Rusty Cloyes, production/technical director at the University of Texas Austin Department of Theatre and Dance, has received the Individual/Professional International Travel Award. Mr. Cloyes plans to develop and pursue a production curriculum for children at El Colegio del Cuerpo in Columbia.

The award will be presented at the Kansas City 2010 Conference & Stage Expo during the USITT PQ USA '10 Interest Meeting 6:30 p.m. April 1 in the Kansas City Convention & Entertainment Facilities, Room 2209.

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a reminder that all wireless microphones that broadcast in the 700 MHz frequency band (which includes any frequencies between 698 MHz and 806 MHz) must cease operating no later than June 12, 2010. This is necessary to prevent unlawful interference with public safety entities and commercial users that operate on the 700 MHz band following completion of the Digital Television transition last June and to prevent members from receiving interference while using microphones. If a microphone does not operate on frequencies within the 700 MHz band, no action is required.

Some wireless microphones that operate in the 700 MHz band can be successfully retuned to operate in other frequencies. If the wireless microphone operates only in the 700 MHz frequency band, it will need to be replaced.

The FCC's web site has a link dedicated exclusively to providing consumers with important information on 700 MHz wireless microphones. Other consumer information, including "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQs), the "Consumer Fact Sheet," the "Consumer Advisory," and the FCC's wireless microphones press release, can be found at this weblink. A table may be useful in determining whether wireless microphones operate within the 700 MHz band and will need to be replaced or retuned. The FCC decision is also available.

For additional information or questions, contact the FCC Consumer Hotline at 1-888-CALL-FCC.

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Behind The Scenes, an initiative of The ESTA Foundation, will hold its first holiday card student design contest open to any full-time lighting, set, video, or costume design student interested in creating an original design for a 2010 card.

The winner will be chosen by previous holiday card designers including Bob Bonniol, Beowulf Borrit, Scott Pask, Bruce Rodgers, Douglas Schmidt, and Tim Hunter Design. The winner's design will be among the cards offered for sale to raise money for Behind the Scenes.The winner also will receive a free pass to the Live Design Master Class of choice (lighting, sound, or projection) to be held in May in New York City.

The deadline for entries is March 15. Design guidelines and cards from previous years can be viewed here. For questions, contact holidaycard@estafoundation.org. For additional information click here or call 212-244-1421.

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Behind the Scenes and Light Relief announce several designers have joined in support of By Design Day 2010. Heading the roster are Jonathan Deans, David Gallo, Derek McLane, Tony Meola, Hugh Vanstone, and Tony Walton, who have joined Ken Billington, Paule Constable, Rick Fisher, and Ken Posner as signatories to the event, scheduled for Saturday, April 24.

These talented and successful designers will ask their colleagues to voluntarily give a day's royalties to Behind the Scenes in North America or Light Relief in the United Kingdom, the two charities which provide crisis assistance to colleagues in the entertainment technology industry. Those not in a royalty situation can still contribute by making a donation. Business can show support with single donations or perhaps a day's rental fee.

Visit www.estafoundation.org/bts or www.lightrelief.org.uk for more information.

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World Stage Design, an exhibition of international performance design, initiated by OISTAT to offer a complementary, but alternative exhibition to the Prague Quadrennial, will be held in Wales in 2013.

WSD 2013 will be held at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) in Cardiff, Wales, the United Kingdom. Cardiff is one of Europe's youngest capitals, a small, vibrant, multicultural city situated just two hours by train from London but very much capital of an independent country with a proud history and language. WSD 2013 has strong expressions of support from the Welsh performance community and The Arts Council of Wales. Support in the UK has been from The Society of British Theatre Designers and The Association of Courses in Theatre Design, and, in a broader European context, from members of the newly formed theatrEurope.

The Royal Welsh College is based in the Castle Grounds in the center of the city, within walking distance from the shopping center, National Museum and Art Gallery, all major hotels, and the national railway station. A dynamic program of workshops, performances, and presentations will be developed alongside the OISTAT Congress and commission meetings.

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PLASA has announced the election results for its Executive Committee.

Joining the comittee for the first time are Duncan Bell of Autograph Sound, and Murray Gellatly of Artistic Licence, who take seats on the committee following the departure of Adrian Brooks of LiteStructures, who stepped down in December after serving six years, and the death of long-serving committee member David Hopkins, Order of the British Empire. Existing committee members Ed Pagett of Panalux and Martin Hawthorn of Hawthorn's return to the committee to serve three-year terms. Committee Member Linda Moore will resign to take on the new role of sales and marketing director with PLASA. Matt Lloyd, of Global Design Solutions, will serve on the Executive Committee.

Further details on the work of PLASA can be found at www.plasa.org.

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Two Control Protocols Working Group draft standards have been added to the public review page on the ESTA website.

BSR E1.30-1-20xx, EPI 23 Device Identification Subdevice, and BSR E1.20 - 201x, Entertainment Technology -- Remote Device Management over USITT DMX512 are in public review through March 29

For more information, contact Karl G. Ruling, Technical Standards Manager, ESTA, 875 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1005, New York, NY 10001; 1-212-244-1505; or standards@esta.org.

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