News & Notices
Announcements
Fly American to Fort Worth
Those attending the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Fort Worth can receive additional discounts on air travel by going to aa.com/group and entering promotion code 1434DA.
For other travel discounts, click here.
Be a Student Ambassador for International Guests
The Institute is looking for three student ambassadors for three international guests at the Fort Worth 2014 Conference & Stage Expo. The three international guests are Boris Kudlicka from Slovakia; Sophie Jump from Great Britain; and Jesper Kongshaug from Denmark.
Instructors/mentors must submit a nomination including their name, title, position, and contact information; name of institution; student’s name; student’s e-mail address and cell phone number; student’s grade level; student’s area of interest; and student’s unique qualifications. The student member must submit a letter detailing reasons why he or she would like to take on this challenge. Include at least three questions to ask of the prospective guest. Also include student’s résumé, and sample copies of student’s work (photo, drawing, rendering) to Alexandra Bonds, abonds@uoregon.edu, no later than February 14. Winners will be announced by February 28.
Students will be selected based on areas of interest and compelling application. They will receive a complimentary conference registration.
USITT/USA PQ Exhibit Update
Award winning designer Klara Zieglerova has joined the team planning the USITT/USA national exhibition for the 2015 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space. Ms. Zieglerova placed second in the nationwide competition for the design of the USA national exhibition for the Prague Quadrennial in 2015 and agreed to step in after contract issues with Wingspace Theatrical Design could not be resolved.
Ms. Zieglerova's design for Jersey Boys was nominated for a TONY award. She has received multiple awards for scenic design in Europe, Australia, and the United States. Her Broadway credits include Sister Act, The Farnsworth Invention, and The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe; her regional US credits include set and costume design work at New York Public Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, ACT, New York Theatre Workshop, Irish Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, Portland Center Stage, Seattle Rep, Florida Stage, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. She has worked in international venues such as the London Palladium, Prince Edward's Theatre in London's West End, the Beatrix Theatre in Utrecht, Holland, and Everyman Palace Theatre in Cork, Ireland.
Last year she began work on the design of the USA PQ 2015 architecture exhibition with curator Greg Cook. Ms. Zieglerova's design process for the PQ exhibitions has been described as prolific, facile, and highly collaborative.
Curators Kevin Rigdon, Carrie Robbins, Veronika Vorel, and Tony Walton are currently working on the submission guidelines for those who wish to have work considered for inclusion in the 2015 national exhibit. Guidelines should be announced in late winter.
Examinations Offered in Fort Worth
All three ETCP examinations will be given at the Fort Worth 2014 Conference & Stage in one session the morning of Saturday, March 29. Interested applicants must submit their application, along with supporting materials and fee, to the ETCP office no later than March 3.
Candidates who wish to take more than one exam should contact ETCP. Members and employees of members receive a $100 discount on examination fees. Candidate information is available on the ETCP website. Requests for mailed infromation should be sent to Meredith Moseley-Bennett, ETCP certification manager, at 212-244-1505 or etcp@plasa.org.
Release Theatre Education Report
Workshops and classes in schools are the most common form of arts education programming, with nearly half of all programming targeting ages 12 to 18. These findings are reflected in the Special Report on Education 2012: Arts Education at the Core. Released by Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the report also compiles essays from leading theatre education directors on the impact of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) on arts education as well as CCSS resources.
To download the report, visit www.tcg.org/tools/education.
New Format for Rendez-vous 2014
The 2014 CITT/ICTS Rendez-vous will take place in Ottawa, Canada from Thursday, August 14 to Saturday, August 16.
Rendez-vous 2014 will host a bigger trade show with longer visiting hours over a two-day span at the Ottawa Convention Centre. Hands-on training and backstage tours will replace preconference workshops. Education Forum and Roadhouse Roundtable discussions will be moved to Saturday. The Annual General Meeting will become an AGM breakfast on Saturday.
The New Product Breakfast will kick off Friday morning. Social events will remain the same: Junk Challenge on Thursday, Swag Bingo on Friday, and the Awards Banquet on Saturday.
The national board is reviewing the conference delegate fees and will propose a substantial reduction to the full conference fee structure for both regular and student members. To offset this reduction, the trade show exhibitor registration fees will be adjusted to reflect the new, two-day format.
USITT Catering Deadline Nears
February 10 is the deadline to schedule catering for events at the 2014 Annual Conference & Stage Expo. Contact Lori Furcinito at the USITT office, 800-938-7488, extension 111, or e-mail lori@usitt.org. She will provide menus and coordinate catering orders with Conference hotels and the Fort Worth Convention Center.
Leadership Changes at TCG
Theatre Communications Group (TCG) recently announced leadership changes to its board of directors and three new members. Diane Rodriguez, associate producer/director of new play production at Center Theatre Group, succeeds Phillip Himberg as board president. Robert Hupp, producing artistic director of Arkansas Repertory Theatre, joins playwright Lydia. R. Diamond as joint vice president. Tim Jennings, managing director of Children's Theatre Company, succeeds Roche Schulfer as treasurer. Ralph Bryan, managing director-investments of Wells Fargo Advisors, remains as secretary.
New board members include: Patrick A. Bradford, attorney, New York, New York; Joshua Dachs, president, Fisher Dachs Associates Theatre Planning and Design, New York; Larissa FastHorse, playwright and choreographer, Santa Monica, California; Heather Randall, actor, producer, and theatre activist, New York; Tim Sanford, artistic director, Playwrights Horizons, New York; and Paul G. Wolf, principal, Denham Wolf Real Estate Services, New York.
Nine PLASA Standards Posted for Public Review
Seven PLASA standards up for reaffirmation and two up for revision are posted for public review on the PLASA TSP website.
The standards are
- ANSI E1.5 - 2009, Theatrical Fog Made with Aqueous Solutions of Di- and Trihydric Alcohols
- ANSI E1.27-2 - 2009, Recommended Practice for Permanently Installed Control Cables for Use with ANSI E1.11 (DMX512-A) and USITT DMX512/1990 Products
- ANSI E1.29 - 2009, Product Safety Standard for Theatrical Fog Generators that Create Aerosols of Water, Aqueous Solutions of Glycol or Glycerin, or Aerosols of Highly Refined Alkane Mineral Oil
- ANSI E1.30-3 - 2009, EPI 25, Time Reference in ACN Systems Using SNTP and NTP
- ANSI E1.30-7 - 2009, EPI 29, Allocation of Internet Protocol Version 4 Addresses to ACN Hosts
- ANSI E1.30-10 - 2009, EPI 32, Identification of Draft Device Description Language Modules
- ANSI E1.34 - 2009, Entertainment Technology - Measuring and Specifying the Slipperiness of Floors Used in Live Performance Venues
- BSR E1.17-201x, Architecture for Control Networks, EPI 19, ACN Discovery on IP Networks
- BSR E1.19 - 201x, Recommended Practice for the Use of Class A Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs)
For more information, contact Karl G. Ruling, PLASA technical standards manager, 630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 609, New York, NY 10036 USA; 1-212-244-1505; or karl.ruling@plasa.org.
PLASA Restructuring and Staff Changes
Recent strategic and operating changes have been made to PLASA boards and staff.
There is a revised senior management structure with three executive directors (chief executive officer, chief financial officer and chief operating officer), plus six divisional directors (membership, international programs, sales, marketing, events, and media).
Matthew Griffiths and Shane McGreevy currently fill the positions of CEO and CFO respectively. The COO post will be filled soon and will be based out of PLASA’s New York office. Lori Rubinstein will retain her executive director responsibilities in North America during this transition.
After almost 25 years of being responsible for the day-to-day running of ESTA and PLASA in North America, Ms. Rubinstein will be divide her time between PLASA and the Behind the Scenes charity. As director of international programs, she will continue to oversee the Technical Standards Program and PLASA’s Skills Division.
Kacey Coffin has been named director of membership. Norah Phillips continues as membership manager for Europe.
Jackie Tien will bring extensive industry experience, relationships, and reputation as director of sales.
These new divisional directors join Chris Toulmin, who was appointed director of events in 2013. the director of marketing and director of media positions will be filled in the next 12 to 18 months.
Taipei to host World Stage Design 2017
OISTAT announced the World Stage Design (WSD) 2017 will be hosted in Taipei, Taiwan with OISTAT Taiwan Center- Taiwan Association of Theatre Technology and Taipei National University of the Arts as organizers. Taipei will be the fourth city that WSD will travel to, following Toronto (2005), Seoul (2009) and Cardiff (2013). Read more here.
OISTAT Seeks Technology Chair Candidates
After serving as OISTAT Technology Commission Chair for two terms, Ivo Kersmaeckers will step down in 2014. The deadline to nominate a new chair is February 1. Elections will be held during the Shanghai meeting April 9 to 13.
