Wednesday, November 30, 2016
USITT Invests $500K in Future of Theatre
Stage Directions: The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Board of Directors has committed $500,000 to increase the impact of some of the organization’s most important programs: Rigging Safety, Gateway Diversity, and Innovation Research Grants. “This significant investment increases our opportunity to advance three very different areas of the theatre industry, while reaffirming our commitment to our members and the future of entertainment design and technology,” said Mark Shanda, President of USITT.
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2 comments:
It is always exciting to see money going into aspects and departments that I care about, and these three topics are definitely in my top five. Rigging safety is something that I think everyone cares about no matter how well-versed they are in the actual practice of rigging. I particularly like this initiative because it is aimed at the education level, and it is a proven fact that if policies and proper execution are taught and followed at a younger age, the lessons will be carried throughout careers and lifetimes. The Gateway Diversity Initiative is also one close to me because I understand what it’s like to not be able to have access to something because of funding, and it’s great to see USITT helping people while also fixing an active issue in the community. Finally, Innovation Research Grants basically means “give money to keep getting better and advancing” so while I don’t instinctively like the larger portion of cash towards this initiative, I understand it is for longevity purposes and ultimately a good allocation of funds.
I didn't know USITT awarded research grants, so it is exciting to learn about them when they are getting even better funding then ever before. While theater pulls heavily from hundreds of other industries, I find that some of the coolest things are industry has produced are the products of entertainment folk trying to do something that nobody else has done. The problem with this, of course, is that other industries have the potential for large R&D budgets that are usually unavailable to the arts. (DARPA doesn't provide much funding for Godspell Revivals) It is exciting to learn that USITT is filling the niche here and paving the way for a more active field of entertainment research and development.
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