University of North Carolina School of the Arts Announces First Entertainment Innovation Conference

From September 6 through 8, 2012, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) will host North America's first Entertainment Innovation Conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The conference is sponsored by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and features workshops with Cirque du Soleil, their technical partners, and some of the most respected professionals in the entertainment industry. College students, professors, and entertainment professionals will explore the merger of arts and innovation. USITT members receive at 10 percent discount on conference registration fees.

The conference is a collaboration between an educational institution and industry leaders in entertainment innovation and technology to create a hands-on learning experience that lets students and professionals "test drive" the newest technologies that create entertainment magic. "Other conferences merely 'show' what can be accomplished with technology," said Joe Tilford, dean of the School of Design & Production at UNCSA and one of the founders of the conference. "At this conference, participants literally get to experiment with the latest techniques and equipment and discover how to merge their artistic visions with innovations that can create mesmerizing experiences."

More than 30 workshops, presentations, and interactive sessions will be taught by professionals using the latest innovations and technologies in production, lighting, sound, automation, projections, wig and makeup, costuming, puppetry, and more, including:

• Cirque du Soleil staff and technical partners. This company is recognized for high-quality, artistic entertainment and the most challenging, technical productions
• Members of Tectonic Theatre Project, the award-winning theatre company (The Laramie Project; I Am My Own Wife) that develops innovative theatrical events in creative collaboration with writers, designers, and actors to create work that focus on all theatrical elements
• Meyer Sound, manufacturer of products and systems for high-fidelity sound reinforcement, and Tony Meola, award-winning Broadway sound designer (Wicked, The Lion King)
• Michael J. Kelley, senior producer, principal designer, and Emmy award-winning art director (Deadwood, Sesame Street); set decorator working in Broadway, regional theatre, television, film, and themed entertainment; and art director and set decorator for HBO, Nickelodeon, Universal Studios, Lifetime Network, Children's Television Workshop, and Walt Disney Imagineering in Tokyo
• d3 Technologies, creator of virtual, three-dimensional stage visualization and mapping technologies for theatre and large-scale productions
• PRG, supplier of entertainment and event technology
• ZFX Flying Effects, a performer flying effects company
• Stage Technologies, manufacturer of entertainment automation

The experience includes two flagship presentations -- the first by the award-winning Tony Meola with Meyer Sound. Meola is one of New York's most in-demand sound designers, with credits on more than 26 Broadway productions, including The King and I, Smokey Joe's Café, The Lion King, and the revival production of The Sound of Music. The second presentation is a closely guarded secret that will offer an insider's perspective and demonstration of the theatrics behind one of the most awe-inspiring shows currently on Broadway.

Registration and conference information is available at the URL below.

eic.uncsa.edu

www.uncsa.edu