The New England Regional Section is planning two not-to-be-missed events.

First, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KC/ACTF) Region I, in will be held January 31 to February 3 in Fitchburg/Leominster, Massachusetts. It is not just a competition for students but will include many workshops and shows for students and faculty. Registration forms can be found online at www.kcactf1.org under festival information. The full conference program can be found online.

Second, the Regional Entertainment, Production, and Administration Job Expo (REPA '07) will be held at 88 Tremont Street in Boston on Saturday, February 24. Students should be prepared with portfolios and resumes. Each year 30 to 40 employers from across the region gather to interview applicants for full- and part-time positions, internships, and other opportunities. There is no fee for applicants.

To Top

They're doing it again with more employers, more vendors and some eats to boot. Johan Godwadt and Abby Rodd have teamed up again to bring a day of workshops and interviews to the Upstate New York Regional Section on Saturday, January 27 at State University of New York at Oswego.

Mr. Godwadt, technical director at SUNY Oswego, is the on-campus workshop coordinator and Ms. Rodd, technical director of the Glimmerglass Opera, is the employer contact. After a half hour coffee and a meet and greet beginning at 9 a.m., participants will have choices among workshops offered by ETC, J. R. Clancy, ROSCO, and Syracuse Scenery & Stage Lighting Co., Inc. as well as hands-on resume writing. Lunch will be provided at noon followed by a regional meeting. Job fair interviews will be conducted during the afternoon.

To Top

The Chesapeake Regional Section has confirmed the date and location for its 2007 Conference. Shenandoah University, will host the event in Winchester, Virginia. The Conference & EXPO is scheduled for September 15.

To Top

The Ohio Valley Regional Section's fall conference was hosted by the Department of Theater at Penn State University on October 28. The board of Ohio Valley thanks all those who worked tirelessly to make this conference a great success.

Special thank yous go to Ronda Craig, Jenny Kenyon, Travis DeCastro, and most of all to the members of the Penn State student chapter who seemed to be everywhere with directions, advice, and even suggestions of where to eat.

During the day, attendees were presented with 15 sessions ranging from the Lost Art of Fresco Painting to Performer Flying Basics and A Positive Look at Blood. In addition to instructional sessions, round table discussions of touring, working on cruise ships, and hiring for cruise ships and tours were available to the over 40 members who journeyed to State College.

Late in the afternoon, tours of the Penn State Theater facilities were conducted. A detailed tour of the soon to be completed State Theater was provided by Raymond Kent and John Hook, CEO and executive director of the non-profit corporation that owns the facility. This tour gave section members an inside look at the process of renovating a facility and some of the challenges faced by the team of architects and engineers who have turned this aging building into a contemporary center for both film and live performance.

After a full day of sessions and tours, many participants were able to attend a production of Urinetown or Blues for an Alabama Sky. The event concluded with a reception hosted by the Penn State Department of Theater.

To Top

Stage Lighting Super Saturday will be held January 13 at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University in New York. The event is presented by Sonny Sonnenfeld in association with Pace and Scott C. Parker with thanks to the USITT New York Area Regional Section. The event will feature Mr. Sonnenfeld, Beverly Emmons, Peter Borchetta, Joe Tawil, Josh Alemany, Bill Groener, Steve Short, and Andrew Nikel. It will be held 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will include a manufacturers' showcase.

Student members of the New York Section are eligible for a $20 discount to this year's Super Saturday event. When sending a check, mark down that your are a current member. Organizers will confirm and then accept a check for $130 instead of the regular $150.

Student membership to the section is only $10. For membership information concerning USITT NY, visit the USITT NYAS website.

To Top

The Desert State Regional Section recently held a Tech Olympics at the state Thespian Conference on November 18 at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Arizona.

Approximately 70 high schools from Arizona attended the conference. The event was run by students and staff from Arizona State University, with a supporting cast from the Chandler Center of the Arts. The high school students competed in Hang and Focus, Audio System Set-Up, Costume Quick Change, and Knots. The winners were Matt Anderson
(Hang and Focus and Audio Set-Up) and Jordan Dixon (Knots) from Barry Goldwater High School; and Tasheena Brown (Costume Quick Change) from Chinle High School. For the second year, a team from Barry Goldwater won the team award.

The local section also had an information table to advertise the upcoming annual Conference & Stage Expo. Teachers who attended the Conference were able to register to win a section and national membership to USITT courtesy of the Desert State section. Bonnie Wilson from Notre Dame High School in Scottsdale, won the memberships.

To Top

Desert State to Hold Mini-Conference

The Desert State Section will hold its annual membership meeting and mini-conference, consisting of approximately a dozen workshops, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, January 13. Registration is from 9 to 10 a.m., with a continental breakfast sponsored by IATSE 336.

The meeting and conference will be held at Paradise Valley Community College, 18401 N. 32 nd St. Phoenix, Arizona 85032. Cost is $10 to offset the expense of lunch. RSVP by January 6 to fransutherland@cox.net. Kim Williamson, Scottsdale Community College faculty and USITT VP Commissions, will be keynote speaker.

Many of the workshops will focus on mechanical and maintenance issues such as Auditorium Seating, Caring for Your Stage Draperies, and Bench Focusing. Other workshops will focus on production issues such as Picking Colors, CAD in Scenic Design, Audio Roundtable, Church Production, WYSIWYG, and Costume and the Script. For the developing professional, there will be workshops on Getting Started and Education Outcomes. There is a need for student volunteers -- if interested, contact Jeff Brown at brownknows99@hotmail.com.

J.R. Clancy will present What's New in Stage Rigging 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, January 12. Rod Kaiser of J.R. Clancy will cover the latest innovations in stage rigging technology. The fee is $70 for non-members or $35 for Desert State Section members. RSVP by January 5 to jimmiebyrd@msn.com.

For more information, visit www.usitt.org/sections/desertstate.

To Top