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Opera Streamed from Helicopters Wins Top Award

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:20:45 +0000

Stockhausen's opera Mittwoch aus Licht (Wednesday From Light), a production by the Birmingham Opera Company, was recently awarded the Opera and Music Theatre honor by the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) music awards. The award, heralded as one of the highest recognitions for live performance of classical music within the United Kingdom, honored the opera for a performance that was not only six hours in length, but that was actually live-streamed from four helicopters in flight (yes, you read that right).

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'Chess' Design Concept Sweeps the Board

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:59:10 +0000

It's been a great few weeks for celebrating impressive student design accomplishments! iSquint.net and Stage Directions Magazine recently announced that student lighting designer Alan Hanson has won the Third Annual Student Lighting Design Competition. The University of Cincinnati MFA Student swept the board with his imaginative lighting designs for the musical Chess.

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Jed Bernstein Named Next President of Lincoln Center

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:57:11 +0000

The Lincoln Center Board of Directors has unanimously selected Jed Bernstein, a dynamic, entrepreneurial arts executive, theater producer and educator, as its next president, to take office in 2014. The announcement was made this week by Katherine Farley, Lincoln Center Board Chair.

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Hanks Leads 2013 Theatre World Awards Honorees

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:30:26 +0000

This past week, the 2013 Theatre World Awards recipients were announced, for such categories as Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance, the 5th Annual Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater for an Outstanding Performance in a Broadway...

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Lighting Design Fit for a Queen

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:26:03 +0000

For eight years now, CAST Software has sponsored the USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology) Southwest Student Design Competition, an annual event which recognizes young talent in the categories of Lighting, Sound, Set and Costume Design, Stage Management and Scenic Technology.

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Pittsburgh Student Takes the Prize at Prestigious Monologue Competition

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:20:28 +0000

A talented student from West Mifflin Area High School just outside of Pittsburgh, Thembisile Gxuluwe, was recently announced as the first-place winner of the 5th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition, which took place on Monday, May 6, 2013 at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street) in New York City. The competition also honored Pablo Lopez from Los Angeles as the runner-up, with an honorable mention awarded to Branndin Phillips-Laramore, a student from Chicago.

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Alley Announces Big Expansions

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:51:28 +0000

In today's challenging performing arts climate, it's always exciting to see theatre expansions, not closures! The Alley Theatre, which is currently offering audiences a production of The Elephant Man, is a jewel of Houston's theatre scene, and this week announced plans for an extensive renovation with a serious $73 million capital campaign. The campaign will pay for updating all theatrical systems with state-of-the-art equipment, substantially improving the patron in-theatre experience and amenities, and will also ensure the Alley Theatre's future as a performing arts institution of national caliber. The ultimate goal is a theatre that is "sustainable, relevant, and accessible for future generations of Houstonians," according to the announcement. Read more about the theatre's exciting renovations here.

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Virtual Stage Management

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:08:51 +0000

Evolving technology enables stage managers to take advantage of a wealth of exciting and helpful choices to manage their productions. One such useful tool is Virtual Stage Management (VSM) from Digital Theatre, which offers an easy and interactive website that combines the common performing arts necessities of show management, artist and designer networking and connectivity, and more in a single online application. With VSM, stage managers are able to ensure that artists, designers and crew are always able to access the latest breakdowns, updates, and schedules. VSM allows for a centralized storage to production information in an approach that goes beyond traditional printed forms and lists, taking that information into a virtual space instead. The most useful thing about VSM is its extensive template library that includes lists, forms, reports, breakdowns and more that are already prepped for use on dozens of frequently produced show titles including such titles as Rent, Pippin, Avenue Q, Aida, Annie, Company, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Disney's High School Musical, Guys and Dolls, Legally Blonde, Fame, Into the Woods, Little Shop of Horrors, Les Miserables, Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, The Music Man, The Fantasticks, Sweeney Todd, The Wedding Singer, Thoroughly Modern Millie...

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EmptySpace Technology Introduces StageStock.com

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:54:40 +0000

The company behind VirtualCallboard, EmptySpace Technology has launched a new collaborative inventory management application called StageStock.com. Announced at the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo in March 2013, performing arts professionals previewed the application at the industry event for a preview of the product, even getting a guided tour from EmptySpace Technology founders and partners Sam Anderson and Jason McDaniel. The official launch of the service will officially occur in Summer 2013, however for those who want an advance peek at the collaborative inventory management solution, users can sign up to participate for free while the service is still in Beta, by visiting http://www.stagestock.com/join-the-beta/ prior to launch. Meanwhile, learn more about the service launch in the article here.

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OPERA America Announces New York Opera Alliance

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:24:51 +0000

The New York Opera Alliance (NYOA) is a brand-new collaboration of independent opera companies and producers in The Big Apple City created in order to heighten awareness of the tremendous depth and diversity of opera activity in New York City. The launch was announced by OPERA America, the national nonprofit service organization for opera. Founded 43 years ago in 1970, OPERA America leads and serves the entire opera community, supporting the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera. Learn more about the new organization here.

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