The LRLR Raise Funds for Behind the Scenes at USITT Raffle

Behind the Scenes: The Long Reach Long Riders (LRLR) celebrated their upcoming ride with a raffle and live auction benefiting Behind the Scenes during the USITT Stage Expo in Long Beach, California. Sales of raffle tickets and auction items raised $5,000 for the charity. The LRLR 2026 ride, dubbed “Backroads to the Brickyard”, begins June 19th in Athens, Ohio. Riders cover all their own expenses, ensuring that every dollar raised goes directly to Behind the Scenes.

The Winners of the ASTC-USITT Challenge 2021 are…

ASTC: A team from the University of Virginia was awarded the top prize in the 2021 ASTC-USITT Venue Renovation Challenge competition on April 9th, 2021. The ASTC Edgar L. Lustig Award of $2,000 was presented to the University of Virginia team during a live YouTube video broadcast for their proposed renovation of the McIntire Amphitheater on the UVA campus. The theoretical project transformed a limited use outdoor amphitheater into a venue that can support a large variety of performing arts events along with additional functional support spaces.

USITT News: Inaugural Digital Media Symposium to Feature Ana Herruzo and Finn Ross

Stage Directions: USITT brings digital media giants Ana Herruzo and Finn Ross to Binghamton, NY, to headline the inaugural Digital Media Symposium in association with the LUMA Festival; the nation’s leading projection arts festival. The Digital Media Symposium will take place Sept. 5-6, offering two exciting days of digital media creation, education, and artistry to attendees. USITT’s Digital Media Commission brings state-of-the-art learning in the field of digital media, projection design, and implementation in the performing arts.

USITT Announces Black Ensemble Theater Founder and CEO to Deliver Keynote

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: Jackie Taylor, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Jackie, Mama Jackie -- the CEO and founder of Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago, Illinois, wears many hats and takes on many names. "I'm called all of those things and I don't mind in the least," Taylor said. "Whatever the person is feeling at the time is fine, just don't call me a bad name!"

Announcing the 2019 ASTC – USITT Student/Consultant Renovation Challenge

theatreconsultants.org: ASTC and USITT are pleased to announce the fifth collaborative project between university students and ASTC member theatre consultants. Projects will be presented at the USITT 2019 Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky – March 20-23, 2019.

New World Rigging Symposium to Take Place at USITT 2019

Stage Directions: ESTA and USITT announce the second New World Rigging Symposium, taking place March 19-20, 2019 in conjunction with the USITT Conference and Stage Expo 2019 in Louisville, KY. Building on the success of this year’s inaugural symposium, the 2019 event will once again provide an opportunity for riggers and those interested in the live entertainment rigging industry to network, discuss current issues and new technologies, and help shape the future of the industry.

The Triangle at the Heart of 'My Fair Lady'

Theatre Development Fund – TDF: Pompous phonetics professor Henry Higgins and his Cockney flower girl protégé Eliza Doolittle may have a will-they-or-won't-they relationship in My Fair Lady, but his pal Colonel Pickering is really his soul mate. Their bromance in on enchanting display in Bartlett Sher's Lincoln Center Theater revival of Lerner and Loewe's classic musical, based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion.

Thoughts from Mark Shanda - USITT President

sightlines.usitt.org: The mission of USITT is to connect performing arts design and technology communities to ensure vibrant dialogue among practitioners, educators, and students. Let that mission statement roll around in your head for just a minute and please keep that central to your engagement for the balance of the week. Some key words that jump out to me include community and vibrant dialogue. In this past year, our community has faced challenges that we never imagined we would face and the need for vibrant dialogue is critical.

The LRLR Raise Funds for Behind the Scenes at USITT Raffle

PLSN: The Long Reach Long Riders (LRLR) celebrated their upcoming ride with a raffle and live auction to benefit Behind the Scenes during the USITT Stage Expo in Fort Lauderdale last week. Sales of raffle tickets, auction items, key donations, and sales of BTS and LRLR-branded swag raised over $15,000 for the charity.

Career Opportunities Abound at USITT 2018 Expo

Stage Directions: A number of prominent companies in the industry will be looking for potential new employees to join their teams at USITT 2018. Exhibitors from all facets of live entertainment will soon fill the Stage Expo floor and they are encouraging attendees looking for career opportunities to connect with them on LinkedIn prior to the Conference. By linking your LinkedIn profile to your USITT registration, you can be visible to exhibiting companies and indicate the types of opportunities you would like to be matched with.

USITT to Receive $25,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Stage Directions: National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $25 million in grants as part of the NEA’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $25,000 to USITT for the 2019 United States Exhibition of the Prague Quadrennial.

The LRLR Raffle and the BTS Boutique Benefit Behind the Scenes at USITT

Lighting&Sound America Online - News: The Long Reach Long Riders and Behind the Scenes will host their annual fundraising raffle at the USITT Conference and Stage Expo March 15 - 17 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This year's raffle will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Long Reach Long Riders annual charity motorcycle ride. The Riders who have raised over half a million dollars for charity in their years of touring, will be riding June 23 - 30 on the "Gap and Notch Tour: A Ramble through New England."

Four School of Drama Students Win 2017 USITT Young Designer & Technician Awards

Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama: Four School of Drama students received 2017 USITT Young Designer & Technician Awards at the organizations annual conference in March.

The YD&T Awards bring acclaim and support to early career designers and technicians, through generous funding from industry sponsors.

ETC to Offer Training Opportunities & Product Demos at USITT 2017

Stage Directions: Continuing its commitment to supporting students and educators, ETC is packing this year’s USITT tradeshow with activity. Product trainings; educational sessions; new-product demos booths 114, 214, and 314; and the popular Student Session are just a portion of what ETC will offer at USITT, March 9th to 11th, in St. Louis, MI.

USITT 2017 Board of Directors Election Results

Stage Directions: USITT have announced the results of the 2017 USITT Board of Directors election, with a new president, secretary, vice presidents of commissions and six directors being chosen. The board oversees leadership of USITT, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, the national non-profit for performing arts design and technology professionals.

The Humbling Tape

sightlines.usitt.org: As an undergraduate student, I was encouraged by my faculty to pursue scenic design. In our only course covering theatre design, I pencil drafted sample flats, drew a ground plan for Neil Simon’s The Prisoner of Second Avenue, and built a ½” scale model of my scenic design for Peter Shaffer’s The Royal Hunt of the Sun. My teacher was so impressed with my model that I was instructed to enter it into a design competition sponsored by a large mid-western university. So, I drafted a ground plan of what I had designed, took color photographs of the model, packed up my entry, and shipped it off, expecting nothing but recognition of my greatness.

Member Spotlight: Michael Maag

sightlines.usitt.org: How did you begin your career in lighting design?

In high school theatre I was not cast my sophomore year in the production of Dracula, so someone said “Why don’t you do some special effects?” and that was the moment where I had an epiphany. I was running an old auto transformer board and pulling bi-levers around and I realized at that moment that when I was moving levers, I really wasn’t controlling the light as much as I was controlling the emotion of the audience. I decided at that moment that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

USITT Names 2017 Distinguished Achievement Winners

Stage Directions: USITT has announced that the USITT Distinguished Achievement Awards winners for 2017 are professional rigger Rocky Paulson, lighting innovator Fred Foster, costume designer Liz Covey, sound designer Rick Thomas, scenic designer Santo Loquasto, production stage manager Joseph Drummond, and educator John Conklin. All will be honored at a special presentation in March during USITT’s 2017 Annual Conference & Stage Expo in St. Louis. The winners will also participate in USITT’s popular Distinguished Achievers in Conversation session at America’s Center Convention Complex.

College2Career

sightlines.usitt.org: You might have seen this new newsletter recently. It is part of USITT’s efforts to bring more information to specific audiences. The target audience is exactly what the name says, College and Early Career folks.

Much as our mid-career professionals have specific needs, this group is transitioning to a professional world that is more global, faster paced, and more business-oriented than ever before. This is our first step revamping our approach to customize our services to the needs of our members. At the same time, College2Career will be accessible to all members, whether or not you receive it directly by email.

There’s Always More to Do

sightlines.usitt.org: Shortly after I was named theatre department chair in 2005, I walked past our main acting studio before evening rehearsals and noticed the trash can was overflowing. I knew the building janitorial staff would not be back until morning, so I grabbed the can and took it out to the loading dock to empty into the dumpster. As I carried the full can out, I ran into a student who asked me a question that has stuck with me ever since.

He said, “Hey Mark, do you have to take out the trash because you are the new department chair, or are you the new department chair because you take out the trash?”