International
Sevilla ’16: Something Old, Something New
Seville, Spain offers a dichotomy of the old and the new. The 13th century Torre del Oro sits just across the Guadalquivir River from the sprawling complex of postmodern structures left behind by Expo ’92. Crisscrossing the river, the classic stone and steel Triana Bridge and the sail-like, cantilever Alamillo Bridge have perfect views of one another.
The meetings, held in conjunction with Sevilla ’16, OISTAT’s conference on theatre architecture in Andalucia, included a new organizational structure.
USITT members attending a special joint meeting of OISTAT’s Executive Committee and Governing Board were Kevin Rigdon, VP of International Activities; Carl Walling, Chair of OISTAT’s Publication and Communication Commission; William Kenyon, newly elected Chair of OISTAT’s Education Commission; Joe Pino (via Skype), head of the Sound Design Group; and Rob Eastman-Mullins, U.S. Delegate to OISTAT’s Performance Design Commission and the Space Design Group’s representative.
Sevilla ’16 was held in the Auditorium Riberas del Guadaira, a new arts venue at the foot of the castle at Alcala de Guadaira. An international cadre of attendees experienced presentations on topics ranging from the cartography of theatre buildings in Andalucia to the virtual reconstruction of the Corral de Monteria in Seville.
The program included an open-air performance inside the ruins of the castle as well as visits to a number of local performance spaces, including the 18th century Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza—a bullfighting ring still in use.
