Four ESTA Standards Recently Published, Twenty-Two Standards in Review

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: ESTA's Technical Standards Program announces publication of four recently approved standards, now available for download at tsp.esta.org/freestandards. They are also available for purchase at the ANSI WebStore, and at Accuris.

The AV Awards Americas winners have now been unveiled

AV Magazine: We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the inaugural AV Awards Americas. These remarkable individuals and companies have demonstrated exceptional excellence, commitment, and innovation and choosing them was no easy task. We would therefore like to say a huge thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination or entry.

Pacific Avenue Capital Partners Completes Acquisition of U.S. Power Chain Hoist and Chain Business from Columbus McKinnon and Launches New Standalone Company, Stuart Rush

Newswire: Pacific Avenue Capital Partners ("Pacific Avenue"), a Los Angeles-headquartered private equity firm focused on complex corporate carve-outs and other operationally intensive situations in the middle market, today announced that an affiliate has completed the acquisition of Columbus McKinnon Corporation's ("Columbus McKinnon", NASDAQ:CMCO) U.S. based power chain hoist and chain business (the "Company"), including its associated international sales support functions.

Wingstastic Book Fair Launches Online Auction of Rare, Signed Broadway Treasures

www.broadwayworld.com: The Wingstastic Book Fair brings theatre lovers an extraordinary opportunity to own rare and signed Broadway treasures while supporting a vital nonprofit mission: preserving theatre history. The online book auction, benefiting the 501(c)3 nonprofit Wait in the Wings, opens Saturday February 21st featuring exclusive items from some of Broadway’s most celebrated creators and storytellers.

Five questions | As You Like It

Folger Shakespeare Library: As You Like It is one of Shakespeare’s festive comedies, a sparkling story of love, hidden identity, and an escape to a world (in this case, the Forest of Arden) beyond society’s strictures. But there are also heavier themes and dangers lurking in that magical land. We asked Folger Director Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper for her take on Shakespeare’s beloved comedy. Read on for more and watch Farah discuss Shakespeare on the Folger’s Instagram and YouTube channels. She will also be speaking about the play and the Folger Theatre production at a Director’s talk on March 20.

Zinzi Coogler And The Women Of Sinners

Essence: For more than 15 years, she has had a hand in bringing her husband, filmmaker Ryan Coogler’s, projects to life, dating back to his 2009 short film Locks, for which she served as first assistant director. The former ASL interpreter, who majored in communicative disorders and deaf studies, has brought unique life and educational perspectives to each work, from 2021’s Judas and the Black Messiah to 2023’s Creed III, for both of which she served as executive producer through Proximity Media, the production company she started with Ryan and Sev Ohanian.

Floridian Theatremakers Fight Back Against State and Local Governments in Arts Funding Battle

HowlRound Theatre Commons: In 2025, political ideals clashed with the arts across the United States. The overhaul of the Kennedy Center was just one of several battles. Unfortunately, the blueprint of incoming change has emerged from none other than the Sunshine State, Florida. As a born and raised Floridian theatremaker, I’ve seen Florida make headlines in ideological battles for my whole life. Floridian artists live in a unique ecosystem of political polarization, the climate crisis, a constantly growing population, and a rich state history.

Just a reminder: Making stuff is cool

www.thefabricator.com: There are days in the metal fabricating industry when everything feels normal. You walk in, flip on the lights, hear the hum of machines and the clank of steel, smell of smoke, and you don’t even think twice about it. It’s just what you do. It’s what you’ve always done. Honestly, you get kind of complacent. I’ve caught myself in that mindset more than once. Everything seems to be on autopilot and nothing seems to be as fresh as it used to be.

Best arts and healing space on the north side

Chicago Reader: Uptown—specifically the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Broadway—was once the cradle of Chicago entertainment. From the now-closed Uptown Theatre (opened in 1925) to still-thriving venues like the Riviera Theatre (1918), Aragon Ballroom (1926), and Green Mill Cocktail Lounge (1907, but called Pop Morse’s Roadhouse until 1910), the neighborhood boasts culturally diverse attractions and dining.

Apollo, Howard Theatres Join Forces for Live Music Event

www.ticketnews.com: Two of the most influential stages in American music will come together this spring as the Apollo Theater and the Howard Theatre present a special live event celebrating their shared cultural legacy. The organizations announced “Best of the Apollo,” a live music showcase scheduled for April 26, 2026, at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. The evening will be hosted by comedian and actor Chris Spencer, with performers expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Five thoughts: Illenium at Sphere Las Vegas

Las Vegas Weekly: On the opening night of Grammy-nominated DJ Illenium’s nine-show residency at Sphere on March 5, the EDM icon relished in his status as genre royalty as he delivered a sprawling 40-track set spearheaded by his recently-released sixth studio album, Odyssey.

Nominations for the inaugural Broadway Ensemble Awards of 2025-26

DC Theater Arts: At 1:00 this afternoon, nominations for the inaugural Broadway Ensemble Awards for the 2025-26 season were introduced by Bradley Dean (now appearing in Chess) and announced in eight categories by Kurt Csolak (swing and dance captain in The Great Gatsby), radio host Seth Rudetsky, and Tony winner Lillias White at the Museum of Broadway.

Pittsburgh Public Theater and CLO to vote on consolidating operations

90.5 WESA: Beset by financial troubles, the boards of Pittsburgh Public Theater and the Pittsburgh CLO are set to vote this month on whether to consolidate as a brand-new organization. The new entity, as yet unnamed, would produce both the new and classic musicals CLO now stages and the new and classic plays currently mounted by the Public.

Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater Unveil New Consolidation Plan; Board Vote to Come

onstagepittsburgh.com: The board chairs of Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater have shared with subscribers a proposed plan for the creation of “a new, consolidated producing theater company, designed to anchor a broader destination theater experience in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District.”

15 Questions in 15 Minutes with Christopher Borg

DC Theater Arts: Originally trained as an actor by the late Kenneth Washington at the University of Utah, and then in the classics as an Acting Fellow under the tutelage of Michael Kahn at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC, Christopher Borg has since gone on to a multi-award-winning career in NYC’s innovative off Broadway and indie theater scene.

Clint Dyer to Direct Three American Plays Featuring All-Black Casts in the UK

www.broadwayworld.com: Deadline has reported that Clint Dyer, deputy artistic director of the UK’s National Theatre, will direct three American plays in the UK, featuring all-black casts. The three plays are One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Story and American Buffalo.

Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre lays off staff, launches fundraising push

The Seattle Times: The 5th Avenue Theatre Company, Seattle’s primary producer of Broadway-scale musicals, is eliminating about 14 staff positions and pausing some education and engagement programs amid cash flow problems, the nonprofit announced Friday. The reductions will affect staff in marketing, box office, education and artistic departments and represent a reduction from 55 staff to about 41.

AI-generated art can’t be copyrighted after Supreme Court declines to review the rule

The Verge: The US Supreme Court has declined to hear a case over whether AI-generated art can obtain a copyright, as reported earlier by Reuters. The Monday decision comes after Stephen Thaler, a computer scientist from Missouri, appealed a court’s decision to uphold a ruling that found AI-generated art can’t be copyrighted.

Creating bend notches the easy way

www.thefabricator.com: The incorporation of sheet metal in a product presents numerous design-for-manufacturing opportunities. Those in flatwork trades know about standards—for gauges of thickness, tempers of alloys, best practices in radii, tooling access, springback, stress relief, and more.

City Council Greenlights Measures to Boost Hollywood Production in LA

www.hollywoodreporter.com: The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday voted to greenlight proposals aimed at improving filming conditions in the city as a room packed with Hollywood workers and union representatives erupted in applause.

Best underground entertainment trend

Chicago Reader: This cultural moment feels medieval. Maybe it’s something about the collapsing of traditional social models, the rise of authoritarian hierarchies, or the spreading of once preventable diseases and viruses that can kill large swathes of people.

London's Matilda to Welcome More Than 20 Young Actors

Playbill: The Royal Shakespeare Company production of Matilda the Musical, which has played more than 5,000 performances in the West End, will welcome several new young cast members later this month. Beginning March 17 Sithuni Gamage, Bonnie Harper, and Carla Lopez-Corpas will join Emilia Shefford in the title role.

Portland Opera launches $5 million SOS

Oregon ArtsWatch: Portland Opera, the largest opera company in Oregon and a mainstay of downtown Portland’s cultural scene, has announced an emergency $5 million fund-raising drive. The drive, announced Tuesday morning, March 3, will cover 16 months and has been kick-started by a $1 million gift from the Oregon Community Foundation.

‘I paid people with pints and chips’: Georgina Duncan on the prize-winning play she tapped out on her phone

Stage | The Guardian: It took Georgina Duncan a few seconds to realise that Indhu Rubasingham, when announcing the winner of the Women’s prize for playwriting last week, was talking about her drama, Sapling. The 30-year-old recalls the moment: “The first sentence I heard her say, I was like, ‘That could be any of the plays.’ Then I was like, ‘Holy shit! This is the maddest thing that’s ever happened to me.’”

How Wētā FX made young Will, Vecna 2.0, the Mind Flayer and some badass Demogorgons in ‘Stranger Things 5’

befores & afters: In this wide-ranging interview with Wētā FX visual effects supervisor Martin Hill, we dive deep into the studio’s work for Stranger Things 5. This is in addition to befores & afters’ earlier coverage in issue #51 of the magazine on the final series of the show.

Evie Clark-Yospa (Evie) – Recording, Mixing & Production Engineer

SoundGirls.org: Evie Clark-Yospa is a London-based recording, mixing, and production engineer with over a decade of experience in audio. Currently working as an Engineer at Baltic Studios, where she has been part of the team for the past three years, Evie balances her studio work with independent projects, bringing a versatile and intuitive approach to every session.

‘Utterly winning’: Paddington becomes first new West End musical to land nine WhatsOnStage awards

Stage | The Guardian: Paddington has become the first new West End musical to land nine awards at the WhatsOnStage awards. The much-loved bear’s first appearance on the boards has wowed critics and delighted audiences since it opened in December, and it is now one of the three most awarded shows in the WhatsOnStage ceremony’s history – alongside Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Miss Saigon – as well as the most lauded new musical.

Christina Applegate Reveals She Put Up ‘Half a Million Bucks’ to Save Broadway’s SWEET CHARITY

www.broadwayworld.com: Nothing could deter Christina Applegate from fulfilling her Broadway dream. The actress, who was Tony-nominated for her star turn as Charity Hope Valentine in the 2005 Broadway revival of Sweet Charity, revealed in her memoir You with the Sad Eyes: A Memoir (out now) that she was willing to do anything to ensure that the production made it to Broadway.

Review: Pittsburgh Playhouse lampoons showtunes in ‘Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits’

triblive.com: Musicals are almost always a great time at the theater. But do you know what can be even more fun? Making fun of musicals. That’s the name of the game for “Forbidden Broadway,” an oft-updated revue that’s been parodying the Great White Way from off-Broadway for more than 40 years. From “Les Mis” to “Phantom of the Opera” to “Wicked” to “Hamilton,” writer Gerard Alessandrini has gleefully skewered them all.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

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

Why Those Post-Show Diner Trips Meant Everything

OnStage Blog: Theatre people understand that post-show hunger is not normal hunger. It is a full body emergency. You just spent two hours singing, dancing, quick-changing, carrying set pieces, pretending to die, or all of the above. Of course you need mozzarella sticks at 12:14 a.m. Be serious.

In Defense of the Closet Drama

HowlRound Theatre Commons: When I started trying to work as a playwright, I would often insist that I wasn’t writing plays to sit on a hard drive somewhere. I was writing plays to be performed. In the decade-or-so since then, I have been fortunate enough to have some of my work performed, but the most I have ever seen many of my plays come alive is at a reading. For many years—and, to some extent, still—I felt as if these works I loved so much were never allowed to be fully born.

Puppetopia: The Magnificent Ms. Pham

New York Theater: This elaborate, tuneful puppet musical doesn’t just tell the story of the journey of Kim Pham from Vietnamese “hometown girl” riding a water buffalo to young romantic in Saigon to war refugee “boatperson” to mother of four sons in Houston, Texas. It threads the tale with Vietnamese history and mythology, populates it with elephants, lions, dragons and demons, presents it as shadow puppetry and a contemporary downtown spin on traditional Vietnamese water puppetry (complete with a stage-wide pool of water), and accompanies it with sixteen songs from rock to pop to country – all in 60 minutes. It’s a lot to take in: clever and colorful, but also crowded and confusing.

Squirrel Hill Lunar New Year parade canceled amid ICE fears

90.5 WESA: Squirrel Hill’s annual Lunar New Year celebration has been canceled this year, amid fears in Pittsburgh’s Asian community about the surge in federal immigration enforcement. The decision was made in January, according to Maria Cohen, executive director of the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, and was made in partnership with the Pittsburgh chapter of the OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates.

Do we need AI-optimized resumes?

The Verge: With AI-backed hiring on the rise, tips for “hacking” your resume are all over social media. As job search companies increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to sort through applications, job seekers wonder how to best position themselves with those filters in mind.

 

Tait Acquires Silent House in Joining of Top Touring/Experiential Firms

variety.com: TAIT, for decades a juggernaut in providing technology and equipment for concert touring and other live experiences, has acquired Silent House, one of the foremost production studios and creative agencies in the industry, after more informally partnering for many years, it was announced Monday.

Plot Luck: Joe Levasseur Lights What To Wear

Live Design Online: Known as a downtown avant-garde theatre renegade, Foreman (1937-2025) created this bitingly funny post-rock opera skewering the superficial pressures of society. This historic re-staging at BAM honors Foreman's trailblazing legacy, and confirms Gordon’s ceaseless musical vitality.

Ridgid 18V SubCompact 1/4-Sheet Sander: Low Vibration Vibes

Pro Tool Reviews: A few years back, Ridgid released a line of SubCompact tools that really impressed our team due to their smaller size and excellent performance level. Expanding the lineup into woodworking, we first got our hands on the 18V SubCompact 5-inch Orbital Sander. Now, we’re getting our hands on the Ridgid 18V SubCompact 1/4-Sheet Sander (R87064).

In Defense of the Closet Drama

HowlRound Theatre Commons: When I started trying to work as a playwright, I would often insist that I wasn’t writing plays to sit on a hard drive somewhere. I was writing plays to be performed. In the decade-or-so since then, I have been fortunate enough to have some of my work performed, but the most I have ever seen many of my plays come alive is at a reading. For many years—and, to some extent, still—I felt as if these works I loved so much were never allowed to be fully born.

Wicked takes Point Source Audio on international tour

LightSoundJournal.com: Point Source Audio’s SERIES9 headsets and lavaliers are providing the sound quality and flexibility to ensure the current international tour of Wicked is captivating audiences every night for its runs in Saudi Arabia (December 3 – January 3), Bahrain (January 13-17), UAE (January 28 – February 15), India (March 12 – 29) and Kuwait (April 21-25). The large-scale Broadway production presents a number of miking challenges, but for Sound Designer Shannon Slaton, Point Source Audio could provide all the answers.

Puppetopia: The Magnificent Ms. Pham

New York Theater: This elaborate, tuneful puppet musical doesn’t just tell the story of the journey of Kim Pham from Vietnamese “hometown girl” riding a water buffalo to young romantic in Saigon to war refugee “boatperson” to mother of four sons in Houston, Texas. It threads the tale with Vietnamese history and mythology, populates it with elephants, lions, dragons and demons, presents it as shadow puppetry and a contemporary downtown spin on traditional Vietnamese water puppetry (complete with a stage-wide pool of water), and accompanies it with sixteen songs from rock to pop to country – all in 60 minutes. It’s a lot to take in: clever and colorful, but also crowded and confusing.

Godzilla and Kong Rampage Over LA in Epic Monarch Drone Show

Nerdist: At least in movies, neither Godzilla nor Kong has ever attacked the city of Los Angeles. Although in some comic books, Godzilla has unleashed his atomic fire on Hollywood. (Way to show gratitude, ya big meanie). But on February 20, as a way of celebrating their long-awaited return in the second seasonOpens in a new tab of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, both Godzilla and Kong have come to LA at last.

Actor Awards' Stunt Ensemble Categories Announce Performance Nominees

variety.com: The Annual Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA has announced the complete list of stunt performers and coordinators nominated for Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in motion pictures and television series.

58 Participating Regional Awards Programs Set for 2026 Jimmy Awards

www.broadwayworld.com: The Broadway League Foundation has revealed the 58 participating Regional Awards Programs for the 17th annual Jimmy Awards which will take place on Monday, June 22, 2026 at 7:30pm at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre.

Shakespeare’s Globe launches environmental playwright prize

Shakespeare's Globe | The Guardian: From “shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” to “one touch of nature made the whole world kin”, some of the most famous lines in William Shakespeare’s works are about the relationship between humans and the environment.

TBT: Idlewild (2006)

Frock Flicks: When it first came out, Idlewild (2006) got pegged as just a long music video for the Outkast. Which, if anyone had actually watched the movie, they’d know is not true. Elements of the visual style are similar to music videos, sure, but just here and there.

5 Of The Worst Places To Store Your Power Tools (And Why)

www.slashgear.com: Power tools vary widely in size and function, but they all have one thing in common: When storing them, just as with using them, safety and responsibility are key. It's typical to leave tools in a vehicle, basement, or garage. You may think these locations protect tools from thieves and the elements, but these common areas carry risks.

Squirrel Hill Lunar New Year parade canceled amid ICE fears

90.5 WESA: Squirrel Hill’s annual Lunar New Year celebration has been canceled this year, amid fears in Pittsburgh’s Asian community about the surge in federal immigration enforcement. The decision was made in January, according to Maria Cohen, executive director of the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, and was made in partnership with the Pittsburgh chapter of the OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates.

5 Questions For Aron Altmark Of Visual Endeavors

Live Design Online: Aron Altmark is a designer and technical producer of large-scale and touring events. He is also the founder and executive director of Visual Endeavors, which recently became part of Hovercraft Ventures. Altmark has said of the acquisition, “We’ve built our reputation by partnering with the best in the business.

'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Costume Designer Nominated for Oscar After Creating 1,000 Costumes for Movie

WDW News Today: Deborah L. Scott is one of James Cameron’s collaborators and has worked on films such as Titanic, Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, and most recently Avatar: Fire and Ash. By blending artists with technology, Scott has been able to create some of the most “singular” and unique costumes in film history.

Historical Frenemies: Hurston & Hughes, Kramer & Fauci

AMERICAN THEATRE: Maybe the title should have been a warning. In attempting to adapt one of her short stories into a major theatrical work with the poet Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston might have looked twice at the name “The Bone of Contention.” That’s precisely what the writing project between this pair of Harlem Renaissance icons turned into, when their efforts to turn Hurston’s story into an ambitious folk epic of Black life, which they gave the new title Mule Bone, imploded over copyright claims and recriminations, with disastrous ripple effects on an entire artistic ecosystem.