For some it is because they go to the Conference, for others they love TD&T and the publications. There are even some who do it out of “habit.” Whatever your reason may be, the coming year holds many more, exciting reasons.
Tuesday, September 06, 2016
Why be part of USITT?
For some it is because they go to the Conference, for others they love TD&T and the publications. There are even some who do it out of “habit.” Whatever your reason may be, the coming year holds many more, exciting reasons.
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3 comments:
There is probably an endless list for why you, as a techie, should be part of USITT. Besides being up to date with the theater world and even its history, you are able to hold a vote in the council. By being a member, you can make a difference in the industry. I can confidently say that all theater professionals must be members of the USITT since these are the standards that govern everything in our profession. The USITT keeps us safe, keeps us working efficiently, keeps everything standardized, and shows everyone that the theater industry is going hard. Every year the USITT is striving to have bigger and better conferences—the one this year in St. Louis is supposed to be huge & everyone should try to attend!
This article does a good job of advertising reasons to get involved with USITT, emphasizing impact, learning, and desire. There are so many reasons why people pursue specific commitments, and these three are very key when it comes to the general populace. USITT clearly wants to attract people who are willing to educate themselves while also making a difference. However, the article also mentions that 'having members be part of the creation, participation, and support of the work of USITT show others that we are an active, vibrant organization that produces material used by the broad spectrum of our industry.' I cringe slightly at this line because it indicates that USITT feels as though they need to prove what they are doing - if they truly wish to show they are active, vibrant, etc., they should be active, vibrant, etc. For example, should they have worded their sentence this way - "USITT takes pride in our dedicated members who are part of the creation, participation, and support of the work of USITT. Through their dedication, these members in turn display the ways in which our organization produces material used by the broad spectrum of our industry." - it would show that USITT promotes dedication for passion purposes, versus for acclaim.
Before this past summer, I never found any real personal value in being a USITT member. It honestly seemed like just another thing that was going to cost me money and send me unwanted emails. That was before I took part in Elite Training in May. Boy, what a time. USITT partnered up with Cirque du Soleil to run what they called "Elite Training" for stage managers, sound engineers, riggers, automators, and projection designers. It was an incredible week of non-stop learning, tours, and fun. We got to shadow Cirque shows, explore the city, and hear from all kinds of theatre professionals. I classify the experience as one of the most awesome things ever. Now that I have entered the USITT community, I am excited to get more involved. I think it's a really brilliant group of people and I love what they stand for. I will hopefully be volunteering for the spring conference and finding more ways to get involved in their programs.
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