News From:
Around the Institute
An International 'Happy New Year'
We appreciate the many holiday greetings the USITT National Office received in the past several weeks. One, though, was really not just for the office, it was for the membership as a whole. Jose Antonio Prades Hung, who was a special guest at the 2002 Annual Conference in New Orleans and was part of the World Congress held in conjunction with the 2005 Annual Conference in Toronto, Ontario, wishes us all a happy 2011. Because of the difficulties of travel to and from Cuba, he missed our 50th celebration but plans to join us in Charlotte.
Let it Snow
Elsewhere in this issue, Executive Director David Grindle describes how he and his family are adapting to life in Central New York. The staff is very hesitant to tell him that although the area has more than 100 inches of snow so far, at this time last year we had more than 140 inches. But after that first 100 inches, it's all just shovel, shovel, shovel, so perhaps he will not notice.
Riders Plan Wild Cruise
The Long Reach Long Riders announce the dates and route for its eighth annual charity motorcycle ride. It will begin on July 1 in Billings, Montana and wind through some of the wildest landscapes in the United States before finishing back in Billings on July 9.
Along the way, the group will visit a number of National Parks including Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Craters of the Moon, and Glacier. Old Faithful and Mammoth Hot Springs are two of the many sites to be visited, and the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway and The Highway to the Sun are a couple of the many magnificent roads that will be ridden during the 2011 ride.
The ride supports Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The ESTA Foundation's Behind the Scenes Program. To date the LRLR have raised over $250,000.
Greg Williams will share 2011 Ride Marshal duties with his wife Alice Neff .For more information about the Long Reach Long Riders, to join the ride, or to make a donation, visit www.LRLR.org.
Accepting Applications for Think It, Do It
TCG is accepting applications for MetLife/TCG A-ha! Program: Think It, Do It. Online registration and application postmark deadline is May 2.
The program, for TCG member theatres, supports creative thinking and action in two ways. Think It grants ($25,000) give theatre professionals the time and space for research and development. Do It grants ($50,000) support the implementation and testing of new ideas.
Visit the TCG website to complete the online registration and download guidelines and application forms. Visit the A-ha! blog for stories from current and past A-ha! recipients. The grants are funded by the MetLife Foundation
Seek MFA Candidates
The University of Virginia Department of Drama is opening its search for qualified theatre artists interested in pursuing graduate studies toward an MFA degree in costume design and technology, lighting design, scenic design, or technical direction. Students receive full tuition remission, a competitive stipend, and a University of Virginia health insurance voucher. For specific program descriptions and application information click here, call 434-924-3326 or e-mail drama@virginia.edu.
In Memoriam: David I. Taylor
USITT notes with sadness the death of David I. Taylor who died iin Taipei, Taiwan in January. Mr. Taylor was a long-time member of USITT, a former vice president of ESTA, and well-known in lighting design and theatre consulting circles.
Jim Niesel, senior consultant at Arup, announced Mr. Taylor's death. Mr. Taylor was Arup's global leader of Theatre Consulting, based in New York. His death occurred during a business visit to Taipei where he was starting a project that he had brought into Arup.
He was a major and much-loved international name in the theatre business, as an exceptional forward thinker and designer for the performing arts, theatre planner, technical systems consultant and active stage lighting designer.
Mr. Taylor, of Bridgewater, Connecticut, is survived by a wife and two sons. A memorial blog can be found here.
