Holly Cole
YTF Chair

For the first time, the Cincinnati 2009 Conference & Stage Expo will present Young Technicians' Forum, a portfolio competition to establish the top student technicians in USITT. Following the model set by the Young Designers Forum, the selected participants will be invited to display their portfolios at the Annual Conference and interact with guest professionals in private and public review sessions.

Final year graduate or undergraduate students who are embarking on their professional careers may enter work in the following categories: Technical Direction and Engineering, Scenic Technology, Scene Painting, Props, Costume Technology, Costume Crafts, Make-up and Hair, Lighting Technology, and Sound Technology. Unlike the Tech Expo, the focus of this competition is the presentation of a full portfolio of work rather than one outstanding project. Participation is by juried selection and limited to no more than 15 students. The Forum will be held on Friday and Saturday at the annual conference.

YTF is being established as an annual event in which outstanding student technicians can get guidance from a host of outstanding industry professionals. Student work will be reviewed by personnel from theatres and production companies across the country. Final participation is determined by faculty nomination and juried selection. A small fee is required with the application, and all selected participants must be members of USITT. Students selected for participation in the Forum will have their conference fee waived. Deadline for submission of work is January 5.

All portfolios must be submitted in CD format and should include 16 to 24 examples of work. Acceptable formats for submission include: .doc, .jpg, .xls, .ppt, .pdf, and .mp3.Visit the USITT Conference website (www.usitt.org/Cincy) to download an application in mid-September or call the USITT office to have one sent.

For more information, contact Holly Cole at cole@ohiou.edu.

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A new Young Technicians' Forum, similar in format to the Young Designers' Forum, eill debut in Cincinnati, Ohio. Young Technicians' Forum will provide review and interaction with technical professionals much as Young Designers' Forum has done for more than 10 years.

Photo/Tom Thatcher