Stage Directions Magazine

20/11/2024

We at PLSN and Stage Directions Magazine send our sincere congratulations to Don Holder, who has been appointed the Head of Lighting Design at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. We look forward to his next act!

https://www.facebook.com/geffenyale

Two-time Tony Award-winning lighting designer Donald Holder will join the faculty of David Geffen School of Drama at Yale as Professor in the Practice and will serve as Head of the Lighting Design Concentration at the Geffen School and Lighting Design Advisor at Yale Repertory Theatre, effective Jul...

21/06/2024

We at Stage Directions in PLSN congratulate this year's honorees of the Stage Managers' Association of the United States' Del Hughes Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Art of Stage Management! They are all well-deserving recipients, especially David McGraw who is a former Contributing Writer for Stage Directions on Stage Management!!

https://plsn.com/featured/the-stage-managers-association-announces-2024-the-del-hughes-awards-for-lifetime-achievement-in-the-art-of-stage-management/

Year of the Stage Manager: The Afterglow

16/05/2024

A little theater history from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

We're starting ! Every Thursday we'll look at a theater anywhere in the world that is still in business, or long gone. Which theater, past or present, would you like to see?

Today: 48th Street Theatre, a Broadway theater that used to be located at 157 West 48th Street in Manhattan. At various times in its timeline, it was called the Equity and Windsor Theatre or just 48th Street Theatre. It hosted notable plays such as Owen Davis's Opportunity starring Nita Naldi, Puppy Love starring Spring Byington, and the Pagan Lady starring Lenore Ulric. Films also played at the theater, such as (as you may have guessed from the photo) the 1939 rom-com Never Say Die starring Bob Hope and Martha Raye.

April 18, 1926 was a notable date for this theater: it was the location of the professional debut of Martha Graham, at age 32, after leaving Denishawn.

48th Street Theatre was eventually razed after a water tower on the roof fell and flooded the space.

This is just one of the many images of theaters on the website!

16/05/2024

We add our sincere Congratulations to IWEISS on receiving this award for their restoration work. It is well deserved!

16/05/2024

The TSDCA - Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association has announced their ninth annual membership meeting. On May 18 – 20, 2024, TSDCA will hold three days of public panels and discussions regarding sound design and composition for theatre.

The first two days will be held at the Loreto Theater of The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, and the third day will be held at the Dolby 88 Screening Room. All events are open to TSDCA members as well as the general public (Non-member cost is $25 per person). All events will also be available to stream online by registering at www.tsdca.org.

Follow the link to learn more:
https://plsn.com/newsroom/all-news/the-theatrical-sound-designers-and-composers-association-tsdca-announces-their-ninth-annual-meeting-to-be-held-in-new-york-city/

14/04/2024

Here's latest news from the Foundation of Stage Managers' Association of the United States. They have announced the latest grant news for Spring 2024:

https://plsn.com/newsroom/all-news/stage-managers-association-foundation-announces-spring-grants/

08/04/2024

Just sayin’

15/03/2024

March 15th, the Ides of March, is best known as the date on which Julius Caesar was killed in 44 B.C. A seer had foreseen that Caesar would be harmed no later than the Ides of March.

On his way to the Theatre of Pompey, where he would be assassinated, Caesar met that seer and said, "The Ides of March are come", saying the prophecy had not been fulfilled, to which the seer replied "Aye, Caesar; but not gone."

9 out of 10 Historians agree, Caesar should have listened to Mrs. Caesar!

02/11/2023

WICKED The Musical is celebrating its 20th anniversary today, having opened at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway October 30, 2003. Directed by Joe Mantello, the show’s incredible design work and production elements have brought Oz to life for 7,718 performances on Broadway. Eugene Lee’s scenery; Susan Hilferty’s costumes; Kenneth Posner’s lighting; and Elaine J. McCarthy’s projections, are as spellbinding today as they were when the Emerald curtain rose two decades ago. Follow the link to a wonderful series of videos where the Wicked designers and associates take us inside their stunning work on Broadway’s fourth longest running show.

'Wicked' is celebrating its 20th anniversary today, having opened at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway October 30, 2003. Directed by Joe Mantello, the show's incredible design work and production elements have brought Oz to life for 7,718 performances on Broadway. Eugene Lee's scenery; Susan Hilferty...

02/11/2023

Congratulations to the backstage crews of the Goodspeed Opera House for unionizing.

IATSE

Projection, Lights and Staging News

20/07/2023

The Broadway League and Buena Vista Theatrical d/b/a/ Disney Theatrical and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees announced they have reached a tentative agreement for the “Pink Contract,” Thursday July 20, 2023, pending ratification by the bargaining unit. The respective parties will inform their members of the details of this agreement in the coming days.

IATSE

Projection, Lights and Staging News

13/07/2023

Bluffton Youth Theatre, in Bluffton, SC, aims to support young performers regardless of the physical, mental, or emotional challenges they face. They are moving into a permanent theater location, but they say their $5,000 trailer with roughly $1,000 of contents inside was stolen by “heartless thieves.” In the midst of raising funds for their new theatre, this theft sets them back in an already challenging endeavor. The theater group is raising funds to replace the stolen items with a GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/recover-the-loss-of-our-stolen-trailer

Bluffton Youth Theatre’s Trailer ($5,000 value) and contents ($1,000 value) were… Jennifer Ford needs your support for Recover the loss of our stolen trailer

19/06/2023

From back when you painted in three-piece suits! Here's a lovely post we shared from the Guild of Scenic Artists of a painting by Paul Mathey of Auguste Alfred Rubé, a Scenic Artist in the 1800s who painted a number of drops for the Paris Opera.

We recently came across this painting by Paul Mathey of Auguste Alfred Rubé, a Scenic Artist in the 1800s who did a lot of work for the Paris Opera.

A painting of a painter at work! It appears that not much has changed, though perhaps there are fewer three-piece suits.... 😍

13/06/2023

Here are the Design Winners of the 2023 TONY Awards. We send our sincere congratulations to all the honorees and the nominees on such wonderful work this season!

Some beautiful design work was nominated for the 76th Annual TONY Awards this year and selecting winners was surely a difficult task. However, winners were indeed announced at the celebration of Broadway's incredible season of work. Here is the list of the Tony Award worthy designs for 2023 with the...

13/06/2023

The Stage Managers' Association of the United States (SMA) has announced its annual Del Hughes Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Art of Stage Management. The distinguished 2023 honorees are theatrical production stage managers John M. Atherlay and Gwen Gilliam, and opera production stage manager Brett Finley. In addition to these Lifetime Achievement Awards, the SMA will honor Elynmarie Kazle with The Founders Award.

Projection, Lights and Staging News

16/05/2023

The Tony Awards will go ahead with the June 11 ceremony and broadcast. The WGA has said that they will not picket the awards ceremony. Click for further information on this situation.

The WGA has made a statement that they will not picket the Tony Awards, thus clearing the way for the Broadway celebration to be broadcast live on June 11, 2023, with some adjustments. The 'no picket line' assurance means that members of other unions will now be able to attend and work the Tony Awar...

12/05/2023

News from the Howell Binkley Fellowship. They have announced the third Binkley Fellow for 2023, Amara McNeill. Follow the link to learn more. We send our congratulations to McNeill and look forward to seeing her lighting designs on stage!

Projection, Lights and Staging News