This painter's elevation from a recent production of Fatboy shows off some of the skills of USITT's first Rising Star award winner, Kelly Hanson. The award will be given at the conclusion of the 2005 Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Toronto.

by Barbara E.R. Lucas
PR & Marketing Manager

A talented new scenic designer, Kelly Hanson, has been chosen to receive the first USITT Rising Star Award in 2005. The new award, sponsored by ETS-LDI in conjunction with Entertainment Design and Lighting Dimensions magazines, includes a $1,000 prize, plus registration at the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Toronto, Canada, where the award will be presented at the closing banquet.

Ms. Hanson was selected from more than 19 candidates nominated for their excellence in scenic, lighting, sound, and projection design, or the convergence of design disciplines. She was nominated for the award by Steve Gilliam, former USITT Scene Design Commissioner. Her nomination was supported by Tony Walton, with whom she recently co-designed the revival of Where's Charley? at the Goodspeed Opera in Connecticut.

The award winner received her bachelor of arts degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas and her master of fine arts degree from University of California in San Diego.

Ms. Hanson has created scenic designs for Fatboy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland; The Claiming Race at Theatre for the New City in New York, New York; and Antigone for the Firkin Crane Theatre in Cork, Ireland among productions across the United States and in Europe.

Tony Walton, in his letter supporting Ms. Hanson's nomination, noted he has known her for two and a half years and "throughout that time, I have been impressed with the extraordinary and ongoing expansion of her craft and skills, especially considering her youth."

The USITT Rising Star Award is given to a person in the first four years of professional, considered non-academic, work following the completion of an educational degree. Jury members considered samples of submitted work, range of knowledge displayed, and looked for the best integration of skills, craft, and artistry.

Applications for next year's Rising Star Award will be available on the USITT website later this year.

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