Kelly Awards: Creative high schoolers give it their all

Post Gazette: There can be few more inspiring moments on a Pittsburgh stage -- or in Pittsburgh, period -- than when 60 student performers, two each from the 30 high schools participating in the Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater, come together for the finale of the annual awards gala before a tumultuous Benedum Center audience.

Arena timeline -- Highlights of 50 years of entertainment

Post Gazette: The Civic Arena, later renamed Mellon Arena when the era of corporate sponsorhip arrived, has been the scene for all types of events through the years. Here are some highlights through the decades.

'Forever Plaid' returns to St. Vincent Summer Theatre

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: After more than a decade's hiatus, the men in plaid are returning to the St. Vincent Summer Theatre.
The college opens its season with "Forever Plaid," a musical show featuring a four-part harmony group whose members are soaking up their dream of performing one grand show.

Artistic Jeanius is looking for a talented media & outreach intern

Craigslist: Artistic Jeanius is looking for a talented media & outreach intern—next internship starts in July 2010. Deadline for applications is June 15th.

Gary Coleman Keeps His Address on ‘Avenue Q’

NYTimes.com: Despite some very serious consideration that “Avenue Q” would require significant revision or have to drop the role altogether, Mr. Whitty said that Gary Coleman, the character, would live on in the musical.
“After watching it tonight, I would miss him too much,” Mr. Whitty said. “Personally, I would miss him terribly.”

Mother Trouble in Polly Stenham’s ‘That Face’

NYTimes.com: TWICE a month, when she was home in London from boarding school, Polly Stenham would meet her father, Anthony, for a night at the theater. It was their special appointed time together: Mr. Stenham, a prominent businessman, had to balance long workdays with raising the teenage Polly and her younger sister by himself. And he was thrilled, Ms. Stenham said, that she came to share his passion for playwrights like Harold Pinter and Edward Albee, Sarah Kane and Neil LaBute.

Nathan Lane, Hamming It Up As Few Can

NYTimes.com: I WOULDN’T dare to venture an opinion as to who is the greatest actor to appear on Broadway in the past decade or so. Most accomplished diva? Definitely won’t touch that. But the greatest entertainer? That one is easy: Nathan Lane.

Broadway bombshell

NYPOST.com: Without playing even a single performance, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” is already the stuff of Broadway infamy. It’s poised — should it ever open — to be the most expensive flop in theater history. Yet if anyone could have managed the turmoil, egos and massive budget overruns that have plagued the show, it was Tony Adams.

Moore: Artistic integrity disappears in a fake puff of smoke

The Denver Post: So let me get this straight: In Colorado, where we're now dispensing legal medical marijuana on just about every street corner, it remains a criminal offense to light up a fake cigarette on a stage.
As Cheech and/or Chong might say: Man, that's dope(y).
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court said it won't hear Curious Theatre's argument for a legal exemption to the state's indoor smoking ban for theatrical presentations, all but ending its frustrating, four-year judicial odyssey.

More 'Sophisticated Ladies' in DC; Arena Extends Musical

Yahoo! News: Arena Stage's critically acclaimed production of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies will now continue its run at the historic Lincoln Theatre through June 27.
The production, characterized as the highest-grossing show in Arena Stage's 60-year history, was directed by Charles Randolph-Wright and choreographed by its star, the Broadway veteran Maurice Hines.

Broadway: Dollars up, auds down

Variety: It's all about the product.
That's the gist of how several legiters interpret Broadway's cumulative totals for the 2009-10 season, which topped $1 billion in sales but saw attendance slip. However, depending on whom you talk to, that little aphorism means different things.

Plain white painting sparks complicated emotions in Pittsburgh Public Theater's "Art"

Post Gazette: It would be easy to paint a black-and-white version of "Art" as three men and a painting, but that would be ignoring all the shades of gray.
In the prize-winning comedy opening at the Pittsburgh Public tonight, Serge pays a pretty sum for an all-white painting and shows it expectantly to his friend, Mark, who then ridicules Serge. The painting comes to represents a rift in their 15-year friendship. Mark is downright nasty, while a third friend, Yvan, just wants everyone to get along. With the painting looming in the background, all three unleash a torrent of emotional baggage.

No shortage of fury in PICT's "Othello"

Post Gazette: The compelling physical presence of Javon Johnson in the title role powers -- at times overpowers -- this rowdy, clamorous production of "Othello" at Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre.

'Confluence' took decade to go from dream to stage

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: In the decade since she began working on "A Confluence of Dreaming," playwright Tammy Ryan has seen her play become more and more timely.
When former City Theatre artistic director Marc Masterson first commissioned the play in 2000, the World Trade Center buildings were still standing. Internet chat rooms, instant messaging and e-mails were starting to take off as new forms of communication. Cyber sex sounded like something adult robots might engage in.

Pittsburgh Public Theater's 'Art' doesn't paint pretty picture about friendships

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Art can be intimidating.
Just ask Rob Breckenridge, Harry Bouvy and Darren Eliker.
The three actors are cast in Yasmina Reza's "Art," a comedy about a friendship that nearly dissolves over reactions to a contemporary painting.
Nevertheless, there's not an art buyer among them.
"To actually invest in something would be a bold move. To buy art, I would want somebody to advise me," says Breckenridge.

CLO productions 'like a family reunion' for veteran performers

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: For many veteran Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera performers, "Consider yourself one of the family" is more than a line of lyrics from the season-opening musical, "Oliver!"

After Devastating Warehouse Fire, Musical Theatre Southwest Finds Home

Playbill.com: Musical Theatre Southwest, which lost its entire stock of costumes, props and scenic elements in a warehouse fire May 25, already has a new storage space — but nothing to fill it with.

For TKTS and Shakespeare Tickets, Strategize

NYTimes.com: WITH the unofficial start of summer this weekend, there are several hot tickets to be had. But to get to the front of the line, you need to know your way around.

12 Useful Ways To Get Out Of Ruts

Stepcase Lifehack: Have you gotten into a rut before? Or are you in a rut right now?
You know you’re in a rut when you run out of ideas and inspiration. I personally see a rut as a productivity vacuum. It might very well be a reason why you aren’t getting results. Even as you spend more time on your work, you can’t seem to get anything constructive done. While I’m normally productive, I get into occasional ruts (especially when I’ve been working back-to-back without rest). During those times, I can spend an entire day in front of the computer and get nothing done. It can be quite frustrating.

Universal reveals its redone New York Street back lot

Los Angeles Times: The price tag would impress Donald Trump.
Universal Studios revealed on Thursday that it had invested $200 million to rebuild its New York Street back lot, along with the King Kong attraction, both of which burned down two years ago.
Universal executives wouldn't say how much of the cost was covered by insurance, but described the rebuild as the largest set-construction project in Hollywood history.