Playbill On-Line staffers will be speaking out (and singing out) in the coming week. * PBOL Photographer Starla Smith, also a nightclub singer, will perform her cabaret act, "Secrets and Pies: The S-Files," 8 PM Sunday March 16 at Danny's Skylight Room in New York. She sings 13 romantic and comic songs, including "They Were You" by Jones & Schmidt, "I Was Beautiful" and "Rouge" by Murray Grand, "When You're in Love" by Rocket Ryan, and a number written for her by Charles DeForest: "I Want to Go to the Ball Once More." She'll be accompanied by Tony Monte. Cover: $12. (212) 265-8130.

* Managing Editor Robert Viagas will be a guest on the New York area radio show "The American Musical Theatre Today," broadcast 9:30 to noon (ET) Monday, March 17, on WKCR-FM (89.9). He'll talk about the fun and challenges of running Playbill On-Line, and about his two books on musical theatre: "On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line" and "The Amazing Story of The Fantasticks", the latter recently released in paperback as "The Fantasticks: How It All Began."

* Viagas and reporter David Lefkowitz will be featured speakers at the Columbia School of Journalism in New York as part of the annual Columbia Scholastic Press Association convention for young journalists from across America. Viagas will be the kickoff speaker of the conference, discoursing on "The Internet: New Frontier for Newsgathering" at 10 AM March 19 at Low Memorial Library. Lefkowitz will speak at 10 AM March 21 on "The Critic in the 90's: Rage Against the Machine" in the same venue.