USITT Conference

[mpass41]

Every year, the tech majors go to the USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology) conference, and the powers that be are trying to decide if SM majors should go as well. I've heard nothing but great things about the conference, but only in strict regards technical theatre. I'm told that there are some great lectures, and there's always free stuff, but I was just wondering if there was anyone out there who had gone as a stage manager and found it beneficial. Money is tight right now, so I don't want to spend it to go if I won't get anything out of the experience.

Thoughts?

[dallas10086]

Thankfully it's in Charlotte NC this year so I'll be able to find out first hand without spending a ton of money. From the looks of the vendors, aside from colleges I don't see anything connected with stage management at all. I'm curious as well to see if anyone else has gone and took anything away from it.

[SMLois]

I haven't been personally, but what I understand from SM friends who have gone is that the main thing they gained from it was connections to PMs & TDs & designers.  For some of them that has turned into work, but not all of them.  They didn't have any big take away's lecture or display-wise.

[nick_tochelli]

I went to USITT in Toronto in '05. As a stage manager, there was lot to be gained in terms of demos and gadgets. It's always good to know what's going on around you in other departments. And the swag is excellent. (Find the SSSL booth quickly!)

Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough, but there really wasn't all that much going on in terms of stage management activity. There was a stage management seminar or two (maybe a grand total of 5 the whole conference), and those were interesting and informative, but it was very limited. If it weren't for my tendency towards sound design, I would honestly believe I wasted a pretty large chunk of change to go.

The best I can say is if you're in college or a young professional you should apply to be a Stage Management Apprentice. My friend was selected for the Toronto conference and she gained a lot from the experience and made some great connections into the Opera world where she is still working to this day.

[G-O gr24]

I've gone to the conference for the past 2 years.  The only things really related to stage management are the lecture sessions which have increased by a little (in my opinion) and there are some companies that will be do interviews during USITT or places where you can hand in a resume.  Other than that there are the grad school tables and like other people said lots of free stuff.  I also have an interest in the tech side so I find it worth it.  I also think it's really helpful just because there are so many people there and you can make connections.

[SMrose]

Our theatre department is going to send our tech minded majors (some are SM's) to the exhibits (faculty gets to go, too). We are close to Charlotte so, like dallas 10086, it won't cost us a lot. We're looking at just the one day pass--no seminars.  It's my first time and I'm really excited about seeing all the demos.  I think this will be good for our tech students--we participate at SETC and NCTC: why not something for the tech students?

[BeckyGG]

I'd second that I've heard good things from people who have done the SM Apprentice portion of USITT.

I went back when I was in college.  While it is somewhat limited in the amount of stage management specific workshops, I took the opportunity to learn more about the new technology that I deal with on a regular basis, even though I don't always deal with it first hand.

[mpass41]

Is the SM apprenticeship different from the student volunteers, then?

[nick_tochelli]

Yes, sm apprentice's are different than the student volunteers. Volunteers are for set up and tear down mostly. Sm apprentice's actually run demos, lectures, seminars etc. basically  each event at USITT is a performance run by an apprentice.

I may have sounded like it isn't worth going I'm my previous post. USITT is a great deal of fun, and the about of knowledge you can gain in 5 days is remarkable. If nothing else, you should go at least once to experience it.

[mpass41]

This has been really helpful, thanks everyone!

[Jill Woodward]

I went last year and it was a blast! There are seminars about stage management. I also met a lot of cool people, one of which introduced me to the man who wound up employing me over the summer, based off what he saw at USITT and heard from the mutual friend. It's not dire that you go, but if you can afford it, it's beneficial.