Got a gizmo that saved your show? Got a solution to that tricky production problem? Why not share it with your colleagues? The Biennial Tech Expo is just the forum to do so.

Toronto will be the site for the tenth installment of Tech Expo. From its humble beginnings at the 1987 USITT Conference & Stage Expo in Minneapolis, Tech Expo has grown into a sophisticated showcase for the talents of technicians across the country. Every other year for the past 18 years, new devices, new materials and new processes and techniques developed by technicians like you have been displayed at the Stage Expo and documented in the Tech Expo Catalog. Why not become part of the pantheon of practical persons?

It's easy. If you have developed a device to solve a problem, or perhaps just an ingenious way of doing something, or a new use for a familiar material, or a new material for a familiar use, then jot down a few words about it, take a picture or make a drawing, and send it in along with the entry form. It's that simple.

We hope to have more than 100 entries this year. That means we really need your help. Don't be shy. Don't be modest. If you are not sure your idea qualifies, send it in and we will let you know – but send it in! Entries in the past have ranged from the simple: a board with two dowels stuck in it; to the sublime: cast plastic dodecahedrons. And there are prizes! Each year, several exhibits are chosen for their ingenuity by professionals from the industry and awarded a cash prize. (Yes, the board with two dowels stuck in it won a $300 cash prize.)

If this is not enough to inspire you, then remember that Tech Expo is a juried exhibition. For academic technical directors on the tenure track, this is a chance to be recognized by your peers, to be published in a respected national theatre journal, and to be part of the compilation of the first ten Tech Expo Catalogs.

We who labor in the shadows – the unsung heroes of theatre – we technicians, Tech Expo is our chance to shine. Let's do so brightly this year!

If you have any questions about Tech Expo, contact Loren Schreiber at lschreib@mail.sdsu.edu.

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Loren Schreiber
Chair, Tech Expo Committee

Many technologies have evolved since this Pneumatic Door Stabilizer (detail above) was included in the first Tech Expo Catalog in 1987, but a great idea is still a great idea. Plan now to enter the tenth edition of Tech Expo in 2005!