The 2006 USITT Southwest Regional Section Winter Symposium will be held January 14 and 15 at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Highlights include a hands-on workshop by Fiber Artist Tamara Chasteen and portfolio reviews by Luc Lafortune, lighting designer for Cirque du Soleil. Jim Kemerling will be a featured artist at the Symposium.

Mr. Lafortune will give the keynote, discussing his experiences designing such shows as Mystère, "0", Zumanity, and Kà. Joe Tawil of GAM Products will present a demonstration about color. A hands-on workshop on Vectorworks will be limited to 20 attendees as will a workshop on computer animation. A product demonstration by scenic artist and Rosco representative Jen Knott will highlight new paint products. ETC representative Heidi Stewart will be on hand to demonstrate new control systems.

Student designers may have their work judged and critiqued by Mr. Lafortune, Mr. Kemerling, and others. The Best Presentation Award, sponsored by Schuler Shook, includes a full Conference registration fee for the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Louisville, Kentucky with $200 toward airfare. Other awards include WYSIWYG Design Software, Vectorworks Software, LDassistant Software, and prizes from Sapsis Rigging, GAMProducts, Rosco, Norcostco, Secoa, and others.

Symposium registration is $25 for members, $45 for non-members, and $30 for student non-members. For more information, call Don Childs 936-294-1331 or e-mail him at childs@shsu.edu.

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The Desert State Regional Section will hold its Annual Membership Meeting on Saturday, January 14, 2006 at the University of Arizona at Tucson, Arizona.

Joe Aldridge, USITT Vice President for Conferences, will be the keynote speaker, and will discuss the 2007 USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo planned for Phoenix.

The event will also include a full day of informative workshops. Check here for details as they become available.

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The Chesapeake Regional Section is finalizing plans for its Winter and Spring Mini-EXPOs. These one-day workshops are developed around specific topics, and are held in advance of next year's annual EXPO scheduled for September at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey.

The Winter Mini-EXPO will provide participants an opportunity to learn firsthand and to work with the exciting new software combination of VectorWorks Spotlight and ESP Vision. ESP Vision imports plot information from VectorWorks and allows users to render moving lights; it also interfaces with the Whole Hog console.The workshop is set for Saturday, January 28 2006 at Fisher Theatrical, 7476 New Ridge Road, Suite C, Hanover, Maryland 21076. Registration is $30 for members and $50 for non-members.

A Spring Mini-EXPO is also being planned for early April. Additional updated information is available at the Chesapeake Section web site www.usittchesapeake.org.

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The 2006 New England Regional Section I Festival will be held at Fitchburg State College, Fitchburg, Massachusetts and at the Four Points Sheraton in Leominster, Massachusetts from January 31 to February 5. There is new and exciting programming in all areas of design and technology with representatives from ETC (moving lights), Thematics (Lightbox: model lighting), Rosco (Textures: hands-on), and of course Barbizon. For more information, visit the web site at www.kcactf1.org.

On February 25, 2006, New England's sixth annual Regional Entertainment Production and Administration Job Expo (REPA Expo) will be held at 88 Tremont Street, Boston, Massachusetts from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This event is the only regional Job Expo designed to help employers in the entertainment industry reach candidates to fill job openings in design, technical production, consulting, and administration. Over 40 organizations throughout New England are expected to attend. Employers in entertainment, theatre, film, television, dance, industrial suppliers, and related industries will conduct interviews and meet potential employees to fill job openings in design, technical production, consulting, management, marketing and administration. Job seekers are invited to attend for free and will be provided with a list of attending employers and job openings. Applicants may visit employers. Employers may conduct interviews and review portfolios on the spot or take resumes and business cards to follow up. (Resumes of applicants unable to attend will also be distributed to registered employers). For more information, visit www.stagesource.org or call 617.720.6066. Sponsored by StageSource, USITT NE, and Boston Dance Alliance.

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The 2005 Southeast Regional Section Master Classes, hosted by the North Carolina School of the Arts, will go down as one to remember by those able to attend. The Winston-Salem site drew the largest attendance on record. This was due in large part to the faculty, staff, and students of NCSA who provided a full schedule of workshops and activities for participants. Particular recognition goes to Doug Brown, who served as the Masters Class host, and the NCSA Student Chapter of USITT for its continuous support and sampling of true southern hospitality.

Look forward to the 2006 Master Classes to be hosted by the University of Alabama- Birmingham next September. Kelly Allison will be host and is in the process of filling workshop slots. For those interested in honing stage management skills, the UAB Master Class is rumored to have a significant management component.

The entire Section wishes to welcome all members to its backyard when USITT comes to Louisville, Kentucky in March.

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The USITT New York Regional Section will co-sponsor the Stage Lighting Super Saturday one-day seminar, January 7 at Pace University in New York City. Stage Lighting Super Saturday is being produced by Sonny Sonnenfeld and Scott Parker (Chair of the New York Section). Tuition is $100. For more information, visit www.stagelightingseminars.com, e-mail sonnysonnenfeld1@aol.com, or call 702-263-5136.

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