News & Notices:
Announcements
Still Time to Vote in USITT Elections
More than 26 percent of members have already participated in USITT’s 2011 election process. Voting continues through midnight, Eastern Time on January 5 so any current member who has not voted yet is urged to review the candidates for all the positions and make a selection.
All members eligible to vote should have received an e-mail link to the online voting site. Anyone with questions about the process should contact Shannan Hoerger at 800-938-7488, ext. 101 or shannan@office.usitt.org.
Students to Design in Prague
The Student Exhibit Committee for the USITT Prague Quadrennial USA 2011 announced the format for student in the student exhibit in Prague June 16 to 26. American student designers will be paired in design teams and given a brief piece of text and some basic art supplies. Each team will have 90 minutes to actively discuss, collaborate, and create a piece of design art that will become a permanent part of the exhibit for the remainder of the PQ exposition.
This live action design experiment was developed to showcase even more American student designers, to highlight the process of creation, and to emphasize the importance of the initial "design gesture." Applications will be accepted until April 1, but students are encouraged to apply early since there are a limited number of slots. Students will need to make their own travel and housing plans for the trip to Prague. In addition to participating in the USA exhibit, students will have access to the many other workshops and activities that are a part of the Scenofest, as well as the opportunity to see the world-class theatre design exhibitions on display throughout the PQ.
For more information and the participation application form, go to the Student Exhibit's website. Any questions can be directed to Tom Burch (tomburch@uchicago.edu), mentor.
Fellowship Deadline January 10
Take advantage of USITT’s Fellowship program, a benefit of USITT membership. Apply for funding for projects that support research in a broad variety of areas within the entertainment industry. Fellowship support is available in odd-numbered years. The application deadline for the 2011-12 Fellowship Awards is January 10, 2011. Information on the process and applications are available here.
Seek Student Holiday Card Designers
Student members of USITT are invited to submit designs for the 2011 Behind the Scenes Holiday Card series Student Design Competition produced by The ESTA Foundation. Guidelines for submissions can be found on The ESTA Foundation’s website. Behind the Scenes supports industry professionals in time of need due to serious illness or injury with grants to cover expenses. The Holiday Card series is one of several fund raisers that support this worthy cause. Deadline for the contest is March 30.
Adjudicators for the competition are all professional designers such as Beowulf Borrit, Christine Jones, Scott Pask, Bruce Rogers, and Douglas Schmidt. This is a great opportunity for young designers to have their work viewed by top professionals. For questions contact holidaycard@estafoundation.org or call The ESTA Foundation at 212-244-1421.
Scenofest Student Slots Available
The Scenofest project, coinciding with the 2011 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, provides opportunities for performance design students from around the world to meet and work together with mentoring from some of the top professionals in the field through workshops, lecture, and performances. Over 1,500 spaces for students are available in these sessions. Each student may register for one workshop when registration opens January 15 to February 15. For further details go here.
Boom, Base Standard Undergoes Reaffirmation
ANSI E1.15-2006, Entertainment Technology--Recommended Practices and Guidelines for the Assembly and Use of Theatrical Boom & Base Assemblies, is being considered for reaffirmation. The public is invited to comment on the standard through January 3. The public review forms are available here. The existing standard is available for purchase from The ESTA Foundation at www.estafoundation.org/pubs.htm. List price is $15. Discounts are available.
ANSI E1.15 gives advice on boom and base assemblies, simple ground-support devices for lighting equipment and accessories. This document offers advice to lower or eliminate safety risks.
Boutique Now Online, Fund Receives Major Donation
The Behind the Scenes Boutique is now open for online shopping. A range of items is available for purchase including holiday cards, note cards, men’s and women’s T-shirts and polos, women’s tanks, and earrings.
The holiday and note cards feature designs by some of the industry’s leading designers including Christine Jones and Jeremy Railton, while the t-shirt art is drawn from Andrew Hefter’s holiday card. Polos and tanks feature the Behind the Scenes logo.
At the recent LDI show, the industry stepped up in a big way to support the charity in the face of the State of Nevada’s refusal to allow the annual raffle. Sales of all boutique items were brisk including the unique ghostlight desk lamps created by The ESTA Foundation’s board member, Bob Scales. BTS swag could be spotted throughout the floor over the course of the show and many people added generous donations on top of their purchases.
The highlight of the show was the presentation by ETC’s CEO Fred Foster of a check for $18,631representing the proceeds of sales from ETC’s iRFR iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch application. All proceeds from the purchases of the app are donated to Behind the Scenes and Light Relief, the UK charity. Click here for more information.
