Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2012 - 62

and dramatically increase exposure of their
brand-themselves.
Jaen discusses how the use of an electronic
portfolio, or e-portfolio, may not only mean a
design website, but a PowerPoint or PDF on a
CD that the designer leaves with an interviewer
at the end of a meeting. E-portfolios can also be
a hyperlink to a Flickr slideshow of research or
sketches or a PDF that is created to show collaborators. He gives sound advice that digital
e-portfolios should not be used in place of hardcopy portfolios. We all have heard horror stories
of a candidate showing up for the interview with
only a digital portfolio having to face some terminal failure in the technology. A designer must
have both weapons in his or her arsenal.

paying attention to every detail.
Jaen helps readers assess the success of
their portfolios and interview abilities, in order
to further refine their materials, a great reminder that our portfolios are never done. I will return to this book with frequency as I update my
own portfolio, encourage my students to own a
copy, and use it in my classes. Show Case is an
outstanding resource.

R. Eric Stone, director of graduate
studies and associate professor in scenic
design for the Department of Theatre
Arts at the University of Iowa, was the
associate designer for the 2011 and
2007 USITT USA Exhibits at the Prague
Quadrennial of Performance Design
and Space. www.rericstone.com

Fifty-five collaborators
"Contributors" contains the biographies of
fifty-five artists who have added their point-ofview and design materials, portfolios, and/or
web pages to the book. The addition of so many
voices creates a sense of community to the
work. These collaborators range from titans of
our field (e.g., John Iacovelli and Carrie Robbins) to students finishing their undergraduate
training (with envy-worthy portfolios). They
are briefly introduced throughout the book,
but in this section their biographical information is expanded and in many cases their URLs
provided. The reader can visit artists' websites
and gain further inspiration about alternate
ways of presenting work. I bookmarked several of the sites and will return with frequency.
Other good sections include a discussion on branding, James Michael Garner's
comments about choosing an internet server,
Brendan F. Doyle's comments on sound design
portfolios (yes, an actual resource for sound
designers), and Carrie Robbins's piece, "Theatre Designers and Computers," reprinted
from TD&T, Vol. 38, No. 4.
In each part of Show Case, there are
suggestions of best practices, questions for
the designer to consider about his or her own
work, lists of dos and don'ts, and dozens of
photos. The frequency, size, and clarity of
these images are greatly appreciated. Jaen
encourages designers to treat their portfolio as
they would a design, with clarity and precision,

winter

2012

theatre design

& technology

61
http://www.rericstone.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2012
