Hi all! Once again I will be live-blogging the New Tech Breakfasts at LDI! The Friday morning session will be hosted here! Friday morning will be dedicated to all new lighting gear, so check in Friday from 8-10 a.m. (Pacific time) for a quick run-down of everything that will be debuted at LDI! (You can check out…

In case you missed my Friday morning explanation -- I'm going to once again live-blog the New Tech Breakfasts at LDI 2013. These are great sessions before the start of the exhibition that give quick run-downs of all the new gear.…

Michael's posts lately about his transition into practitioner from student have got me…

While I don't like that the designers and other "craft" awards get short shrift at the Tonys, I'm very grateful for the Tony Awards for posting the full video of the winners' acceptance speeches. I've pulled the ones from 2013 together here. There's some that aren't able to be embedded here, but you can watch them all on the Tony Awards channel on YouTube. …

For anyone who missed the Tonys -- well, I went out and found the musical numbers and the best moments online! Here's all the spectacular numbers I could find. If you know of more, let me know in the comments!

The Opening Number

Matilda the Musical…

Ready to test your knowledge of musical theatre lyrics, and win two USB thumb drives in the shape of ETC Selador fixtures? Keep reading to find out how to win!

Recently I was asked to officiate the wedding of two good friends. They're both musicians here in Las Vegas, often gigging with shows on the…

One of my sisters is getting a masters degree in geography, operating ground penetrating radar on Yucatan pyramids, and designing map databases. My other sister is the assistant technical director on Odysseo, a touring Cirque du Soleil-esque show that features acrobatics and horses -- yep, horses! Trick riding, precision riding, jumping and more. And when it turned out that both of them were going to be in L.A. over the same weekend, a short 4 hour car ride away, I pretty much…

For my last trick, I will live-blogging as much of Donyale Werle's Sustainability in Design talk from USITT! I will have to leave before the talk is over to catch a plane, so it won't be complete -- I'll try and update it with people's comments who were there, and I'll give you as much as I can!

Taking photos,…

Alright! Incandescent Profile vs. LED Profile. Richard Cadena and Hideaki Tsutsui. Steve Shelley will be MC'ing.

We will turn on a pair of ellipsoidals. One is tungsten ETC Source 4, one is LED Profile. We will conduct three tests. Dimming test: Pop on and pop off. Then fade up quickly, then fade down quickly.…

Good morning! The Friday morning session USITT Distinguished Award Winners in Conversation has been a little delayed, but it looks like we're ready to go soon! Tim Hartung, Desmond Heeley, Otts Munderloh, Neil Mazzella, Howard Jones, and Rachel Keebler will all be in discussion!

Who taught you? Who got you in…

Hello all! I'll be live-blogging Reimagining Theatre with Green Ideals! Please forgive any typos as I'll be typing quickly! :-)

Panel is…

Alright! My first session at USITT! Gonna be lots of typos, but here we go!

Panelists are Judy Schoenfeld and Steve Shelley.

The process of cueing, running and archiving shows.

But first! Histories, eduction and background!

Steve Shelley started shows in…

Hello all! Inspired by Rich's blog about USITT, I figured I'd post my schedule for the show as well! As always I'll be live-blogging any session I go to, and uploading photos and longer posts every…

Eric Hart has built many things in his careers as props artisan. During his time at Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Santa Fe Opera, New York City’s The Public Theater and as a freelancer, he has built an enviable portfolio of fascinating, detailed and ingenious props. And now he’s built a book. The…

So the Oscars just wrapped up. I didn't win the contest at my Oscar party, mainly because I got a little too Les Mis happy -- I thought it would win more of the big awards. In the end I lost by two. Oh well!

When I wanted an Oscar, I wanted it because of my acting. I also wanted a Tony for my acting. Neither of…

So the Oscars just wrapped up. I didn't win the contest at my Oscar party, mainly because I got a little too Les Mis happy -- I thought it would win more of the big awards. In the end I lost by two. Oh well!

When I wanted an Oscar, I wanted it because of my acting. I also wanted a Tony for my acting. Neither of…

This upcoming weekend a handful of people dedicated to community theatre will be meeting in Arlington, Texas, to decide on the best way to keep helping community theatre. The American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) is having their winter board meetings this weekend, and, as a member of the board, I will be there. The AACT provides a lot of services to its members (discounts on script licensing, discounts on theatrical supplies, insurance, a biennial performance festival, and more)…

This past weekend I went to see a production of A Clockwork Orange: A Play with Music. Yes, it was totally legit. In fact, Anthony Burgess wrote the show himself after feeling that Stanley Kubrick didn't do right by his novel when Kubrick adapted it into a movie. Burgess used the same music Alex DeLarge loved for his play -- Beethoven's Ninth, Fifth, and other orchestral pieces, and then wrote lyrics to go over it.

And, of course, as is my wont, it got me thinking about…

My wife and I were out to dinner with a friend last night, and she kept looking at her watch -- When we noticed and asked about it, she said she had to play a show that night, and she was worried about being late. She then proceeded to tell us the story of how she had been caught earlier in the week at a gig that ran long, so she ended up having to sprint between two casinos on the Las Vegas strip just to make her call time. She did, thankfully, but I imagine she ticked off more than a few…

Spent my time in two theatres this weekend, seeing two original shows. They couldn't have been more different. One was an absurdist take on office life, the other a dance-infused piece about the less-than-glamorous road that leads someone into the oldest profession on earth. The completely different natures of the two pieces made think a little more deeply about the techniques a show uses to tell itself. Either show would be lost if it tried to use the other piece's language, or lighting, or…