The ranks of USITT's Fellows increased during the 2007 Annual Conference & Stage Expo. Following the presentation of the Fellows Address by Richard A. Arnold (to be printed in a future issue of TD&T), three new Fellows were introduced.

The honorary designation of Fellow of the Institute is bestowed for life upon those members who have made truly outstanding contributions to the theatre and the work of the Institute. Current Fellows must vote to give the designation, and the total number within the group is controlled by the Institute's Bylaws.

The three 2007 Fellows are Alexandra Bonds, Richard Hay, and Elynmarie Kazle. The remarks used to introduce them follow.

Randy Earle, above left, introduced Alexandra Bonds:

It is my honor and privilege to ask Alexandra Bonds to join us. Election to the Fellows requires nominees both be active and contributing members of the Institute, in addition to having made significant contributions to our professions.

There is no doubt Sandy's contributions to the Institute have been a major factor in development of our international activities and image. Currently, she serves as Vice-President for International Activities and has served a Chair of the International Committee. She organized the United States of America's exhibits for Prague Quadrennial 2003 and is on the committee guiding three exhibitors for PQ2007.

She has been a champion of travel awards to students and members as an incentive to promote international travel.

Sandy also served on the USITT Board of Directors with great distinction.

Sandy's professional life is centered in Eugene, Oregon where she is professor of costume design at the University of Oregon. Her professional credits include costume designs for ACT in Seattle, the Willamette Repertory Theatre, and Dartmouth Summer Repertory Theatre.

She is a leading expert on the costumes of the Beijing Opera and has studied and written extensively on Chinese opera costumes with a major publication currently in progress.

Sandy's scholarship and writing have been recognized by USITT with the 2002 Herbert D. Greggs Merit Award for "Surface Design in Jinju Costumes: the aesthetics and meanings of embroidered imagery in Beijing Opera" and with a 2000 USITT Fellowship supporting her continued study at the Academy of Traditional Chinese opera in Beijing.

It is with deep respect and honor that we induct Alexandra Bonds as a USITT Fellow.

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Richard Pilbrow, left, introduced Richard Hay:

It was a great honor for me to be inducted into the ranks of Fellow of the USITT. The Fellows are an amazing group of men and women who have been honored by the peers in the theatrical profession. It was very humbling to join them.

However I am more than honored tonight to be requested by our Chairman Randy Earle to introduce our new inductee, Richard Hay. Richard is, in my opinion, one of the most notable scene and theatre designers of our time.

Richard has elected to spend an enormous part of his career in Ashland, Oregon. Oregon, while a place of great natural beauty, is a long way away for many of us, but on tonight's evidence (Alexandra Bonds of the University of Oregon), it is a breeding ground of much theatrical talent.

Richard is the Oregon Shakespeare Company's Senior Scenic and Theatre Designer . . . and he's been with them since 1950, credited with designing over 215 productions. He's the most prolific, imaginative, and innovative of set designers. Visiting him recently, he was enthusing to me about plans for up-grading their large-scale video projection capability. His designs always seem to capture the essence of a play and express its ideas with strength and clarity, always in a very eclectic manner.

It's often been a surprise to me that scene designers do not always make the best theatre designers. Richard is a notable exception to this. He has designed all the theatres of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and other theatres he has designed are for such notable projects as the Source and Space Theatres in Denver, the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, and the new Old Globe Theatre, both in San Diego. Richard instinctively understands that good theatres are not only about facilities for production, they are places of human communication where the intimate relationship between performer and audience is paramount. He has combined innovation and intimacy with the flexibility required for an ever-changing art form.

Richard has spread his wings from his Oregon home to Denver Theatre Center, Portland Center Stage, Mark Taper Forum (Los Angeles), American Conservatory Theatre, (San Francisco), PCPA Theaterfest (Santa Maria), Old Globe Theatre (San Diego), Missouri Repertory Company (Kansas City), Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis), and Kennedy Center ( Washington, D.C.). His distinguished career continues.

Richard is also such a nice man. Always mentoring and helping those around him, always exploring new ideas and new relationships, a steadfast USITT supporter; he will make a splendid USITT Fellow and we're lucky to have him amongst us.

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Zelma H. Weisfeld announced the election of Elynmarie Kazle, shown above presenting one of the 2005 Awards for Young Designers & Technicians in the Performing Arts to Rachel Johnson.

It is indeed a pleasure to announce the election of Elynmarie Kazle to the Fellows of USITT. I am only sorry that Elynmarie could not be here to take her place with us (on the stage during the presentation.) She has been a dynamo for the Institute.

Elynmarie, a Professional member since 1980, has served the Institute for many years with dedication, professionalism, and good humor. She has been a Board member, served several terms as Vice-President for Membership & Development, and, as a member of the Management Commission, was a founder and leader of the Stage Management Mentoring Program.

The many committees she has served on include Grants & Fellowship, Conference, Planning, Executive, Personnel, Nominations, and PQ Fundraising. She was the very efficient administrator and fundraiser for the USITT Awards for Young Designers & Technicians in the Performing Arts program from 2000 to 2005, and a member of the Conference Committee for Las Vegas, Long Beach, and Minneapolis.

Professionally, she has been executive director and resident director for various theatres, including the Weathervane Community Playhouse in Akron, Ohio, a position she recently left. She has more than 25 years of experience in stage management.

She revived the Stage Management Roundtable in 1991 and helped revive the New Products Showcase in Seattle in 1992, serving through 2005. She may be best remembered as Dick Durst's sidekick and Dudley Do-Right's love, Tess Truelove, at the 2005 New Products Showcase.

Her presence is missed, and we hope to see her in Houston in 2008.

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