Thursday, September 07, 2006

Writing Again

Eureka!!!”

Have you ever had that thought? Or maybe “This is so cool I just want to show EVERYBODY!” Don’t just think about how cool you are.

Show the world!

The Tech Expo returns to USITT in its 11th biannual edition this spring in Phoenix. Every other year this exposition gives technical artisans in all theatrical disciplines an opportunity to put their work in front of their peers. Have you come up with an interesting solution to a particularly vexing problem? Perhaps you have arrived at an artfully innovative approach to a regularly occurring theatrical challenge. Maybe you thought of a new way to use some material the rest of the world is taking for granted? You deserve the recognition for your creative headwork, and the Tech Expo is here to give it to you.

Featured on the floor of the Stage Expo, the Theatre Technology Exhibit has previously seen projects from any and all shops – costumes, paints, lighting, sound, props, rigging, carpentry, metals, automation, projections, and stage management. If someone is working on it, it has a place in the expo. Previous submissions have included a modular spiral staircase, articulated angel wings, a dimmable radio controlled light source, ultra low profile tracks, a cueable doily dropping machine, and “growing” grass. Really nothing is out of bounds as long as it has a place in a show or a shop.

This year organizers are waiting for your entry.

All projects accepted for the exhibition are given a display space at the conference and are published in the Tech Expo catalog. This is an excellent opportunity for professionals looking to have their work officially noticed. In addition to the catalog and the showing, the exposition is juried by a distinguished panel of industry technicians and a small number of entrants will receive a special recognition and even a modest cash award.

Submitting work is simple. The hard part is done, you’ve already had the idea and put it to use. By comparison this will be easy. Put together a short article, 500-1000 words (one or two pages) explaining what you did and how and why you did it. Be sure to include some drawings or photos that illustrate the item or process. Download the application form from:

http://www.usitt.org/sightlines/v46/n08/stories/TECHEXPOAPP.pdf

and fill it out. Submit the application, the article, and the photos or drawings to the address shown on the form. Selected entrants will be notified and their submission will be included in the show and published in the 2007 show catalog.

Not totally clear? Download the complete instructions here:

http://www.usitt.org/sightlines/v46/n08/stories/TECHEXINSTRUCTIONS.pdf

or send inquiries to Loren Schreiber, Tech Expo committee chair at lschreib@mail.sdsu.edu. Now start writing. There’s no Tech Expo without you.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does submitting an exhibit make you liable if someone tries your idea again and gets hurt? Be it poor execution of a sound technical design or poor design to begin with?

considering
-deano

David said...

Well, my response when talking to classes is: "everyone gets sued." In this case it would be you, me, the rest of the committee, the USITT, the convention center the convention is in, GES or whoever is show vendor, the people that print the exhibit guide, anyone that might have money...

I think I will talk to them about a blanket "only try this if you are trained to do so" disclaimer - but that won't keep anyone from being sued. Not how our system works.

I passed the question on to the committee chair...

"Anyone can make a case about anything--there is no protection against malicious prosecution, other than a better lawyer. The TE Committee does try to vet obviously dangerous ideas. We can offer a disclaimer on ideas for which the jury is still out, e.g., the "uncle Buddy" line lock. Some qualified riggers swear by it, some qualified riggers swear at it."