Sapsis Rigging Opens Midwest Office

Stage Directions: Sapsis Rigging has opened a satellite office in Bowler, Wisc. Headed up by Billy Williams “one of the company’s top hoist technicians” the office is now available to serve the needs of schools, theatres, performing arts centers and any other place that needs rigging expertise.

PBT's 'Nutcracker' begins its second decade

TribLIVE: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's lavish production of "The Nutcracker" begins its second decade this season, a continuing example of holiday fare that delights young and old alike. The production by artistic director Terrence Orr sets the action in Pittsburgh. The Saturday matinee performance at the Benedum Center seemed to have a higher proportion of children than evening performances, which was audibly apparent from their laughter when Grandfather, previously stiff and feeble at the Christmas party in Act I, breaks into contemporary popular dance steps.

Going it alone: Solo actors find power and fear in one-person shows

TribLIVE: “Terrifying,” “empowering,” “a marathon,” “a great experiment,” “a pleasure” — those are just some of the terms local actors use to describe their experiences in single-performer plays. Whether it‘s just a fluke of scheduling, an indicator of theater economics or a cultural trend, single-performer shows appear to be increasingly common on local stages.

Four Gentlemen of Verona?

2AMt: We have two Equity theatre companies in the Boston area in devoted primarily to Shakespeare. Commonwealth Shakespeare Company does a splashy outdoor free production on Boston Common every summer, while Actors Shakespeare Project does full seasons of edgy productions in a variety of metro-Boston venues. I don’t think the two consider themselves in competition with one another; their production dates don’t overlap, they frequently employ the same actors, Comm Shakes has at least three times ASP’s budget, and they arguably are going after different audiences.

Stage Right offers four versions of its musical 'Annie'

TribLIVE: Leapin‘ Lizards! There are four versions of the adorable little orphan with the big voice in Stage Right‘s holiday production of everybody‘s favorite musical, “Annie.” They‘re not on stage at the same time, and John Noble, who plays the one-and-only Daddy Warbucks, says each of the girls adds a little something different to her performance of the role. “It‘s a wonderful difference,” Noble says. “Each one is their own Annie. It‘s exhilarating for me when we rehearse in rapid-fire succession.”

'School for Lies' delights in clever repartee, twists and turns

TribLIVE: Cuddled together in a booth at the Double Wide Grill, actors Nike Doukas and Leo Marks are the picture of a contented couple. When they converse, their eyes lock onto each other. They finish each other‘s sentences. Responses to interview questions overlap and weave together to complete a thought.

The Arduino Esplora Is the Perfect Beginner Arduino, No Electronics Experience Required

lifehacker.com: One of the most difficult parts of any Arduino project is coming up with a way to actually interact with your creations. The Arduino Esplora is a new device that remedies that, and works as an open source controller for all types of projects.

Stage review: 'Speed Queen' a gripping one-woman show

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: In the house of celebrity are many mansions, from the truly talented to the Kardashians with plenty in between, like heinous criminals who keep the media busy. Americans love those thieving, murdering, kinky lawbreakers, especially if they've been on the lam -- Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, Charles Starkweather and his 14-year-old partner, Caril Ann Fugate, and Pretty Boy Floyd whose corpse was on public display in a Cadiz, Ohio, funeral home not far from Pittsburgh.

'Nutcracker' features more magic, terrific set designs

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Holiday magic has always been a part of "The Nutcracker," given Marie's dreamy journey to the Land of Enchantment. But now choreographer Terrence Orr doesn't waste any time getting to the heart of the matter. In years past, the lamplighter took a leisurely walk, a serene prelude to what was to come. Perhaps acknowledging that this could be a bit of a yawn for young audiences, Mr. Orr literally pumped up the magic from the start.

How to React When Someone Says You're Wrong (but You Know You're Right)

lifehacker.com: We've all been in the circumstance where we're having a conversation (or argument) with someone and they're convinced you're wrong about something, even though you know you're right. Whether it's trivial facts, or serious issues, how you react to the accusation can turn the course of the whole conversation. Here's how to do it right.

To unravel the best way to deal with these conversations, I spoke with Roger S. Gil MAMFT, a mental health clinician who specializes in marriage and family therapy.

"Cult Classic Movies"

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Cult Classic Movies" is the final installment of season No. 4 for Bricolage's fun Midnight Radio series, which this year drew on topics chosen by the audience. The folks who fill the seats did a good job, challenging the troupe to explore spies, haunted Pittsburgh and finally movies, along with producing old-time radio in a live theater setting and having a grand time doing it. The result is sometimes clever, sometimes silly, vulgar fun, showcasing talented local actors Sheila McKenna, Patrick Jordan, Amy Landis, Jason McCune and Skyler Sullivan, who with Mr. Jordan also is on Foley sound-effects duty.

Theater Review: An innovative and powerful 'Angels in America' at CMU

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama unleashes its innovative resources to full effect in the staging of Tony Kushner's "Angels in America: Millennium Approaches," part one of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

"Angels" also won best play Tonys for both parts of "Angels" ("Perestroika" is part two), works that put enormous demands on any creative team. Actors play multiple roles and in some cases represent real people, plus characters conjured in hallucinations.

Krzysztof Wodiczko - Abraham Lincoln: War Veteran Projection

Krzysztof Wodiczko - Abraham Lincoln: War Veteran Projection from Maria Niro on Vimeo.

Vimeo: Abraham Lincoln: War Veteran Projection is a video installation by internationally renowned Artist Krzysztof Wodiczko, famous for his large-scale video installations. On view in Union Square Park from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day from November 8 through December 9 2012.

Passion, Vision and Community Support

Stage Directions: Reading our annual High School Theatre Honors Program articles, in some ways it seems it’s “easy” to have one of the best theatre programs in the country. “All” you need is a dedicated administration, a community with over-the-top unwavering support and someone leading the program who has a fiery passion for the arts that is infectious. Hundreds of good to great programs have most of those elements, but according to our readers, here are five that have it all. (And “all” doesn’t mean cutting-edge facilities—some are creating great theatre in modest spaces.) They all have something else in common, too: their selection of work for the students is offbeat and bold.

TEDx Talk by David Allen

GTD Times: David Allen’s recent TEDx Talk has generated quite a buzz. “The art of stress-free productivity is a martial art.”

Nonprofit arts, cultural organizations contributed $301M to local economy

Ahwatukee Foothills News: News: Phoenix nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and their audiences had a total economic impact of $301 million and generated $13.9 in local government tax revenue and $17.7 in state government tax revenue during the fiscal year 2010. The figures are contained in a recent national arts economic impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts, a national nonprofit arts organization for advancing the arts and education.

USITT Selects Five Spaces to Honor with Architecture Merit Awards

Stage Directions: USITT will recognize five new performance spaces with its 2013 Architecture Merit Awards at its annual spring conference. The recipients were chosen from 28 submissions and are: Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) at California State University in Northridge, Calif., designed by HGA Architects and Engineers; Wagner Noȅl Performing Arts Center, at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas, designed by BOORA Architects; Kilden Performing Arts Centre in Kristiansand, Norway, designed by the young Finnish ALA Architects Ltd.; Rosie the Riveter Visitor and Education Center at the World War II Home Front National Historic Park in Richmond, Calif., designed by Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects; Garsington Opera Pavilion on the Wormsley Estate in Stokenchurch, High Wycombe, U.K., designed by Robin Snell of Snell Associates.

Getting Consumers to Buy More Broadway: A Fable

Market Notes from Shubert Ticketing - November/December 2012: There's an old marketing tale (which may or may not be true) that goes like this: The people from Ajax Cleanser (the kind that came in a can with holes on the top) had lots of market share and a solid business, but growth was at a snail's pace. Everyone already had Ajax under their kitchen sink and used it every day. It was the ultimate mature business.

The magical power of the 80/20 rule

EDN: Of all the management tools available to engineers at Touchstone and other companies, the 80/20 rule might be the most powerful. It is so simple and effective, so it continually blows me away how many people are unfamiliar with this powerful concept. Let’s start with what the 80/20 rule is. The 80/20 rule is a great and simple way to focus your activity on where you can get the greatest leverage for your time. You don’t have to worry all 100 percent, just the 20 percent that represents 80 percent of the output. The rest just doesn’t move the needle, so you don’t need to worry about it.

Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago in New Era With Chay Yew

NYTimes.com: When a storied theater undergoes a leadership change, the new guard must decide how to handle members of the old guard — playwrights, directors, staff members and loyal audiences — who may rely financially or artistically on the status quo. Often there are bruised feelings, but few recent turnovers have been as contentious as the one here at Victory Gardens Theater, where the finger pointing recalls family melodramas like “August: Osage County” or even “King Lear” (minus the murders).