USITT Enjoys Successful Conference and Stage Expo in Milwaukee

	USITT's vice president for conferences David Will kicks off the 2013 Conference & Stage Expo with the traditional cheese head for the Wisconsin event. Photo - Mark Putman

The 2013 USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, attracted more people and products than ever in the event's 53-year history, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology announced.

USITT 2013 drew more than 5,000 people from the theatre design and technology industry and filled nearly 35,000-sq.-ft. of exhibit space with the latest in entertainment technology products, said USITT vice president for conferences David W. Will. The four-day conference ran March 20-23 at Milwaukee's Delta Center.

From the keynote by Rob Goodman to the closing party where three fellowships of more than $20,000 were announced, according to USITT, the event was filled with vibrancy and the networking that is the cornerstone of any USITT event. "It is exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time," said USITT president Lea Asbell-Swanger, "and always innovative."

The 2013 Conference offered more than 200 seminars for people from every segment of the performing arts design and technology industry, and assembled the largest Stage Expo ever, with 215 exhibitors ranging from industry leaders ETC, Wenger, and Rosco, to newer companies like Clearwing, Studio Gear, and Dazian.

Several exhibitors used the 2013 Stage Expo to unveil exciting new products, such as ETC's new lighting control desk, J. R. Clancy's latest SceneControl systems, and Duck's Echo Sound's new Piccolo, the "little cousin" of its Perfect Pickle mini chain hoist controller.

Conference-goers gave high ratings to USITT's instructional seminars, which this year were ranked from introductory to advanced, allowing professionals to tailor their choices to their level of experience. Among the most popular sessions were "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out -- Recommended Practices for Stage Firearms" and "A Pound of Flesh," a costuming workshop on how to add weight to actors.

The conference also drew big names in the backstage industry, with appearances by 2012 Tony Award-winning scenic designer Donyale Werle and her campaign for "green theatre," and costume designer Desmond Heeley -- who became the first designer to win Tonys for both set and costume design in 1968, and who won his most recent Tony in 2011 for costuming The Importance of Being Earnest.

Also at the conference, USITT presented awards to nine 2013 Young Designers & Technicians Awards, Rising Star Award winner Aaron Porter, and four Distinguished Achievers including Heeley.

USITT is already planning its next Annual Conference & Stage Expo for Fort Worth, Texas, in 2014. For more information on USITT, please visit the URL below.