The University of New Mexico’s chapter of United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), held its first meeting this week on Oct. 3. This is a group of students studying the technical elements of theatre, such as stagecraft, stage management and lighting and costume design.
The group said that it is important for students to be prepared to enter careers after graduating, and USITT helps them gain education and form connections in their chosen fields.
USITT meets every other Tuesday at 4 p.m. in UNM’s Center for the Arts. The main purpose of these meetings is to prepare for the annual USITT conference.
The weeklong conference is held in a different city each year, and is a place where students can learn from, and connect with professional theatre technicians and designers from around the country. It is also an opportunity for the students to learn about new technology that is entering the world of theatre and performance.
Within the broader categories such as lighting, costuming or stagecraft, the USITT conference offers educational and professional opportunities in a variety of specific disciplines.
“It really goes into each section, not just costuming or scenic or lighting, it goes into the little subsections,” said Joseph Gurule, a UNM theatre major who helps coordinate the USITT group on campus. “So there’s really everything for everyone.”
Some of the topics that students can learn about include wigs, props, makeup and sound design. Different events are scheduled over the course of the conference, allowing students to spend their time gathering information that is relevant to their craft.
“If you take advantage of it and really take a look at the schedule and what’s going on that whole week you’re there, you can really jam pack a lot of information that you can take from it,” said Moy Hinojos, a recent graduate of the UNM theatre department who currently works as an associate technical director at UNM.
Both graduate schools and theatre companies attend the USITT conference in order to meet students who are looking for opportunities to use and expand their skills after graduation. The conference takes place during the spring semester, so many summer stock theatres, which only produce shows during the summer, attend it in order to recruit designers and technicians for their seasons.
Meeting with representatives from schools and theatre companies is especially useful for students who are about to finish their undergraduate degrees at UNM and are preparing to use their skills in a professional environment.
Interacting with participants at the conference also helps students to understand what to expect not only outside of UNM, but also outside of New Mexico. The USITT conference gives valuable insight into the practices of professional theatres around the country, which helps students know what to expect if they want to move out of state for their careers.
As a student organization, USITT provides resources and a gathering place for students working in technical theatre. Preparation for the conference also includes fundraising, such as the USITT costume sale, which happens every October in honor of Halloween. Currently, the students of USITT are preparing for the conference that will be held from March 20 to 23, in Louisville, K.Y.
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Although the technical side of theatre is a vital part of the art form, and having a group such as USITT at UNM aims to give students the resources they need as they prepare to enter the professional world.
“It’s a bunch of connections, and it’s just helping us get to the next level after here,” Gurule said. “So it’s very important to all of us if you take it seriously and if you really want to go to a grad program or have a professional job right away.”
Veronica Apodaca is a culture writer for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at @veeapodaca on Twitter.
