Archive for January, 2010

One of the debates currently going on asks “why are we still producing so many OLD plays?  Why are we not producing more new plays?” Last night I was privileged to be working on a play I had done years ago.  And though the play itself was familiar to me, and the text much older... »

Riding on Chicago area Metra commuter train.  They have upper and lower level seating.  Upper levels hang over lower level on either side of aisle like balconies, allowing conductor (and boarding passengers) to see both levels at once.  There is a 12″ high foot rail running the length of the upper lever floors, used... »

Alan Kalter: Its time for “Late Show Before They Were Stagehands!” Alan Kalter: Pat Farmer is a treasured, much beloved member of the “Late Show” family. As the head stagehand, he holds a job of immense responsibility and is integral to the production of the show. But, what was Pat before he was a stagehand? Pat Farmer: I was... »

A very Happy Birthday today to my wonderful and beautiful wife, Ruth! Many of the articles and Twitter links I post are inspired by her research and discoveries.  And she puts up with me, which I’ll never understand. If you happen to be calling Chicago Spotlight today, be sure to wish her a Happy Birthday! »

There may actually be a window of time coming up where programmer (not to mention Sound Designer) extraordinaire Nick Keenan and myself can implement some upgrades and additions to BackstageJobs.com and TheContactSheets.com. I have some things I know we need to do, but I also know that you might have some ideas as... »

I was going to write a long piece about this, but as it is somewhat off-topic for the majority of readers, I’ll make this short. There has been a lot of uproar over Chicago losing 2 large conventions to other cities.  Claims of outrageous charges for simple items, unfair union rules and costs, and the... »

Most of us wouldn’t put theatre and the army in the same sentence, unless discussing a USO show.  But Sandy Everett is one of many helping to present drama and musicals to our troops at foreign bases. Everett is a technical theater specialist, and she works full-time for the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s... »

Following the FCC’s order for use of the 700 megahertz band to cease by June 12, and all sales of products using that band to end immediately, Shure Inc. has extended their rebate on trade-ins of such devices to June 30th, 2010. The rebate, of up to $1000.00, is good on trade-ins of any... »

A BackstageJobs.com user’s e-mail lead me to this discovery.  This person had discovered that the theatre they were working in had no fire extinguishers.  This would seem odd to pretty much any theatre person in the US, if not the world.  The reasoning given by building management was that because the sprinkler system could... »

The Federal Communications Commission has ordered all users of wireless microphones to find new broadcast frequencies by June 12th, 2010. Friday’s order came after years of legal wrangling over the 700 megahertz band by Broadway (the only entertainment grouping that could afford to challenge it) and cellular phone and internet providers.  The FCC’s order... »