Latest news with #Baynes
West Australian
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Homegrown talent Jade Baynes to hit Sydney's Capitol Theatre in award-winning musical The Book of Mormon
A multi-talented Geraldton-born singer and actress has scored an important role in one of the world's most beloved musicals, showing in Sydney. Jade Baynes has been cast as a swing for the critically-acclaimed musical The Book of Mormon. She recently appeared as Bec in the Geraldton-based Stan original series Invisible Boys based on the novel by Holden Sheppard, and has starred in major productions such as Matt Ward's Priscilla: Queen of the Desert and the Aussie premiere of All Shook Up The Musical. A Tony, Olivier, and Grammy award-winning production, The Book of Mormon follows the misadventures of two Mormon missionaries in a remote Ugandan village as they attempt to spread their faith and will. Baynes has been cast as a swing — a performer who understudies multiple ensemble roles, ready to step in at any time if a member is unable to perform. Swings may also cover other principal roles in addition to their ensemble duties. Baynes said she was ecstatic to be a part of such a huge musical, and hoped she can do her role justice. 'When I found out I'd been cast as a swing in The Book of Mormon, I was genuinely shocked,' she said. 'I've done everything from ensemble to lead roles before, but never swing, which is easily one of the most complex and demanding jobs in musical theatre. 'The fact that the creative team saw something in me that said, 'Yep, she can handle this,' still blows my mind.' The musical, which will open in July at Sydney's Capitol Theatre stars a cast including Sean Johnston (Hairspray) as Elder Price, Nick Cox (Beauty and the Beast) as Elder Cunningham, Paris Leveque who is making her professional debut as Nabulungi, Tom Struik (Sister Act the Musical) as Elder McKinley, Simbarashe Matshe (Filthy Business) as Mafala Hatimbi, Augie Tchantcho who is reprising his role in The Book of Mormon as The General and Matthew Hamilton (Tina – The Tina Turner Musical) as Mission President. With cast and creatives coming from Broadway to deliver the show in Sydney, Baynes said she was 'more than ready' to use 'every bit of my brain capacity' and 'be the best swing I can be.'
Business Mayor
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
Mafia: The Old Country was inspired by The Godfather and Sicilian knife fights
Table of Contents Table of Contents The passage of time Knives out During PAX East 2025, 2K revealed its latest trailer for Mafia: The Old Country . The latest entry in the long-running crime series will deliver familiar mob action that fans have come to expect, but it's bringing one big change too. Rather than taking place in America, players will now get to run wild in Sicily. Shortly after the trailer was revealed, Digital Trends sat down with members of the Mafia development team to chat about the latest installment. The team tells us why it decided to take the series to Italy and revealed how the Sicilian setting changed the game. One big impact that the shift had? Knife fighting. Lots of knife fighting. The Mafia series has a long history of putting players in the cement shoes of various mobsters from the 20th century. The majority of its installments up until now take place all throughout America, primarily on the East Coast. That's all while telling a compelling story with characters to which players typically get attached. Mafia: The Old Country is looking to shake things up. Game director Alex Cox had a simple elevator pitch for the latest entry. 'The way we described this from the very beginning was Mafia meets The Godfather in 1900s Sicily,' Cox tells Digital Trends. 'That's the internal phrase we used when talking to other developers, because it gives you a really clear image in your head of what the game is immediately.' Nick Baynes, studio president at Hangar 13, reassures fans that it will be a 'classic Mafia mob story.' The only difference is that it'll take place in a 'brand new, beautiful location.' One of the many things that has Baynes excited is that it's a prequel to the other installments. That's because he sees it as 'a great jumping on point' for new players. Hangar 13 / 2K Games Both setting and time are crucial to The Old Country . Since it'll be taking place in the early 1900s, players will see the transition from one era to another. That's by design, because the passage of time plays a major thematic role in the story. 'It's a period of change in Sicily,' Cox says. 'There's a big number of Sicilians at that time who started to emigrate to America. That's something we've tried to reflect on through the whole creative development from the story and mechanics as well.' Baynes says that players will begin to notice this as they play through the game. He points to the world's streets as an example, explaining how players will quickly notice how some roads in-game are better suited for horse travel while others are clearly made with vehicles in mind. As they progress further into the story, players will begin to see horse roads slowly being phased out in favor of ones built for cars. The team really wanted to focus on combat this time around, making it feel more dangerous. Every bullet counts, which is why the devs implemented a looting feature that players can perform after combat. Ammo preservation is paramount, so some dirty scavenging is required to stay alive. Players won't just mow down rivals in shootouts, though. Knives play an important role in combat this time, as blades come with distinct abilities. The addition of knife dueling isn't just a twist for the sake of change; it ties back into the story and setting. Read More Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy surpasses 20M copies sold 'Sicily has a knife-fighting tradition, and it's something we felt was quite iconic for the idea of Sicilian gangsters,' Cox says. '[Knife Dueling] is a special gameplay mode, where certain characters will appear as bosses, and you have to fight them to death with your knife.' This is probably the only time we visit a location like this in the Mafia series. Getting this right was so important that the team sent a few members to Sicily to meet those who make traditional Sicilian knives and watch how these knife fights would play out in real life. It wasn't just a cool field trip for the team, but important research to make sure that the combat felt as accurate to its inspiration as possible. That bleeds into a larger theme with The Old Country , as Italian authenticity was the goal. The team wanted to ensure that players got a unique cultural experience while still staying true to the Mafia identity. ''How is it different to play in Sicily?' It's the knives, the location. We're having combat in Greek ruins and in catacombs under the ground. Locations that are very distinctive to Sicily. We have horse chases [where you] jump onto cars.' 2K It was essential to create this sense of adventure because it may be one of a kind. 'This is probably the only time we visit a location like this in the Mafia series,' Cox says. Since The Old Country isn't in an urban environment like previous titles, it allowed the team to 'go heavy' when it came to leaning into the 'thrilling adventure vibe.' The team is putting in a lot of work to ensure that Mafia: The Old Country respects Sicilian culture while still creating something that fits in the Mafia universe. You can see all of this for yourself in the new trailer, which features glimpses of knife fights and the new setting. Even if you're a Mafia newcomer, The Old Country seems like it will be a strong starting point that functions both as an entry to the series and a portal to another era. Mafia: The Old Country launches on August 8 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Digital Trends
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Mafia: The Old Country was inspired by The Godfather and Sicilian knife fights
Table of Contents Table of Contents The passage of time Knives out During PAX East 2025, 2K revealed its latest trailer for Mafia: The Old Country. The latest entry in the long-running crime series will deliver familiar mob action that fans have come to expect, but it's bringing one big change too. Rather than taking place in America, players will now get to run wild in Sicily. Shortly after the trailer was revealed, Digital Trends sat down with members of the Mafia development team to chat about the latest installment. The team tells us why it decided to take the series to Italy and revealed how the Sicilian setting changed the game. One big impact that the shift had? Knife fighting. Lots of knife fighting. Recommended Videos The passage of time The Mafia series has a long history of putting players in the cement shoes of various mobsters from the 20th century. The majority of its installments up until now take place all throughout America, primarily on the East Coast. That's all while telling a compelling story with characters to which players typically get attached. Mafia: The Old Country is looking to shake things up. Game director Alex Cox had a simple elevator pitch for the latest entry. 'The way we described this from the very beginning was Mafia meets The Godfather in 1900s Sicily,' Cox tells Digital Trends. 'That's the internal phrase we used when talking to other developers, because it gives you a really clear image in your head of what the game is immediately.' Nick Baynes, studio president at Hangar 13, reassures fans that it will be a 'classic Mafia mob story.' The only difference is that it'll take place in a 'brand new, beautiful location.' One of the many things that has Baynes excited is that it's a prequel to the other installments. That's because he sees it as 'a great jumping on point' for new players. Both setting and time are crucial to The Old Country. Since it'll be taking place in the early 1900s, players will see the transition from one era to another. That's by design, because the passage of time plays a major thematic role in the story. 'It's a period of change in Sicily,' Cox says. 'There's a big number of Sicilians at that time who started to emigrate to America. That's something we've tried to reflect on through the whole creative development from the story and mechanics as well.' Baynes says that players will begin to notice this as they play through the game. He points to the world's streets as an example, explaining how players will quickly notice how some roads in-game are better suited for horse travel while others are clearly made with vehicles in mind. As they progress further into the story, players will begin to see horse roads slowly being phased out in favor of ones built for cars. Knives out The team really wanted to focus on combat this time around, making it feel more dangerous. Every bullet counts, which is why the devs implemented a looting feature that players can perform after combat. Ammo preservation is paramount, so some dirty scavenging is required to stay alive. Players won't just mow down rivals in shootouts, though. Knives play an important role in combat this time, as blades come with distinct abilities. The addition of knife dueling isn't just a twist for the sake of change; it ties back into the story and setting. 'Sicily has a knife-fighting tradition, and it's something we felt was quite iconic for the idea of Sicilian gangsters,' Cox says. '[Knife Dueling] is a special gameplay mode, where certain characters will appear as bosses, and you have to fight them to death with your knife.' This is probably the only time we visit a location like this in the Mafia series. Getting this right was so important that the team sent a few members to Sicily to meet those who make traditional Sicilian knives and watch how these knife fights would play out in real life. It wasn't just a cool field trip for the team, but important research to make sure that the combat felt as accurate to its inspiration as possible. That bleeds into a larger theme with The Old Country, as Italian authenticity was the goal. The team wanted to ensure that players got a unique cultural experience while still staying true to the Mafia identity. ''How is it different to play in Sicily?' It's the knives, the location. We're having combat in Greek ruins and in catacombs under the ground. Locations that are very distinctive to Sicily. We have horse chases [where you] jump onto cars.' It was essential to create this sense of adventure because it may be one of a kind. 'This is probably the only time we visit a location like this in the Mafia series,' Cox says. Since The Old Country isn't in an urban environment like previous titles, it allowed the team to 'go heavy' when it came to leaning into the 'thrilling adventure vibe.' The team is putting in a lot of work to ensure that Mafia: The Old Country respects Sicilian culture while still creating something that fits in the Mafia universe. You can see all of this for yourself in the new trailer, which features glimpses of knife fights and the new setting. Even if you're a Mafia newcomer, The Old Country seems like it will be a strong starting point that functions both as an entry to the series and a portal to another era. Mafia: The Old Country launches on August 8 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nurix Therapeutics Appoints Drug Development Expert Roy D. Baynes, MB.Bch., M.Med., Ph.D., to Its Board of Directors
Dr. Baynes has been a member of Nurix's Medical Advisory Board since 2023 SAN FRANCISCO, March 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nurix Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: NRIX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted protein degradation medicines, announced today the appointment of Roy D. Baynes, Ph.D., to its board of directors. Dr. Baynes, who currently serves as executive vice president and chief medical officer of Eikon Therapeutics, has had a distinguished career in hematology and oncology and over 22 years of clinical leadership experience in pharmaceutical and biotech companies. 'Roy has been a trusted advisor to Nurix since 2023, and I am delighted to welcome him to our board of directors at this exciting time for the Company,' said Arthur T. Sands, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Nurix. 'His extensive experience in the development of innovative, blockbuster medicines will be invaluable as we advance our pipeline across oncology and autoimmune indications.' 'As a clinical advisor, I have been deeply impressed by Nurix's compelling science of protein degradation and the data that have been generated in the clinical trials of NX-5948 in patients with CLL and Waldenström macroglobulinemia, particularly in the face of growing resistance to BTK inhibitors,' said Dr. Baynes. 'I have thoroughly enjoyed working with this talented team of drug discoverers, and I look forward to my increased involvement in Nurix's plans for the clinical development and commercialization of its growing pipeline.' Prior to joining Eikon Therapeutics, Dr. Baynes was chief medical officer and head of global clinical development at Merck, where he supervised the entire clinical portfolio at Merck Research Laboratories and was the architect of the development strategy for dozens of important new medicines including pembrolizumab (Keytruda), a humanized monoclonal antibody used in cancer immunotherapy that treats multiple tumor types as well as two histology agnostic indications. Earlier in his career, Dr. Baynes served as Senior Vice President of Oncology, Inflammation and Respiratory Therapeutics at Gilead Sciences, Inc., as Vice President of Global Development and head of the hematology/oncology development team at Amgen, Inc., and as Professor of Medicine at University of Kansas Medical Center and Wayne State University in Detroit, where he held the Charles Martin endowed chair of Cancer Research. Dr. Baynes holds an (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery), an (specialist registration in Internal Medicine), and a Ph.D. from the University of Witwatersrand. About Nurix Therapeutics, Inc. Nurix Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted protein degradation medicines, the next frontier in innovative drug design aimed at improving treatment options for patients with cancer and inflammatory diseases. Nurix's wholly owned, clinical stage pipeline includes degraders of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), a B-cell signaling protein, and inhibitors of Casitas B-lineage lymphoma proto-oncogene B (CBL-B), an E3 ligase that regulates activation of multiple immune cell types including T cells and NK cells. Nurix also is advancing multiple potentially first-in-class or best-in-class degraders and degrader antibody conjugates (DACs) in its preclinical pipeline. Nurix's partnered drug discovery pipeline consists of preclinical stage degraders of IRAK4 and STAT6, as well as multiple additional programs under collaboration agreements with Gilead Sciences, Inc., Sanofi S.A. and Pfizer Inc., within which Nurix retains certain options for co-development, co-commercialization and profit sharing in the United States for multiple drug candidates. Powered by a fully AI-integrated discovery engine capable of tackling any protein class, and coupled with unparalleled ligase expertise, Nurix's dedicated team has built a formidable advantage in translating the science of targeted protein degradation into clinical advancements. Nurix aims to establish degrader-based treatments at the forefront of patient care, writing medicine's next chapter with a new script to outmatch disease. Nurix is headquartered in San Francisco, California. For additional information visit Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. Any statements contained herein that do not describe historical facts, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the expected contributions Dr. Baynes will bring to Nurix and Nurix's plans for the development and commercialization of its pipeline, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the risks described under the heading 'Risk Factors' in Nurix's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended November 30, 2024, and subsequent filings with the SEC. Any of these risks and uncertainties could materially and adversely affect Nurix's business and results of operations, which could, in turn, have a significant and adverse impact on Nurix's stock price. Nurix cautions you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Nurix undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date they were made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Contacts: InvestorsJason Kantor, Therapeutics, Elizabeth Wolffe, Life Science Advisorslwolffe@ MediaAljanae ReynoldsWheelhouse Life Science Advisorsareynolds@ in to access your portfolio
New York Times
25-02-2025
- General
- New York Times
What They Took
The New York Times asked those who lost their homes in the Palisades and Eaton fires to tell us about what they took — what objects or pets they grabbed as they evacuated. Here are two young people, the stories of what they rescued and why it mattered. A jar of peanut butter The power had already gone out when Alissa McFeat rushed around her home in Altadena, trying to pack what she could. Eating and cooking had always been important to her family, so after she grabbed her piggy bank, shoes and school backpack it felt natural to hurry to the kitchen. She used a flashlight to scour the pantry and grabbed a can of artichokes, a can of heart of palm, a loaf of sourdough, dark chocolate and a jar of peanut butter. She tossed them into a tote bag and fled with her parents and younger sister. 'I was just thinking about food options, because even if our home did survive we'd need food for the next few days,' she said. Her father, Ian McFeat, said he and his wife had been baffled when Alissa, their oldest daughter, ended up saving what they could buy at any grocery store. Now, he sees it differently. 'We're going to laugh about this for the rest of our lives,' McFeat said. 'Or we'll find joy in it. Maybe we won't laugh.' And Alissa had been right: No matter what, her family had to eat. A few days after the fire destroyed their home, she ate the artichokes right out of the can with her mom and 8-year-old sister. 'I felt like I was eating it like I used to in my kitchen,' she said. Now, the jar of peanut butter is tucked away in the refrigerator at Alissa's uncle's house, where they're staying. Alissa recently ate some of it on her oatmeal for breakfast. She and her family have talked about preserving some of what she saved. They're still trying to figure out how to turn peanut butter into a keepsake. A Hello Kitty doll Anniah Baynes didn't set out to amass a collection of more than 90 stuffed animals. But after her mom bought her a stuffed llama a few years ago, they just kept coming — from her mom, her friends, her boyfriend. She bought a few herself. 'They were just cute,' Baynes said. 'I really liked having just a collection of something.' On Jan. 7, as the Eaton fire roared closer to her family's house in Altadena, she surveyed her collection, which she kept on the floor between her bed and dresser. She thought about putting them all into big trash bags, but that would have taken a long time. She realized she was going to have to leave them behind. Before leaving the house, she took one last photo of her collection. Mario and Princess Peach lay next to a tiny mouse with big ears, not far from a pineapple and a blue elephant. Baynes grabbed just one stuffed animal to take with her: a plush Hello Kitty doll with the body of a monkey, wearing a pink bow. Her boyfriend had given it to her for Christmas. By the next day, the house — her grandmother's, where Baynes had lived since she was a baby — had been destroyed in the fire. Almost everything was gone — except the Hello Kitty doll. It was the newest addition to her collection. Now it was all that remains. The doll currently sits on her bed at her mother's apartment, where she's staying. After the fire, the church that her boyfriend and his sisters attend helped her with food, clothes and prayers. That support is what she thinks about when she looks at the doll. 'There was somebody who cared, somebody who was there for me, when the fire happened,' Baynes said.
