No matter your position in the industry, USITT offers many sessions to expand your career, gain skills to apply on the job, and keep you engaged!
During the four-day span of USITT, you’ll be able to choose from a variety of over 250-plus sessions sorted into 13 different tracks.
Below are some of the featured sessions you can expect at USITT 2018. But don’t stop there! Explore all your options at usittshow.com/education.
Speaker: Raymond Kent

This session covers the use of augmented and virtual reality technologies related to the building and performance design and collaboration process. The panel will define, explain, and illustrate the uses and future of VR in the design collaboration process. The discussion will cover concepts that apply to any design process.

Speakers: Alys Holden, Gabriel Barrera, David Stewart, Sharifa Johka
Speakers will discuss how to build an inclusive shop culture. An inclusive shop requires everyone, managers and employees, to contribute to the culture so ideas and tips for everyone will be included. For example: What are the best practices in writing a job description or in a job interview? If your manager isn’t seeing bias, how can you help and influence them?
Speaker: Dan Lisowski
This session will be a current events-style discussion on what’s happening in entertainment engineering. Topics will include items from the news, industry developments, and recent productions.
Speakers: Eric Fliss, Jay Sheehan, Larry Richter, Jason Juenker, John Munoz
Join this panel of experts on touring as they describe the positives and negatives about life on the bus, living out of a suitcase, working in a new venue every day, and keeping your personal relationships intact during the times away from home.
Speakers: Barry Phillips, Vincent Iannone, Lucas Granholm

Cruise ship entertainment includes shows presented in state-of-the-art theaters and other performance venues, and lighting these shows comes with a unique series of challenges for designers and technicians alike. Come hear from a panel of current and former ship technicians to learn the technical and personal skills required to be a successful cruise ship lighting technician as well as the joys and challenges of living and working aboard one of these amazing vessels.

Speakers: Katie Irish, Shaun Motley, Ashley Bellet

This session is geared toward Students and Early Career professionals with a theatre background who are interested in transitioning to television and film work. Based in New York City, Katie Irish is a costume designer for The Americans, while Shaun Motley is a professional television art director with a career based in Los Angeles.

Speaker: Gregg Buck
Walk your director and technicians through a full-sized digital world of augmented reality! Demonstrate how you imagine a scene shifts. Preview what the audience will experience from any seat in the house. Learn to use technology such as Google Cardboard and Gear VR as well as Virtual Reality headsets and the world of the HoloLens and Augmented Reality to present designs masterfully.
Speakers: Sun Hee Kil, David Huston
Sun Hee Kil presents her work and approach to being the assistant sound designer for the 2018 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
Speakers: Emmett Buhmann, Zack Chipman, Matt Plummer
It is important to help students of all levels reach their goals, despite any unique challenges they might face. This discussion will look at models of interaction that have created beneficial, inclusive backstage environments all for students in the technical classroom.
Speakers: Anna Glover, Stephen Vanciel
Atmospheric effects add drama and make lighting much more impactful, but how often do you hear that cough begin as the fog fills the stage? Although the effects can be done safely, performers and audience often misunderstand what they are seeing and what they think they may be inhaling. This session will discuss ways to put these misunderstandings to rest for performers during rehearsals and how to address audience concerns.