Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1999 - 32

Arden Weaver

DESIGN EXPO:
EXHIBIT PRODUCER:
United States Institute for
Theatre Technology, Inc.

EXHIBIT COMMISSIONERS:

was constructed
by students and
staff at The Ohio
State University.

Dick Durst and Arden Weaver

EXHIBIT DESIGNERS:
Bruce Brockman, Marie cfoud,
Dick Durst an ~den Weaver

STUDENT EXHJBIT
DESIGNER AND
COORDINATOR:

Tim Saternow

he road to Prague began almost three and a half years ago. USITT's board of
di °ec ~rs ~ thorized tht;.Design Expo Committee to publish a new initiative in its
appli~ The initiative linked the biennial SITT Design Exhibition with the
Prague Quadrennial. Participan In he 1996 and 1998 Design Expos would be given consideration by the PQ'99 Exhibit Committee for inclusion in the prestigious international event.
Thirty-six of America's fi~st professional designers were invited to participate in the USA's
~ntry in the 1999 Prague Quadrennial. As chair of the SITT Design Expo Committee, I was very
pleased that eightee of these designers had also been award-winning exhibitors in the.l C) 6 and
1998IJSITT Desig xhibitions.
*
Anumber of Design Expo designers were able to attend the exhibit in P'ague this s~1I11111er.
Here are a few of their stories and reflections abo their road to PQ'99.
Alexandra (Sandy) Bonds: "Needless to s'ay, I was thrilled by the chanCf to have m.' work
displayed in PQ'99. I had been told sometime l>:l~k Vi th 80s that the Stage Expo would lead to the
PQ, which is one of the many reasons that I havtl been so diligent about submitting my work every
other year (in Design Expo). It was very fulfilling for that to finally payoff and I hope the connection will continue in the hllme. It certainly is an incentive for me to continue participating." Sandy
is a professor of costume design at the niversity of Oregon and a member of nited Scenic Artists.
Her costume designs have been selected for inclusion in each of the biennial SITT Design Exllibitions since 1984 and were part of the award-winning 1987 American exllibit in the Prague Qua-

, Arden Weaver is chail' of

the US/IT Design :>..po
Committ~e and codesignel' ofthe u.s.
exhibit in PQ'99. He is
associate professol' and
scenic designel; as well as
assistant dean fol' tbe
Sch~ol ofFine Arts at
Uliiversity ofMinnesota,
Duluth.
30

TZ>&T

~~.

Laura Crow: "The American exhibit tried very hard to show a fair and legiiimate cros~ section of design over the past four years. There was work from all across the states, from Broadway,
to off-Broadway, to large regional theatre, and to university theatre. The designer's names were a
wonderhll reminder of the diversity of talents which make up our ethnically rich country. It was a
privilege to be among those selected ~nd I have come back enriched with a love for what I do and a
new'found respect for the artistry of design."
Tiiis was Laura Crow'~ second visit to Prague, and her experiences this year moved her in a
new direction. During her road to frague, she met with delegates from Yugoslavia. Here is her de-

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1999