1,250 Worldwide Exhibitors for Prolight + Sound Guangzhou’s 15th Edition

ZioGiorgio.com: Teeming with much enthusiasm, Prolight + Sound Guangzhou will open from 22 – 25 February 2017 at the China Import and Export Fair Complex. Sprawling across 130,000 sqm in 13 thematic halls and the extended area of Y Channel, 1,250 prominent companies from 26 countries and regions will stage their latest pro audio and lighting advancements.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Union Joins DPE

Variety: The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), the theatrical union that represents directors and choreographers, has signed on to become an affiliate of the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO — the coalition of more than 20 unions banded together for research and advocacy.

Feminist Voices Heard at the Miller Gallery

www.cmu.edu/news: Twenty-two female artists, designers and developers are speaking out at Carnegie Mellon University's Miller Gallery through an exhibition that showcases their technology-driven and sometimes humorous work.

"Hacking / Modding / Remixing," curated by Angela Washko, a visiting assistant professor in CMU's School of Art, runs through Feb. 26.

Synetic's wordless Taming of the Shrew, take 2 (review)

DC Theatre Scene: A viscerally entertaining romp about a grieving woman tortured until she falls in love with her captor, Synetic’s wordless-Shakespeare adaptation of Taming of the Shrew is a quality showcase for the company’s famed high-energy theatrics. First produced in 2012, it returns to the stage with most of the original principal cast, a few updates to the creative team, and the same riot of colors and bodies.

Women Directors Might Just Get the Hollywood Ending They Have Been Hoping For

American Civil Liberties Union: This week, Deadline reported that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is in negotiations with the major movie studios to settle agency charges of systemic sex discrimination against women directors.

The EEOC began a wide-ranging investigation of Hollywood’s hiring practices in 2015 after the ACLU and ACLU of Southern California notified the agency of evidence we had gathered showing that sex discrimination against women directors was “standard operating procedure” among movie studios and television networks.

CMU grad goes from the stage to the jungles of Borneo and back again

TribLIVE: In just 10 years since leaving Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University grad Kristolyn Lloyd has graduated from smaller off-Broadway fare to a major presence in Broadway's newest hot ticket, “Dear Evan Hansen.”

The millennial musical now at the Music Box Theatre in New York boasts a score by Oscar-nominated Benj Pasek and Justin Paul of “La La Land” fame, and book by Steven Levenson.

At University of Washington, Anonymous Hate Messages Extend To Campus Theatre

Arts Integrity Initiative: At a time in the life of America when The New York Times has been compelled to create a column called “This Week in Hate,” some localized instances of actions that are overtly oppositional to a culture that embraces all people, regardless of race, religion, sexuality, gender identity or disability, can still run the risk of being seen as too small bore for widespread attention and revulsion. But if they are not called out, if the public is not made aware, then there is the ever-present risk of such actions becoming normalized, simply a part of modern life with which we must live.

Not Just a Chair: Considering Design Choices

HowlRound: It is often useful to use the chair as an example because it perfectly encapsulates many of the concepts and ideas we struggle with in theatre. This article is not alone in this usage as it is often used as an entry into theatrical thinking. For the purpose of this piece, the chair will remain the central figure. It is easy to say that a chair is necessary, and it could be argued that this is as far as one’s thinking needs to go. However, let us take a moment and consider what it means to put a chair into a charged space such as the theatre. In this circumstance, nothing is simply what it is.

Gender on stage or, what do 'Breakdown' and 'Men are from Mars' have in common?

Chicago Tribune: The women's marches held in protest of Donald Trump's inauguration last month threw already-fraught issues of gender discrimination into high profile. Away from the pink hats, three plays on Chicago stages this month also examine gender relationships and privilege — or the lack thereof. The tone and structure of the shows vary greatly — from documentary-style narrative to comedic faux-lecture to seemingly straightforward family drama. But all three question in some way what gender means for our identity and potential.

This Augmented Reality App Tells Indigenous Stories in Canadian Cities

Motherboard: Adrian Duke showed me his phone while we stood outside Vancouver's Skwachàys Lodge. An animated raven popped up to tell me the story behind this boutique hotel, which houses Indigenous artists and their works. The raven was modelled on a commissioned painting by Garnet Tobacco, whose other paintings are on display inside the gallery.

ONOD 5: Q&A w/Krista Monson & Jerry Nadal

www.cirquefascination.com: It is one of the most ambitious Strip productions each year, and it takes almost a year, by a team of 300 volunteers, to pull off a one-night-only spectacular seen this time by only 1,250 lucky VIPs. Exactly two weeks from now on March 3, Cirque du Soleil stages for the fifth consecutive year its incredible charity show “One Night for One Drop.”

Fusion 360 Adds “Slicer” for Laser Cutting and CNC Routing

makezine.com: When Autodesk recently announced they were going to be discontinuing the 123D app, many of us were pretty bummed. As it turns out, that app had a fantastic ability to “slice” objects into layers for cutting with a laser, router, or mill. They’ve added a “slicer” app, packed with features to fill that void left behind by the closing of 123D. This new announcement for Fusion 360 is music to our ears.

The History (and Future) of 3D Audio

Hooke: The hot name for all things immersive audio today is "3d audio". Whether it's a headphone, microphone, amusement ride or algorithm, more and more companies are pushing to support this somewhat illusive format of "3D Audio".

So what is 3D Audio? How did it come about? Where did it start?

Latin America Theatre Anthology Is Available Online

The Theatre Times: The Anthology presents 78 short plays, produced between 1950 and 2007 in 14 Latin American countries, accompanied by historical-cultural introductions for each country and biographies of each of the included authors. The content is written by recognized specialists in Latin American theatre, from their own countries. The publication aims to give a sample of Latin American theatre and is directed to interested readers, especially teachers and researchers; it also intends to promote knowledge of this ample cultural production and to promote dialogue between the authors and the teatristas of each Latin American country.

Why You'll Never Do Your Best Work Alone

Fast Company | Business + Innovation: At last week's Grammy Awards, Beyoncé’s Lemonade lost Album of the Year to Adele's 25, much to her fans' dismay. This wasn't the first time that the record, Beyoncé’s sixth studio effort, found itself at the center of an uproar.

When it was released on April 23, 2016, Lemonade credited 72 writers—and earned a swift public backlash as a result. One person on Twitter wrote, "Is this the time of year where we call Beyoncé a musical genius even though she has 50 [to] 100 writers and producers for each album[?]" Another said, "Beyoncé has FIFTEEN writers on one of her songs. But she’s a genius, they say."

“Dubailand” – A Story About Globalization and Social Justice

The Theatre Times: Young British writers are often surprisingly unadventurous when it comes to locating their plays in other countries. There are lots of plays that travel to sink estates and poor parts of town, but few that explore China, Mexico or South America. Plenty are set in the United States, but very few in Japan or South-East Asia. Fewer still in the Middle East, despite its political and economic significance. Which is odd since most playwrights must have traveled to at least some of these places. Maybe they feel that you have to live in a place before you can write about it. Not Carmen Nasr, who is British-Lebanese and whose second play, Dubailand, is a large-scale — almost epic — story about globalization and social justice, produced by the Finborough Theatre.

NFTRW Weekly Top Five

Here are the top five comment generating posts of the past week:

‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ Depended on 3D Printer

Variety: When the Oscar nominations were announced on Jan. 24, some may have been surprised to find “Kubo and the Two Strings” among the visual-effects nominees. But it wasn’t a shock to those who had carefully looked at the work Oregon-based Laika had done for its latest release.

Posted by David at 2/17/2017 03:48:00 PM

Trump's Potential NEA Cuts Would Shut Down Arts Groups to Save Us Each 46¢

Creators: In the span of half a century, the National Endowment for the Arts has supported some of the most fundamental arts and cultural movements and individuals in this country's history, from funding Pulitzer Prize-winner Alice Walker's first novel to providing seed money to a young Robert Redford towards what is now the Sundance Institute. The organization ensures the presence of art in some of the country's most underserved areas.

Posted by David at 2/17/2017 03:40:00 PM

'The Book of Mormon' remains fresh and funny

TribLIVE: Probably nobody in the world knows more about “The Book of Mormon” than Jake Emmerling — except maybe its creators, Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez.

As part of the ensemble, Emmerling has been touring with the record-breaking musical comedy since it opened in 2012 in Chicago, visiting more than 80 cities across the country.

Posted by David at 2/16/2017 03:05:00 PM

What Your Congregation Wishes You Knew About Lighting

ChurchProduction.com: Ego. That nagging quality which can be both a driving force of achievement yet a dominating blinder on reality. A healthy ego does serve a purpose, propelling one with a sense of confidence and command. Too much though and we succumb to a trap of narcissism and stubbornness.

Posted by David at 2/17/2017 03:46:00 PM

Behind the Scenes: Ancient Techniques & Digital Technology Bring ‘Rivers of Light’ Costumes To Life

Disney Parks Blog: “Rivers of Light,” the new nighttime show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is just days away from it’s grand debut this Friday, February 17. Today we’re excited to share a behind-the-scenes look at the four costumes you’ll see in the show that represent Earth & Fire and Air & Water.

Posted by David at 2/17/2017 03:41:00 PM

Stan Talks: Rosco’s Beginnings

Rosco Spectrum: Rosco Laboratories has been in business now for over 100 years. When a company has a product range and market presence as diverse as Rosco’s, it’s interesting to examine how it all began. Rosco’s Stan Miller and Mark Engel sat down for a discussion about Rosco’s history for a video series we’re calling Stan Talks.

‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ Depended on 3D Printer

Variety: When the Oscar nominations were announced on Jan. 24, some may have been surprised to find “Kubo and the Two Strings” among the visual-effects nominees. But it wasn’t a shock to those who had carefully looked at the work Oregon-based Laika had done for its latest release.

Record Number of Producers of Best Picture Noms Are Women

The Mary Sue: The Oscars are coming up in a little over a week, and thankfully the ceremony won’t as white as it’s been in the past. With Hidden Figures, Moonlight, Fences, and Lion all nominated for Best Picture, actors like Denzel Washington, Ruth Negga, and Viola Davis nominated for acting awards, and Moonlight‘s Barry Jenkins nominated for Best Director, there has been some progress made. Where less progress has been made is in the area of female filmmakers.