USITT :: Sightlines :: August 2015 August 2015 Print this page › Lead story › NEWS & NOTICES: What Building Will be Honored in 2016? Architecture Awards Open Last year’s top Architecture Award winner came from Dubai, so what Eric Rouse New VP new or renovated performance space will be selected for 2016? Nominations close in September... more » Announcements USITT at Prague Eric Rouse Takes Office as VP-Special Ops Quadrennial His work for Flying by Foy, Cirque du Soleil and others has taken him Profile: Michael Mehler around the world, and he brings that experience to his new role with USITT... more » Scene Design Poster Stage Set Scenery USITT/USA Exhibit at Prague Elite Training Review A new format for the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space saw the National exhibits set up in non-traditional spaces... OISTAT Technology Commission more » Last Word: Adieux New Challenges for Michael Mehler NEWS FROM: Replacing a long-time editor/designer team and showcasing the many Around the Institute facets of USITT’s diversity are part of what lies ahead for USITT’s VP- Communications... more » Contributing Members USITT's President I’ll Show You Mine if You’ll Show Me Yours Sustaining Members The Scene Design & Technology Commission is encouraging members to think now about ideas for its upcoming poster session in Spotlight on Giving Salt Lake... more » USITT's Executive Director FOR THE RECORD: Stage Set Scenery The show in Germany expands its offerings and teams with OISTAT Leadership for a great combination of information and creativity... more » Contributing Members Sustaining Members A Las Vegas Experience Elite Training in June provided insights and a changed perspective for VIEW ISSUE AS A PDF » more than one participant... more » CONTACT THE EDITOR » Search the Archives OISTAT Technology Commission Meeting Tours of theatres, presentations, and support resolutions were all part GO of the OISTAT Technology Commission meeting in June... more » SIGHTLINES ARCHIVE » USITT’s President: Always Room for One More When the school year starts, education professionals continue to expand the possibilities for inclusion... more » Spotlight On Giving Emily Gill, former member of USITT’s Board of Directors, pays it forward... more » Executive Director: Learning Never Stops http://sightlines.usitt.org/archive/2015/08/[7/30/15, 1:29:54 PM] USITT :: Sightlines :: August 2015 Not all learning takes place in a traditional classroom or on a campus, or between Fall and Spring. USITT is creating opportunities... more » The Last Word: Adieux! Saying “goodbye” is never easy, especially to an outstanding group of talented and informed colleagues and collaborators... more » ANNOUNCEMENTS NEWS FROM: AROUND THE INSTITUTE Petition Process Closes September 1 Verda Beth Martell Joins Board Launch Safety Hotline Visitors from California CITT RENDEZ-VOUS Special 25th Answering Questions Anniversary Price In Memoriam: Gretel Geist Rutledge New Website, Seminars Lead Up to PLASA Designing in Washington 2015 Jim Hutchison New Lighting Social Network NFPA Seeks Presentation Proposals for ‘Sheriff’ 2016 An Introduction to Salt Lake Attractions Standard Directed at Power Feeder Cable Use in Canada Global Connections Grant Recipients Named Order 2015 Behind the Scenes Holiday Cards Now! NEWS FROM: CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS NEWS FROM: SUSTAINING MEMBERS Wenger Corporation: Focuses Acoustical iWeiss: David Rosenberg to Retire Expertise, Targets Innovation RC4: Dimmers Illuminate 20th Century Rivet to Represent Rose Brand Inc.: Chauvet: Lights Recital Hall for Theatrical Hardware, Rigging Line Experiment Essential to Grateful Dead’s Meyer Sound: Irwin Seating Company: New President, Success, ‘Fare Thee Well’ Tour CEO Fourth Generation Leader Celebrates Most Successful CUE ETC: Theatre Projects Consulting: Introduces Conference New Paris Studio Sponsors Philips Entertainment: Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas’s Educational Outreach with UNLV (SILV): Blitz Trip Tours Ship, Resort GLP: X4 Bars Land at the Allianz Arena Alcons: Sentinel Keeps Eye on Systems Lead story › Volume LV, Number 8 © United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Inc. http://sightlines.usitt.org/archive/2015/08/[7/30/15, 1:29:54 PM] Accepting Submissions for Best Theatre Architecture August 2015 Print this page › Next story › FRONT PAGE » NEWS & NOTICES: News & Notices Architecture Awards Open Accepting Submissions for Best Theatre Eric Rouse New VP Architecture Announcements USITT at Prague Submissions for USITT's 2016 Quadrennial Architecture Awards, for outstanding Profile: Michael Mehler performance spaces completed in the past 10 years, will be accepted until Scene Design Poster September 1. These are the only Stage Set Scenery awards given for completed Elite Training Review performance spaces around the OISTAT Technology globe. Commission Last Word: Adieux The awards program, sponsored by USITT’s Architecture Commission, NEWS FROM: honors excellence in the design of Around the Institute contemporary theatre projects by Contributing Members professional architects and USITT's President consultants. Submit a project at National Theatre of Bahrain Sustaining Members www.usitt.org/awards/profarch. Photo / Nicholas Buisson Spotlight on Giving New or renovated buildings housing USITT's Executive Director performance spaces are eligible to FOR THE RECORD: enter if completed since Jan. 1, 2006. Leadership A panel of peer adjudicators will consider submissions based on creativity, Contributing Members contextual resonance, functional operation, use of new technology, and Sustaining Members community contribution. Panel members recommend recipients for Merit Awards VIEW ISSUE AS A PDF » or the top award, Honor Awards, to be presented at USITT 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah, next March. CONTACT THE EDITOR » This year USITT bestowed 2015 Merit Awards to Milton Court, the performing Search the Archives arts building at the Guildhall School of Music in London, UK, and to the Reed GO College Performing Arts Building in Portland, Oregon. The 2015 Honor Award went to the National Theatre of Bahrain, designed by A-S SIGHTLINES ARCHIVE » Architecture Studio in Paris, France, with Theatre Projects Consultants of London. The USITT Architecture Awards were established in 1964 to recognize theatre architecture as a unique discipline and increase the interest of architects in USITT and designing for the performing arts. http://sightlines.usitt.org/archive/2015/08/ArchitectureAwardsOpen.asp[7/30/15, 1:30:11 PM] Accepting Submissions for Best Theatre Architecture USITT considers theatre architecture to be an important facet of performing arts design and technology. Besides the professional architecture awards, USITT and sponsor American Seating hold an annual competition for theatre and architecture students to design an ideal theatre for their college campus, and USITT offers many sessions carrying AIA/CES credits at its Annual Conference & Stage Expo. ‹ Front page Next story › Volume LV, Number 8 © United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Inc. http://sightlines.usitt.org/archive/2015/08/ArchitectureAwardsOpen.asp[7/30/15, 1:30:11 PM] Rouse New VP Special Ops August 2015 Print this page › Next story › FRONT PAGE » NEWS & NOTICES: News & Notices Architecture Awards Open Rouse New VP Special Ops Eric Rouse New VP Janet Gramza Communications Associate Announcements Eric Rouse has an impressive resume – technical director for USITT at Prague the Denver Center Theatre Company, ETCP Certified Quadrennial Rigger and Recognized Trainer, flying director for Foy, Profile: Michael Mehler rigging supervisor for Cirque du Soleil’s O, and former Scene Design Poster tenured professor of scenic technology at Penn State Stage Set Scenery University. And he credits USITT with helping him achieve it all. Elite Training Review OISTAT Technology That’s why he jumped at the chance to serve as Vice- Commission President for Special Operations, taking over from Dan Last Word: Adieux Denhart on July 1. NEWS FROM: He is in charge of special exhibits at Stage Expo -- from ideas to setup -- and a Around the Institute plethora of other operational areas (as the title implies). Contributing Members USITT's President He said he foresees more involvement by students and faculty, and a greater Sustaining Members effort to promote diversity with Special Ops. He brings variety and enthusiasm for many disciplines to his post. Spotlight on Giving USITT's Executive Director A native of Puerto Rico, Mr. Rouse wanted to be a marine biologist. He acted in FOR THE RECORD: high school plays – starring in The Importance of Being Earnest his senior year – but didn’t discover stage technology until college. Leadership Contributing Members “And that was purely by coincidence,” he said. “I needed a work-study job, and Sustaining Members the only one I could find was in the theatre department at Franklin & Marshall VIEW ISSUE AS A PDF » College” in Pennsylvania. CONTACT THE EDITOR » John F. Whiting, the college’s resident scenic and lighting designer, became Mr. Rouse’s mentor, and Mr. Rouse spent four years doing lighting and sound Search the Archives design as a French major. “My first professional gig was running sound for a GO Flamenco company,” he said. “Since I knew Spanish, I worked well with them and ended up traveling with them as their SM.” SIGHTLINES ARCHIVE » After stints at several local theatre companies, he enrolled at Penn State in 1994 for his MFA in scenic technology. He joined USITT in time for the 1997 Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He signed up for a job interview with Rick Stevens, then scene shop supervisor at the University of Texas at Austin. http://sightlines.usitt.org/archive/2015/08/EricRouseNewVP.asp[7/30/15, 1:30:14 PM] Rouse New VP Special Ops “Rick (now a USITT Fellow and award recipient) was and still is a legend,” Mr. Rouse recalled. “I knew I was in way over my head, but I went anyway. The first words out of his mouth were, ‘You know you’re not qualified for this job, right?’ To which I answered honestly, ‘Yes.’” They had a great chat anyway, and Mr. Stephens became a friend and advisor. “Honestly, that is what fuels my involvement in USITT,” Mr.