USITT in Cincinnati, 2009
by Erin Belpedio, recipient of a SECOA scholarship
I was very excited to be able to attend this year's national USITT conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. As this was my first conference, I had no idea what to expect but I could not wait to go and learn new things. When I arrived, seeing the vast amounts of people and areas of interest to look forward to made the entire conference more enjoyable.
Watching the tech exposition set-up on day one of the conference was an interesting affair. We were able to view the construction from the windows above the expo floor in between attending sessions. I looked forward to seeing a variety of companies and grad programs the following day. In the mean time, I was able to go to a number of sessions with topics I was familiar and unfamiliar with. It was fun and interesting to learn about a variety of different areas of theatre during the three-day conference.
My favorite session was “The Designs of Jules Fisher.” I was in awe of the work that Fisher has done and being able to view clips of a performance made me so excited to continue with learning about lighting design. Being able to meet Jules Fisher prior to this session was also exciting and I got his signature! This was such an opportunity and an added benefit.
The amount of information obtained at the USITT conference, along with the variety of sessions to attend, gave me the opportunity to learn about different aspects of technical theatre I had not known much about prior to this conference. The session entitled “Tricks of the Stage - Stage Magic” was full of lots of information and demonstrations that answered many questions about stage magic. The session covered how to plan different effects, creating those effects within a production and how to work with the actors to create a flawless stage trick. I enjoyed learning from professionals from across the country who could provide information on such a grand scale.
The stage expo was another part of the conference I enjoyed very much. Looking at what everyone had to offer, receiving swag, and talking with people was a great way to see what type of new products are out now in the theatrical world. Being able to discuss different aspects of the theatre with different companies (City Theatrical, Inc.), not as a student but as a person interested in technical theatre, was a good experience. Talking with grad programs, like Perdue University Theatre, you were treated like a student but were given a lot of attention and the professors were interested in your point of view and made you even more interested in what they had to offer as a school. I also enjoyed walking around the expo floor. I was amazed by the amount of products shown and information given. The Cover the Walls panels showed displays of my peers and professionals and clearly demonstrated how other theatres work and collaborate.
Overall, I was totally amazed and overwhelmed by my experience at this conference. Everything from attending a number of exciting and informative sessions, to meeting people from numerous companies made this trip more memorable. I am very glad I had the opportunity to attend this year's conference and I hope to go again in the future. Thanks to Secoa for sponsoring my scholarship that helped me attend this year's USITT national conference.
Erin Belpedio, Lighting Design student from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN