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'Lower 48' is a phrase to fight over in Alaska. It's a fixture in the state's US Senate contest
The most biting insult in Alaska politics is to be accused of being aligned with the “Lower 48."
2026 VMAs: How to watch live tonight, who's performing, full nominations list and more
You don't need MTV to watch! Here's how to tune in live to this weekend's star-studded show.
‘She’s One of Us’: Mary Peltola’s Bumpy Rise to Political Power
Ms. Peltola, the Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska, has complicated politics: She is pro-gun, pro-oil and pro-gas — but also pro-environment and especially pro-fish.
The MTV VMAs are here with Taylor Swift making history and Madonna leading the nods: How to watch
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are here and Taylor Swift is set to make history.
The MTV VMAs are here with Taylor Swift making history and Madonna leading the nods: How to watch
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are here and Taylor Swift is set to make history | KYW Newsradio
The MTV VMAs are here with Taylor Swift making history and Madonna leading the nods: How to watch
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are here and Taylor Swift is set to make history | WWL
The MTV VMAs are here with Taylor Swift making history and Madonna leading the nods: How to watch
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are here and Taylor Swift is set to make history.
The MTV VMAs are here with Taylor Swift making history and Madonna leading the nods: How to watch
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are here and Taylor Swift is set to make history.
The MTV VMAs Are Here With Taylor Swift Making History and Madonna Leading the Nods: How to Watch
NEW YORK (AP) — The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are here and Swifties, it looks like the night is already yours. Earlier this week it was announced that Taylor Swift will receive the inaugural Artist Director Honors, becoming the most awarded artist in VMA history. Swift is currently tied with
What to expect at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards
Swift, Madonna, Grande, Mars and Carpenter are also nominated for Artist of the Year along with country singer Morgan Wallen.
Boston 25 News
On a beautiful Friday afternoon in Stow, business is brisk at Shelburne Farm. There is a big storm coming, and people are getting their weekend apples now.
Live from Tuscaloosa: South Carolina battles Alabama in search of first SEC win
The Gamecocks haven’t beat Alabama since 2010. The last time USC won in Tuscaloosa was in 2004.
VMAs producer confirms idea for new award ‘came from external’ influence
The MTV Video Music Awards is handing out its first-ever VMA Artist Director Honors to Taylor Swift on Sept. 27.
Max Scherzer health, retirement possibility after 19 MLB seasons
Max Scherzer talks about feeling healthy right now. \
What to expect at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards
NEW YORK — MTV’s Video Music Awards will be handed out Sunday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. While anything can happen at this traditionally wild event, Madonna is
'Avengers: Endgame Encore's extra 'Doomsday' scenes, explained
You could watch "Avengers: Endgame Encore" to prep for "Doomsday." Or you could just read about it here.
The 10 Most Iconic MTV VMAs Looks We Never Stopped Thinking About
From Gaga to Miley and JLo to Rihanna, here are 10 of the most iconic looks to ever grace the MTV VMAs' stage and hit the red carpet.
Huang says 1 number in the AI debate isn't science-based at all
Nvidia's CEO took aim at a figure that has shaped careers and portfolios, and the man behind it has his own doubts.
Wall Street week ahead: consumer confidence, inflation, employment updates
NEW YORK — Wall Street has a busy week ahead with important updates on inflation, the jobs market and consumer confidence.
T-Mobile is giving away the new Apple iPhone 18 Pro for free
Launch offers don't come any better than this.
Siri just got a major AI upgrade — here are 5 things to try first
These use cases are what surprised me most
Mt. Carmel claims over time victory against Olney
MOUNT CARMEL, Ill. (WEHT) — The Mt. Carmel Aces beat Olney, 38-30 in over time. The Aces will look to keep the win streak alive as they face Casey-Westfield next week.
Airport sewer spill affecting Flint River health, tests show
It's just the latest spill from the airport, and the Flint Riverkeeper says the impact on the river's health is
Lucas County health officials track measles exposure after Amtrak passenger diagnosed
Those exposed were classified into two categories: passive monitoring, for people believed to have some type of immunity, or active monitoring.
So close, yet so far: Phillies stumble again with October in reach
The celebration tarps are ready in the clubhouse, but another quiet night at the plate leaves the Phillies waiting.
Boston 25 News
On a beautiful Friday afternoon in Stow, business is brisk at Shelburne Farm. There is a big storm coming, and people are getting their weekend apples now.
‘Good Neighbor Week’ to Kick Off Saturday With Art, Food, Volunteer Events Across SF
The second annual Good Neighbor Week will feature dozens of neighborhood events across the city, including art, live music, food trucks, and beautification projects, with an emphasis on community service.
MTV used to rule pop culture. Now it mostly breaks through once a year.
Gen X-ers and millennials remember MTV's former life fondly, but it hasn't been the same in years.
Cowboys emphasize business trip mentality as they practice in Rio ahead of their game vs Ravens
The Dallas Cowboys began their preparations in Rio de Janeiro on Friday for their game against the Baltimore Ravens with an eye on the task at hand and not the sights for which the city is known.
Autumn Leaves Festival -- where the past touches the present
Visitors to the Balladeer Hotel late Thursday morning got a glimpse into the future — and a taste of the past.
Pulaski MTN-X to create temporary traffic impacts in Pulaski, Wythe, Bland and Giles Counties Saturday
Pulaski County Sports and Entertainment officials are reminding residents and motorists that the inaugural Pulaski MTN-X gravel bike race will take place Saturday, resulting in temporary traffic impacts on roads.
“Same confidence”: Ho targets response after West Ham
Tottenham Hotspur return to league action on Sunday against Aston Villa, with Martin Ho using Friday’s press conference to reflect on how rotation disrupted his side’s rhythm in their last outing ...
Insane $300+ Reprint Value Secret Lair Precon Release Date Seemingly Revealed
Thanks to a Chaos Vault email that appeared earlier today, Secret Lair's Odds and Ends release date has almost certainly been confirmed.
The eruption that destroyed Pompeii is helping scientists date Earth's history
Historical accounts of the eruption nearly 2,000 years ago provide a precise timeline that allowed recalibration of one of the most versatile dating methods.
Bladen Small Business Center to host “Funding Toolbox” Small Business RoundTable
Small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs are invited to attend the September Small Business RoundTable at Bladen Community College, featuring a practical discussion on one of the most important challenges facing entrepreneurs: finding the right funding for a business.The September RoundTable, “The Funding Toolbox,” will be held Monday, Sept.28, from 5:30–7 p.m. in Building 14, Room 135, at Bladen Community College.Sponsored by the Bladen Community College Small Business Center (SBC) and the Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, the event will bring together experts familiar with the Small Business Center and SSBCI programs to help participants better understand the funding resources available to entrepreneurs and small businesses.Rather than focusing on one type of financing, “The Funding Toolbox” will explore a variety of funding tools and resources that may be available depending on a business's stage, needs and goals. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about available programs, how they work, what lenders and funding organizations look for, and how business owners can prepare to seek financing.Topics will include:Funding options for startups and existing businessesLoans and other financing resourcesSSBCI-supported funding opportunitiesHow to determine which funding option may fit your businessWhat lenders and funding organizations look forPreparing financial information and documentationResources available to help businesses become funding-ready“The Funding Toolbox” is designed for both aspiring entrepreneurs and established small business owners who are considering starting, expanding or investing in their businesses.The Small Business RoundTable provides an informal setting where local entrepreneurs can learn, ask questions, share experiences and connect with business-resource partners. The program is part of the ongoing efforts of the Bladen Community College Small Business Center and the Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce to strengthen and support small businesses throughout the community.The September RoundTable is free and open to the public.For more information or to register, contact the Bladen Community College Small Business Center at 910-879-5572.Event DetailsWhat: Small Business RoundTable – The Funding ToolboxWhen: Monday, Sept.28, 2026 | 5:30–7 p.m.Where: Bladen Community College, Building 14, Room 135Cost: FreeSponsors: Bladen Community College Small Business Center and Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
The Republicans Who Are Over Trump
A president who demanded loyalty is no longer getting it.
IBD's 30 Most Trusted Financial Companies
See which 30 companies scored highest in IBD's 2026 poll of the most trusted financial companies across eight business categories.
CVS Health Strengthens Energy Resilience To Support Patient Care
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / September 25, 2026 / Originally published on Company NewsroomThe demand for reliable energy continues to grow, and for , dependable operations are essential to serving millions of patients and customers across the country. That's why we're expanding our use of renewable electricity and investing in energy solutions that help reduce emissions, strengthen business resilience and support uninterrupted care.
Renovated building for social science, education and policy institutes will enhance interdisciplinary connections at Northwestern
The newly renovated facility, overlooking Deering Meadow, is a hub for teaching, research and collaboration across fields
Hung parliament: who could form a coalition after the next general election?
A ‘mega poll’ from YouGov suggests parties could be scrambling to forge an alliance
Rocket Lab downplays importance of NASA business as it pursues Mars mission protest
Even as Rocket Lab protests a NASA Mars contract, the company is downplaying the role the agency plays in its overall business.
Xi Jinping Didn’t Bring a CEO Entourage. What That Says About China-US Relations.
American chief executives turned out in force to see Xi Jinping, while their Chinese counterparts were absent, a sign of how drastically business ties have changed.
Put NUMC ahead of partisan politics, Kennedy Center, Team USA women's basketball
Reader letters to Newsday.
Pressure mounts on Phillies as postseason berth continues to elude them
Yikes! They enter the final weekend of the season just two games up on Arizona.
Tennessee assistant William Inge battling serious health issue in hospital
Tennessee linebackers coach William Inge is hospitalized with a serious health issue and will not coach in the team's game against Texas.
House Science Leaders Introduce a $10 Billion Fusion Bill
The bipartisan proposal from the House Science Committee comes with the backing of the Fusion Industry Association.
Meet Sienna Spiro, the rising star bringing ‘60s style to the MTV VMAs
Spiro will mark yet another milestone when she takes the main stage at the 2026 MTV VMAs for her debut performance.
iOS 27.2 beta arrives. How to try the new iPhone Health app.
The new Health app isn't launching on iOS 27.2, but you can still try it early.
Nintendo Wins $4.5M In Switch Pirate Lawsuit
The court entered a default judgement in favor of Nintendo
Taylor Swift teases new music video with Dakota Johnson, Colin Farrell
Are you ready for it? Taylor Swift has revealed a first look at the music video for her song "Patient Zero," which will debut during the MTV Video Music Awards
Meitav Investment House Announces Immediate Report on Selected Business Data for August 2026
/PRNewswire/ -- Meitav Investment House (TASE: MTAV) today published its selected monthly business data for August 2026. The Company reports these data, which...
Meitav Investment House Announces Immediate Report on Selected Business Data for August 2026
/PRNewswire/ -- Meitav Investment House (TASE: MTAV) today published its selected monthly business data for August 2026. The Company reports these data, which...
Why are trading cards surging again? Average collectors, wealthy investors seeing value
Trading cards likely generated well over $1 billion in sales in August alone, pushing the once sleepy hobby into uncharted waters.
UNC, Michigan followed the college sports investigations’ playbook: No paper trail
More and more, if a university needs an external investigation, it will retain a law firm that delivers the findings verbally.
The Deferential President
Not long ago, President Trump could claim that he ran the world. Now he’s waiting at the bottom of a set of airline steps for the Chinese president.
Ed Sheeran doesn’t want to be political, but music always has been
Celebrities using their fame to champion causes they care about is not new, says George Luke. Christians shouldn't hurl hate at those whose views they don't agree with - you can just choose not to listen
As AI Transforms Science and Research, Indiana University Cybersecurity Experts Protect Against Hidden Risks
AI is now commonly used to analyze large datasets, identify patterns, generate ideas and accelerate discoveries. But what isn’t as well understood is the risks versus rewards of the AI explosion.
Phillies playoff tracker: Wild Card race, clinching scenarios and seeding
Track the Phillies’ path to another Red October, including their magic number, Wild Card standings, remaining schedule and potential playoff matchups
UVA Health study examines incision-less liver tumor treatment
UVA Health researchers reviewed outcomes from nearly 1,000 patients treated with a procedure called histotripsy.
Police: Knife-wielding suspect robs Baraboo business, escapes on bicycle
Baraboo Police Department is searching for a person suspected of robbing a business owner at knifepoint Tuesday night.
Move over, Beyoncé: Taylor Swift to become the most awarded artist in VMAs history with inaugural Artist Director Honors
Taylor Swift will receive the first-ever MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, adding another milestone to her awards show legacy.
Drugmaker Astellas looks to sell U.S. headquarters in Northbrook
The 431,792-square-foot property will provide a rare data point on whether buyers will still pay up for well-located, high-quality suburban office buildings.
Rare country performance set for MTV VMAs as show reveals Dolly Parton tribute led by huge genre star
The MTV VMAs typically don’t feature country music on the main show, though a huge country star will tribute Parton after the icon’s death.
Short-series science: Why one wild-card opponent fits Phillies better than the rest
The race for the National League Wild Card spots got a little wilder on Tuesday night. The Phillies defeated Milwaukee; […]
Environmental disasters are becoming a public health focus
Researchers are learning more about the long-term public health effects of living through extreme weather, especially in rural communities.
PR veteran urges business groups to defend First Amendment
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, a correspondent for Reuters.
Gov. announces new director of MT Dept of Public Health and Human
For the third time this year, a Montana agency director is leaving Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration for the private sector.
Marlins 8, Cubs 2: RISPy business and an Edward Cabrera meltdown
That was one heck of a way to lose a baseball game.
Syracuse Basketball Stars Sadiq White Jr. & Olivia Schmitt Join Apex Entertainment's NIL Family
New Men's Head Coach Gerry McNamara to Meet Orange Fans on October 15 at Apex Entertainment's Destiny USA LocationSYRACUSE, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 23, 2026 / Apex Entertainment®, the …
Will Oil Companies Be Forced to Pay for Heat Waves?
Can the energy giants be held responsible for extreme weather?
Tyrick Mitchell attracts Manchester United and Liverpool interest
Manchester United and Liverpool are showing growing interest in Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell, with his contract situation potentially opening the door to a January move.According to TEAMta...
Wu-Tang Management Shares Business Advice, Life Lessons with Birmingham Youth
By Shauna Stuart | For the Birmingham Times The Wu-Tang Clan experience doesn’t stop at the stage. For more than 30 years, the legendary hip hop group has ensured its mantra “Wu-Tang is for the ch…
Without Olivia Miles, Lynx lose to Fever, need rematch win to clinch No. 1 seed
Indiana can't slide lower than the sixth seed in the postseason with Tuesday's win.
Governor Gianforte Announces Transition at the Department of Public Health and Human Services
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced that Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Charlie Brereton will transition out of his role on October 30 to pursue an opportunity in the private sector. The governor has named Dr. Doug Harrington, the department’s State Medical Officer, as Director of DPHHS.
A milestone night for Zack Wheeler as Phillies move to doorstep of postseason
Phils scored three in the eighth to beat Milwaukee. Brandon Marsh swung a big bat. A postseason berth could come as soon as Wednesday night.
Journey Mental Health talks about student’s mental health screenings
Thousands of kids carry more than backpacks.
Amtrak passenger with measles traveled on these California trains
An unvaccinated passenger who later developed measles rode Amtrak trains through California. Here’s the itinerary and who should watch for symptoms.
In joint appearance, mutual benefits and risks for El-Sayed and Harris
The Michigan Senate candidate and the former vice president appeared together for a Detroit campaign event
Nirvana is set to receive this year's VMAs Video Vanguard Award. Could someone like Kurt Cobain still become a star today?
Cobain seemed to resist and even resent his own success. It was a struggle that played out on MTV.
Microsoft is killing an Office app you've used for decades
Microsoft's advice for saving your work turns it into something you can't change
MTA boss Lieber says agency’s targeting ‘kooky’ work rules, health insurance contributions in labor talks with transit union
In the MTA's contract negotiations with the union representing nearly 40,000 New York City Transit workers — Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 — the
Gov. announces Doug Harringon to lead MT Department of Public Health and Human Services
The Governor’s Office on Tuesday announced that Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton will step down on Oct. 30.
Binghamton University scientists win seed funding for medical technologies
Two Binghamton University faculty members will receive seed funding through the State University of New York (SUNY) Technology Accelerator Fund (TAF), which provides grants to faculty inventors and scientists.
The ICE Officer in Austin Wasn’t Wearing a Body Cam
The officer who shot a Venezuelan man was hired last year from another federal law-enforcement agency.
72-Year-Old Ohio Man Put A GPS Tracker On Pokémon Delivery Driver's Vehicle
Pokémon card value is at an all-time high
Uninsured business owner says free mammogram program saved her life
Kathey Dailey got her first mammogram at 59 after stomach pain led to a cancer diagnosis. She said it saved her life.
Gates Foundation and MTN launch AI maternal health platform to reach 500,000 women by 2030 in Nigeria, which accounts for about 30% of maternal deaths
The four-year, $25 million partnership pairs AI tools with phone and connectivity access to cut preventable maternal deaths.
The Next Frontier of Attribution Science Has Arrived
New research finds that Europe’s 2025 heat wave was made measurably worse by greenhouse gas emissions since the Paris Agreement.
The Giants’ season is already in danger, plus an early NHL preview
The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Talk to your friends about EPA today. Coming up: 🔀 Vibe shift in L.A. 🤓 The WNBA’s spectacle 📕 We’re all football nerds Football season can be so fickle. Vibes can turn on a dime. Last week, we marveled at how the new-look Giants dominated the Cowboys in primetime. We wondered if New York’s ceiling could be higher than previously thought under coaching legend John Harbaugh. And we wondered if the Rams’ dream season...
How lip-syncing to AI let Forced Entertainment ‘play the game of theatre’
Today we have a fascinating piece by long-time Forced Entertainment fan Ben Kulvichit, speaking to Tim Etchells about their latest show Cold Sweat, how they are integrating lip-sync and AI voices into their work, the question of ‘authenticity’ on stage, and how lip-sync has even opened the door for them to make “something a little bit like drama”. This piece is a paid partnership with the Southbank Centre, where you can see Cold Sweat next month – we’re very grateful to the Southbank Centre for their ongoing support for Exeunt. Holly Williams ‘It was immediately interesting and uncanny’ **By Ben Kulvichit** “Is the microphone on?” So goes one of the opening lines of Signal to Noise, delivered by a human performer lip-syncing to an AI-generated voice. The voice is American, cheery but sluggish, slowed down into a gelatinous drawl. It repeats ad infinitum in a farce of stuckness; an answer never materialises. I find myself asking the same question as I hop on a Google Meet call with Tim Etchells, the artistic director of Forced Entertainment. We spend five or ten minutes frowning at each other, muting and unmuting, me gesticulating in semaphore into my webcam, checking if I am coming through now, restarting the laptop. To Etchells, I appear exaggeratedly mouthing words, my voice missing. In this gloopy purgatory of broken communication, life imitates art imitates life imitates art. We try a Zoom instead. Forced Entertainment, the pioneering British theatre company who have been at the avant-garde of performance since the 1980s, turned an interesting artistic corner with Signal to Noise, created on the occasion of their 40th anniversary. The whole performance employed this lip-sync technique to AI voices; on the face of it a left-field move from a company whose identity has long been grounded in the earthy, immediate presences of its performers and its unassuming, low-tech approach to theatricality. The technique, however, turned out to provide the company with a “rich new seam” of artistic enquiry, and has now spawned a trilogy of works. The second instalment, Cold Sweat, plays at Sheffield Theatres, Southbank Centre, and Lancaster Arts in October, while the third part, Everything Must Go, has been touring in Europe and is slated to come to the UK in 2027. As is often the case with Forced Entertainment shows, the main conceit for this work didn’t arrive until quite late. They were “four or five weeks into rehearsals for Signal to Noise,” Etchells recalls, and getting nowhere. Away from rehearsals, he had been playing around with feeding “weird texts” to AI voices to see how they would cope with them – “basically for my own amusement” – and was compelled by the uniformly “serviceable, benign, good-natured” tone they would read in, no matter how poetic, fractured or experimental the writing. On a hunch, he brought some examples into rehearsals and the performers gave lip-syncing a go. “It was immediately interesting and uncanny,” he recalls, with the performers having to deal in the moment with the problem of mapping themselves onto another artificial ‘performer,’ which itself was dealing with the problem of a very human text. “Almost all the writing for these projects would be useless to us unless it was done in this way,” says Etchells. “We wouldn’t know what to do with it. It’s too poetic. It’s too fictional. It’s too tangled.” But exploring lip-syncing along to the text has opened “an enormous reservoir of ways of thinking about writing and performing.” Subscribe to Exeunt, and get two in-depth pieces on theatre a week, direct to your inbox Subscribe Forced Entertainment have long been sifting through the detritus of popular culture, from daytime TV to end-of-the-pier vaudeville, magic acts and clown shows, to find frameworks for their own unusual entertainments. Lip-syncing, then, makes sense for them to experiment with. As a mode of performance, it’s wired into popular consciousness through pop stars trying to convince stadium audiences of their liveness, or those same voices as channeled through the made-up lips of contestants on RuPaul’s Drag Race, or movie dialogue spreading virally through the host bodies of TikTok users. For Etchells, lip-syncing is often about “approaching real voices and trying to take on their aura,” subsuming that original human presence into yours. “There’s a very basic, elemental sort of theatre magic to it, produced in this very easy way.” This broad approach resonates with instances of lip-syncing within contemporary performance, too. In works like Re-Member Me and Showmanism, performance artist Dickie Beau acts as a kind of spirit medium for archival recordings (this process of re-membering – as in, giving corporeal form to voices – relies on his masterfully precise actor’s technique), while Frankie Thompson is similarly possessed by a host of characters ranging from a nine-year-old Jacob Rees-Mogg to Cliff Richards, all of whom she finds compellingly nauseating, in the exorcism ritual that is her latest show, Horrible Things. What’s different about Forced Entertainment’s use of lip-syncing is that here, there is no original presence to be channeled. The performers are instead taking on what Etchells describes as “the voices of nobody,” or rather the “phantasmic, aggregated echoes” of the many many voices on whose data the AI has been trained, and which are now conjuring into existence words they never actually said. There is a sort of mournful, empty quality to these voices, having “washed up” far away from the people they originally belonged to, to find themselves in stranger’s mouths listing objects, wondering if anyone can hear them and glitching in interminable loops. There is a cold, sad anonymity to it all. Etchells remarks that occasionally the software company he used has notified him that particular people are withdrawing their voices from the platform, instructing him to cease use of those voices. Using these technologies in performance certainly brings up ethical questions around digital rights, consent, identity and ownership, although in the grand scheme of things, Etchells is fairly blasé about it: of all the purposes someone’s voice might be put to without their knowledge, “an avant-garde performance is probably the least of their worries.” [ ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/frankie-thompson-horrible-things-essay-mental-health-compulsive-behaviours-pleasance-courtyard-soho-theatre) [ Frankie Thompson: How I manage my own ‘horrible things’ at the Edinburgh Fringe ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/frankie-thompson-horrible-things-essay-mental-health-compulsive-behaviours-pleasance-courtyard-soho-theatre) Exeunt · Aug 25 [ Read full story ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/frankie-thompson-horrible-things-essay-mental-health-compulsive-behaviours-pleasance-courtyard-soho-theatre) For the performers, though, lip-syncing to these strange, artificial voices is an odd task, requiring them to bend their live, human presence into the shapes produced by machines. Politically, it mirrors processes that are already at play in the continued computational automation of human life. Etchells brings up James Bridle’s writings on new technologies as a reference point: one example Bridle gives is of “chaotic storage”, a logistics technique employed by Amazon fulfilment centres whereby items are stored not according to traditional methods of categorisation or alphabetisation, but in a way that an algorithm determines to produce the most efficient routes for ‘picking’ based on customer purchase patterns. This appears completely random and incomprehensible to humans, with paddling pools sitting next to USB sticks sitting next to blowtorches, and so for the warehouse workers, the process of picking items becomes completely reliant on technology which tells them where to go. Our world is increasingly being designed not with humans in mind, but rather machines. As Etchells puts it, “technology malforms the space, and then you end up having to live in it.” Initially, Forced Entertainment tried their best to live in the world of machines: “I was in the it’s-got-to-be-perfect school of lip-sync,” says Etchells. But with their aesthetic being so tied to the failing act, the slipping mask, the shoddy costume, “it’s no surprise really that that didn’t last.” Instead, the performers got to enjoy being late for a line, or playing games with each other, “stealing” each other’s voices. Etchells compares it to the principles of ventriloquism, in which a free-floating voice unattached to a body is fundamentally discomforting and “sort of traumatic”. That discomfort is equally as alluring to Forced Entertainment as the satisfaction of precision, the pretence of authenticity only interesting if shown to be a pretence. Lip-sync has also opened up new avenues for the company. Having been allergic all their lives to Plays-with-a-capital-P, with Cold Sweat Forced Entertainment find themselves approaching something a little bit like drama. Rather than the presentational arena of Signal to Noise’s open white stage, Cold Sweat places us more decisively in a “fictional locale”: what appears to be “the aftermath of some disastrous party or backyard drinking binge” where three figures – family members, or neighbours, perhaps – are the last ones standing. “It’s all quite acrimonious and accusatory, everyone’s talking over each other.” For Etchells, this more fictional mode is “a door that we’ve never been able to open. We’ve just never really gone there.” Perhaps it is the technique of lip-syncing, an extra buffer of mediation, that allows them to venture away from the here-and-now without feeling that they have to commit to the “psychological claptrap” that comes along with acting; to be able to “play the game of theatre, without getting one’s hands too dirty.” As I wonder how else the impulses behind Forced Entertainment’s work have changed over time, it occurs to me that over the last ten years of new creations, with the exception of If All Else Fails, the company’s performers haven’t ever spoken on stage: there were two shows without any language at all, Out of Order and Under Bright Light, and then this trilogy of lip-sync works. Etchells agrees it’s a shift away from earlier productions, that were so often about “the actual voices of the performers and their actual presences. We had a lot of money, in some ways, on an authentic approach to what it might mean to speak on the stage.” But this sense of authentic presence itself had a fakeness to it; these days, Etchells can’t stand that mode of being onstage where performers “are here to be cheeky and witty versions of themselves. I don’t want to be charmed.” Pulling back into a more anonymous space has resulted in works that feel slightly sharper-edged, more brutal in a way. “All of these shows are post-Brexit, post-Trump, post-truth, post-everything,” Etchells notes. Speech, charisma, authenticity – these things feel politically loaded, and perhaps warmth and openness just don’t feel like the right tools to reflect the world we’re living in. “It feels like the space is closing down, and we’re trying to deal with the fact that the system, the structure that you’re in, is more oppressive and more powerful. It probably always was, but I think we’re just more tuned to it now.” Yet even without their voices, the performers’ distinctive presences – ones that many audiences have followed around for years, if not decades – still, inevitably, shine through as they physically navigate whatever unending task the system of the piece has set for them. They’re still trying to keep up with the onslaught of text, still running about, changing costumes, moving stuff around. The human is always stuck in the teeth of the machine, jamming the smooth, frictionless cheeriness of the not-real, gesticulating silently, trying desperately to communicate. Cold Sweat is at Sheffield Theatres, 2 to 3 October; Southbank Centre, London, 9 to 10 October; Lancaster Arts, 14 October [ ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/exeunt-recommends-the-best-autumn-theatre-2026-lives-of-others-standard-of-living-our-friends-in-the-north-lanny-) [ Exeunt recommends... the best autumn theatre ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/exeunt-recommends-the-best-autumn-theatre-2026-lives-of-others-standard-of-living-our-friends-in-the-north-lanny-) Exeunt · Sep 16 [ Read full story ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/exeunt-recommends-the-best-autumn-theatre-2026-lives-of-others-standard-of-living-our-friends-in-the-north-lanny-) This piece was paid for by the Southbank Centre. Such support helps Exeunt to keep publishing the most interesting writing, about the most exciting theatre. Interested in partnering with Exeunt? Visit our Advertise with Exeunt page, where you can get more information, download an advertising pack, and find our contact details.
Police, fire, EMT and mental health: How one city is leading the charge to reshape 911
Alternative response programs, where mental health clinicians respond to 911 calls instead of police, have proliferated since George Floyd's murder. What does it take to do this work well?
Police, fire, EMT and mental health: How one city is leading the charge to reshape 911
Alternative response programs, where mental health clinicians respond to 911 calls instead of police, have proliferated since George Floyd's murder. What does it take to do this work well?
Police, fire, EMT and mental health: How one city is leading the charge to reshape 911
Alternative response programs, where mental health clinicians respond to 911 calls instead of police, have proliferated since George Floyd's murder. What does it take to do this work well?
MTV VMAs nominations 2026: Madonna, Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter lead the pack
This year’s Best New Artist race is also heating up, with divisive pop-country nepo baby Stella Lefty and English vocal powerhouse Sienna Spiro among the evening’s buzziest nominees.
Youth sports can help African countries build a legacy of champions
African countries possess plenty of raw sporting talent. But replicable success is produced by systems.
FAA grounds flights at major Northeast airports after fiber line cut
An Amtrak construction crew accidentally cut a fiber-optic line, disrupting flights at Newark Liberty, JFK, LaGuardia and other Northeast airports.
Marion, Carbondale to host free health fairs for Heartland seniors Sept. 22-23
Both fairs are free to the public and will feature local healthcare providers, senior service organizations, and legislative information.