Several Loyola Theatre Arts and Dance students will be attending the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) this April with Department Technical Director Duncan Becker and Costume Designer Kaci Thomassie. All the students applied and received grants from Loyola’s Student Government Association covering their travel, housing, and conference fees. This year’s trek to USITT would not be possible without the efforts of Becker who has been coordinating the trip since the beginning of the fall semester.
Students Roger Bouche, Meagan Daves, Briannah Letter, Mandee Looney, Grace Smith, Ti Zampino, and Becker and Thomassie will travel to Houston for USITT. The conference’s mission is to connect performing arts design and technology communities to ensure a vibrant dialog among practitioners, educators, and students. It provides students and professionals with opportunities to learn about new theatre technologies and share ideas. College students can apply for summer stock companies and professional jobs to pursue their technical theatre and design interests. Students will also be able to get feedback on their resumes and portfolios.
This year’s conference includes professional development workshops, console demos, a technical skills challenge, and more!
“I’m excited about all the professional opportunities available at USITT,” said freshman Grace Smith, a burgeoning costume designer. “We can only have so many assistant designers each year at Loyola, so USITT provides us with some extra opportunity.”
By Madeline Taliancich