Stage Directions • April 2019 • Editor’s Note

Ah April! Spring is starting to bloom and as we go to press for this issue, we are just back from the recently wrapped USITT Conference & Stage Expo, the 59th edition (yes, Houston in 2020 is the 60th!). Once again, it was a great show—and a record breaking one. With more than 6,000 attendees—a new record—the Institute held more than 400 educational opportunities—many of them hands-on sessions or demonstrations of the latest technology available in the entertainment industry—at all stages of their careers.

The areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion were well-represented and have grown exponentially over the past few years. The conversations and the sessions at USITT are really leading the way and we applaud the range of individuals and topics that were front and center this year. And while there is still a long way to go to providing a place for everyone in the room; there were many positive signs. The winners of the young designers, managers, & technicians awards were proudly displaying their amazing work and were a diverse group of individuals, also there were more mentors and mentees in The Gateway Program and Stage Management Mentor Project.

There were scores of theater artisans networking and exchanging ideas in the sessions, in the hallways, in the expo and out in the town! If you ever needed to recharge your batteries or realign your career path this was the event to be at, as this year’s USITT Conference and Stage Expo set the bar very high and rose well above it.

As for Stage Directions, we once again partnered with USITT—special thanks to David Grindle, Mark Blackmon, and Jenn Shuron—and their great team in operating the Stage Directions/USITT Interview Studio. We met with more than 70 (thank you to everyone who joined us!!) designers, technicians, students, stage managers, technical directors, prop masters; every imaginable type theater artist. We continued gathering their stories, their experiences, their advice, and their knowledge of all thing’s theater. We had great conversations that will continue throughout the year. SD will be bringing you this shared wisdom in the USITT Conversations, throughout the year—both in print and online.

The beauty of the USITT show is the ability to network, build connections with fellow theater artists. Networking is an important tool to be perfected and honed over your career but it is more than a means to getting a job. Just like we should all pursue lifelong learning, we should also perform lifelong networking. You grow when you meet new people and learn from, share knowledge with, and hopefully collaborate on a project. We have so many people we may only communicate with via social media or e-mail. It helps to meet them face to face and have a real conversation. You never know when a connection in your network may come in handy, but a good network, is an invaluable tool to keep sharp and well-cultivated as it also helps to keep a sharp mind that is open and engaged!