News & Notices
Seek Fellowship Applications
With the approach of winter and the coming holidays it is the time of the year when the Grants & Fellowship Committee solicits applications for the next round of awards. Since the upcoming year is an odd-numbered year, the Committee will consider Fellowship Awards and applications. The deadline for applications is January 10.
Those interested in a particular area of study with a coherent theme that will result in significant excellence in scholarship or creative activity can find out more information here. USITT typically funds several fellowships each cycle up to $15,000. All active USITT members should have received a mailing in October outlining the application and review process for this year’s awards. Any member (including students) who has been active for at least the previous calendar year can submit a proposal.
The Grants & Fellowships programs provide funding for individuals who have interests in completing research in any given area of specialized study related to design/technical areas of the entertainment industry. This may come through conducting research into historical or cultural elements of theatrical design and technology, exploration of significant (both known and unknown) theatre artists and crafts people, or research towards the development of a new technology. This year, the Committee will focus on proposals that strive to provide advanced research on the specific interests of applicants.
Nearly $300,000 has been distributed to USITT members for funding and has provided for a wide variety of research. While this funding has provided the means of bringing an individual’s research into reality, it also benefits the rest of the membership and the industry since funding requires researchers to share their research with the rest of the membership and professional community.
This is typically done through writing articles for TD&T and making panel presentations at the national conferences. For over 25 years, the Institute has provided grants and fellowships through the Edward F. Kook Fund, which was created with the express purpose of providing assistance to members who are fostering creativity in technical theatre practice. Recent recipients have researched such diverse topics as the history of Broadway Costume Houses (Triffin Morris), advanced study of theatre designers like Desmond Heely (Rick Donnelly), exploration of Bollywood and the Indian film industry’s costume houses (Cheri Vasek and Deepsikha Chatterjee), and the color rendering abilities of LEDs as a light source –which became a significant element of the Selador LED lighting system (Robert Gerlach).
The Kook Fund and money from the USITT annual operating budget is supplemented by the Triennial Art Auction and garage sale, and money collected during the New Products Showcase. Individuals and corporate members interested in making tax deductible contributions to the Kook Fund may contact the national office at 800-938-7488, ext. 106 or visit here.
