Desktop

Here I sit in front of the desktop, blogging on the tablet because after maybe 15 minutes of churning it still won't launch iTunes and frankly I have no idea what it is doing. I had this thought that there are a lot of photos piling up on my phone and I've loaded a few apps since my last sync and so I should probably sync the portables with the home machine. Not more than a few seconds after booting the thing up did the problems begin.

Really there a a bunch of issues. Foremost is that the tablet and the notebook combined have pretty much killed the use of my desktop, so it doesn't get turned on all that often. As you may have discovered, if you don't regularly turn on a windows box once you do all it wants to do is run updates.

Right off it appears that the anti-virus and the firewall need updating, plus java, and acrobat. It seems like Dropbox took it upon itself to upgrade. Several hours ago when I first started this trek and after a long wait iTunes actually launched it informed me that a new iTunes was available and recalling the last time I did this it occurred to me that this wasn't the first time I'd gotten that notification. So i went for that update, and pretty much immediately the computer hung. I waited a respectful amount of time (while at that moment pricing new desktops on the tablet) and then control-alt-deleted my way to a shut down.

At which point the machine wanted to run 22 windows updates. Did I mention that this is an XP box?

So one Archer and one Mythbusters later and the machine has run through its OS updates and I restart again. This time it occurs to me to pause the Dropbox sync as there are about 100 files there looking for a home (many of which are the same photos I mean to be downloading from the phone as is - note to self: streamline photo archiving process). We've rebooted, gotten the virus, firewall, java, and adobe notifications again, launched itunes and waited a respectful amount of time, and this time forgone any effort to update iTunes until after doing the device sync - which is why I think I skipped that step the last time as well.

I got the phone process started and I'm staring at a 99% complete status on the first photo, which I full expect to fail as it is a fairly long video, and a 2 of 7 phone sync process.

I think I'll be here a while. Maybe I should check to see if the laundry machines are empty.

Vote for Comment of the Week

Here are this week's contenders:

Comment #1 a new comment on your post "Pushing pixels to promote plays":

I think that video games and stage theatre have some deep connections that are not fully understood at this time because video games are such a new medium. At the same time I don't like what the people across the pond are doing. To me it sounds like these guys are trying to act hip by making an app so that they can sell more tickets to young people. This is nothing more then a marketing ploy. And it might be a very effective one. But the game that the describe sounds like a cheap clone of a million other games out their for the iphone, and not like and meaningful cooperation between to powerful story telling mediums. When I was in high school we had to read Romeo and Juliet in English class. We could make any sort of project that explored the story of the play. I made a video game adaption of Romeo and Juliet. It sounds like are planing on doing the same thing I did. Take a classic story and let a player discover the story as well as some other perspectives that we don't get to see in the script. That's ok, but it's hardly something I would call art or inspirational. Video games and theatre need to start working together, but not in this simple way. 

Comment #2 a new comment on your post "Etiquette Redefined in the Digital Age":

I actually agree with the author of this article. Does he take a brisk, and somewhat rude stance? Yes. But, this doesn't mean what he has to say isn't relevant. While I'm a big fan of face to face communication, and one of my big links to home is having phone conversations, not text or e-mail conversations, instant communication is crucial. In this day and age, we rely on this technology. If a light board breaks down during a show and erases the information, we'd want an instant text from the designer. The biggest personal reference I can think of is when I was in high school and my mother would call me. She would usually call me while I was managing a rehearsal and taking blocking notes. I would see (or feel) my phone ring, and not answer it. She'd call me between five and ten times, usually leaving an angry voicemail every other time. As soon as rehearsal got out, I wouldn't listen to any of the voicemails, but I would then call her and ask what she wanted. Absolutely unnecessary communication. If she had originally sent me a short text message such as "Will you be staying past 8pm tonight?" Then I could easily respond as a scene was resetting in about 15 seconds, and then immediately go back to working. This was about three years ago that this problem reached it peak. I finally sat down with her and explained text messaging. It ended her frustrations with me not answering phone calls, and it made me less frustrated than a phone that was constantly buzzing and wasting battery life. Is there still a time and place for phone calls, thank you e-mails (such as after a job interview), and asking directions? Absolutely. But, each situation is individual, and linked to the person with whom the communication is taking place with. 

Comment #3 a new comment on your post "Sleep Deprivation":

Here at CMU in the drama department, most of us have lived a little bit sleep deprived, if only for a little. Usually, one can make it through the day, and then catch up on sleep the next night or later in the day. But, its interesting to think that it's not just a "feeling" of being tired, but actually a physical deformation on the cellular level with the folding of proteins. Though, the podcast doesn't go deeply into science of folded proteins I've got the general gist that these proteins need to fold so that the human body works properly. And when we don't sleep, those proteins don't fold, therefore, the body doesn't work right. This makes so much sense with how I've seen my body and others react to a lack of sleep. It also mentioned that when people don't sleep, they get angrier and have a shorter temper. This has also proven true in my experience. I can this also being related to the protein thing? Maybe it prevents circuits in the brain from being "wired" correctly. In any case, sleep deprivation literally deforms the inside of your body, and it seems odd to think that something so casually done in school and in life (like when someone has a newborn) has such a huge impact on the insides (and how one acts on the inside). 

Comment #4 a new comment on your post "Etiquette Redefined in the Digital Age":

I find it extremely depressing that people can't simply be *bothered* to be kind or polite to their peers because it takes too long. What I find even more depressing, is that I actually agree with the author. Sometimes texts that say "Thank you" or "ok" are just unnecessary and fairly aggravating when I'm in the middle of my homework or working on a project. However, When people say thank you, it's nice to be reminded that not everyone is inconsiderate out there. I agree that phone conversations and voicemails aren't exactly relevant all the time anymore, but I actually find it nice that someone cares enough to call so they can actually talk to me about something. Even if the question is just, "I'm going to the store, do you need anything?" it shows that someone actually cared enough to put in the effort to talk to me about it. The way I see it, making phone calls can be such a *hassle*. When someone actually calls me its nice to know their putting in the effort. 

Comment #5 a new comment on your post "The Arts' College of Cardinals Equivalent":

It would be great if people in the arts community had input on the NEA chair, but like Barry suggests, it's never gonna happen. Choosing an NEA chair is an exercise in non-confrontation. The idea is to pick someone so innocuous, so totally uncontroversial that no one in the opposition can use the appointment effectively as a political weapon. Paula Vogel will never be the NEA chair. The chairmanship is not so much about the arts as it is about not offending anyone. As much as I'd like to see arts professionals have input on the appointment, I don't see how that tactic could possibly be politically expedient, which is the point. And when it comes down to it, how could it possibly matter to anyone? Even us? The thing about being Catholic is you HAVE to care about the pope. No one has to care about the NEA chairperson. And in reality, why should we? The NEA budget last year was 146 million out of a total federal budget of $3.7 trillion. Yes, nerds, that's .0003% of the federal budget over which this lucky individual holds sway. That's the real problem, if you ask me. So until there's real power in the position, like a direct phone line to God, for instance, I don't see anyone pitching a tent on the White House lawn waiting for the theatrical fog signal to announce the selection of a new chair.

Worth a Look

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time...

Why Bway's 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' has no tiaras

The Denver Post: The Holly Golightly who has shown up on Broadway isn't wearing oversized Wayfarer-style sunglasses, tiaras, big hats, a pink cocktail dress or anything by Hubert de Givenchy. Three-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood avoided the classic outfits that made Audrey Hepburn such a style icon when she designed the clothes for an adaptation of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" that opens this week. "Why go see something that's the same as the movie that's already been done? What's the point? We've seen that Givenchy black dress a million times," said Atwood, who won Oscars for her work on "Chicago," "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Alice in Wonderland."

Posted by David at 3/19/2013 04:04:00 PM 

VFX Town Hall Urges Trade Association and Union

www.hollywoodreporter.com: VFX vet Scott Ross and others outlined a plan that involves the formation of a VFX union for VFX artists and of a trade association for visual effects facilities, all aimed at addressing the troubled VFX business model.

Posted by David at 3/19/2013 03:58:00 PM 

Sleep Deprivation

Radiolab: Ahhhh, babies. We get in bed with producer Hannah Palin, and her husband, and her baby Dominic, as they all try to go to sleep. An intimate portrait of the effects of sleep deprivation. And then we try to understand what sleep is for by looking at what happens when you don't get it. The tired, cranky feeling of exhaustion, what’s that really about? What thing are you missing by not getting sleep? Dr. Allan Pack describes what an exhausted brain looks like (hint: a 14 year-old boy's room). And Dr. Gulio Tunoni gives us insight into why a good night of sleep is good for the brain and, as the Sisterhood of Convoluted Thinkers and opera singer Brad Cresswell tell us, good for learning how to play music.

Posted by David at 3/23/2013 03:21:00 PM 

The Arts' College of Cardinals Equivalent

Barry's Blog: So that got me thinking about our next Chair of the NEA, as we wait for the President to put forth a name for Senate confirmation. Obviously, this particular political appointment is not high on the priority list. They will get to it when they get to it. And the name ultimately put forth will likely not be the result of any organized, systemic search or vetting process. That’s not how it works. Someone in the administration will ask someone else if they have any ideas and a name will somehow emerge. It may well be a political process. Not, however, likely to be transparent in any sense. To be fair, this process has yielded us some very good Chairmen, even if they were not from the field itself. But perhaps we are squandering a great media opportunity - a chance to call attention to not just the agency but the role of art itself in our society.

Posted by David at 3/23/2013 03:28:00 PM 

Obituary: Brian Johnston / CMU professor shook up established view of Ibsen

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: There are many stories about Brian Johnston, world-renowned Ibsen scholar, CMU professor, Middle East human rights activist and educator, but perhaps the most noteworthy has to have been when he was teaching at American University in Beirut in the 1980s. Even as the city became increasingly dangerous, and some of his fellow university professors had been kidnapped, Mr. Johnston still ventured out, until one day he was stopped at a checkpoint by a man with a machine gun and a black cloth over his face, recalled Jed Harris, a longtime colleague. He was certain that he was about to be taken, when the man lifted his cloth slightly and said, "Have you graded your papers yet, professor Johnston?" and waved him on. That's how good a teacher he was, Mr. Harris said.

Posted by David at 3/21/2013 04:00:00 PM

Yesterday's Slides

Rigging math from dboevers

USITT Day One

Not sure how much blogging I will do this conference. Today was the first day and the big question of the day was if I was going to get here in time to sit on the panel I was doing.

I turned out to arrive with more than an hour to spare. But even without a timing issue there was still a surprise for me. When I got here and checked in the show guide to find the room the session was happening in I discovered that I'd be on a panel with Jay Glerum...

You may not know, but Jay literally "wrote the book" on stage rigging. Suddenly upon discovering this I started to wonder about the quality of the methodology within my presentation. There'd be nothing worse than saying something in a room full of people while sitting next to Jay rolling his eyes at my possible idiocy.

There was one slide in particular (I'll upload slides when I next have the machine online) that I was wondering about so I showed it to him first. I'm glad I did because he did think it was wrong. Interestingly I told him I had applied it the way I had seen it in another book and his response was "yeah, he always misinterpreted that."

The session went really well. When Jay is on a panel the room is always full. I'd say there were like maybe 300 people. In the end I think I did hold my own. Pretty cool.

After that I sat in on part of a fire curtain presentation by Dan Culhane. I learned about over balance bars and arbors. That was cool and a total surprise. Next was the Technical Production Commission Leadership session. I managed to sit through the entire meeting without volunteering for anything (although I totally undid that by email later on - even putting myself up for commissioner).

Last today was the new keynote. Two of our students were receiving awards and a team of CMU folks did all of the design and media for the new format so I went to an event I usually make sure to miss. It was certainly better than the old format. 

Then back to the room for food, recharging electronics, and catching up on a day's email. 

Tomorrow will probably be a whole lot more about the booth.

Vote For Comment of the Week

Here are this week's contenders:

Comment #1: a new comment on your post "Don't Screw It Up":

This article really opened my mind up to problems 3D printing is facing that I hadn't thought of at all before. For years now I've been really in to 3D printing, but I had never heard about the legal problems that might spring up. I feel as though the 3D printer is the latest in a line of machines that vastly changed the way the life's of normal people works. The first was the printing press that allowed the masses to read. Next came the typewriter that let the masses write. After that the internet let the masses share ideas. Now 3D printers are letting regular people build. In connection with the sharing that the internet allows it's a powerful combination. I don't know how to deal with copy rite laws and the current companyes that make things for the world, but I do no that limiting 3D printing is the wrong way to go. After all copy rite was made to make more inventions and ideas, not less. 

Comment #2: a new comment on your post "Happy Birthday":

While generally I am all for songs being copyrighted there are two that I feel have no grounds what so ever to be so. The ABC Song and Happy Birthday. Those are the very first songs you learn as an American kid and you dont learn them from any one artist, you learn them by word of mouth and just from the people around you. We hardly ever hear them sung by anyone singing them as artists. It is not anyones original work, at least not anyone from the last century, so it should just be public domain. And it is very frustrating that somehow the copyright is always able to be extend even after it should have expired like any normal song that actually deserves a copyright would be. Happy Birthday is one of the few things in this world that, to the general public anyway, is not about making money, its sad that its not free. I am interested to see how much money is being taken in from holding that copyright, im sure it must seem worth it for the people that are making the profit. 

Comment #3: a new comment on your post "Guest Post: DGA Women Directors Foment a Rebellion...":

Being a female actor, not director, and being relatively new to the theater world, this issue never really occurred to me. But having read this article, now that I think about it, yes, most directors in the industry today are males. It is rare that you see a female's name as director of a film or see many women nominated in the Best Director category. I guess I had always just assumed that more men than women were interested in directing. I am so glad I read this article because as a female, it is so important for me to be aware of this issue so I can be an active advocate. It never occurred to me that women, like in so many other professions, are being denied opportunities and privileges just because of their gender and that their civil rights are actually being violated. Knowing this now, I am really happy to see that women are taking action. 

Comment #4: a new comment on your post "Cirque du Soleil star battles shoulder injuries, a...":

I recently saw this show back in Miami over Winter break and have to say that crystal man was by far one of my favorite parts of the show. He is definitely the most memorable part of the show. It's sad to think things like this happen to people like him. I'm glad he pulled his life back together enough to make a happy living for himself. Being a former gymnast myself, I can relate to having injuries that act as a road block to what you love to do. And when looking at why he quit gymnastics in the first place, I can also relate. It's stressful to realize that you can't be perfect or to not have someone help you as much as you'd like (like in my case) and it's frustrating and makes you feel like you can't do it and you sort of give up. However I was younger at that time and have learned to move away from those feelings but seeing this article kind of gives me hope that one day I will be able to pick up gymnastics again and use it to my benefit in the future while still doing the things I love most. 

Comment #5: a new comment on your post "U of Cincinnati Students Freaked Out Over Vagina A...":

I completely side with the student group who put up the pictures. Their goal of calling attention to the objectification of the female body is founded upon a real issue that more should be aware of. On the other hand, they are questioning the taboo that society has placed around the vagina and female sexuality. There are too many aspect of this issue for the article or myself to go into, but I believe those two are very important as well as promoting the public discussion of female sexuality and genitalia.
Groups like Student For Life are oppressive, and counter the development of a forward-thinking and free society. Why should they be allowed to post pictures of aborted fetuses if that other student group cannot post pictures of vagina? I disagree with their argument that these images provoke rape culture - what these images provoke is thought. And I think we could all use a little thought.

Worth a Look

Here are some posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

Don't Screw It Up

On The Media: Following up on his conversation with Chris Anderson, Bob speaks with Michael Weinberg, Vice President at Public Knowledge, who's working to explain the benefits of 3D printing to legislators before regulation takes hold.

Posted by David at 3/17/2013 07:55:00 PM 

The Tradition of Defining a Tradition

HowlRound: Throughout the history of American theater, the desire for a separate Black theater tradition has raised challenges and contradictions. Over the past decade, as many Black Theater institutions have stumbled and failed, revived and evolved, the question has arisen far too often, “Do we still need ethnically specific theaters?” Manifesto after manifesto has been written; critics, scholars and artists have debated; headlines have declaimed the question. Now at the new millennium for a new generation, we still wrestle with issues of cultural identity, political correctness, ethnic and gender politics all in an effort to correct the history of bigotry, oppression and segregation that has led generation after generation to this quandary in the first place. The history of Black Theater institutions, however, provides a rich cultural legacy that should not be doubted.

Posted by David at 3/15/2013 08:08:00 PM 

Does Spelling Count?

Doctor G: It happens every time. As I hand the test out to my middle school students, one of them will invariably look up, pencil at the ready, and ask, “Does spelling count?” Let’s ignore the fact that my students should know better than to even ask this question in the first place. I’ve answered it more times than I care to remember, usually in the fall of the new school year, and it goes something like this: Yes. Spelling counts. I have lots of witty quips loaded up in my quiver about why it counts, but my new favorite comes from homeschooling mom of four Jodi Jackson Stewart who tweeted me with her answer to this question: “Spelling counts here because spelling counts out there.”

Posted by David at 3/13/2013 02:02:00 PM 

Plagiarism: Maybe It's Not So Bad

On The Media: Artists often draw inspiration from other sources. Musicians sample songs. Painters recreate existing masterpieces. Kenneth Goldsmith believes writers should catch-up with other mediums and embrace plagiarism in their work. Brooke talks with Goldsmith, MoMA’s new Poet Laureate, about how he plagiarizes in his own poetry and asks if appropriation is something best left in the art world.

Posted by David at 3/11/2013 07:57:00 PM 

The Insanity Of Making A 'Wizard Of Oz' Film In Today's IP Climate

Techdirt: It's always tough to root for the underdog when neither of the involved parties deserves that title. So, rather than pick one, we'll just discuss the overweening ridiculousness of copyright law. It's a subject that never goes out of style, thanks to our legislators' willingness to continually extend copyright protection terms. As was covered much earlier in the year, Disney is producing its own "Wizard of Oz" movie, titled "Oz the Great and Powerful." While Frank L. Baum's books are definitely in the public domain, filmed depictions of Baum's characters are mainly the property of Warner Bros. WB attempted to head off this incursion into its domain by filing a trademark application on "The Great and Powerful Oz," but it was a week too late and is now (presumably) several billion dollars short (H'Wood mathematics, yo).

Posted by David at 3/14/2013 02:03:00 PM

Ellipses...

Thundercats, Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes, TRON Uprising, Green Lantern the Animated Series, Young Justice, Start Wars Clone Wars, if I like it they're cancelling it.  I am the animation kiss of death...  In case anyone has any swing with this, I am really done with snow for the year...  How to waste a break: don't travel, don't have a list, don't do the things that would be on the list if you had one, stay up late and sleep in.  Check...  Really liking the Roku MSNBC editor's feed: progressive recap every morning...  Have to come up with a USITT presentation on rigging math.  I think I'll try to take care of this one earlier along that last year...  To me the argument is self evident that in a fixed period of time you can do more damage with five 30 round mags than with 15 ten round mags...  They shouldn't, but people coming lately to Doctor Who just irritate me...  Trying really hard to get some landscaping projects started.  Not really sure why it is so hard to spend money...  Is it just me?  The Star Wars Episode VII thing seems to be coming together pretty quickly...  Into the last mini at work next week.  This year really sped by.  I am going to have to change things up to make things go slower...  I am having capital B bizarre dreams these days.  The other day included Led Zeppelin, the Wallace Bowl, Centennial Park, my friend Chris, my Dad, my parents house, ice sculpture, and two living severed heads.  Like I said, bizarre...  Couple of trips coming up: TAIT, USITT, NYC.  I'm gonna miss my house...  Have you heard to Progressive Caucus budget resolution?  That one would be my choice... 

FIOS Are You Listening

Because here's a thing I want.  I want a device called a guest room box.  It should be tiny.  It should do what I used to know as basic cable and expanded basic, but does not need movie channels.  Really probably just ESPN, CNN, and local channels would probably work, but since I know it probably isn't a big deal lets get the wider arrangement.

I mean otherwise what I am talking about might be called an "antenna."

So I want this tiny little limited function box.  It should have a remote.  Doesn't have to be a universal remote, just a remote for changing channels - maybe enough functionality to access the channel guide.  Really I guess is doesn't even have to be able to power up and power down the box, and we can keep using the TV remote that we all have to turn on and off the TV.

Ok, now potentially the hard part.  I want this this to be wireless.  4G/3G cellular is fine, WIFI is fine, power line network is fine; just no additional devices and no additional wiring.  I need it to be so that wherever my guest in my home is staying that they can have TV there, and I can't need to know months in advance when I install cable.

Tiny, limited function, wireless device.

One more thing.  It should be free.  No monthly fee.  See almost all of the time I won't be using this box, because it is for when guests come to stay.  You are doing this as a convenience for me.  Now probably people will abuse this and use the thing as a whole additional box.  I guess since all the boxes are individually addressable you could put a quarterly cap on usage, where if exceeded I just get charged for an additional box.  Hold it to like 20 hours every four months or something.

If that's all just too much for nothing then I guess I would live with a pay/go enable system.  So if I know I have guests coming for the next four days I can enable my box from the website for like $1/day or some such nominal fee.

That'd be nice. Can I have that?

Alternately you could just do a Roku app with the live streaming capability of the iPad app.

Greenpage Crosspost

This week's articles:

1. The Largest Floating Stage in the World
2. The Stop-Motion Puppets of Frankenweenie
3. Cover Letters: Top 10 Tips To Writing A Successful One
4. SeaWorld Orlando announces grand opening for Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin
5. Making Your Business Card Social-Media Friendly
6. "Don't Imagine That You Can Bully Me"
7. Fashion interns don't get paid
8. Failgreat (Diversify Production idea)
9. Donyale Werle to Speak at USITT 2013
10. How Big Business is Stymying Makers' High-Res, Colorful Innovations

Featuring: Matt, Cat, Margo, & Lauren

2013 Critical Path Project

Yesterday was the due date for the 2013 Basic PTM Class Critical Path/Rube Goldberg project.  It has become a real tradition and rite of passage for the program and this year did not disappoint.

I'd juggled their schedules such that the first class of the day was cancelled so they could do last minute work.  When I got to work the place was mostly empty.

Except of course for the handful of students crashed out on the floor.  They did appear to be pretty well on schedule, but I guess some folks still wound up with a long night.

The rest of the class trickled in and all of a sudden it was 11am and time to go.  We had to hold for a few minutes for the head of the school to arrive.  Along with him we had a crowd of on the order of 50 people including a film crew in the process of documenting the School of Drama Centennial.  Eventually everyone had arrived and we got started with explanations...



And then the moment of truth - the first trial:


There was some griping from upperclassmen students who felt that since there was a hitch right off the bat that the run should not count as a first trial success, but acting as commissioner on the spot I decided that if the problem is with the very first step - requiring no reset - that you get an automatic Mulligan.  So that makes this a first trial success.  I think that's the third time.

This class took a lot more care with the visuals.  So much so that I might have to give some guidance on the editorial content in the future.  One of the groups used "first day of school" and another did the current presentation season of the School of Drama including a falling Angels wall and black Spring Awakening trees.  Another group did "coming of age" but it looked like their theme was actually "penis."

So next year maybe a "no genitals" instruction.

I made a couple of appearances in the artwork.  Here's an example:

Along with Susan, Peter, and Dick.

All in all another successful project.

Greenpage Crosspost

This week's articles:

1. The Keys to Higher Productivity? More Sleep, More Breaks, Less Time Doing Work
2. 25 Years Strong, 'Phantom Of The Opera' Kills And Kills Again
3. Live Sound: Putting Safety First In Live Sound
4. Relax! You'll Be More Productive
5. Carrie Underwood dress lights up Grammys
6. Equity at 100: How Actors' Equity Pushed for Racial Equality
7. A warning to college profs from a high school teacher
8. All the People
9. Interview with Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection
10. As 3-D Printing Becomes More Accessible, Copyright Questions Arise

Featuring: Margo, Lauren, & Jake

Vote for Comment of the Week

Here are this week's contenders:

Student #1 has left a new comment on your post "Upright Citizens Brigade Grows by Not Paying Perfo...":

Before we start utterly ripping UCB apart, let's remember that there is actual codified precedent for performers in other industries to render their efforts for free. The Actors' Equity Showcase Code is a specific set of production guidelines within which union members can work for free, with the potential that they get seen by industry professionals (as indicated by free AEA member and industry "comps"), and if their work is successful, they may continue with it. In this frame of mind, UCB's arguments that providing stage time is valuable enough to improv comedians to justify the labor. However, two issues stand out as the reasons why this shouldn't be ok - the fact that auditions for the mainstage are set from students in the classes, creating a "pay to play" culture, and the fact that the theatre is receiving revenue (however small) from ticket sales night after night after night. The stopping point of the Showcase Code is 12 performances - they're intended for short term opportunities, not to take up a performer's entire life in rehearsals and performances for free. UCB is first of all requiring contributions of over $1000 just to be seen for auditions, and then are collecting ticket revenue 4 times a night most days of the week. Even to consider this fun instead of work, the fact remains that performers are paying for the opportunity to be exploited for company gain - that's just plain wrong. 

Student #2  has left a new comment on your post "Twitter Interviews Are Now a Thing, Or Another Rea...":

I am not a fan of twitter for anything else other than simple publicity/to get a short message out to people who actually have twitters. Other than that I do NOT understand twitter. "twitter-views" are not a thing because these are not real interviews!!! Who knows who is on the other end of the conversation. also isn't twitter just a bunch of status postings? how does that become an interview? God help the world that encourages this crap. 

Student #3 has left a new comment on your post "What made 'Wicked' a classic of 'Phantom' proporti...":

Not going to lie, Wicked is sort of the reason I wanted to pursue theater. It was the first show that I ever knew by heart, and before i realized how much I like being back stage, I sang it at a talent show in the fifth grade. I also find it very surprising when shows or movies that do so well never impressed critics. I sort of wonder if that's because as theater artists, we each have our own idea of what "good theater" is as opposed to just an entertaining show. However, I think that Wicked is successful because of the quirkiness of the world in which it was created. Everyone knows of OZ as the place somewhere over the rainbow that, while beautiful, can be a very awful place. It's still like that in Wicked, but it somehow seems closer and more believable as a world because the story about the witches' relationship is very real to many of the audience members. I also find it interesting that the original story made a better musical than a movie. Of course it had to be heavily adapted to be come what it is now, which makes me wonder if Hollywood will turn Wicked into the next movie-musical. 

Student #4 has left a new comment on your post "SeaWorld Orlando announces grand opening for Antar...":

I remember once I went to the Central Park zoo and gazed for a while at the penguin encounter. Fascinated by the whimsical creatures before me, I was transported to the continent at the bottom of the world and completely engulfed in the environment.
All of a sudden I was snapped backed to reality when I saw a panel of the horizon swing open and a man with green overalls came out holding a hose. He proceeded to spray down the fake rocks the penguins were lounging on and wash their feces into the drains at the end of the exhibit. Occasionally, a penguin would get in his way and he would just nudge it to the side with his boot.
I sat there and observed this man for a while and then I realized that this person was standing in the middle of one of the world's greatest cities, inside of an enclosure with what appeared like 80 penguins of varying species(something a large majority of the population of the world will never see), and the only thing this guy cared about was spraying down poop.
I realized I never wanted to be that jaded. 

Student #5 has left a new comment on your post "Watch how Blood & Chrome resurrected the Battlesta...":

I am conflicted about this trend. One of the things that has always bothered me about our industry is the waste involved. We go through great quantities of materials and energy to produce shows for the duration of a run or a shooting. Then we throw it all away. Virtual sets lower costs (well ok not always), decrease production time (because the set can be "built" by literally thousands of people at a time because it doesn't physically exist anywhere, the ultimate portable labor), and eliminates physical waste. Some would say it also increases the range of possibilities for a design, and can provide a more detailed and rich environment than traditional practices. But has anyone ever seen "Cleopatra?" The one with Liz Taylor? There is something about the scene when she rides into the Roman Forum on an enormous Sphynx. The whole thing was built on a sound stage, by people with hammers and nails. There is something so epic about that scene, so monumental simply because we know it was built, that it did physically exist, that I don't think can be mimicked virtually. For that reason I can only hope there will always be a place for people like us to employ our skills this side of the computer screen.

Worth a Look

Here are a few posts from last week's Greenpage that might be worth your time:

"Don't Imagine That You Can Bully Me"

The Baker Street Blog: The noted Sherlockian scholar, Baker Street Irregular and prominent attorney Leslie Klinger, editor of The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, The Sherlock Holmes Reference Library and The Grand Game: A Celebration of Sherlockian Scholarship, to name a few, has filed a civil lawsuit against the Conan Doyle Estate to determine that the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are in fact in the public domain.

Posted by David at 3/03/2013 04:07:00 PM 

Fashion interns don't get paid

The Jane Dough: If you think The Feminine Mystique isn’t still relevant today, then you have got another think coming. Atlantic writer Phoebe Maltz Bovy recently pointed out that unpaid internships, especially those in fashion, are often written off as a rich kid problem — specifically, a rich girl problem, as women take the majority of unpaid internships and usually have another source of income (most likely their parents.) “To many people, the face of the unpaid intern is already that of a young woman whose survival (and possibly It-bag) needs are already being met, and there’s a reason for that,” she wrote.

Posted by David at 3/02/2013 03:51:00 PM 

Failgreat (Diversify Production idea)

2AMt » Blog Archive: Thesis: Introducing bold new kinds of productions will require change. Change can be frightening. This post is basically a sermon intended to help beat back the fear. “How do you give In to the true That wants to become A new part of you?” – Craig Wright I expect most diversification in programming to come from new organizations and growth in currently tiny organizations, but bringing it about will still require a couple of things from established, even august, arts institutions.

Posted by David at 2/27/2013 03:56:00 PM 

Donyale Werle to Speak at USITT 2013

Stage Directions: Tony Award-winning scenic designer Donyale Werle will speak at the upcoming USITT conference in Milwaukee on the subject of making Broadway more environmentally friendly. Werle, who is the pre-production co-chair of the Broadway Green Alliance, is committed to making theatre a “greener” practice, and uses salvaged materials in her sets and designs. Her set for Peter and the Starcatcher, for which she won a Tony, was made entirely of recycled materials. She will speak on Saturday, March 23.

Posted by David at 2/26/2013 08:34:00 PM 

How Big Business is Stymying Makers' High-Res, Colorful Innovations

Wired Design | Wired.com: If you're waiting for desktop additive-manufacturing technology to move closer to professional-level results, be prepared to wait for a very long time. The past year was a breakout for desktop 3-D printing. MakerBot released two new models, Formlabs debuted the first prosumer 3-D printer to use high-accuracy stereolithography, and a slew of innovative, printed projects lifted awareness and desirability of additive manufacturing for the general public.

Posted by David at 2/26/2013 03:54:00 PM

The Holocaust Just Got More Shocking

NYTimes.com: The researchers have cataloged some 42,500 Nazi ghettos and camps throughout Europe, spanning German-controlled areas from France to Russia and Germany itself, during Hitler’s reign of brutality from 1933 to 1945.

The figure is so staggering that even fellow Holocaust scholars had to make sure they had heard it correctly when the lead researchers previewed their findings at an academic forum in late January at the German Historical Institute in Washington.