Late Night Musings
by Todd Reemtsma, NBS Section Chairperson
The more things change…
It may seem like an eternity ago, but a great big thank you to the folks at UMD that hosted and organized the 2012 NBS Fall Conference this past September and to all those that attended! It was great to have several members of the Minnesota Theatre Alliance join us in what looks to be the beginning of a great relationship. I have heard a lot of positive comments about the location and sessions. Who’s up for 
hosting next year? A big congratulations to the Cover The Walls winners who won free conference passes to the 2013 USITT Conference.
I also want to offer congratulations to the students that were chosen for NBS Scholarships to the 2013 USITT Annual Conference in Milwaukee! Thank you to everyone who applied, to all the faculty members who encouraged their students to apply and wrote letters of recommendation, and to the scholarship reading committee for their time and effort. Please check out the article in this newsletter to find the list of winners.
In a few short months many of us will be taking advantage of the close proximity of the next USITT Conference and jumping in our cars to drive to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the 53rd edition of the USITT Annual Conference March 20th – 23rd, 2013. If you are attending the conference, please plan on joining other members of the Northern Boundary Section on Thursday, March 21st, 2013 from 8:00AM – 9:15AM in a room that is yet to be determined for our section meeting. If you have agenda items that you would like to see covered, please drop me or one of the NBS officers a line prior to that date.
And speaking of our section meeting in Milwaukee, it’s election time! The 2010-13 term is coming to an end and it is time to vote for our 2013-16 NBS Board. If you are interested in serving on the board or would like to nominate someone that you think would do an awesome job helping lead our section, please direct all e-mails to Jerry Kraft (jerryk@jthlighting.com). Nominations will be accepted until the end of January, 2013. Voting for officers will occur at the section meeting in Milwaukee in March.
Regarding my “headline” at the top of the article, I am perpetually amazed at how technology is changing in just about all aspects of theatre production. Most of us are striving to be greener in our design and in our operations. We strive for better efficiency in the use of our time and resources. Computers and software have made life in the theatre so much easier in many ways. But what hasn’t changed is the artistic talent and passion required to make great art. In my opinion, creativity and passion trump technology just about every time. I would much rather see a show in which I can recognize that all resources were used to their fullest capability to achieve an artistic vision rather than the show that had any technical resource at their disposal, but no “heart” in it. Without a doubt I encourage everyone to be aware of the latest and greatest tools that can help us be better artists, technicians, and global citizens. But please start with art.
If it’s not fun, why do it? - Ben & Jerry (of ice cream fame)
-Todd