News & Notices
Fantova is New OISTAT Commissioner
Marketá Fantová
In June, Marketá Fantová, USITT Vice-President of International Activities, was unanimously elected chair of OISTAT’s Performance Design Commission (formerly the Scenography Commission).
Her election took place in the Clam-Gallas Palace, Prague, Czech Republic in conjunction with PQ ’15. Ms. Fantová vowed to maintain the current direction (and name) of the commission before implementing any substantial changes while committing to developing a clear vision for the group.
The summer OISTAT activities witnessed the first meeting of the newly formed Space Design Working Group. This is the de facto working group for scenic design although scenic design is not the exclusive focus of the group. Outgoing PDC chair, Reija Hirvikoski agreed to lead the new working group for at least the first year with the assistance of Britain’s Fiona Watt and USITT’s Rob Eastman-Mullins. This change will fill a gap in the current structure of the Performance Design Commission.
At its inaugural meeting, emphasis was on action. With the Costume Working Group organizing international trips and exhibitions, the Sound Working Group launching a mentorship program, and the Lighting Working Group securing own own boat during the PQ, Ms. Hirvikoski mandated that all those attending send her a photo taken in Prague of a potential performance space. All will be posted on the PDC web page on OISTAT’s site. Attendees were also strongly encouraged to suggest and organize activities or host events in their home countries.
The more seasoned working groups presented reports on their past year’s changes and undertakings.
Lise Klitten (Denmark) reminded everyone of the exhibition in Moscow called Costume at the Turn of the Century: 1990-2015 which opened at the end of June and was accompanied by a tour of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The exhibition will be open until September 10 and contains compelling work. Ms. Klitten also passed on the position of head of the Costume Working Group to Simona Rybáková (Czech Republic).
USITT’s Joe Pino provided an update on the Sound Working Group’s new mentorship program. The program, not intended solely for students, launched in February and had six applicants. The SWG also coordinated the Sound Kitchen event at PQ ’15.
Henk van der Geest (Netherlands) spoke about the Lighting Working Group’s own endeavor to connect students with working professionals through the LDG web page. In the further interest of bringing people together, European Lighting School and the LDG secured a barge on the Vltava River to host Light-Spot. The moored boat was a multi-faceted focal point that witnessed events, hosted discussions and casual meetings, and even had a few DJs perform, all to bring many of the people in the lighting field together in one place.
The next meeting of OISTAT’s Performance Design Commission is scheduled in Salt Lake City, Utah in conjunction with the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo. As reciprocal members of OISTAT, all USITT members are encouraged to attend and get involved.
