Award season may be over, but we’re still in awe of the incredible technicians, designers, and artists who took home a myriad of awards at USITT19 in Louisville. From our young designers to our lifetime members, the awards given at the 59th Annual Conference & Stage Expo were well deserved by all and we can’t wait to see what’s next for them!

Nominations will reopen for these awards before you know it, so keep an eye out for nomination and submission information in the coming months.

USITT19 Award Winners

  • Wally Russel Professional Mentoring Award: Allen Cornell
  • Honorary Lifetime Membership: Randy Earle
  • USITT Rising Star sponsored by LDI/Live Design: Maranda DeBusk
  • Joel E. Rubin Founder’s Award: Bob Scales
  • Thomas DeGaetani Award: Lexington Children’s Theatre

Distinguished Achievement Awards

  • Lighting Design & Technology: Peggy Eisenhauer
  • Digital Media: Wendall Harrington
  • Management: Paul Holmes
  • Education: Toni-Leslie James
  • Costume Design & Technology: Sally Ann Parsons
  • Scene Design & Technology: Todd Rosenthal
  • Sound Design & Technology: Eileen Smitheimer

Herbert D. Greggs Awards

  • Honor Award: Maarit Kalmakurki, “The King and His Costumes”
  • Merit Award: Ted Kraus, “Critical Thinking and Decision Making”
  • Merit Award: Jessica Hansen, “Theatre Artist by Day, Cosplayer by Night”

USITT Architecture Awards

Merit Award

  • Bridge Theatre, London, United Kingdom
  • Architecture Firm: Haworth Tompkins
  • Stage Engineering Manufacturer: Tait Stage Technologies
  • Acoustical Consultant: Gilleron Scott Acoustic Design

Merit Award

  • DiMenna Center for Classical Music, New York, N.Y.
  • Architecture Firm: H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture
  • Theatre Consultant: Auberbach Pollock Friedlander
  • Acoustical Consultant: Akustiks

Merit Award

  • Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Washington, D.C.
  • Architecture Firm: LBA-CGS Joint Venture, JV Partner Cox Graae + Spack Project Design Architecture
  • Theatre Consultant: Fisher Dachs Associates, Inc.
  • Acoustical Consultant: Polysonics Corporation

Merit Award

  • Royal Academy of Music, London, United Kingdom
  • Architecture Firm: Ian Ritchie Architects
  • Theatre Consultant: Fisher Dachs Associates, Inc.

Young Designers, Managers & Technicians Awards

  • Bernhard R. Works Master Crafts Award: Jenn Bobo
  • Bernhard R. Works, Frederick A. Bueki Scenic Technology Award: Rebecca Terpenning
  • KM Fabrics, Inc. Technical Production Award: Latiana Gourzong
  • Robert E. Cohen Sound Achievement Award: Brandon Reed
  • Barbara Matera Award in Costume Making, sponsored by Judy Adamson: Vanessa Lopez
  • *USITT Award for Lighting Design, sponsored by Barbizon Lighting Company: Alice Trent
  • USITT Make-Up Design Award, sponsored by Kryolan Professional Make-Up: Madison McLain
  • USITT Scene Design Award, sponsored by Rose Brand: Katy Fetrow
  • USITT Stage Management Award, sponsored by Clear-Com Communication Systems: Ryan Kane
  • Richard Hay Undergraduate Scene Design Award: Elise Christiansen
  • Zelma H. Weisfeld Costume Design & Technology Award: Erin Reed

Congratulations to all of our 2019 award winners!