| A Record-Breaking Conference |
Even though the weather tried not to cooperate, it appears the 2008 USITT Annual Conference will again set records -- in attendance and at Stage Expo. A few reports are included in this issue, and further information and photos will appear in the May Sightlines. It was wonderful to see so many old friends and new faces in (mostly) sunny Houston.
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| Found at the Conference! |
Some Conference participants may have been overwhelmed by the excitement of the event, judging by the articles collected in Lost & Found. USITT is holding the following items awaiting a verifiable claim: sunglasses in a case; a Moleskin notebook roughly 8 ½ x 5 ½ inches; a ring; and two jump drives (presumably with different owners). To reclaim one (or more) of these items, please send an e-mail to michelle@office.usitt.org with a brief description so we can verify ownership. USITT will gladly ship returned items via UPS.
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| Willard and Phillips Featured |
For those just catching up on their reading, Helen Willard, USITT's Stage Expo Sales Manager, was interviewed for People Worth Knowing which appeared in the February issue of Lighting & Sound America.
In the March issue, Nic Phillips shared his favorite spots in Houston for visitors to the city attending USITT's big Texas event.
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| Congrats to Ann Archbold |
Ann Archbold, USITT Director at Large, was recently elected chair of the Department of Theatre and Drama at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Ms. Archbold is in her third year at UW-Madison, and previously taught at Florida State.
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| Nic Ularu |
Congratulations to Nic Ularu for the extremely favorable review of The Cherry Orchard Sequel which he wrote and directed, and which was presented at La MaMa E.T.C. in New York City. In his February 26, 2008 review in the New York Times, Neil Genzlinger called it "a sparkling surprise, helped along by fine performances all around." Mr. Ularu has moved Anton Chekov's characters ahead 18 years, and introduces new elements.
Mr. Genzlinger notes "Mr. Ularu has a little fun with the premise (for instance, we find out why Epihodov is always tripping over things), but he also has an agenda. Born in Romania, Mr. Ularu, now in his 50s, seems to be no fan of the Soviet era, and it's no accident that [Zachary T.] Hanks's frightening Boris puts you in mind of classic film Nazis."
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| Rich Wolpert Rides Solo |
Congrats to Rich Wolpert who completed his 750-mile ride to the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo successfully. Mr. Wolpert, of Union Connector, made the ride mostly solo on a recumbent bicycle because injury forced his wife Becky to withdraw from their planned tandem bicycle ride. Along the way, Mr. Wolpert's ride raised funds for the ESTA Foundation's Behind the Scenes charity.
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| NATEAC Opens Registration |
Registration is now open for the 2008 North American Theatre Engineering Architecture Conference (NATEAC), a two-day forum to promote communication between the architects, engineers, consultants, and manufacturers responsible for designing and building new theatres and renovating existing facilities in North America.
Based on the model of two conferences produced by Richard Brett in London in 2002 and 2006, NATEAC will offer more than 50 panelists speaking at over 20 sessions on topics ranging from current rigging technology to the makeup of stage floors and a discussion of where the proscenium will be by the year 2020. The event will run from 8 a.m. Sunday, July 20 to 5 p.m. Monday, July 21, at Pace University's Schimmel Center for the Arts in New York, New York. For more information, www.nateac.org.
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| James Hull Miller Remembered |
Elsewhere in this issue is an In Memoriam article about James Hull Miller. As a testimony to how important his membership in the Fellows of the Institute was to him, he kept his Fellows plaque on the wall of his assisted living residence and was always glad to explain its significance to visitors, his daughter reports.
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