The Heart of America Regional Section's second Annual Conference, scheduled for October 30 at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas will feature a broad variety of exhibits and workshops including a special session on Historic Scenic Art. Sessions will cover areas of costuming, stage management standards, moving lights, AutoCAD, and Vector-Works. The scenic art sessions will be presented by Lance Brockman, professor of theatre at the University of Minnesota; and Bruce Brockman, professor of theatre and department head at Oklahoma State University.

The Brothers Brockman will conduct a two-part exploration of historical scene painting as it was used in popular entertainment, fraternal ritual, and early forms of virtual reality.

Plan to participate in this exciting and valuable weekend! For more information, go to the conference website at www.unl.edu/prodmgr/HOA/main.htm or contact Dan Stratman at dstratman1@unl.edu or Melanie Rudy at mrudy2@unl.edu.

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Keith Nagy, the Ohio Valley Regional Section Vice-Chair for Programming, has put together an excellent slate of events for the Section's fall conference hosted by the University of Toledo (UT) Department of Theatre and Film. The conference will be Saturday, October 23 in Toledo.

The workshop, Metaphor and Irony at Work: A Symposium on Czech Theatre Design, will complement UT exhibit, Metaphor and Irony 2. Visiting artist, Jaroslav Malina, Czech scenographer and Commissioner of the Prague Quadrennial 2003, will be a featured guest. Mr. Malina is designing the sets and costumes for UT's fall production of Richard III.

Additionally, the symposium will include Delbert Unruh, professor of theatre and film at University of Kansas and an authority of Eastern European Scenography.

Dr. Joseph Brandesky, co-curator of the Czech exhibit, will offer a gallery walk of the exhibit and moderate a discussion of Action Design. For more information or pre-registration, visit www.usittohiovalley.org/event.htm.

Ezekiel Awards

This year, the Ohio Valley Regional Section is honoring Dennis Parker, professor emeritus at Ohio State University, and Charles Williams, professor emeritus at University of Toledo, with Lifetime Achievement Awards as part of the Ohio Valley Design Exhibition and Peggy Ezekiel Awards. Mr. Parker and Mr. Williams will be honored at the fall conference in Toledo.

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Changes in leadership for the Desert State Regional Section have been announced. New board members for the section are: Immediate Past Chair Clyde Parker; Chair Jimmie Byrd; First Vice-Chair Pete Weisman; Second Vice-Chair Jill Maurer; Third Vice-Chair Norm Wigton; Secretary Fran Sutherland; Treasurer Ronald Thacker; Members at Large Debbie Carrick and Michael McNamara; and Directors at Large Rick Tuckett and Ric Alling.

New Contact Info

Desert State Regional Section's new address is: 1050 E. Ray Road, #A5 -186, Chandler, Arizona 85225. This is a mail box and packages can be received there.

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The New England Regional Section website has moved. Bookmark our new page for information regarding New England activities.

New activities are planned for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region I (KC/ACTF). USITT New England will sponsor the second annual Tech Olympics and the first Technology Innovation & Craftsmanship Award to provide recognition to college students who have solved technical difficulties with quality craftsmanship and innovative ideas.

Up to three prizes will be handed out for the Technology Innovation & Craftsmanship Award. The criteria and application are being revised and will be posted on the website. When ready, the application can be copied and mailed to Chase Rozelle. The prize(s) will be a one year membership to USITT (national and section) as well as a gift certificate for a book of choice from the USITT publications list.

KC/ACTF Region 1 will be held at the end of January in Rhode Island. Any person may register and attend, even if they did not make one of the competitions, and can enjoy the many workshops and spectator events available. Visit the KC/ACTF website for information.

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On September 10 and 11 the Modlin Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Richmond hosted the Chesapeake Regional Section's Symposium and Expo. Billed as Expo 2004½, the event was in fact the second Symposium and Expo in 2004, and was a successful realization of a significant change in the Section's major gathering for its members.

The Symposium on Friday was devoted to theatre architecture, the third year of Symposiums on this general topic. This year marked the conclusion of the architecture Symposium; in succeeding years, other issues of theatre technology will be explored in similar depth and detail.

On Saturday, approximately 130 theatre professionals, teachers, and students took part in the Expo, and day-long series of workshops, presentations, and discussion of topics ranging from fabric manipulation and mask making to computerized scenography, rendering and scene painting, and rigging, fog effects, and make-up.

In addition, a vendor exhibition area was available throughout the day. Lunch was provided for all attending and a reception followed the workshop sessions.

During elections held at the section meeting, current officers William Price, Chair; Rob Auchter, Immediate Past Chair; Yoko Hashimoto-Sinclair, Second Vice-Chair; Mark Mallett, Secretary; and Tom Fusco, Editor of In The Wings; were joined by newly elected officers Andrew Rich, First Vice-Chair; Kaycee Fisher, Third Vice-Chair; and Tom Kennedy, Member at Large. Jack Gallagher: Treasurer; and Kim Haug, Member-at-Large: were re-elected to their offices. Following brief congratulations from Mr. Auchter to Mr. Price and the Board for pulling a second Expo together in so short a time, the meeting adjourned with the announcement that Expo 2005 will be held in mid-September 2005 at Catholic University in Washington, DC.

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The Southeast Regional Section Masters Class breezed into Montgomery, Alabama days before Hurricane Ivan struck the area. Hosts at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the University of Alabama not only made their presence felt, but they made it look like a breeze for all those attending. A full schedule of workshops provided plenty of opportunities to learn and share experiences.

Jay O. Glerum, author of the Stage Rigging Handbook, presented Theatrical Rigging, his highly acclaimed class on safe practices. Deborah Bell of UNC-Greensboro led a workshop in Costume Design Sketching and Rendering. Mike Post, of University of Southern Mississippi, presented Lighting Design for the Regional Theatre in Repertory. Dennis Alpin, of TLS, demonstrated the latest technology in Automated Fixtures for the Theatre.

Additional panels were provided by the ASF staff including: Dusty Stutsman, scenic charge artist; Charles Killian, property master; Michelle Sheldon, assistant costume shop manager; Tanya Searle, stage manager; Le Hook, technical director; Dory Seigneur, assistant wig master; Beth Novak, resident costume designer; and Andrew Fox, master welder.

The faculty of University of Alabama also participated in the programming. Bill Teague presented a working Model T Ford for Ragtime. Andy Fitch demonstrated techniques and materials for building models in quarter inch scale or smaller. Donna Meester presented ideas for using found materials and inexpensive items in costume construction.

Greta Lambert welcomed the group on Friday evening on behalf of the Festival, and Jerry Genochio, production manager of the festival, gave the keynote address, "Production Process and Career Paths in the LORT Theatre."

None of this would have been possible without the hard work of the staff at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the faculty and students of the University of Alabama. Coordinating activities and programming from the university were Andy Fitch, Bill Teague, Jeannette Lackey, and Becky Freeman. Local support and facilities from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival was provided by a host of ASF staff members led by Kent Thompson, Artistic Director; Jerry Genochio, Production Manager; Le Hook, Technical Director; Michelle Sheldon, Assistant Costume Shop Manager; and Beth Novak, Costume Designer.

Next year's Masters Class will be hosted by the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, September 23 and 24, 2005.

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