The opening of Stage Expo often has a local flair, such as the strolling Sesame Street characters who were such a big hit in Minneapolis in 2003.

Photo/USITT Archive

Helen Willard
Stage Expo Sales Manager

Plan now to be at the Stage Expo Opening 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 19 to see what this year's special entertainment will be.

Last year in Houston Grady Lee serenaded participants with cowboy songs, and in Phoenix entertainment was by the Native Trails Dance Troupe. In Louisville it was the Call to the Post by the Churchill Downs bugler, and in Toronto the crowd was wowed by Bandaloni, a one-man band. Remember Mariachi Los Angeles in Long Beach, Sesame Street Live in Minneapolis, and the Algiers Brass Band who led everyone into the New Orleans Superdome?

There is so much to see, make sure to schedule time at Stage Expo on all three days of the show. Stage Expo 2009 will fill exhibit halls A/B of the Duke Energy Convention Center with 180-plus exhibitors, including commercial booths and tables offering the latest technology for the entertainment industry. A number of exhibitors will be looking for apprentices, interns, and employees, and more than 50 colleges, universities, and theatre companies have reserved non-commercial table spaces to promote their programs.

For more information about Stage Expo 2009 exhibitors, visit the Stage Expo Web Page to see the Stage Expo layout and a current list of exhibitors. Click on a highlighted booth or table to find contact information and a brief description for each exhibitor. Links are provided to exhibitors' websites so you can learn more about their products and services prior to the show.

There will be an abundance of special exhibits at Stage Expo, including the Endowment Art Auction, Cover the Walls, and Tech Expo 2009. The annual Architecture Awards exhibit will be joined by the 2009 Student Design Competition. The Tony Award-winning Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will present an exhibition celebrating regional theatre design, and the Ohio Valley section will display the winning design and technology entries from this year's Peggy Ezekiel Award adjudicated competition. Ohio State University will present Designs for Performance offering samples of theatrical design artwork drawn from the treasures of the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Research Institute at Ohio State University, and a second OSU exhibit, Selections from Midnight Robbers: the Artists of Notting Hill Carnival, will explore the largest and most spectacular street performance in Europe.

Be with us at Stage Expo 2009 from the grand opening on Thursday at 9:30 am until the show closes at 3:00 pm on Saturday.

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