Life on the Other Side
by Becky Raines- SECOA Scholarship
Let me start off with a huge thanks to NBS and SECOA for providing a student scholarship to the USITT National Conference in Cincinnati. Going to USITT for a second time this year was immensely valuable in many ways, from talking to grad schools to hearing about incredible art within the industry.
One difference in my experience at the conference this year was taking the opportunity to listen to the international designers. Becoming more aware of OISTAT and its USITT connections was exciting, and listening to Jean-Guy Lecat and Hideta Kitazawa talk about their working process was really fascinating.
However, the third international designer guest was the most inspirational for me. Xochitl Gonzalez Quintanilla is a Mexican scenic and lighting designer and winner of the World Stage Design Outstanding Lighting Design award in 2013. She led a session on her design work, including a scenic and lighting design for a dance piece called “Ex-Stasis.” Ms. Gonzalez’ work in this piece with plastic as a scenic material encouraged me to explore the use of materials in performance and their storytelling abilities. She explained her design philosophy of the material being “integrated necessarily with the light,” and “the light is nothing without the material,” which provoked new and interesting thoughts about the material and light as one entity, as one world.
Another highlight of the conference for me was listening to the Distinguished Achievement Award-winners in Conversation. Learning from the humor, grace, and wisdom of hugely influential designers like Wendall K. Harrington and Ken Billington was a huge privilege and nice to see that they, too, are humans who sometimes cut through phone lines. On the other end of the experience spectrum, I appreciated the Early Career Sound Design Forum--the recent graduates had a lot of helpful things to say about their current jobs, lessons they have learned, and how they have made a life in the design industry work. I also very much appreciated the intentional gender equity on the panel. It was refreshing and reassuring to see young women succeeding in sound design.
Finally, as I enter into my senior year of college, I was thankful to have the conference to explore potential next steps. I went to sessions on alternative design careers, talked to employers on the Stage Expo floor, and chatted with several grad school representatives.
The National Conference this year gave me artistic inspiration, comfort in the possibility of being employed in the industry, and more informed thoughts on post-graduate steps. I am very grateful I got to attend the conference, and grateful to SECOA and the members of NBS for helping fund this opportunity!
LINK 2015
LiNK Offers Interviews With Theatre Grad Schools in the Areas of:
Acting, Directing, Stage Management, Arts Management, Scene Design, Costume Design,
Lighting Design, Sound Design,Technical Direction, Stage Technology,
Lighting Technology and Costume Technology.
Connect with over 50 programs in one convenient location!
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November 13 - 15, 2015
Atlanta Airport Hilton
More information about LINK 2015 HERE.