5 Reasons PyroFest Will Light Up Your Memorial Day Weekend

The 412 - May 2016: Dubbed America’s largest fireworks festival, PyroFest will (literally) help you start your Memorial Day weekend off with a bang. Held at Cooper’s Lake in Butler County for the second year in a row, gates open to a park full of food, music and of course, fireworks, with a show hosted at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29. If that’s not enough to sell you, here are a few more reasons to check it out.

What Is Sound Design, and Why Did It Lose Its Tony?

Playbill: Despite these accolades and many more from others in the theatre community, the Tony Awards Administration decided in June 2014 that they would no longer be giving a Tony Award for sound design at the annual ceremony that celebrates the best of the Broadway season. (The June 2014 decision came with the proviso that the Tony committee holds the right to determine a Special Tony Award for certain productions that have excelled in this particular design realm.)

Behind ‘Hamilton’s’ Moves, a Man Inspired by ‘The Matrix’

WSJ: In the early days of “Hamilton,” choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler realized he had a problem: The dancers were onstage through nearly all of the first act, so that they barely had time to catch their breath and recover. He adjusted their work but held on to the idea of using movement to convey or highlight nearly every part of the hit Broadway show’s story—down to the bullet, personified by a slow-motion dancer, that kills Alexander Hamilton.

'Game of Thrones' Children of the Forest makeup takes 10 hours

Tech Insider: Sunday's "Game of Thrones" took us farther beyond the Wall and deeper into the mythos of the White Walkers than ever before. We found out the origin of the death-seeking White Walkers and saw the last stand of Leaf, the "leader" of the enigmatic Children of the Forest.

Why Agile Methodology is Perfect for Event Production Companies

blog.propared.com: Getting into software development expanded my worldview. And introduced me to the Agile Methodology. It has revolutionized not just the way we make our product but the way I now run my event company. More on that in a moment. What do I mean by “expanded worldview?” When you work in events, it’s easy to get a little tunnel vision. A project can be intense and require a bit of adjustment once it’s complete (crash day, anyone?) Then a new project comes along and the process starts all over. And when you’re constantly looking for the next gig, it’s hard to lift your eyes and look around.

Understanding the Difference between Chain Grades and How They’re Used

blog.cmworks.com: Chain has been around for over a thousand years. It is one of the most versatile and reliable ways to lift, tension and tie down materials in a variety of applications. In the past, people would use any type of chain to lift something, tie down a load or tow a vehicle. Proper inspection, safety procedures and general standards of practice for chain were lacking.

Chile's New Copyright Legislation Would Make Creative Commons Licensing Impossible For Audiovisual Works

Techdirt: Techdirt has written many times about the way in which copyright only ever seems to get stronger, and how different jurisdictions point to other examples of excessive copyright to justify making their own just as bad. In Chile, there's an interesting example of that kind of copyright ratchet being applied in the same country but to different domains. It concerns audiovisual works, and aims to give directors, screenwriters and others new rights to "match" those that others enjoy.

The Top 25 Undergraduate Drama Schools Ranked

Hollywood Reporter: Aspiring thesps can follow in the footsteps of some of the industry's biggest stars, who got their start at these top programs.

What's on Your Phone, Scott Wolovich?

AMT Lab @ CMU: Scott Wolovich is a social innovator and Executive Director of New Sun Rising (NSR) in Pittsburgh, PA, an organization that strives to find and support fresh, creative solutions to social problems that are more effective, efficient and sustainable than what currently exists. As an advocate for social innovation and community development, Wolovich helped to develop NSR’s Arts MODE, a social arts fellowship and incubator. Here, AMT Lab Contributor Sarah Weber sat down to talk about Scott's favorite apps.

Stars Reflect on Arts Education Programs That Shaped Their Success

Playbill: Corey Mitchell has a Tony honor unlike any other. No, it’s not a medallion, as was the prize in the early days of the awards—such as the ones Ethel Merman and Mary Martin received. Neither is it the modern Tony trophy with the medallion on top, which is how the award was redesigned in 1967. It’s not what Idina Menzel, Julie Taymor and dozens of others have taken home for the past 48 years.

Rick Sebak, Pittsburgh Dad and Kennywood first-timers welcome the whale to Noah's Ark

Local News - WTAE Home: Wednesday marked the first day Kennywood visitors could explore Noah's Ark and take a walk through the famous whale mouth.

Meet David Korins, the man behind the look of ‘Hamilton’

Salon.com: When you see the Broadway smash “Hamilton” — if you’re lucky enough to see it, that is — you should know that something important quietly happens at intermission. The walls get bigger: Stagehands add 8 feet to the brick walls at the back of the stage. It’s a subtle change, reflecting the musical’s transition from showing the nation’s birth in Act 1 to building a nation in Act 2.

Kevin E. Moore Named Managing Director at Actors Theatre of Louisville

Stage Directions: Kevin E. Moore will join the Actors Theatre of Louisville as their managing director, effective July 6. Moore joins Actors Theatre of Louisville after six years as managing director of Theatre Communications Group.

On tour in Berlin, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra streams live back to Heinz Hall

Blogh | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper: On Sunday, in the midst of a 14-date European tour, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will capitalize on today's advances in digital infrastructure with a live-streamed performance from Berlin, and their first ever public simulcast at Heinz Hall and online at pittsburghsymphony.org.

Flying High

InPark Magazine: In 2001, Disney introduced a new kind of simulator adventure as a flagpole attraction at the new Disney’s California Adventure park at California’s Disneyland Resort. Guests encountered a fully themed environment stretching from a mountain airfield outside the building themed as a hangar, through graphics depicting the history of California’s aviation industry in the queue, and a pre-show with a flight captain preparing his passengers with a safety spiel. Once on board, the rows of seats rose up over a giant dome screen. Passengers, legs dangling, glided over the state of California, smelling the seas and the orange fields, the wind blowing in their hair.

How To Find Job Opportunities You Didn't Know Existed

Fast Company | Business + Innovation: Finding a job, whether you’re starting your career or transitioning from one field to another, is unquestionably among the most daunting, time-consuming, and stressful of undertakings. It’s up there with death, taxes, and buying a home—anxiety-inducing on every level. There are so many things to consider: figuring out what you want to do, finding the right job to apply for, crafting the perfect cover letter and résumé, not to mention all the pressure that comes with getting an actual interview.

Adele

TPi: As one of the most celebrated artists in recent times, global phenomenon, singer–songerwriter (and worldclass personality) Adele, is back on the road after a four-year hiatus supporting her third studio album, 25. TPi’s Kelly Murray visited the visually captivating production, complete with technically intricate sound design, to meet the crew at the helm of this highly anticipated tour.

Indecent and Signature Plays Show the Power of the Avant-Garde

Cultural Weekly: Two highly theatrical productions demonstrate that the avant-garde stage can challenge as well as mystify. Paula Vogel’s Indecent at the Vineyard Theaters is a combination theater history lesson and searing docudrama on the impact of censorship and the oppression of groups deemed as “other.”

Wenger’s Evolution of Active Acoustic Products

Your Performance Partners: Transcend is an electronic architecture (or electronic enhancement) system, or what we commonly refer to as an active acoustic system. In contrast to passive acoustic treatments such as ceiling reflectors or acoustic panels, active systems detect sound and then electronically process and redistribute that sound in real time. This technology uses a careful arrangement of microphones and loudspeakers to control acoustic energy rather than relying on the construction and placement of architectural surfaces.

SAG-AFTRA Files Unfair Labor Charge Against Grey Global

Variety: SAG-AFTRA has filed an unfair labor practices charge alleging that advertising agency Grey Global produced non-union advertisements through 23 Townhouse.

Grey has denied the allegations, which were filed with the National Labor Relations Board. “We have said their contentions have no merit and we will respond accordingly,” spokesman Owen Daugherty said.