USITT-Ohio Valley Bestows Theatre Technology Awards to Raymond Kent on Behalf of Westlake Reed Leskosky

	Allen Theatre at PlayhouseSquare: Copyright, Kevin G. Reeves Photographer; Courtesy of Westlake Reed Leskosky

Raymond A. Kent, CTS, LEED AP BD+C, EAVA, ECA, DMC-D, associate principal, and director of innovative technology design group of Westlake Reed Leskosky has received Outstanding Achievement awards in theatre technology from the United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT) - Ohio Valley Section.

Cited at the Fall 2012 conference at Kent State University, Raymond Kent received the USITT Peggy Ezekiel Award of Outstanding Achievement for Audio Visual Design for the Allen Theatre complex at PlayhouseSquare in Cleveland. He received the USITT Peggy Ezekiel Awards of Outstanding Achievement for Lighting Design and Audio Visual Design for The MOB Museum, the national museum of organized crime and law enforcement, for the city of Las Vegas. The Peggy Ezekiel Award is a professionally juried process and is presented annually since 1985 by the USITT-Ohio Valley Section to an individual in recognition of outstanding achievement in design and technology of produced work.

In an innovative cultural arts and education partnership, the $30 million transformation of the historic Allen Theatre complex serves as the new home for Cleveland Play House, Cleveland State University's theater and dance department, and adds three new venues to Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare, the largest performing arts center in the country outside of New York City, as ranked by number of venues. Designed by Westlake Reed Leskosky, working with Turner as construction manager, the project incorporates green building and sustainable concepts designed for LEED-NC certification. Under the direction of Kent, the Allen Theatre complex is designed with state-of-the-art sustainable integrated technology and audio visual, including digital technology distribution.

The Mob Museum is a $42 million rehabilitation of a historic former US post office and federal courthouse for the city of Las Vegas, creating an exciting cultural destination in the heart of downtown focusing on the history, significance, and influence of organized crime and law enforcement. Westlake Reed Leskosky transformed the 40,000-sq.-ft. historic structure into a contemporary museum facility while preserving its historic character and spaces; exhibit designer Gallagher & Associates designed the immersive visitor experiences. Designed to achieve USGBC LEED certification, The Mob Museum features solid audio-visual and show control equipment throughout the facility and lighting design integrated with networked energy efficient fixtures and control.

Raymond Kent is an award-winning specialist in the design and specification of audio-visual, show control, lighting, and theatre performance systems. He has worked in design and project management from New York to Los Angeles, with expertise in designing audio-visual systems for corporate, healthcare, educational, and civic clients as well as theatrical and AV systems for performing and cultural arts projects. Innovative technology projects have included tele-presence, audio-visual conferencing, digital signage applications, paging and background audio systems, classroom media technology, and room automation systems. His background includes working as a professional in the entertainment industry; he has taught design and technology classes at the university level and is author of two books on technology systems as well as numerous technical articles in major industry publications. He blogs for InfoComm International's AllVoices and will soon be a featured columnist for the online publication rAVe Magazine covering the topic of sustainability and technology.

Kent is part of a group of pioneers in the sustainable technology industry serving on the InfoComm International's green AV task force. He is a co-author of the Sustainable Technology Environments Program (STEP) rating system and currently serves as the chair of the technology task force for the STEP Foundation stewarding the STEP rating system's evolution through its second iteration and towards ANSI/ISO accreditation. Kent is an active participant in the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts and a frequent lecturer at conferences such as InfoComm, USITT, and the American Institute of Architects (AIA/CES Provider).

National architect/engineer/technology design firm Westlake Reed Leskosky is a sustainable design firm, hitting the country's industry charts for top green design firms, including ranking #1 in sustainability in AIA's Architect magazine's 2012 Top 50 and #6 overall based on business, sustainability, and design excellence/pro bono, and among the 2012 "Top 100 Green Design Firms in the US" by Engineering News-Record.