Columbus fashion designer skates into the national spotlight by creating costume for defending champion

10tv.com: When Austin Tootle was asked to design a costume for 16-year-old U.S. national skating champion Isabeau Levito, he was stunned. “I mean, she's number one in the USA to go to the Olympics. So, if it does, well, then I could be a figure skater designer to an Olympic designer,’ he said.

DeWalt PowerShift Electrified Equipment Battery System

Pro Tool Reviews: The breaking news from our friends at Stanley Black and Decker is the DeWalt PowerShift battery system—a new battery platform designed to expand cordless and gas-free jobsite applications.

Beefed-up Biscuit Joints

Fine Homebuilding: Over the last few months I have had the chance to work with the Lamello Zeta P2 and two of its compatible connectors, the Tenso and the Clamex. Let’s start by saying that this is not an ordinary biscuit joiner and these connectors are not your typical biscuits.

Was The NO AI FRAUD Act Written By A Fraudulent AI? Because Whoever Wrote It Is Hallucinating

Techdirt: A couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar’s and Rep. Madeleine Dean’s proposed NO AI FRAUD Act, which purports to “protect Americans’ individual right to their likeness and voice against AI-generated fakes and forgeries.”

Getting It Done: Anatomy Of A Small Corporate Event

ProSoundWeb: The "nuts and bolts" of getting it done efficiently and professionally – there wasn't a famous celebrity involved, and it wasn't what anyone would call "sexy," but it still called for application of some specialized knowledge.

Top skills you need to get hired in 2024

www.fastcompany.com: The working world is changing at a rapid pace, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies, changing business needs, a shift in consumer behavior, and a volatile economic landscape.

Discover the Secrets Behind the Iconic Looks from "Mean Girls"

www.buzzfeed.com: This newer movie musical version has a fresh feel while still paying homage to the original film that came out over 20 years ago. The movie's costume designer, Tom Broecker, and his team are responsible for the movie's fits. We spoke to Tom about all things Mean Girls and behind-the-scenes costume details — including how he snuck in little Easter eggs, modernized some of the original film's iconic looks, his favorite look, and more.

Chauvet Professional Explores New Worlds at CUE Rotterdam

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: Chauvet Professional and ChamSys continue to "Reach Across Worlds" in 2024, with a CUE Rotterdam exhibit that defies so-called "realistic" expectations to push theatre, event and touring design to new, unexpected places.

“Wendover Will” Sign Refurbished

Sign Builder Illustrated, The How-To Sign Industry Magazine: YESCO, the 104-year-old company known for creating, repairing, and maintaining internationally recognizable signs, announces it has completely refurbished the iconic “Wendover Will” neon cowboy sign with LED technology.

Drone spacecraft spotted at Samsung Galaxy AI launch

www.avinteractive.com: A huge spaceship hovered over the River Thames in London last week as 552 drones carried out an aerial display to promote the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series. The phone series launch also marks the arrival of advanced mobile Galaxy AI technology.

RAW Taiko guides its diasporic audience home

Intermission: In a new work titled h o m e, the Raging Asian Womxn Taiko Drummers (RAW Taiko) wrapped up 2023 with the collective’s fourth theatre production, celebrating their 25-year journey of drumming to challenge systemic and internalized oppressions in Toronto and beyond.

“Mean Girls” Costume Designer Tom Broecker on Dressing the Plastics as Gen Z

The Credits: The movie based on the musical based on the 2004 movie Mean Girls is here, with Angourie Rice taking Lindsey Lohan’s place as Cady, the homeschooled teenager plunged into the catty horror of American public high school social politics. Written by Tina Fey and directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., in this musical Gen Z update, everyone has smartphones now, but the movie stays true to the original’s most beloved beats.

Killers of the Flower Moon & Oppenheimer Backlash: Blame Gatekeepers

The Hollywood Reporter: There are many examples of acclaimed movies about Indigenous people or war involving Asian countries that center white characters: Dances With Wolves. Full Metal Jacket. The Last of the Mohicans. Apocalypse Now. Among the exceedingly few Hollywood titles to depart from this trend were Apocalypto and Letters From Iwo Jima, which both competed at the 2007 Oscars and were directed by Mel Gibson and Clint Eastwood, respectively.

Six New International General Executive Board Members, One Trustee Elected to Serve IATSE Membership

IATSE: The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) announced the election of six new members to its International General Executive Board, Monday. This follows the retirement of six esteemed Vice Presidents, marking a significant transition in the union’s leadership.

10th Street Entertainment Advises Acts From Mötley Crüe To Dorothy

www.forbes.com: Everybody understands what a touring band is supposed to do: show up, play their show, make some new friends, get paid and just maybe shut down a bar or two. In the old days there was always the possibility of a television or two going out the window. For a newly popular musical act, the audience is just forming a bond with the musicians which, if properly managed, will serve to pay them repeatedly for years to come as new music is released, merchandise is sold, and the band returns to town periodically.

Bridgeport’s Historic Ramova Theatre Has Officially Reopened

www.timeout.com/chicago: For nearly 40 years, Ramova Theater has sat vacant at 35th and Halsted Street in the Bridgeport neighborhood. Beginning operations in 1929, the beloved community theater shut down in 1985 after a final screening of Police Academy 2. At the beginning of this year, the live performance space reopened its doors to the public for the first time since.

Explore Maze-Like Passageways Exploding with Elaborate Mosaics at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

Colossal: When mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar moved to Philadelphia’s South Street in the 1960s, he saw an opportunity to not only revitalize a neglected area but transform it into a haven for creatives. He established his studio there and was joined by a community of artists and activists who saw potential and wanted it to thrive, even preventing a major highway construction project that would have obliterated the neighborhood.

Chicago's Ramova Theatre Undergoes Sonic Reniassance With L-Acoustics

ProSoundWeb: The Ramova Theatre, a 2,000-capacity Spanish Revivalist-style live music venue on the south side of Chicago located just a few blocks west of the White Sox baseball team’s home stadium, celebrated its re-opening following a $30 million renaissance with support from local celebrity co-owners Quincy Jones, Jennifer Hudson and Chance the Rapper, and a new sound reinforcement system utilizing L-Acoustics L-ISA immersive technology.

World-first venue combines sliding roof, pitch and LED wall

www.avinteractive.com: The world’s first fully integrated venue with a combined retractable roof, pitch and LED wall is set to be built in Saudi Arabia. Designed by architecture practice Populuous – which also designed the Sphere in Las Vegas – the architectural innovation will be seen at the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium in Qiddiya City.

Season of Strikes plunges LA filming to near lowest-ever levels

Reel 360 News: Not great, but somewhat expected news for the Los Angeles Film community. FilmLA has released its 2023 Q4 Year-to-Date Film Production Report, revealing a stark decline in regional filming activity.

"We’re There To Solve Logistical Problems All Day Every Day": DP Steve Yedlin on Winner

Filmmaker Magazine: Based on the real-life whistleblower who leaked an intelligence report exposing Russian interference in the 2016 election, director Susanna Fogel’s Winner depicts the events leading up to Texas native Reality Winner’s eventual arrest and sentencing.

Chief Diversity Officer Gennean M. Scott Resigns From The Broadway League

Playbill: According to a post shared on Instagram, The Broadway League's Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Gennean M. Scott resigned January 2, with her last day as CDO being January 19. Scott hinted that she is leaving to pursue "another national role outside of Broadway."

ISE Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Sofia Crespo's Projection Mapping Event at Casa Batlló and Keynote Address

LightSoundJournal.com: The innovative mapping entitled “Structures of Being” at iconic Casa Batlló will take place on Saturday 27 January and Sunday 28 January 2024 and will showcase the fusion of biological themes and Artificial Intelligence. Sofia Crespo will also talk about her work in an ISE keynote on Thursday 1 February 2024.

American Music & Sound Preparing For Largest Presence To Date At 2024 NAMM Show

ProSoundWeb: American Music & Sound (AM&S), an Exertis | JAM business, announced that it is gearing up for its largest presence to date at the upcoming 2024 NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center, where it will showcase brands that include Allen & Heath, Nord, BASSBOSS, Focusrite and more at two booths, one in the main hall focused on musical instruments and DJ products, and the other in the pro audio hall spotlighting professional mixing consoles and pro gear.

Sennheiser Group brings audio galore to The 2024 NAMM Show

LightSoundJournal.com: The anticipation is building for this year’s NAMM Show as the Sennheiser Group prepares to showcase its latest audio innovations in two demo spaces. The Sennheiser Group Live Room (located in demo room # 18806) and the Immersive Demo Room (# 18808) promise an unparalleled experience for show visitors, featuring the latest audio innovations from Sennheiser, Neumann, Dear Reality and Merging Technologies, as well as offering seminars and panel discussions with some of the industry’s leading experts.

Alec Baldwin indicted on involuntary manslaughter charge in Rust shooting

Reel 360 News: A grand jury has charged Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter on Friday, relating to the fatal 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after he discharged a prop firearm on the New Mexico set of Rust.

Elation to empower the creative integrator @ ISE 2024

LightSoundJournal.com: Elation will continue to push the creative boundaries in entertainment lighting at the upcoming ISE tradeshow in Barcelona (January 30 – February 2, Stand 5C150) with a lineup of trend-setting integration lighting solutions that blend art and innovation.

Review: Playwright August Wilson played to the hilt in one-man theater show

Datebook: August Wilson might not have dreamed how far his talent and drive would take him when he was a struggling poet kicking around Pittsburgh’s Hill District in the 1960s, doing and promptly quitting menial jobs, getting into scrapes in bars and moving back in with his mother when he was broke. Or then again, maybe he did intuit his future at the pinnacle of American theater, achieved with his cycle of ten widely esteemed plays chronicling Black life in the 20th century.

‘Harry Potter and the Goblet™’ of Fire in Concert is an Immersive Journey Through Film and Music

onStage Pittsburgh: The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra takes the stage this weekend to perform the score to the fourth installment of the Harry Potter film series: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire™. The film is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which the symphony performed in concert last year. Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, Slytherins, and Ravenclaws packed Heinz Hall Friday evening for the first of two performances of the beloved film.

50 Years of Show Technology Evolution: Have We Reached a Maturity Point? Video

John Huntington: I have written and thought a lot about the evolution of show technology; I have several articles about this topic linked here. I was honored to be asked to do a virtual presentation on behalf of ESTA for the NAMM “Believe in Music” online event up January 21-23, 2022, and I realized today that I never posted it publicly. This is the video from that presentation.

Olivier Award-nominated ‘Patriots’ sets Broadway transfer; Will Keen and Michael Stuhlbarg to star

www.broadwaynews.com: A timely new play is heading to Broadway. “Patriots,” Peter Morgan’s drama about the long aftermath of the Soviet Union’s fall, will arrive at the Barrymore Theatre in spring of 2024. Sonia Friedman will produce and Rupert Goold will helm the production, an Olivier Award-nominated transfer from London’s Noël Coward Theatre, which followed a debut with the Almeida Theatre, where Goold is the artistic director.

League President's Abrupt Departure Leaves Industry Talking

www.broadwayworld.com: Last week, the Broadway League announced that Charlotte St. Martin would be “retiring” after 18 years. An email from St. Martin went out to League members shortly before the public announcement. And I’m not sure I’ve ever received quite so many theater-related communications before noon.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

How video game soundtracks are influencing a new generation of musicians and music lovers

theconversation.com: One of my clearest musical memories is playing the video game Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo in the winter of 1995. When my character first entered the forest where the game is set, I stopped immediately on hearing the musical theme written by the Japanese composer Yasunori Mitsuda. Despite knowing it was a loop, I sat listening for almost an hour, completely transfixed.

Posted by David at 1/18/2024 10:44:00 AM

Don’t kick the seats and switch off your smartwatch: Guardian critics on how to be a better audience member

Culture | The Guardian: It might come from a place of generosity – sending out a reassuring signal to actors, making an effort to add to the atmosphere – but forced laughter is obvious, and en masse it has the ear-piercing sound of a road drill.

Posted by David at 1/15/2024 02:21:00 PM

‘The Great Gatsby’ Musical to Open on Broadway in April 2024

The Hollywood Reporter: The musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s acclaimed novel will debut at The Broadway Theatre on April 25, the show’s lead producer Chunsoo Shin announced on Tuesday. Directed by Marc Bruni, Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada are set to reprise their Off-Broadway roles as Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, with previews beginning March 29.

Posted by David at 1/17/2024 11:16:00 AM

‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’: Thrilling And Immersive Theater

Observer: Fans will be forgiven if they were skeptical of Netflix bringing the world of hit series Stranger Things into a London theater. How could the TV show, which relies heavily on fantastical and often horrific imagery, be translated as a play? But in the hands of director Stephen Daldry Stranger Things: The First Shadow is thrilling and immersive, impressively showcasing practical effects that feel unsettlingly realistic.

Posted by David at 1/15/2024 02:20:00 PM

'No AI Fraud Act' Could Outlaw Parodies, Political Cartoons, and More

reason.com: Mixing new technology and new laws is always a fraught business, especially if the tech in question relates to communication. Lawmakers routinely propose bills that would sweep up all sorts of First Amendment-protected speech. We've seen a lot of this with social media, and we're starting to see it with artificial intelligence. Case in point: the No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications (No AI FRAUD) Act.

Posted by David at 1/18/2024 10:45:00 AM

Raúl Esparza Reveals New Musical GALILEO Has its Sights Set on Broadway, Jordan Roth Involved

www.broadwayworld.com: Raúl Esparza has revealed that Galileo, the new musical premiering this spring, has its sights set on Broadway. Esparza told The Messenger that Broadway producer Jordan Roth is involved, and the premiere production, opening at Berkeley Rep in May, is being treated as an out-of-town tryout.

Photos: Get a Closer Look at Macbeth Starring Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma

Playbill: Macbeth, starring Tony winner Ralph Fiennes and Olivier winner Indira Varma, is in the midst of its four-city, site-specific tour, and additional photos have been released for the all-star production. Take a look at the Shakespeare classic in the gallery below.

Cirque on Skates: 'Crystal' Soars as a Feast for Senses

onstagepittsburgh.com: This Cirque du Soleil glides and flies through the journey of a young woman named Crystal, who feels boxed in by societal expectations and is on a search for “the joy inside.” A traumatic and thrilling moment sends her into a dreamscape, where she is bestowed a magical pen that allows her to write her own version of how the world should be.

Review: Derek Hughes Pulls Magic and From 'Bag of Tricks' at Liberty Magic

onstagepittsburgh.com: The last time Derek Hughes performed at Liberty Magic, it was January of 2020. The show went great. But the world fell apart. Not his fault! But his latest display of stand-up comedy and prestidigitation does address one very important life lesson: When there are walls around us, climb to the top and enjoy the view, if you can. You might come out on the other side with a new perspective.

Dancer Diary: I Joined the Union!

Dance Magazine: You guys, I did it: I joined the Actors’ Equity Association! This has been a goal of mine for quite a long time. In June I wrote a column on when/why dancers should join the union, and decided to hold off for just a bit longer.

For Hailey Verbonac, details make Indigenous design

Intermission: Hailey Verbonac is a trailblazing designer — and budding rap lyricist. At least that’s the case with regard to his work on Space Girl, a new play by Frances Koncan that Prairie Theatre Exchange is presenting digitally following a live run in 2023. Koncan’s play follows Lyra — the titular space girl — as she travels from the moon to Earth and back again, on a zany quest to charge her phone and revive her waning influencer status.

Broadway sound designer Nevin Steinberg named board president of New York City’s Town Hall

www.broadwaynews.com: The board of trustees for Town Hall, the 103-year old performance venue in the heart of Times Square, has announced a new president. Broadway sound designer Nevin Steinberg will serve as board president. He will succeed Tom Wirtshafter, who began his tenure as president in 2013 — after joining the board a decade prior.

Broadway's Upcoming Hell's Kitchen Launches Fellowship Program

Playbill: Broadway's upcoming Alicia Keys musical Hell's Kitchen has created a Fellowship Program that will place fellows from historically overlooked communities to work with the production's direction, choreography, scenic design, costume design, lighting design, sound design, projection design, and company management, executive producing, and public relations departments. The initiative hopes to strengthen the Broadway employment pipeline while making it more equitable.

The Fire This Time Festival at 15

New York Theater: The Black couple go overboard in congratulating their daughter for coming out, donning rainbow T-shirts and displaying a pride banner, but they learn to their shock that Niani is not coming out as queer, but as a Karen; that’s right, a white woman. Taylor Adam Blackman’s “It’s Karen, B***” is one of the half-dozen ten-minute plays, half of them queer-themed, in the fifteenth annual The Fire This Time Festival, which runs through January 28 at The Wild Project.

All you need for Goosemas is Robe

LightSoundJournal.com: Popular American jam band Goose grooved their way into the 2023 festive season with four special concerts staged over two days at the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia, all completely sold out. Lighting designer / director Andrew Goedde chose Robe moving lights as the principal fixtures and worked closely on developing his design with lighting programmer / technical director Tony Caporale, using their 2023 touring rig as a starting point. From this they evolved some new concepts for the tenth annual Goosemas event.

Mosaic is among five theaters to share $2.5 million Mellon Foundation grant

DC Theater Arts: Cleveland Public Theatre (OH), Company One (MA), Crowded Fire Theater (CA), Mosaic Theater Company (DC), and Perseverance Theatre (AK) are thrilled to announce an exciting new collaboration entitled The Future of American Theatre Cohort, bolstered by a generous $2.5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation.

Cadac rebrands as ‘Cadac Consoles’ and ‘Cadac Immersive’ business units

LightSoundJournal.com: In a strategic move to redefine its presence in the professional audio industry, Cadac, the famous heritage pro-audio brand, is dividing into two distinct, independent business units, reflecting the current evolution of its product development activities; namely Cadac Consoles and Cadac Immersive.

Equipsont launches the Integra Series for advanced digital signal processing

LightSoundJournal.com: Aimed at the professional installation market, the Integra Series offers configurable per-channel DSP architecture, adjust gains, EQ, compression, limiting and much more. Offering unparalleled flexibility, the Integra Series allows users to set parameters and fine-tune every aspect of the sound, thus optimising the listening experience and providing exceptional results in any environment.

The "Three List" Trick

ExhibiTricks: The Museum Exhibit Design Blog: Despite the "best-laid plans" for our museum and exhibit projects, things often do go awry. Whether it happens during the initial stages of value engineering (often providing neither "value" nor "engineering") or just before the opening of a new building or exhibition, the harsh realities of schedules and budgets often squeeze our hopes and dreams like a vise.

'No AI Fraud Act' Could Outlaw Parodies, Political Cartoons, and More

reason.com: Mixing new technology and new laws is always a fraught business, especially if the tech in question relates to communication. Lawmakers routinely propose bills that would sweep up all sorts of First Amendment-protected speech. We've seen a lot of this with social media, and we're starting to see it with artificial intelligence. Case in point: the No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications (No AI FRAUD) Act.

Ford's announces second First Look Festival and next Legacy Commissions

DC Theater Arts: Ford’s Theatre presents The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions: A First Look on January 26-27, 2024, as well as the second cohort of commissioned playwrights. The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions is designed to serve as an artistic incubator for stories about unsung heroes responsible for changing the course of civil rights and equality in American life.

How video game soundtracks are influencing a new generation of musicians and music lovers

theconversation.com: One of my clearest musical memories is playing the video game Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo in the winter of 1995. When my character first entered the forest where the game is set, I stopped immediately on hearing the musical theme written by the Japanese composer Yasunori Mitsuda. Despite knowing it was a loop, I sat listening for almost an hour, completely transfixed.

Broadway League president Charlotte St. Martin will step down

www.broadwaynews.com: The Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway industry, has announced its longtime president, Charlotte St. Martin, will step down. St. Martin will retire from the League effective Feb. 16. Jason Laks, the League’s executive vice president and legal counsel, will serve as acting president while the League board conducts an official search for a permanent replacement.

RSC directors on the Bard’s legacy: ‘You can’t cancel Shakespeare – his work will outlive us all’

The Independent: The new joint artistic directors of the Royal Shakespeare Company have said the Bard’s work will “outlive us all” in response to recent calls to cancel Shakespeare. The RSC’s co-artistic directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey unveiled their debut season at the Stratford-upon-Avon institution on Tuesday 16 January.