up the music industry but also set off a flurry of other lawsuits that made songwriters more willing to give credit, whether it was due or not.

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Expresses Solidarity With WGA: ‘Actors Are Facing the Same Problem’

www.thewrap.com: As the WGA strike continues and SAG-AFTRA looks to begin its own negotiations with the studios in June, SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland not only expressed solidarity with the WGA, but explained how actors’ problems are similar to those facing writers during a panel on the state of the TV industry.

A Closer Look at the Academy Inclusion Standards for Best Picture

IndieWire: As unfortunate as it is that the reason the Academy’s inclusion standards are back in the news (because of an answer Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss recently gave in an interview that ultimately led into his defense of blackface), it is worth it to take a closer look at them before they officially go into effect this coming film awards season.

IATSE Creates AI Commission to Study Emerging Technology

The Hollywood Reporter: As the technology rapidly develops, crew union IATSE is launching a commission to study the evolution of artificial intelligence and its effect on the Hollywood workforce.

Mushrooms’ Remarkable Properties Can Build a New Era Of Sustainable Design

www.inverse.com: What if I told you that your children might live in houses made of mushrooms? Perhaps you might think I had eaten one mushroom too many. But this is no fairy tale. Mushrooms — or more specifically, the mycelium network of underground roots and fibers that feed up to the sprouted stem and cap of the mushroom fruit — will be a crucial tool for humans as we seek to create better, more sustainable, and more adaptable materials with which to build our futures.

Ed Sheeran, Once Again, Demonstrates How Modern Copyright Is Destroying, Rather Than Helping Musicians

Techdirt: o hear the recording industry tell the story, copyright is the only thing protecting musicians from poverty and despair. Of course, that’s always been a myth. Copyright was designed to benefit the middlemen and gatekeepers, such as the record labels, over the artists themselves. That’s why the labels have a long history of never paying artists.

Coronation Concert showcases best of live events industry

Access All Areas: Suppliers from across the UK live events industry pulled together to showcase its world-leading capabilities at the weekend with the staging of the Coronation Concert on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle.

How Music Supervisor Jennifer Smith Found the Sonic Sound of 'Black Barbie: A Documentary'

nofilmschool.com: Years ago, I saw a fundraising campaign online for the film, Black Barbie. After reading the materials about the project, I was moved by the story and realized how important it is for this subject matter to have a voice. Being a Jewish woman, I can relate to a certain point about dolls and representation, but other voices need to be able to tell their own experiences, so I donated some money for the film.

‘We Shall Not Be Moved,’ Pittsburgh Opera’s Season Finale, A Decided Winner

onstagepittsburgh.com: First things first – try to get tickets to Pittsburgh Opera’s We Shall Not Be Moved while they’re still to be had. The advance sale for the run is looking good, but some of the remaining performances are filling fast, and you want to make sure you catch this one while you can, even though the August Wilson African American Cultural Center’s auditorium has a fairly large seating capacity.

Hayley Kiyoko & Drag Performers Take Stage After Undercover Cops Allegedly Threaten To Shut Down Concert

The Mary Sue: Hayley Kiyoko protested Tennessee’s anti-drag legislation by taking the stage at a Nashville concert with drag performers despite threats of being shut down by undercover cops. Kiyoko is a singer and actor who has long been an activist and icon for the LGBTQ+ community, even earning the nickname “Lesbian Jesus” from some of her fans.

The 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Drama goes to 'English' by Sanaz Toossi

DC Theater Arts: The Pulitzer Prizes and Fellowships – established at NYC’s Columbia University in 1917, under the 1904 will of the Hungarian-born newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer as an incentive to excellence – are awarded by the University on the recommendation of The Pulitzer Prize Board, which meets twice annually. There are 23 categories recognizing journalism, books, drama, and music.

School plays on race and LGBTQ issues are being pressured to shut down

The Washington Post: The crew had built most of the set. Choreographers had blocked out almost all the dances. The students were halfway through rehearsals. Then in late January, musical director Vanessa Allen called an emergency meeting. She told the cast and crew of 21 teens that their show — the musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” — was off. Board members in Ohio’s Cardinal Local Schools disliked some features of “Spelling Bee,” Allen explained, including a song about erections, the appearance of Jesus Christ and the fact that one character has two fathers.

Is a Deal With the DGA the Key To Ending the Writers Strike?

nofilmschool.com: Hollywood’s labor wants a fair wage. As the WGA walks the picket lines outside the major studios, demanding the studio executives meet some kind of labor agreement that protects the livelihood of all writers in Hollywood, the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA are entering negotiations on new contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Announces the Pittsburgh Dance Council 2023-2024 Season

onstagepittsburgh.com: The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has announced the Pittsburgh Dance Council 2023-2024 season, celebrating its 53rd anniversary. The season will feature performances by renowned American contemporary dance companies and emerging international artists at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Byham Theater in Pittsburgh’s world-renowned Cultural District.

Why Not Everyone Can Join the WGA Strike: Different Hollywood Labor Unions Explained

The Mary Sue: With the Writers Guild of America (WGA) labor union implementing a strike as of May 2, 2023, Hollywood labor unions have become a hot topic of discussion. The WGA, which is composed of the WGA East and WGA West labor unions, called for the strike after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for a new contract proved unsatisfactory. The WGA had been negotiating with the AMPTP for weeks over concerns regarding compensation, the loss of residuals from streaming, the rise of mini rooms, and the need to regulate the usage of A.I. in the writing process.

Born of Grief, a Couple’s Off Broadway Incubator Marks 20 Years

The New York Times: In 2002, Jenny and Jon Steingart founded the Off Broadway incubator Ars Nova as a way of honoring Jenny’s brother, Gabriel Wiener, who in 1997 died of a brain aneurysm at the age of 26. Now, as the nonprofit theater is marking its 20th anniversary, the couple is facing another wrenching struggle: Jon has A.L.S., the severe neurological disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Netflix, Amazon Among Top Investors Expanding Spain Entertainment Biz

Variety: With a Spanish series crowned as the first foreign-language blockbuster at the company that has transformed entertainment worldwide, Spain’s expansion — long nurtured by hits such as “The Red Band Society,” “Grand Hotel” and “Locked Up” — well and truly lifted off.

Disney Animation Immersive Experience to Land in Los Angeles

www.thewrap.com: Lighthouse Immersive Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios have announced that Los Angeles will be the next city to premiere Immersive Disney Animation on June 23. The Los Angeles version of Immersive Disney Animation will be housed in Lighthouse ArtSpace Los Angeles – the same venue that was home to the popular Original Immersive Van Gogh – in the iconic former Amoeba Music Building at 6400 Sunset Blvd.

Director Adele Thomas: ‘In theatre, you need a private income just to live’

Opera | The Guardian: Born and raised in Port Talbot, south Wales, Adele Thomas, 41, is an award-winning director noted for her highly physical, pared-back stagings for theatre and opera. Since directing student theatre while at Cambridge University, she has worked across the UK and abroad. Shows include The Oresteia and Thomas Tallis at Shakespeare’s Globe, and Under Milk Wood at the Royal & Derngate theatre in Northampton.

The behind-the-scenes fallout of the Hollywood writers' strike

The Washington Post: The company that rents mortuary props also offers real autopsies, so the Hollywood writers strike won’t faze its owners. But the man who designs exact replica airport sets is not so lucky. Neither are the couple who furnish period pieces with antique typewriters and precisely patinated uniforms. Nor the movie poster printers.

Tony Awards Broadcast Can Proceed After Striking Writers’ Union Agrees

The New York Times: This year’s Tony Awards ceremony, which had been in doubt ever since Hollywood’s screenwriters went on strike earlier this month, will proceed as scheduled in an altered form after the writers’ union said Monday night that it would not picket the show.

Ragamala Dance Company is a mother's gift to her daughters

NPR: Ranee Ramaswamy believes her oldest daughter was put upon the planet to dance. "We all talk about previous births and reincarnation," says Ramaswamy. When it came to her eldest, Aparna Ramaswamy, she had no doubt. "I think she was a dancer in her previous birth, so it was natural to her. From the age of 3 to now, she has never deviated."

As a Student or Emergent Lighting Professional, What Do You Gain by Attending LightFair?

LightFair Blog: As a student or emergent professional, there are bound to be constraints on your time and budget even when it comes to something as valuable as continuing education. Does attending LightFair warrant an investment of both?

2023 Tony Awards Will Not Broadcast as Announced; WGA Strike Waiver Denied

Playbill: This year's Tony Awards just got trickier. Due to a strike from the Writers Guild of America, the 76th Annual Tony Awards will not be able to broadcast live June 11 as originally announced. A two-part ceremony had been planned, with a pre-show of performances streaming live on Pluto, and the main awards ceremony broadcasting live on CBS and streaming live to premium-level Peacock members. It remains unclear how Broadway's top honors will proceed, though further news is expected Monday, May 15.

Moisés Kaufman Plays With Form

AMERICAN THEATRE: The multitalented playwright-director Moisés Kaufman is the artistic director and founder of New York City’s Tectonic Theater Project; he is also a co-founder of Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach. Beyond earning nominations for Drama Desk, Tony, and Emmy awards, he is a winner of an Obie and a Lucille Lortel Award.

NYC on Track to Ban Height and Weight Discrimination, What Does It Mean For Broadway?

Playbill: In New York City, new legislation was passed on May 11: Bill INT 0209, which will prohibit discrimination against individuals for their height and weight. Its effects will reach across numerous industries in New York City. But how will it impact Broadway?

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Actors' Equity Association Membership Ratifies New Unified Touring Agreement with The Broadway League

AFL-CIO: Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

What Killed Hollywood's Golden Age?

collider.com: The Golden Age of Hollywood and its glamour continue to define the film industry a century later. Even after we have ushered in a new, contemporary period of filmmaking, timeless talents like Marilyn Monroe and Humphrey Bogart are still the faces of an ever-changing industry. Between the introduction of technicolor and the grand sets and performances that continue to inspire filmmakers in the 2020s, most of what came out of the Golden Age is unforgettable and remains a prominent point in United States history. Despite its stature, this legendary age of Hollywood wrapped decades ago. What caused the Golden Age of Hollywood to come to an end?

New museum dedicated to preserving Branson’s live music show industry history to open

Entertainment | bransontrilakesnews.com: The Song of Hope Museum will welcome its first guests inside this Thursday, May 6, at 1 p.m. Featuring the world’s largest collection of brochures and rack cards from Branson’s live shows and attractions, the Song of Hope Museum exhibits include pieces of live show history and various artifacts. Some of the items on display include signs, instruments, advertising materials and memorabilia from the stars of Branson.

Designer Foster's wall visions turned into paper fashion for spring

www.palmbeachdailynews.com: Visitors to the Via Mizner area this afternoon might see young people walking around in costumes and dresses made of paper. If you see them, feel free to stop for a chat because they'll be happy to talk about their creations.

Writers Guild of Canada Tells Members to Reject WGA Struck Work

The Hollywood Reporter: The Writers Guild of Canada has told its members to follow Writers Guild of America strike rules and not accept any work under the WGA jurisdiction. “As a fellow guild and member of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds, the Writers Guild of Canada will support the WGA during its strike to the fullest extent possible. The compensation issues raised by WGA writers are the same concerns affecting writers around the world,” the Canadian writers guild said in a statement to its members on Tuesday

A Taylor Swift costume exhibition is coming to New York City

www.timeout.com/newyork: “Taylor Swift: Storyteller,” a career-spanning look at the artistic reinventions of the 12-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist (and proud New Yorker!), will open at The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) on Saturday, May 20, and run through September 4, 2023.

Embed Hardware Into 3D Prints, But Not In The Way You’re Thinking

Hackaday: [Christopher Helmke] is doing fantastic work in DIY systems for handling small hardware like fasteners, and that includes robotic placement of hardware into 3D prints. Usually this means dropping nuts into parts in mid-print so that the hardware is captive, but that’s not really the story here.

review: American Fast at City Theatre

onstagepittsburgh.com: Visually striking from start to finish, the production of American Fast currently holding court at City Theatre introduces us to a character I have not seen previously on the stage. Protagonist Khady is a rarity not just as a star athlete who also is a Muslim woman. She also carries a chip on her shoulder so enormous, it threatens to crush not just her, but any empathy we might feel for her.

Machine Dazzle Lives Up to His Name in the World of Design

Metro Weekly: It’s early on a Saturday morning and Machine Dazzle is pouring tea. “DeTox Tea by Yogi. It’s really delicious,” says the celebrated costume designer, performance artist, and drag queen, as he settles into a comfy spot inside his Brooklyn apartment. Even seated, there’s a sense of bustling energy about Machine, born Matthew Flower in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.

The Writers Guild of America Is on Strike, Here's What You Should Know

Nerdist: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) moved forward with a strike on Tuesday morning after studios rejected the organization’s proposals for better compensation and equity for writers. A record percentage of guild members—97.85%—voted to authorize the strike.

TCG Selects Chicago for 2024 National Conference

AMERICAN THEATRE: Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has announced that its 33rd national conference will be held in Chicago June 20-22, 2024. The conference will be held in association with the League of Chicago Theatres.

Actors' Equity Association Membership Ratifies New Unified Touring Agreement With The Broadway League

www.broadwayworld.com: Actors' Equity Association, the national union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers working in live theatre, and The Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway industry, officially have a new contract governing touring productions, following ratification by vote of Equity membership. The new Touring Agreement will be in effect through September 7, 2026.

Sondheim musical revival stars on complicated, healing roles

Los Angeles Times: The task stumped each of the actors. “I have a ton, but I’d have to really think about it to narrow it down to one,” said Katie Rose Clarke. And Montego Glover asked, “Does ‘all of them’ qualify as an answer?”

Best Workwear Brands for Tradesmen and Women

PTR: Pros know there’s a difference between brands that say they make workwear and those that genuinely make good stuff. So who are the best works brands? We got our team together to take a closer look at the brands we wear when there’s work to be done.

Composer Jeff Cardoni on Scoring 'White House Plumbers'

Variety: Composer Jeff Cardoni found precisely the right sound for “White House Plumbers,” the five-hour miniseries about the Watergate burglars that debuted Monday on HBO: He revisited the 1970s musically, and it’s both effective and ultra-cool.