ASTC and USITT Announce the Venue Renovation Challenge 2019

ASTC and USITT announce the fifth collaborative project between university students and ASTC member theatre consultants. Projects will be presented at the USITT 2019 Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky -- March 20 - 23, 2019. By working together with a professional theatre consultant as a mentor, students will learn more about how venues are designed or renovated. Additionally, students will see performance spaces differently and therefore will be exposed to other available career paths within the entertainment industry. Teams may consist of undergraduate or graduate theatre students and should be under the supervision of a faculty advisor.

Working together, the teams will select a theoretical project of a building that is on, or accessible, from the team's campus. They will survey and study the current conditions and develop a plan to transform the subject space to meet the team's stated concept goals. Potential projects include:
* Substantial improvements to an existing theatre
* Conversion of non-performance space into a new performance space
* Changing the form and function of an existing theatre.

The ASTC member judges will make their final selection for awards based on both the submitted design and the live presentation. One team will be presented the Edgar L. Lustig Honor Award, and a Director's Award may be presented to a second team by the judges.

Save the dates below to make sure students and advisors plan this project for the 2018-19 academic year. Advisors should consider including this project into the team's curriculum for academic credit. A $400 travel stipend will be provided and conference registration fees will be waived for the first four students from separate teams who request financial assistance.

Applications due: October 26, 2018, 5:00pm EST
Team concept statements due: November 9, 2018, 5:00pm EST
Submissions due: February 15, 2019, 5:00pm EST
Conference presentation: The public presentation will be during the 2019 USITT Conference & Stage Expo in Louisville, Kentucky -- March 20 - 23, 2019.

Full details of the ASTC - USITT Venue Renovation Challenge, its history, past student entries, and the 2019 Challenge dates, deadlines, and forms can all be found at the URL below.

Questions about the Challenge, contact: Van Phillips ASTC, vanphill@gmail.com