Ellipses...

Write something already...  Transitioned the old tower to the new NAS.  Can't quite figure out how to make iTunes work smoothly with remote files...  Terrorist attackes in Russia in the run up to the Olympics aren't confidence inspiring...  Getting ready for another First Night Pittsburgh - I think this is number seven...  Really over hearing from people that "don't like Obamacare."  The program has barely started.  That's not distaste, it's fear...  Mrs. TANBI and I are watching season one of Game of Thrones.  It's not as porny as I was lead to believe (yet anyway)...  One of the top stories of the year in Pittsburgh news was the duck.  We ought to look more closely at what we call news...  The Steelers missed it by that much, or at least Succup missed it by that much...  CMU has created an official response to "stress culture" on campus; and no it isn't getting everyone in a room and shouting: "GET OVER IT ALREADY"...  We had a fine time visiting Arizona last week even if it was a little chilly...  The NSA has been intercepting computers between vendors and customers to install spying devices.  That's some staggering logistics work...  The nursery is coming together.  I did the other toy box today...  Ted Cruz is still a Senator...  The other day I bought a laminator because it was on Woot and who doesn't need a laminator?  Yesterday we used it on a paying gig...  Was a bummer to see that Dominick's is going out of business.  Probably more of a bummer for people that actually still shopped there...  This version of Firefox doesn't know the word laminator...  I finished a Honeydo item that's been hanging around since almost when we bought the house today.  Took maybe 10 minutes.  I should write a book on procrastination (when I get around to it)...  Looks like my best man Mitch got engaged.  At least his Facebook appears to show he asked...  The weather really didn't give me a chance to finish up the yardwork this fall.  Maybe we'll have an atypical warm, dry January...  The truck is making an "I'm really very old" kind of sounds.  Not something I was looking forward to...  We're still working on names...  I sucked it up and read my FCEs.  Apparently my feedback could use some work.  Tell me something I didn't know.  Also, if you care so much about feedback, why not come by the office and ask?  More complained than had come by...  I splurged out of control and bought more items for my garage shop.  With what I spent I probably ought to make something... American Hustle is worth a trip to the multiplex...  We were at the BW3 the other night when it was over-run by MMA fans.  Who knew?  Not us...  Someone needs to show me how to use this new game console emulator...  If someone buys something for you off of one of your registries or wish lists, and you are a Prime subscriber, then they should get the free 2 day shipping you would if you'd bought it yourself.  Sez me...

This Week's Matchup & Last Week's Scores

Fairly certain we're out of this and just playing out the string.  Here's this week - it looks pretty good:

but we all know what that's worth.  Here's last week, which also looked much much better than this:

Not Sure These Matter Anymore

All David Honor Roll

Haven't done one of these in a while I think.

Congrats to everyone that had a great semester:

Jess Bertollo

Jamila Cobham

AJ Cook

Luke Foco

Shannon Henley

Sophie Hood

Micheal James

Adam Kennard

Cat Meyendorff

Frank Meyer

Chris Norville

Andrew O'Keefe

Phillip Rheinheimer

Becca Stoll

Zoe Westbrook

Well Done!

I Can See the End

Last day, last session.

Tuesday PM Session:

Winding things up are Junior TD Sean...

... I screwed up his picture and we had to reshoot.

And Senior PM/SM Zoe...

... in whom I appear to have triggered an existential crisis by asking:

What makes you unique?

What do you want?

What's next?

Truth be told those are tough questions for anyone.

And the Semester Reviews Continue

Last day.

Tuesday AM Session:

We start out with Senior PM/SM/Sound Designer Becca...

... I'm not sure what's up with this pose.

Next is Junior PM/SM Kassondra...

... she asked if I wanted a smile or a frown.  I left it to her.

And wrapping up the morning is Senior PM/SM/Scenic Designer Sophia...

... there was a lot on this board that wasn't PM/SM or Scenic Design.

1 Out of 9 Won't Get It Done

It's Like They Never End

Monday PM Session:

We start, move on, and wrap up with Sophomore TD Isaac...

... who makes these schedules anyway?

The Fall Reviews Continue

Back from a restful weekend.

Monday AM Session:

First up is Senior PM/SM AJ...

... it's nice when the guys decide to wear a tie.

Next is newly minted Sophomore PM/SM Camille...

... who intends to take as much Technical Direction as possible!

Moving along to Junior BXA TD Cathy...

... she appears to have no arms.

And wrapping up with newly minted Sophomore TD Simone...

... her eyes were closed, I should have checked.

Finish up the Week

One more session before the weekend.

Friday PM Session:

Starting out our last session of the week is Sophomore BXA PM/SM Aamer...

... as last minute advice I told him to wear pants.

Next up is newly minted Sophomore PM/SM Jess...

... Sarah wants Jess to stand up straight.

Rounding out the week is Senior PM/SM Tim...

...his nose probably looks better the original way.

Semester Reviews Day Two

With the grads behind us we move on to the undergrads.

Friday AM Session:

We'll start off with JuniorTD David...

... he had a project this semester where he created a company called  Allegheny Sceneshop Solutions - or ASS (oops).

Next we have newly minted Sophomore PM/SM Lindsay...

... we'll have to get all her paperwork going the same way next time.

Moving along to Junior BXA PM/SM Rachel...

... who spends as much of her crits talking about buggy as we will let her.

Finishing up the first session is Senior PM/SM Shannon...

... she had me change up the PPP syllabus - for the better I think.

End of a Long Day

Good grad admissions numbers have meant that "Grad Day" needs three sessions to get to everyone.  Any better on the recruiting end and we'll probably have to break this format.

Thursday Evening Session:

Beginning this session with Grad2TD Adam...

... he had a working Shoji fan.

Next is Grad1PM/SM Attitra...

... who's board had everyone thinking about Elle Woods.

Moving on to Grad3TD Luke...

... he was like a straw hat away from being "Brother Luke."

Wrapping up a long day is Grad2PM/SM Tyler...

... who displayed the "Don't Suck" button as a tribute.

Semester Reviews Continued

Grad Day continues.

Thursday PM Session:

We start off with Grad1PM/SM Abagail...

... for a short time this fall she was a member of my spelling police.

Next is Grad1TD Frank...

... Frank might be roadie scale.

Moving on to Grad3PM/SM Jessica...

... she's also been a big part of the #NFTRW Podcast team.

And we round out the session with Grad2TD Joe...

... he learned Inventor this semester.  I guess I should put that on my list.

Fall 2013 Semester Reviews

A few pictures.  The first day, Thursday, in the fall has become "Grad Thursday."  We start there.

Thursday, AM Session:

Starting with Grad2TD Andrew...

... who's crit board may be violating an NDE.

Moving on to Grad2PM/SM Christina...

... who did some lovely Technical Direction paperwork.

And then Grad3PM/SM Jamila...

... she's researching a festival in Braddock for her thesis.

Next is Grad3PM/SM Cat...

... she's been doing a great job for me on the Podcast.

Finishing up the first session we have Grad2PM/SM Jody...

... ok, that's not Jody.

Ellipses...

So, the NAS is assembled and running, and what I've discovered is how little I know about using the darn thing...  Really depressing to have gotten to the one year Newtown anniversary with so little having happened...  The Steelers play tomorrow night.  It's possible nobody really cares...  Wondering if going to see the Hobbit sequel without having seen the first one is a bad idea...  It seems like we're evading most of the snow this time, although the alternate has been rain, which has been swell...  Halfway through the fall semester reviews.  I'll probably post some pictures tomorrow...  I've now had a lousy cold with a cough for three weeks.  Here's hoping it can finish running its course already...  The #Nerdland show on MSNBC might be the best news show on television these days...  Haven't heard much about the healthcare.gov website recently.  I guess the website is working...  I decided this semester to not let the grading pile up on me.  Now that the semester is over I can say for certain that I didn't make that goal...  After consideration I am fairly sure I need a garbage can for my desk at home...  Roku and Slingbox got together finally and I am thrilled... I finished binging Leverage on Netflix.  The series had a good ending, but I wish it hadn't so much ended.  Also, all things being equal I would rather watch Hustle...  Mulling over the idea of doing a "David's Crit" again, and yet it never seems to happen...  Got myself a couple of new dad books.  I'm not sure it will help...  I think I would like to give an unqualified recommendation for the EyeFi SD card.  I got one for my camera a while ago but hadn't really used it yet.  Then this week a bunch of stuff just happened automatically - no cables, no menus, way cool... 

Gonna Be Close

Snap.

Worth a Look

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

Substantive Work

From the President | Actors' Equity Association: Substantive work is what I think we’re all looking for: work that means something, work that challenges us, work that makes a difference. Sometimes that’s a meaty role, sometimes it’s being a modest part of a terrific production, sometimes it’s just a job that makes a significant contribution to our monthly nut.

Posted by David at 12/06/2013 02:43:00 PM

Nelson Mandela dies: His legacy to the arts

latimes.com: Many people know that Nelson Mandela’s life inspired novels, poems, plays and films, but few people know how powerful his effect on the theater was and how powerful the theater’s effect was on him.
The theater served as a mirror to Mandela, each side influencing and reflecting the other, placing them both in time.

Posted by David at 12/06/2013 02:39:00 PM

Frank Rich on His Friendship With Stephen Sondheim

New York Magazine: There are few things that remain constant in life, but for me one of them is this: Stephen Sondheim’s work has touched me for more than half a century. It did so when I was first listening to records as a child, when I didn’t know his name or much else, and it does so right this minute, as songs of middle-aged regret like “Too Many Mornings” and “You Must Meet My Wife” are randomly shuffled into my headphones by iTunes. It’s unusual to remain so loyal to a single artist. We tend to outgrow our early tastes and heroes. It’s even more unlikely to have that artist materialize in person and play a crucial role in one’s life—as Sondheim first did when I was 21 and he was 40. Since then, with some lengthy intermissions along the way, he’s been a mentor, an occasional antagonist, a friend, and even an unwitting surrogate parent.

Posted by David at 12/06/2013 02:37:00 PM

Contract Mumbo Jumbo You Really Should Read (And Understand)

Pro Sound Web: It’s been 45 days, you’ve completed the work and you haven’t received final payment. Now you find out your contract included a paid-when-paid provision you didn’t notice. Sound familiar? You are not alone.
Let’s identify some of the most significant contract clauses to watch out for when reviewing your prospective subcontract agreement.
By taking the time to understand and negotiate these danger clauses, it also paves the way for a greater understanding of the shifting risks toward the subcontractor.

Posted by David at 12/06/2013 02:39:00 PM

Seek Nominees for Jefferson Mentorship Program

sightlines.usitt.org: Two African-American students will be chosen to attend the Fort Worth 2014 Conference & Stage Expo as part of a new diversity mentorship program honoring the late Tayneshia Jefferson.
Any USITT member may nominate a deserving African-American student for the Tayneshia Jefferson Mentorship Program by submitting a letter of recommendation to shannan@usitt.org by January 29.

Posted by David at 12/03/2013 12:32:00 AM

Doesn't Bode Well

Vote for Comment of the Week

Something different this week: all from one article...

Student #1 left a new comment on your post "Racist? Why Not Multicultural?":

I agree with the previous comments that the school is probably not serving various cultural dishes to the students, and I am all for introducing children to different cultures and flavors. However, discriminating against the sandwich is ridiculous. I'm going to say that the school believes sandwiches are what white kids eat. This is probably due to the fact that Anglo-Saxon England coined the term "sandwich" for the Earl of Sandwich. But I guess the school didn't know that the first sandwich was made by a Jewish man who placed meat inside two pieces of matzah. And I guess the school didn't know that flatbreads were used to wrap and scoop up food in Western Asia and Northern Africa, making the sandwich a multicultural dish. Not only is the sandwich tasty, but it is easy to eat with your hands on the go. I also don't understand what the definition of "racist" is in this school. Just by assuming that certain cultures like to eat certain foods is racist. I guess they can't serve pasta because that would only appeal to Italian children. And I guess they can't serve hamburgers and hot dogs because that would only appeal to the German children. Like Jess said, this country is a melting pot. We all came to this country as immigrants and slowly began to accept several cultures. If the school gets rid of sandwiches, wouldn't that be (by their terms) racist against white children? I believe that is called "reverse racism." I wonder what food the school will deem acceptable to eat. I'm going to say that they will try to find an American food that can be eaten by any culture. What is American food anyway? Everything was stolen from other countries! I guess we will have to give American children Deep Fried Oreos, Buffalo Wings, and Turduckens for lunch from now on. 

Student #2 left a new comment on your post "Racist? Why Not Multicultural?":

I thought long and hard about if I should even comment on this… but this little paragraph below told me I should:

"Me? Well, I am finally going to quit fighting the obvious. I spend a lot of time criticizing the policies of our President and his administration and am considered a racist because of it. Oprah says so. Al Sharpton says so. So many say so I'm tired of denying it"

I think that the author just wanted to write something and they did. I am happy that they now know that they are racist. Welcome to a large club. Now moving on with my thoughts!

As per usual people like to side track the public from the bigger racist issues facing the world and concentrate on the stupid, insignificant babble to make it appear as though everyone who uses the word "racist" is just throwing it around nowadays. I HAVE NO PATIENCE FOR NONSENSE LIKE THIS! Why talk about a sandwich?? Why, but if we must talk about food, so be it. I cannot comment on what schools in America serve, as I have only attended ONE which has a high population of international students, therefore they try their hardest to be very INCLUSIVE. When you cater to a large international population you have to. Does that happen in other schools? Probably not! If we want to discuss this food thing and non-inclusive and inclusive food, then let us do it. Let's change menus every week to include options for all types of kids; Muslim, Indian, Caribbean, Japanese, Chinese, African, American, Cuban, etc. Let's be INCLUSIVE. Which I think is the word that they were looking for. Don't worry it happens all the time, people like to misuse words to have better articles.

Why not focus on the REAL RACIST ISSUES.. Like the little girl who was asked to TAME her hair at a private school because it was seen as distracting. Why not talk about Trevon. Why not talk about schools selecting plays which do not cater to the black student population. Why not talk about the real issues instead of dancing around it with more insulting concoctions such as a sandwich! Really? Let's talk about how some students would drop racist comments in classes, but teachers would say nothing. Let's talk about how the KKK is allowed to hold meetings in 2013! Let's talk about how people think that it is OKAY to have black jokes or how black people actually allow it.

Let us get to the real issues.

I can't entertain this any further! God be with us all! 

Student #3 left a new comment on your post "Racist? Why Not Multicultural?":

***After reading the original article from The Examiner, I re-thought my stance on this argument and needed to amend my thoughts to come from an informed place.***

"This, according to the powers that be is indicative of our exercising our "white privilege". I didn't even know there was such a thing." For the record after I read this completely ignorant and obtuse statement this author completely lost me and I stopped caring about what the author had to say. But for the purpose of being able to make an informed and relevant argument (something this author clearly has no interest in doing) I muscled through.

This article and author completely missed the point. I don't necessarily agree that labeling PB and J's as racist is right. Not because I disagree with the rational behind the argument but because I think the term racist is incorrect and focuses the argument in the wrong direction. I think that the more appropriate term would be un-inclusive. PB and J sandwiches are not inclusive. The original point behind describing PB and J sandwiches’ as racist comes from the food being used as an example in class, and “what about Somali or Hispanic students who don’t eat sandwiches.” I'm not going to regale you with my awful experiences in public schools and feeling like an outsider because what I ate at home was different then what my peers ate. But that did shape the way that I engaged or rather did not engage with my fellow elementary school kids and didn’t feel comfortable asking certain questions to my teachers because I thought I was weird or different. Knowing about my past experiences with being culturally isolated and thinking about how using that as an example in class or in an exercises would make me feel as a child, alienating me from my peers is not the type of environment one should be creating in a classroom. And for my Mom who paid taxes, money that goes into my education, why should I have to feel that way?



And honestly for this author to say that the problem of a PB and J comes from the word “sandwich” and how it’s “indicative of white privilege”...That’s not the point. It’s not about the stupid sandwich. It’s about student’s not being able to relate or understand something and this is a block in their education. The sandwich is just an example. The larger issue is that that multiculturalism isn't supported or a priority in schools and that's wrong. Also a lot of this authors argument is really unsupported, she makes a lot of stupid comments about people blowing something up out of proportion, while not even addressing the original issue or posing solutions or compromise! 

She complains about how ridiculous it is that we are considering a silly food item as racist, but it really is about raising awareness about being inclusive and supporting all students!

And finally, a few of my peers mention the term melting pot, and that it's not our job to "cater to other cultures". Newsflash, America's composed of many other cultures, and if public education is meant to educate and serve the community, then it definitely should be considerate and proactive about making students feel safe and nurtured about having and learning about different cultures. You view "catering to somebody else's culture" as being a problem? Well I think cultural supremacy is a larger one. And it's not catering, it's making the world a more inclusive place. If you have a problem with that then you should really reassess why you think that way.

Student #4 left a new comment on your post "Racist? Why Not Multicultural?":

PB and J's are racist. I'm sorry can we all just take a second to look at that sentence. Okay good. Now someone please tell me why this is even a thing?

I understand that we can't solve the "race" problem in our country by not talking about it, but being as superficial and might I say stupid about the topic as to call PB and J's racist, or to say that we don't used enough multicultural names in our classrooms is just plain perposturous. Also, on the note of using multicultural names and cultural foods in lessons, I would like to point out that I am half black and first generation on my paternal side and yet my name is entirely american and I grew up eating, guess what PB and J. If anything, these silly assumptions of what racism is diminishes the reality of what it actually is racism.

I would like to take a moment now to urge you all to disregard the blog post we are all commenting on as it sorely misses the point of the article it was based on and ask you to read the real article by the examiner. http://www.examiner.com/article/portland-school-sees-racism-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwiches

The point is that our terminology in the classroom ostracizes students. The reason that our minority students are not engaged in the classroom is because they feel no connection to word problems like " joe eats two PB and J sandwiches…". I'm sorry but does anyone feel a connection to those problems? I sure don't. If you want to engage students in the classroom, make you're lectures engaging. It's not an issue of color, and I find it astounding that people still think that the color of ones skin or their ethnicity is the reason they are failing in school.

There are a few different type of students. Their are those who will find interest in what ever you present to them because they are just naturally curious. Then there are those who don't want to learn and don't want to try but they have parents who push them to try harder, or in some cases parents who pay someone else to push their children to try harder in school and last there are those you don't have a desire to learn in the classroom and don't have anyone out side of the classroom to push them for a myriad of reasons. That might be due to socioeconomic status, that might just be apathy, but blaming it on race and cultural differences misses the point altogether.

This whole issue isn't a race one, its an educational one pushed towards race by misunderstanding. Then again if society it saying that PB and J's are racist, the problem with our education system is a little more obvious than we'd like to think. 

Student #5  left a new comment on your post "Racist? Why Not Multicultural?":

I was confused by this article, since it's very vague about why sandwiches are actually racist, so I to the actual source and read the article about the school (the link to which is hidden very far down in the article, which makes me suspicious that this author wasn't trying to make a point about this actual occurrence, but rather use it as a base for a rather tangential argument). The whole sandwiches-are-racist thing was something that the principal used as an example of "racism," although I think it's more an example of white culture being predominant in all of our educational system. The situation was that if a teacher asked a question mentionning a PB&J sandwich (for example, a math problem involving John eating a sandwich a day for 3 weeks), it might alienate kids who never eat PB&J sandwiches. It's the same concept as using multicultural names in word problems instead of just "white" ones- if you're teaching a class full of "black and brown boys" using examples of sandwiches when they've only ever eaten tortillas, it's going to alienate them and make them care less about the class.

It's a bizarre and irrelevant example of something that is an actual problem- that curriculum are often very focused on white culture. For example, how many dead white men did we learn about in history class? I know I only read one book by a black female author in high school. Institutionalized racism is an actual and serious problem that needs to be addressed, but when it is obsessed over to this level it begins looking silly, which defeats the purpose of the entire cause.

With that being said, this whole thing is a little bit silly- both the original statement of PB&J sandwiches being racist, as well as the fact that this was actually taken seriously enough to be reported as news, and then this guy's total overreaction to it.

Was ok through Monday

Worth a Look

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

Girls Shouldn't Try Raunchy Comedy, Variety Critic Says

Girls Shouldn't Try Raunchy Comedy, Variety Critic Says: Variety's television critic Brian Lowry let slip a bizarre opinion this morning while reviewing Sarah Silverman's upcoming HBO comedy special We Are Miracles—namely, that because she's a woman, she shouldn't be "as dirty as the guys." Uh. What?

Posted by David at 11/30/2013 12:00:00 PM

Arts head: Purni Morell, artistic director, Unicorn theatre

Culture professionals network | Guardian Professional: The Unicorn was founded in 1947 as a touring theatre that operated out the back of a van and took plays around the country for children. Its core founding philosophy was that plays for children should be treated as, made the same way and judged the same way as plays for adults. Today, the Unicorn serves an audience aged zero to 21-years-old. At the moment, the majority of our audience comes from London and we're about half school audiences, half family audiences. We programme around 30 shows a year, of which about half to two-thirds are our own productions.

Posted by David at 11/30/2013 12:00:00 PM

101 Plays by The New Americans, or on Latinidad

HowlRound: A couple of realizations have emerged from the National Gathering of the Latina/o Theatre Commons in Boston. Among them are two that pertain specifically to the knowledge and accessibility of Latina/o plays. We recognize that: 1. There is a great need for a catalog or list of Latina/o works for the general public, and 2. we need to determine which plays we presently consider to be influential works to us as theater makers. - See more at: http://www.howlround.com/101-plays-by-the-new-americans-or-on-latinidad#sthash.ljUXOju1.dpuf

Posted by David at 11/27/2013 12:54:00 PM

The Aesthetic Evolution of Eco Theater

HowlRound: Eco theater’s modern aesthetic began not in theater, but with the conservationist and naturalist writers of the nineteenth century. It can be argued that Henry David Thoreau, John Ruskin, William Morris, Edward Carpenter, and their contemporaries radically redefined our conceptual relationship to the natural world. They sought to achieve not merely a balance with nature, but a reverence and subjugation to it. These writers and other conservationist and naturalist authors, artists, and politicians led in large part to the formation of our national parks and first environmental legislation. Later theorists and artists in theater and literature have come to call this early writing and the later work inspired by it, ecocriticism.

Posted by David at 11/26/2013 02:36:00 PM

Girls Against Boys: What's Wrong With the (Latest) Beastie Boys Lawsuit

Electronic Frontier Foundation: “Oh no!” said the email that went round the EFF office on Friday. Could it be true that the Beastie Boys had unleashed the legal hounds to shut down a parody ad that uses the group's classic misogynistic ditty, “Girls”? Surely not. As remix pioneers, the Beastie Boys are the veterans of many legal battles against copyright maximalists. The Beastie Boys aren’t copyright bullies, they fight those bullies. Right?

Posted by David at 11/25/2013 01:23:00 PM