Molière Meets Punch and Judy

NYTimes.com: You have never seen a bosom like this one. It begins at the armpits and droops down to the waist, a sort of humpback in reverse. Like any good bosom, it can heave on cue. And its rhythmic flappings signal the kind of lewd-icrous jokes we are in for at the Yale Repertory Theater’s production of Molière’s classic comedy “A Doctor in Spite of Himself.”

John Hurt’s Roles Befit His Name

NYTimes.com: Lantern-bearers led the crowd through the darkened streets of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, on Tuesday night to a lavish dinner after a performance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Gala.

Andrew Lloyd Webber May Be Readying Sunset Boulevard for Film Close-Up

Playbill.com: With live stage films of Love Never Dies and The Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall rolling out, Andrew Lloyd Webber is again looking at a film of his Tony Award-winning musical Sunset Boulevard.

Top 10 Ways to Create a More Focused and Productive Work Environment

Lifehacker: Although the office is supposed to be a place for productive and efficient work, that isn't always the case. In fact, sometimes your workplace can turn into one of the least effective locations for getting things done. Instead of succumbing to reduced productivity, here are ten ways to help you create a more focused work environment.

Performers' union negotiates new TV contract

latimes.com: Actors and other performers who appear on such shows as "Saturday Night Live," "Days of Our Lives" and "Dancing with the Stars" would get modest pay raises under a new contract secured by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Smartsheet helps transform a school district

Online Collaboration: Smartsheet brings spreadsheets into a cloud-enabled, social world. Currently, members of 12,000 teams and organizations are using Smartsheet. Teams can build their own Smartsheet with the ability to securely attach files, share by the row, and get alerts. Or they can use one of Smartsheet’s 243 templates. These templates include spreadsheets for project management (with Gantt and dependencies), sales pipelines, expense reports, time tracking with rate tables, office move checklists, marathon training schedules, and the ability to collect research via Amazon Mechanical Turk.

Never Argue With Idiots

TheatreFace: They will drag you down to their level, and then they will beat you with experience.
It sometimes seems like a never-ending battle when you are trying to get people to do things your way. Especially if your way takes more time, money, or effort. You can throw your arms up in the air and walk-away mumbling, or you can explode at them, or you can stop and take a deep breath and try one more time to get your point across.

Nonprofit theaters spy hope

Variety: After a tough couple of years, things are finally looking up for legit nonprofits, but they're still living hand-to-mouth on a day-to-day liquidity basis.
Those are among the findings of a couple of economic reports recently released by Theater Communications Group, the grant-making, advocacy and networking org of U.S. theater nonprofits.

Why the Odds Are Still Stacked Against Women in Hollywood

The Hollywood Reporter: Given the number of impressive women who wield power in film and television -- many of whom are honored in this issue -- surely women are making huge strides toward equality in Hollywood, right?

‘Blood and Gifts’ Brings Afghanistan to the Experts

NYTimes.com: “Blood and Gifts,” J. T. Rogers’s play about the history of America’s involvement in Afghanistan in the 1980s, has gotten strong reviews from the critics, who have praised its subtle depiction of a Central Intelligence Agency operative who thinks he is financing anti-Soviet freedom fighters only to see them morph into something more menacing.

CMU tackles a tough play in the chilling 'Mad Forest'

Post Gazette: Oblique, staccato, disjointed, "Mad Forest" is not an easy play. But it delivers a political wallop. And how often does a play written in immediate response to a historical moment have such contemporary resonance 20 years later?

Rose Brand Extends Scholarship Deadline

Stage Directions: Rose Brand has extended the deadline for their scholarship application. The new deadline will be Jan. 16, 2012.

YOUR BRAIN ON FRACK

The Ghost Light Collective: This term, the Collective played host to Anne D’Zmura, head of directing at California State University at Long Beach. Anne is an expert in both devised theatre and eco-drama (drama that has a “green,” or environmental, political agenda). We redrafted our regular fall schedule so that the entire Collective, and many of our friends, could participate in a course offering called, you guessed it, “Devised Eco-Drama.”

_Dog Sees God_ reveals bittersweet transition

The Tartan Online: “Grief ain’t good” is sloppily spray painted against a yellow background, a reference to the iconic black and yellow polo shirt Charlie Brown is so famously associated with. This cleverly-constructed set design and spray painted message set the tone for the play before the production of Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead began this past Saturday.

Tweets and a Show

Technology in the Arts: The lights dim, the orchestra tunes one final time, and the audience begins to liveblog. Perhaps you’ve heard about operas creating apps or navigating an art museum with your iPhone, but have you considered tweeting during your next trip to the theatre or musical hall? While most venues view cell phones as a rude violation of decorum, others have embraced this modern culture of mobile communication in an effort to enhance the artistic experience. Enter the “Tweet Seat”

PHOTO CALL: Molly Ranson, Marin Mazzie and Cast of Carrie Meet the Press

Playbill.com: The much-anticipated New York revival of the 1980's cult musical Carrie, starring Tony Award nominee Marin Mazzie and Molly Ranson, greeted the press with a Dec. 9 photo op.

Ridiculous Reptile tradition: Tattoo Friday

Berkeley Rep Blog: Some offices do “casual Friday.” Clearly, Berkeley Rep is too unique to partake in such a trite ritual. What do we do instead? Fancy you should ask! Every Friday morning no matter which campus our ducklings find themselves on, we all have one thing in common: temporary tattoos.

Occupying the Arts Shouldn't Be a One-Time Thing

ThinkProgress: I’m sorry I missed Occupy Broadway, which sounds like a joyful, entertaining evening of live street theater. And of course I agree with Benjamin Shepherd, who told Wired that “Social movements are about imaging a more just, democratic, joyous set of social relations and I think that begins with art. We’re using public space to create a more colorful image of what our streets could look like through open-access performance.” But I’ll admit I’m a bit more excited about the long-range planning going on in the Occupy Comics movement, which has a three-stage plan for 2012, starting with digital comics, moving to a limited-edition paper run, and culminating in a hardcover edition.

Noomi Rapace in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Clothes on Film: Playing computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander, Noomi Rapace embodies the character in such a exhaustive way that picturing anyone else in the role was, until recently, impossible. Defined by copious piercings, a ragged biker leather jacket and skinny jeans, Lisbeth is a blatant symbol of unconformity. From author Stieg Larsson’s creation to costume designer Cilla Rörby’s interpretation for the screen, Lisbeth harks back to the mid-1970s; the early days of punk and a desire to skew superficial expectations.

Gypsy of the Year Competition Raises $4.8 Million for BC/EFA

Stage Directions: Big congrats to the 53 participating Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies who raised a record $4,895,253 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, during their 23rd annual Gypsy of the Year drive. The Gypsy of the Year competition pits ensemble members of Broadway shows in good-spirited competition with each other to win the title of Gypsy of the Year, and is combined with a six-week drive to raise funds for BC/EFA during shows.