Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2022 - 4

FROM THE EDITOR
W
elcome to the Spring 2022 issue of
TD&T! It was lovely to see everyone who
was able to attend the first Conference
and Stage Expo that we have held in person since
2019. For those who were unable to join us, we
hope to bring a little bit of the conference to you
in this issue through the Awards section and the
announcement of a new service initiative from
the Scenic Design & Technology Commission.
Future issues will, as always, also include articlelength
versions of some of the content that the
membership shared with us in Baltimore.
Also, we would like to extend the submission
deadline for responses to Christin Essin's call for a
reassessment of undergraduate labor practices to
June 10, 2022, for summer issue inclusion and Sept.
1, 2022, for fall issue inclusion. A fuller description
of this request for submissions can be found in the
Winter 2022 issue.
First, Jonathan Allender-Zivic and Jenni
Propst and four members of the Lighting Design
& Technology Commission share an updated
version of the 2010 " Lighting Job Descriptions
Project " piece that Vickie Scott shepherded for
the Commission. In addition to responding to
changing technology and its impact throughout the
entertainment design field, the team proposes new
terminology for some traditional and linguistically
problematic position titles.
Erik Viker interviewed numerous technical
of
directors
about
the
challenge
teaching
Stagecraft through various virtual modalities.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the end result revealed
that this is a particularly challenging class to teach
online, but the research and reflections led to a
series of recommendations for other content areas
that, while perhaps not appropriate for stagecraft
as a course, might be key content topics that our
curricula and student labor experiences could
incorporate.
Our discussion of how the pandemic has
led to a reassessment of our communication
methods and a search for new tools continues in
Michelle Souza's article. Here, Souza discusses
Miro, software that is particularly conducive to
visual collaboration in academic classroom and
production settings. In addition to a general
assessment of the software, Souza provides case
studies of how it can be deployed in a number of
different settings.
A new service group comprised of late-career
scenic designers introduces themselves and the
group's goals in a piece written by member Joe
4 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | SPRING 2022
Tilford. The Distinguished Scenic Designers Forum
will provide mentoring, conference programming,
upcoming TD&T content, and other services
designed to assist anyone who is interested in
entertainment scenic design.
Jim Moody and Barbara Crocken share a
memorial of William (Willie) Crocken (May 31, 1932
- Jan. 14, 2022). A former USITT Commissioner,
Co-Commissioner, and Section President, Crocken
worked at the intersections of lighting, technical
direction, and emerging technologies throughout
his career.
The 2022 USITT Award Winners take the stage
in this issue as well. Please join us in celebrating their
achievements and potential.
As always, our issue closes with reviews
of recent books and the Changeover column
where a member of our community shares their
perspectives with us; both sections highlight
upcoming transitions for USITT. Our current Book
Review Editor, Catherine Mantooth, will be stepping
down at the end of her contract this summer. We
are thus taking applications for a new Book Review
Editor. For each issue, this Editor works with authors
to produce reviews of recently published books
pertaining to theatrical design and technology, as
well as maintaining relationships with the marketing
departments of publishing companies and providing
input on broader Editorial Board discussions. The
position has a three-year term and has a stipendbased
salary. If you are interested in applying,
please submit a resume, writing sample, and a
letter expressing your interest in the position and
approach to editing and writing revisions. While we
realize that interested folks may not have formal
editing experience, we do ask you to think broadly
about your work with others on their writing or on
collaborative writing and to tell us about that work.
If you are interested joining TD&T in this capacity or
have any questions about the position, please reach
out to Eileen at TDTEditor@usitt.org.
Finally, USITT's first Executive Director, David
Grindle, steps in to write the Changeover column.
This summer, David will be moving to a new position,
and he reflects on how the Institute has changed
and yet remained solidly focused on lifelong learning.
Indeed, he challenges us all to continue learning and
exploring as the Institute moves into a new era of
leadership structurally and, perhaps, a new era of tie
fashion.
-Eileen Curley, Editor
Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2022
