News From
Regional Sections
Midwest: A Day Filled with Lights, History
An exciting day of activities on Saturday, June 27 will have Apollo Technologies open its offices and manufacturing facility in Ft. Wayne, Indiana to members of the Midwest Regional Section followed by a tour of the Historic Embassy Theatre.
At Apollo Technologies, participants will learn how to create a custom gobo and take it through to actual production. Participants are encouraged to bring a clean image they want to produce. Members will investigate some of Apollo's product line and learn about its associated industries, Blue Pony and Avid Labs.
In the afternoon, the group will tour the historic Embassy Theatre. Built in 1928 and opened as a movie palace and vaudeville house, the Embassy has gone through many changes over time and hosted numerous celebrities of the day. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and has one of very few Brenograph projectors still in use today. The Embassy now offers numerous productions throughout the year.
Scene Painting or Working with Wigs/Practical Make-up will be held August 29 at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana.
Visit midwest.usitt.org for event registration or contact Steve Jacobs, Vice-Chair Programming, at stevejacobs.mrsusitt@gmail.com for more information.
Upcoming events include Digital Costume Design with Annie Cleveland, Silk Painting and ETC's Ion/Gio console training Spetember 26 and 26 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Visit midwest.usitt.org for updated program information.
Ohio Valley: Students Gain Experience of a Lifetime
Since 1999, the Ohio Valley Regional Section has helped students attend the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo. This year, Joey Sauthoff, of Ohio University, and Brandea McIntyre, of Ohio Northern University, got to experience the Institute’s premier event in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The two reported back on their experiences.
Mr. Sauthoff:
This past week I put my classes and productions behind me and took a very worthwhile trip to the 2015 Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Cincinnati. I attended the full conference from the first session to the closing night ceremony. I attended back-to-back sections throughout the first day, learning more about topics from Safety Inspections and Intellectual Design to AutoCAD and Fasteners. And, of course, once the Expo Floor opened it was difficult for me to choose to leave the Expo to sit in a session. However, after obtaining plenty of swag and chatting up potential employers, I did find myself back in multiple sessions every day.
Some feel Stage Expo is the bread and butter of the Conference, I do recommend everyone register for the full conference. It is a great way to take a quick seminar or to simply have a dialog with your colleagues on a topic that motivates you. I learned plenty of useful things at most of my sessions. I found there are sessions available for all levels and types of technicians.
At Stage Expo I was able to make great connections with potential employers and other businesses. Since Ohio University just purchased four CM loadstar 1/2-ton chain motors, I chatted with the CM guys about them. They mentioned that, if we went to their facility, they would provide training for their motors. So once I finish writing this, I will be writing an e-mail to my fellow students and faculty to see who wants to join me on a weekend trip to Virginia.
Another conference activity of USITT, which you won’t find in the program book, is catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. I planned to meet a couple of old colleagues, but I also ran into some previous coworkers in sessions and on the floor. It was great to see where they were now and update them with my life. What’s more, I came home with a handful of new friends and connections across the nation and across the field.
I had a wonderful time at USITT 2015. It was a very worthwhile time and a memorable experience. Now I am off to catching up on everything I left behind while away from my shop and my desk.
See you all next year in Utah.
Ms. McIntyre:
The USITT National Conference is an opportunity that not only allows students to see what new technology is out there but provides an opportunity to talk to professionals in the field and expand your network. I have been fortunate enough to attend the Conference for the past four years and in those years, I have made contacts that I can talk to time and time again for suggestions or recommendations.
My strongest piece of advice for anyone at the Conference is to spend the money to get a full conference pass and attend the sessions as well as the Expo floor. While the floor is a great way to see a lot a people in not a lot of time, the sessions give you an opportunity to talk to professionals one on one. Never be afraid to stay after and talk to the panel; you may be surprised to see what they can offer you.
This past year in Cincinnati the Conference even provided me a job opportunity for the summer and beyond. I talked to Glimmerglass Opera Festival just in passing, and a week later, after a follow-up phone interview I received a job with them for the summer.
Most importantly, have fun! It’s an experience of a lifetime that I will never regret.
For more information about the OVS Student Scholarship for Annual Conference Attendance, contact Karen Glass. glass@setonhill.edu
