Board Mentorship Program
Want to have your voice heard while getting a chance to experience the inner workings of a board of directors? Apply for USITT’s Board Mentorship Program. This opportunity is available to students and early career professionals. Applications are being accepted for a limited time only.
Once a mentee is selected in November, their inaugural event will be at USITT19 in Louisville, where they will begin orientation to get a feel for the future. Official non-voting board appointment will begin July 1, 2019. The chosen board mentee will be matched with an active board member acting as a go-to throughout their term. The mentee will have the same expectations as other board members in terms of service. They will sit on a least one committee and attend all functions the board is expected to attend.
See what other perks accompany this unique opportunity and why not apply while you’re at it?
Gateway
The Gateway Program is seeking applicants for its mentorship program at USITT19. The opportunity provides individuals in underrepresented populations in the live entertainment industry with one-on-one mentoring from professionals with similar backgrounds and career paths. Gateway participants along with their mentors will take part in special receptions and sessions on diversity and inclusion in the live entertainment and production industry intermittently during their mentorship experience. Apply now, you don’t want to miss this opportunity.
Wally Russell Professional Mentoring Award
Nominations are now open for the Wally Russell Professional Mentoring Award presented in partnership by USITT and the Wally Russell Foundation. The award honors someone who embodies the guiding hand that Wally Russell provided to many young professionals. To be nominated, the individual must meet these qualifications:
- The person must work primarily outside of the academic world
- The mentoring happened in a professional setting (theatre, business, manufacturing, etc)
- The person inspired you to fulfill your potential and to pass on that idea of inspiration to others
This award is possible through The Wally Russell Foundation, Philips Strand Lighting, and IA Stage. The award will open for nominations Oct. 15.
Stage Management Mentor Project
Calling all stage managers. Experience Conference on a tactile level by participating in the Stage Management Mentor Project. Work behind the scenes of Conference’s biggest event such as Keynote, New Product Showcase, Tech Olympics, and more. If that’s not enough to convince you, you’ll also get to work alongside professional stage managers who will guide you throughout the duration of the events and conference. Develop lifelong connections and network with those who have years of experience working in the industry. Pick their brains and build relationships while getting a behind-the-scenes look at USITT19. Apply now!
Rising Star Award
The Rising Star Award, established by LDI/LiveDesign magazine, is given annually to a young professional at the beginning of his or her career. The award recognizes excellence and artistic achievement in the areas of scenic, lighting, sound, and projection design, or the convergence of these design disciplines. Recipients must be in the first four years of professional work following the completion of his or her highest degree. Nominate now.
Young Designer, Managers, & Technicians Awards
Your exceptional work deserves to be recognized. The Young Designers, Managers, & Technicians (YDMT) Awards bring recognition and support to young designers and technicians at the beginning of their careers. They are made possible by generous gifts to USITT from their sponsors. You can be nominated by a faculty member or you can pat yourself on the back and nominate yourself! See what awards are up for grabs and begin the nomination process.
Young Designers/Technicians Forums
Have your work reviewed by established professionals in the industry. The Young Technicians’ Forum (YTF) brings together talented students with proven shop heads, technician/artisans, and designers for a review and discussion of your work. Similarly, the Young Designers’ Forum (YDF) is where professional designers and directors review and discuss students’ work from those related fields.
Participation is by juried selection and is limited to no more than 12 students for each forum.
- You must be in the final year of your graduate or undergraduate training program
- $15 entry fee (non-refundable)
- If accepted into the program, students must be or become a USITT Student member
International Travel Grants
If your itch to travel internationally has been acting up, we can help fund its relief. Introduce yourself to new ways of thinking and see the world by applying for an International Travel Grant.
The International Travel Grants provide funding to both individual/professional, and student members to travel internationally for research and education in theatre-related fields.
For individual/professionals, the grant will fund projects that seek new knowledge through international travel to exhibitions, productions, and collections; provide opportunities in design for international companies; and that includes a method of sharing experiences with the USITT membership.
For students, applicants must be a current USITT Student Member, be a full-time student currently enrolled in either an upper division or graduate program in theatre, and demonstrate excellence or outstanding potential in research or design in any field related to the mission of USITT.
Poster Sessions
The Poster Sessions committee is now accepting abstracts for USITT19. Poster Sessions offer new solutions to old problems, a new problem and its solution, a classroom or management technique, the results of research, or other discoveries in your field. Last year, poster sessions successfully went digital; a platform that will continue in Louisville. All abstracts must be submitted online with the poster title and a 250-word abstract. Abstract submissions will be open from Aug. 15 – Nov. 1. Submit your abstract.
