#Recall: Petzl America ASTRO BOD FAST, ASTRO SIT FAST and CANYON GUIDE Harnesses; The recalled harness’ D-ring can release, allowing the attachment point to open, posing a risk of serious injury or death from a fall hazard. Get replacement. www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026...

#Recall: Petzl America Recalls SIMBA and SWAN EASYFIT Harnesses; The recalled harnesses are missing rivets in the FAST LT PIN-LOCK buckles, causing the buckles to open, posing a risk of serious injury or death from a fall hazard. Get replacement. www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026...

Breaking: Chicago's Jeff Awards to suspend its non-Equity wing show considerations beginning June 1. jeffawards.org/sites/defaul...

🚨 BREAKING: IATSE is condemning management of the Kennedy Center, alleging the Center is violating its union contract and laying off workers without meeting its legal obligation to bargain.

Frankly incredible that the Chicago Tribune, which once could actually boast being the "paper of record" for Chicago, has 2 articles linked essentially "above the fold" on its homepage for the Tony Award nominations, but both are sourced from the AP, and neither contains the full list of nominees.

BREAKING: A complete list of the OTHER 2026 Tony Award nominations, i.e. the official ones www.timeout.com/newyork/news...

Morning electrical fire at Broadway's Eugene O'Neil Theatre results in damage to lighting equipment and water damage to additional areas. Remember, a fire may not start where, or when, you think it is likely to occur. #TheatreFireSafety www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/t...

SHAFT

#TheatreHoroscope: The tour will end in Cheyenne. Mainly because the set gets lost in Omaha.

#TheatreHoroscope: You know the joke that being a Stage Manager is like herding cats? Let's just say with this cast, you'll discover just how easy cats are to work with in comparison.

#TheatreHoroscope: The next venue on the tour is absolutely perfect for presenting The Glass Menagerie. Too bad you are doing Riverdance.

#TheatreHoroscope: It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you sweep the stage.

#TheatreHoroscope: There are a small, but not insignificant number of people who think Starlight Express is the epitome of the dramatic arts. Your artistic director, for example.

Hi folks. I’m currently out of town on a family road trip (greetings from Mitchell, SD, home of The Corn Palace!). There’s “horoscopes” for you all this week. And #DimTheLights for Sherry Simpson, retired Electrics Head at The Goodman Theatre, and dear colleague and friend. She was the best.

#TheatreHoroscope: An infinite number of monkeys given an infinite number of typewriters could not produce a script worse than the one you have been given.

1. The White House has used The East Room as a ballroom for most of the building's existence. 2. The White House Correspondents Dinner is not an official government event. It is a private event the President is invited to. It has not, and would not, take place at The White House itself.

Matt was an absolute joy to work with, both onstage and off. Some of my favorite performances were Matt's. I was so lucky to know him and work with him for nearly 30 years. We are in shock. #DimTheLights

Aw shit, Matt DeCaro was a joy backstage. Big goofball with great jokes and stories. Chops for Shakespeare and Wilson, but at home in less heightened language too. A true journeyman. RIP

Nothing like going into the top of show blackout and having an audience member turn on their phone screen which is nearly the size of a tablet, and possibly brighter than the sun.

Chicago: CTA Yellow Line derailment at Howard has halted Red, Yellow, and Purple Line service to/from Howard. Shuttle buses going into service. I do not currently have info as to where current train turnaround is (possibly Belmont, possibly further north). This will affect audience & actors.

So... for those not in Chicago, or those who have only been in Chicago for less than 10 years: this is a photo of his father, Richard J. Daley, best known from '68 DNC riots. Richard M. Daley has only been out of office for 15 years, and looks nothing like this.

Saw my first Waymo taxi on the way in today. With Arizona plates. They did seem to program it to respond to the “Chicago Yellow,” which is just under 3 seconds (shorter than most areas). The Chicago Yellow was created to rejuvenate income from red-light cameras. Income replaced safety as goal.

It will never not amuse me how actors who can sing and dance in front of a crowd of thousands are terrified to make an announcement on the backstage PA. 😂 Half hour admittedly is complicated and has an expected flow to it, and we always make a big deal when an actor tries it for the first time.

David Zaslav has no taste and this is going to make so much money www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-43...

"Your job is so fun," yes, but did you know I have to single handedly fight no fewer than sixth algorithms every day for the privilege of telling people to not set their beds on fire.

I propose the renaming of the "Strait of Hormuz" to "Strait of Schrödinger." Since it seems to be both open and closed, until someone observes it. But that state changes once someone else observes it.

Tip to theatre production crews or wanna be production folk. Treat your front of house with respect. If you create a bad situation that *I* have to fix just as curtain goes up, you don't get to be nasty & shush me when I'm trying to fix it. Also, paid patrons ALWAYS take precedence over your comps.

Chicago: As you likely know, we are under a Tornado Watch until 11pm. This includes the chance of hail as large as tennis balls(!). Current radar futurecasts show this storm likely starting to hit the area starting, & lingering, right as shows start to let out. You may be safer waiting to leave.

Just spent 2+ hours getting my car serviced (scheduled, not emergency). It has been the calmest part of my week.

DePaul has been looking to sell this gem for years, with added pressure to sell following the opening of its current Theatre School building. Their current budget issues are no joke, but this has been someone’s goal for a long time. My wife & I met in this theatre, & wanted to get married in it.

DePaul University will close the historic Merle Reskin Theatre at the end of May, citing a budget crisis worsened by Trump administration immigration policies.

Thread.

Jury finds water to be wet. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/a...

Our thoughts are with our northern Michigan friends and family as they continue to deal with flooding and multiple dam failures. None of which was helped by the additional rain they received last night.

"Godzilla is going to NY!" OK. Well this small town has a lot going on right now, too.

On this date in 1865, the phrase "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?" was coined. The following day, renowned actor Edwin Booth was nearly the first victim of "cancel culture," due to the actions of his brother John the previous night.

#Recall: Over One Million Bissell Steam Shot OmniReach Steam Cleaners; The recalled steam cleaners’ attachments can unexpectedly detach from the steam cleaners and expel hot water or steam onto users during use, posing a serious burn hazard. Get new free attachments. www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026...

Farmers won their right-to-repair fight against John Deere. The settlement includes a 10-year “agreement by Deere to provide ‘the digital tools ​required for the maintenance, diagnosis, and repair’ of tractors, combines, and other machinery”. [thedrive.com]

15 theatres have now cut ties with Chicago's Jeff Awards following the awarding of a Best Director Jeff to the artistic director from Invictus Theatre, well after detailed accusations of abuse were levied against him. blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/08/c...

I’m in that pic! And so are you!

Some days make this job feel very unimportant.* *Yes, yes, art is important.

I was not prepared to see astronauts crying and hugging in space as they remember their friend and colleague’s late wife. 😭

One of the interesting things about the live-feed from the Artemis II mission is hearing what would be, to those of us who do live events on earth, the "stage crew" communication. Except in this case the "crew" is also the cast, as well as scientists trying to do that job.

It used to be that actors entering during the top-of-Act-2 blackout had to be very careful about finding the glow tape & knowing their path. These days they can just use the glow of sea of cell phones in the audience to guide their way.

#DimTheLights for Carol Mullins, Lighting Designer for dance. She began in, as I like to think of it, the traditional way: by being asked "hey, would you like to do this?" www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/a...

The last few days have been some of the more challenging of my career. So the sight of the full moon clearly above a nearby thunderstorm, combined with the knowledge that somewhere in that view is 4 humans traveling to the moon for the first time in my lifetime, is especially beautiful tonight.

learning that astronauts have to use microsoft outlook in space is unspeakably depressing. we have set microsoft outlook free from the bounds of earth. polluting the stars with that janky piece of shit

If I were on a mission whose computer system required me to deal with Microsoft Outlook in space, I’d give up and go back to the slide rule

CREATION Happy April Fool's Day! xkcd.com/3227/

Tech Day 6: Because changes are part of the job.