Snow

Prop Agenda: "Every winter, many performing arts institutions put on some kind of winter or holiday show. From a traditional Christmas Carol or The Nutcracker Suite, to the more modern A Christmas Story and The Santaland Diaries, many of these shows involve snow to some extant.

Theory and practice of queue design

Boing Boing: "Passport to Dreams's FoxxFur continues to write the most fascinating, erudite, insightful material about dark ride and theme-park design I've ever read; her latest post is about the new queue area for the Pooh ride at Walt Disney World, used as a jumping-off point for a fascinating essay on the theory and practice of queue design.

60 AutoCAD Tips in 60 Minutes!

Lynn Allen's Blog: "The AU 2010 Classes are now posted! Those of you who are on Autodesk Subscription, the Autodesk Assistance Program, AU Virtual Premier Pass holders or who attended AU in Las Vegas can view all of the recorded classes.

The Bigelow Effect: The Lack of Clout of Women Directors

Women and Hollywood: "This week the Hollywood Reporter released its list of the 100 most powerful women in Hollywood.

'Peter' sets Off-Broadway cast, creative

Variety: "New York Theater Workshop's Disney-developed production of 'Peter and the Starcatchers' has announced its cast and creative team.

Susan Blackwell, Hunter Bell, Kathleen Chalfant, Judy Kuhn to Offer Vineyard Master Classes

Playbill.com: "The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Vineyard Theatre will launch a brand-new series, Vineyard Masters — master classes with leading Vineyard Theatre artists — in January.

Pantoland's streets are paved with gold

The Independent: "Its biggest stars pocket tens of thousands of pounds a week, ticket touts lurk outside high-profile fixtures and it is set to appear in the country's largest arenas: welcome, not to football, but to pantomime.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End theatre sale collapses

The Stage: "Andrew Lloyd Webber has pulled out of a move to sell four of his West End theatres to a consortium led by former BBC and ITV chairman Michael Grade.

History Is Not Doing Well in New York Theaters

NYTimes.com: "HISTORY is being quickly shuttled off Broadway stages and back into the library stacks this fall, as three new high-aiming, talent-rich shows that delve into the American past for subject matter are playing to sparse audiences.

Broadway's bloody winter brings closings and even dark theaters

post-gazette.com: "Some 20 Broadway shows are likely to close by early February. In January alone, 16 theaters plan to go dark, the most since at least the late 1980s, according to the Broadway League, a trade group.

L.A. Much Ado About Nothing, With Helen Hunt and Lyle Lovett, Opens Dec. 12

Playbill.com: "The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles production of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, starring Academy Award winner Helen Hunt, officially opens at the Kirk Douglas Theatre Dec. 12 following previews that began Dec. 1.

PHOTO CALL: A Christmas Story Musical Opens in Seattle

Playbill.com: "Peter Billingsley, who originated the role of 'Ralphie' in the 1983 film and serves as a producer on the stage adaptation, was on hand for the opening night of A Christmas Story: The Musical! at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre.

A new golden age for theatre?

The Independent: "Even in the tough times, people still want to hear a story, says the Ambassador Theatre Group boss

Opening-night rituals a way to steady nerves, honor legacy

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "On opening night, Pittsburgh Public Theater producing artistic director Ted Pappas always shaves twice. Playwright Amy Hartman heads to church and lights a candle. When he's the director, Alan Stanford visits the lobby bar and orders a large gin and tonic. And, as the house lights dim, music director Douglas Levine quietly whispers 'It's magic time.'

History Is Not Doing Well in New York Theaters

NYTimes.com: "HISTORY is being quickly shuttled off Broadway stages and back into the library stacks this fall, as three new high-aiming, talent-rich shows that delve into the American past for subject matter are playing to sparse audiences. The musicals “The Scottsboro Boys” and “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” are closing with unhappy dispatch, despite reviews that range from respectful to ecstatic. And the new John Guare play about the Louisiana Purchase, “A Free Man of Color,” looks likely to eke out its limited run playing to strictly limited houses after sharply dividing the critics. Staged history lessons, it would appear, are about as appealing to Broadway audiences these days as Shakespeare without celebrities.

Actor Roy Billing Honored for Anti-Piracy Work

backstage.com: "Australian actor Roy Billing received the Motion Picture Association Asia-Pacific Copyright Educator Award Thursday evening at CineAsia, in recognition of his contribution in working alongside the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft and raising awareness of the damage caused by copyright theft to the Australian movie and TV industry.

James Cameron, Cirque du Soleil Team Up for Movie

backstage.com: "It seems a natural fit: the movie director behind blockbuster 'Avatar' that changed cinema forever, teaming with Cirque du Soleil, the Canadian performance troupe that gave the circus a whole new meaning, to make a movie.

Two SAG Employees Discharged in Embezzlement Probe

backstage.com: "Possible financial impropriety in SAG’s Residuals Estates and Trust Department has led to the discharge of two employees and an outside investigation that may result in a criminal referral.

SAG Awards Show: By the Numbers

backstage.com: "The Screen Actors Guild on Friday morning announced all the stats from their 17th annual show, to air live from the Shrine Exposition Center on Sun. Jan. 30 on TNT and TBS.

Theater Talkback: The Exploding Art of Set Design

NYTimes.com: "Conversation turned to taxidermy as a couple of friends and I awaited the start of “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” the other night. This is not a favorite topic, needless to say, but it sprang naturally to mind because our seats at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater were directly underneath a stuffed horse suspended upside-down from the ceiling of the theater.