Stories

Follow One Of Broadway’s Top Electricians Through His Workday

Jimmy Fedigan has worked on 125 shows, working up from substitute spotlight guy to overseeing the entire technical production of the musical Chicago. In this video, he walks us through various aspects of his job, from the scene shop where sets get built to backstage shortly before curtain time. - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)

Niche-Casting: Live Online Talk Shows About Specialized Topics Are On The Rise

Many of these productions function as modern-day trade magazines. One show targets car dealership owners. Another, TBPN (Technology Business Programming Network), focuses on tech overlords. Malcolm Harris, a former sports talk personality, helms “What The Truck?!?,” a thrice-a-week show all about logistics. - The Hollywood Reporter

This Fast-Rising Standup Comedian Makes Dance An Integral Part Of His Show

“Chris Fleming … marries the idiosyncrasies of his writing — one bit has him pretending to be a dirty cast-iron skillet — with a delivery that leans heavily on his training in classic modern dance. He is probably the only working funnyman who cites Isadora Duncan as an influence.” - The New York Times

Buckminster Fuller Sculpture Collapses Following Snowstorm

The piece, installed outdoors at the LongHouse Reserve on the South Fork of eastern Long Island, is one of only five existing versions of Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome. The roof of the fiberglass structure caved in under the weight of the heavy snow which fell in late February. - Artnet

Downtown L.A.’s Latest, And Smallest, Performance Venue Looks Like An Electrical Box

Indeed, when artist S.C. Mero was installing it in the Arts District, police stopped her, concerned she was ripping out copper wire. Inside, the Electrical Box Theatre is “an impromptu performance space for the sort of experimental artists who no longer have an outlet in downtown's galleries or more refined stages.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)

Buffalo’s Public Radio Stations To Rearrange Programming

“Buffalo Toronto Public Media (BTPM) plans to move programming currently on news/talk WBFO (88.7) and BTPM Classical WNED (94.5) in Buffalo, NY, resulting from the latter’s recent conversion to an advertising-eligible license and the company’s loss of $2.2 million in annual federal funding.” - Inside Radio

Site Of Cancelled Pompidou Center Jersey City May Become Affordable Housing

“Jersey City Mayor James Solomon, who took office in January” and killed the project shortly afterward, “announced Monday that the city would work with Kushner Real Estate Group on new plans for the Artwalk Towers development.” - Gothamist

Post-Assad, Syria’s Powerhouse TV Industry Has New Freedoms And New Challenges

“While Egypt is known for its movies and Lebanon for its pop singers and composers, Syria’s TV series” — especially the high-profile dramas aired during Ramadan — “have for decades been seen as the gold standard in the region.” Naturally, the fall of the long Assad family dictatorship has led to some changes. - AP

Britain’s Ballet Black At 25

Founding Artistic Director Cassa Pancho: “There was nowhere in this country for Black classical dancers to be hired. It was suggested to me that they go and dance with Dance Theatre of Harlem – as if every Black person trained in ballet can only go to one place!” - Bachtrack

Tilly-The-AI Actor Gets Her Own Universe

AI talent studio Xicoia, which created Norwood, has announced plans for a “rapid expansion” for the digitized actor. The developments include a digital universe dubbed the “Tillyverse,” where ”Tilly and a new generation of AI characters will live, collaborate and build careers.” - Los Angeles Times

The AI-Written College Essay And The Decline Of Thinking

Surely the most dismal prospect is that we will lose sight of our own forms of thinking and understanding if those terms are assimilated to the capacities of AI. - Public Books

This Little Company Brings The Ephemerality Of Theater To A Whole New Level

Every month, in an American Legion hall or women’s center (anywhere but a theater) in Los Angeles, Public Assembly presents three 12-minute plays that it has developed over the previous four weeks from pitches submitted from the audience at the previous month’s show, which is advertised only by word-of-mouth. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)

What If The Future Of Public Broadcasting Doesn’t Include Broadcasting?

If we were to launch a new local, mission-driven public-service media entity today, what would it look like? - Editor & Publisher

Why Is There A Shortage Of Understudies In Toronto Theatres?

For at least three years running now, shows in Toronto have been disrupted because theatres did not have adequate understudy coverage. - Toronto Star

Poet Threatens To Sue Arts Council England After Defunding

A poet is threatening Arts Council England (ACE) with legal action after a magazine it funds withdrew her work from publication based on her “social media presence”, which she believes refers to gender-critical posts. - The Guardian

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