2011 Student Design Competition

iSquint.net: "That’s right, a student competition, but nothing like what you have seen before. iSquint.net has partnered with Nemetschek Vectorworks, City Theatrical and Field Templates to bring you the 2011 Student Design Competition. If you have a love for lighting, have a current student ID from a college or university and have the drive to design, then have I got a competition for you.

NYC Theatrical Weapons Permit

props.eric-hart.com: "This week, The Great Game is playing. We had to rent a number of guns for the show, including some blank-firing ones. Now, New York City has some of the more strict gun-control laws in the US, and even blank-firing replica firearms require a “theatrical weapons permit” to rent and transport to the theatre. We’ve had a bit of turn-over in our production staff since the last time we had a show with such guns, and it turned out none of us were currently licensed. So I volunteered to be the one to bare my personal life and barter my soul to the New York City Police Department in exchange for permission to make a sound effect from a replica firearm.

Hollywood stars align for Cirque du Soleil's Guy Laliberte

Los Angeles Times: "With 'Iris' set for a summer debut at Kodak Theatre and a New York production in the works, Cirque creator Laliberté has cemented his influence worldwide. Not bad for a one-time street performer.

Will George Lucas resurrect dead actors on film to make one giant postmortem film?

io9.com: "Buried deep in an interview with actor/director Mel Smith is yet another devious plot from the mind of George Lucas. Apparently he's been gobbling up the film rights to dead movie stars, so he can reconstruct them digitally on film.

Mountain Playhouse to open with 'Ring of Fire'

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown will open its 72nd season with the Johnny Cash musical 'Ring of Fire.'

Review: 'A Tuna Christmas' an inventive production

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Little Lake Theatre's production of 'A Tuna Christmas' would be an evening well spent if it offered nothing more than an opportunity to watch Art DeConciliis taking on the roles of waitresses Inita Goodwin and Helen Bedd.

Review: Dance Alloy creates a witty, provocative celebration

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The 35th anniversary program of Dance Alloy Theater was a remarkable celebration of the modern dance that was by turns joyous, serious, witty and provocative. Seen Saturday night at the New Hazlett Theater on the North Side, the performances showed the company to be in excellent shape artistically.

‘Baby Universe - A Puppet Odyssey’

NYTimes.com: "In “Baby Universe: A Puppet Odyssey,” Earth is a beat-up old floozy who wistfully recalls her more verdant, hydrated days: “So much life. I was pretty then.” Mostly, however, she’s just tired and jaded: “I don’t care about my people. I’ve been trying to kill them for years.”

'American Psycho: The Musical' Heading to Broadway

backstage.com: "'American Psycho,' the blood-drenched 2000 film about a Wall Street trader turned serial killer, is heading to Broadway in musical form.

Actress in 'Spider-Man' Musical Suffers Concussion

backstage.com: "An actress in the 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' Broadway musical is out of commission until at least Tuesday after suffering a concussion during a preview performance Sunday night. According to the New York Times, Natalie Mendoza was standing off stage when either a heavy rope made of reinforced materials or the equipment attached to the rope hit her in the head.

Dec. 2: CMU Students Present Latest Interactive Technology in Annual "Building Virtual Worlds" Show - Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University: "BVW 2010, a freewheeling show produced by students in Carnegie Mellon University's Building Virtual Worlds (BVW) class, will showcase their latest ideas in interactive digital entertainment during performances on Saturday, Dec. 11 in the Philip Chosky Theater of the university's Purnell Center for the Arts.

Goboman.com Acquires a Laser Cutting System For Custom Gobos

iSquint.net: "GoboMan has recently acquired a laser cutting system for manufacturing custom Gobos. This investment in a sophisticated laser cutting system enables GoboMan to produce high quality and highly accurate laser cut custom gobo with a short turn around. “GoboMan is now in a position to offer an economical alternative on custom Gobos to theatrical dealers and production companies who previously had only a couple of sources to buy from to get custom gobos” said Steve Hoffman president of GoboMan.

Actors unions' board approves new film and TV contract

Los Angeles Times: "A board representing Hollywood's two main actors unions on Saturday overwhelmingly approved a recently negotiated film and TV contract that will provide members with modest pay raises and an increase in employer contributions to their health and pension plans.

Why I Hate Comp Tickets

Arts-Marketing.blogspot.com: "If there is one thing that can kill your earned revenue quicker than anything else, it is a misguided complimentary ticket policy. Someone asked me the other day why I hate comp tickets so much, so I decided to list my top reasons:

‘runt’ explores Jamaica’s dog-eat-dog world

The Pitt News: "Michael Phillip Edwards’ one-man play, “runt,” is grounded in a provocative question — what makes a strong dog think it’s weak?

Hamlet in a hoodie is a movie-house must-see

Thestar.com: "I was lucky enough to catch it live on stage in London this past October and although I’ve certainly seen my share of Hamlets in the past few years, this had to rate as one of the very best, not just for Rory Kinnear’s electric performance in the title role, but for Nicholas Hytner’s whole production.

MARY McCOLL NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DESIGNEE OF ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION

Actors' Equity Association: "Actors' Equity Association has announced the selection of Mary McColl as Executive Director, effective January, 2011. Ms. McColl succeeds Acting Executive Director Carol Waaser, who retires in 2011 after almost 28 years with the Union.

From Northern India, A Singular Sufi 'Seduction' : NPR

NPR: "At New York's Lincoln Center, an intriguing theatrical concert is unfolding. Musicians from a Sufi Muslim sect in Northwest India are attempting to seduce the audience.

Spider-Man on Broadway: Can it do what a blockbuster does? - The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail: "Almost every theatre production will have a number of “preview” performances in front of paying audiences before officially opening. Theatre isn't theatre without an audience – and the director, cast and creators need live, human bums in seats to work out the final kinks in a production.

Copyright: what do we want it to do?

guardian.co.uk: "A recurring question in discussions of digital copyright is how creators and their investors (that is, labels, movie studios, publishers, etc) will earn a living in the digital era.