RAP Act bill in Congress would ban lyrics from being used as evidence

New Pittsburgh Courier: A new bill proposed in Congress on Wednesday (July 27) seeks to bar rap lyrics from being used as criminal evidence in court, Variety reports. Democratic Congressmen Hank Johnson and Jamaal Bowman introduced the Restoring Artistic Protection Act (RAP Act) to the U.S. House of Representatives as concern rises over lyrics being used against artists in criminal cases.

Netflix Sues Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Creators for Infringement After Live Performance

TheaterMania: Netflix has sued the creators of the Grammy-winning Unofficial Bridgerton Musical for infringement after a live performance of the show at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, earlier this week.

What is a product designer?

www.fastcompany.com: Though nearly everyone on Earth engages with their work on a daily basis, a product designer’s job description can seem mysterious and opaque to people outside the design or tech space. On a day-to-day basis, the role of a project designer comes down to: solving problems while keeping user experience and utility at front-of-mind.

Shonda Rhimes Breaks Her Silence With A Comment On THE UNAUTHORIZED BRIDGERTON MUSICAL Lawsuit

www.broadwayworld.com: As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Streaming giant Netflix is suing GRAMMY Award-winning songwriting duo Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, the minds behind The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, over their wildly popular adaptation of the hit television series.

Theatre Heaven: A Place a Lot Like Festival d’Avignon

AMERICAN THEATRE: The Avignon Theatre Festival in France is one of the largest in Europe. For three weeks, the ancient walled city of Avignon hosts thousands—yes, thousands—of productions, most of them in the fringe or OFF Avignon program, which this year comprised 1,580 productions, including circus, mime, dance theatre, multimedia, and solo shows, in addition to comedies and dramas. Besides performances, the festival offers exhibits, film series, round tables, documentary series, “thought workshops,” and numerous professional development opportunities.

The Scoop on Backup Dancing: Four Dancers Dish on Tour Life

Dance Magazine: Touring with a major recording artist is at the top of most commercial dancers’ bucket lists. What could be more exciting than getting paid to dance, travel the world and work with mega-talented celebrity musicians? It looks glamorous, but most dancers don’t actually know what the job truly entails until they’ve booked it. Is it as great as it seems? Is it the right fit for you? Dance Magazine got the inside scoop from four touring pros.

'To Kill a Mockingbird' won't return to Broadway

The Washington Post: “To Kill a Mockingbird,” writer Aaron Sorkin’s acclaimed stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s 1960 novel, will not return to Broadway after all. Amid a wave of coronavirus infections on Broadway this past winter, and after the Jan. 2 departure of Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch, the show was put on hiatus Jan. 16, with the intention to bring it back later this year. The most recent plan was to reopen at New York’s Music Box Theatre on Nov. 2.

Adventure Theatre staff allege unfair pay and unsafe working conditions

DC Theater Arts: The staff of Adventure Theatre Company has issued an unsigned letter alleging that the Glen Echo, Maryland-based children’s theater has engaged in a series of harmful employment practices since reopening after COVID.

‘Princes can be Asian, too’: A dancer breaks barriers in ballet

The Japan Times: On a sleepy summer morning recently, a group of about 50 dancers from New York City Ballet gathered inside a sunny rehearsal studio at Lincoln Center and stretched. They had come from three weeks of rest and were back in company class, preparing for a tour in upstate New York. Some carried energy drinks and bottles of hand sanitizer; others brought their dogs, who settled into naps under the barre as the dancers began a series of exercises — plies, tendus, jumps and pirouettes.

CLO’s ‘A Chorus Line’ Sends a Valentine to Musical Theatre

onStage Pittsburgh: The iconic songs and characters of A Chorus Line are woven into the fabric of musical theatre. Chorus Line was a game changer from its early development through the first listening sessions that led to its record-breaking Broadway run. Pittsburgh CLO’s production, running through Sunday, respects the birth and legacy of the show.

$77 million lost and nearly 700 laid off: How the pandemic hurt San Diego arts organizations

The San Diego Union-Tribune: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly damaged San Diego’s arts and culture organizations last year, costing them more than $77 million in revenue and donations, shrinking their economic impact by 47 percent and prompting nearly 700 layoffs and lost freelance contracts.

The Fixer: Artistic Directors of Color and Pandemic Leadership

rescripted.org: We need to talk about the stress, institutional disposability, and institutional obligation put upon artists of color. Leaders of color create so much wealth and abundance in the face of chaos, but when are we asking too much? The combination of non-profit infrastructure and a pandemic has created a loss of agency, a “fixer” dynamic, and prevented many from manifesting the vision they intended.

Embrace Victorian Curiosity with Kurios: Cirque Du Soleil Returns to the DMV

District Fray: With their incredible use of the human form and movement-based approach to communication, Montreal-born acrobat company Cirque Du Soleil has become a cultural phenomenon here and beyond.

A Project Named For 'Peanuts' Character Franklin Aims To Boost Black Animators

LAist: In 1968, Charles M. Schulz introduced the first Black character to his famous comic strip; Franklin joined Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang. Over the years, the low-key, friendly character was an inspiration to generations of Peanuts fans. Now, more than half a century later, Peanuts Worldwide has created The Armstrong Project in his honor to support up-and-coming Black writers, animators and cartoonists.

AutoCAD 2023.1 and AutoCAD LT 2023.1 Updates Now Available

AutoCAD Blog - Autodesk: With this update, you can further improve your efficiency and collaboration processes, and easily find the answers to your questions. Whether you want to improve performance by diagnosing where your operations may be slowing down, simplify your creation sheet sets in the cloud, or find additional ways to access support options, AutoCAD 2023.1 has something for you.

Warner Bros. Discovery Names Asif Sadiq Chief Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer

www.thewrap.com: Warner Bros. Discovery has appointed Asif Sadiq as its chief officer of global diversity, equity and inclusion, the company said Wednesday. Sadiq will lead the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and global team, expanding on initiatives from both legacy Discovery, Inc. and legacy WarnerMedia.

Tokyo Disney's New Nighttime Show Gets an Opening Date

www.themeparkinsider.com: "Believe! Sea of Dreams" will play on the Mediterranean Harbor at Tokyo DisneySea, "where the waters are transformed into the Sea of Dreams — a place filled with 'wishing stars' that appear whenever someone makes a heartfelt wish," Oriental Land Co. said in its press release.

As Feds Take Aim at Books Megadeal, Their Tactics May Be Used Against Hollywood

The Hollywood Reporter: Federal antitrust enforcement has typically been considered through the lens of consumers. The logic goes, if a megamerger leads to lower prices and more choices, then it’s good for competition and good for the economy. Conversely, if it leads to higher prices and fewer choices, then it’s bad for competition and bad for the economy. Most deals authorized by the government have been approved under this view of antitrust law. However, that sole focus on consumer welfare is starting to change, which could be worrying news for Hollywood executives eyeing major deals.

VMAs Introduces Metaverse Performance Category

dot.LA: MTV’s Video Music Awards, airing in August, will introduce the new Best Metaverse Performance category. Nominees include Ariana Grande, Blackpink, BTS, Charli XCX, Justin Bieber and Twenty One Pilots. The new category, which defines a metaverse performance as digital artists performing for a digital crowd within a digital space, shows that the virtual stage has become integral to the music industry.

BBC on Track to Hit Diversity Spending Promise

The Hollywood Reporter: The BBC is on track to spend £100 million ($121 million) on diverse and inclusive TV content by 2023/2024, a target it set for itself in 2020 in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd.