Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2010 - 54

of lighting fixtures. the fix, finish and ease of operation have undergone
dramatic improvements.
When we rig trusses of various types, we have become concerned
with sizes and strengths of our equipment. the use of equipment from
other industries (chain hoists, for example) was creatively adapted. some
of this equipment is now designed and manufactured specifically for theatrical use. nylatron and synthetic ropes are two examples of materials in
existence for a while but new to the theatre.
the engineering commission is reported to be one of the original
commissions of the institute. it is my opinion that the commission was
created early in the history of the institute because of the rapid changes
in technology and equipment. during these periods of change, usitt and
the engineering commission did not sit on the sidelines.
While the engineering commission was not directly involved in the development of new products, many of its members worked for the companies
that were creating these new devices and experimenting with new materials
and encouraging these companies and their designers and engineers to develop products to meet the increasing demands of the theatrical world.
the late 1950s and early 1960s mark the beginning of ever increasing change in theatrical equipment. the patent for the first scr dimmer
was filed by Kliegl/Macklem in 1958 and issued in 1960. the quartz
Klieglight brought the tungsten-halogen lamp to the theatre. this light
first appeared at the 1964 new York World's fair. the Q-file computerized lighting console, originally designed for the bbc, was brought to the
united states in 1970 by Kliegl. the Q-file was upgraded from discrete

dtl logic to ic's in 1973 and introduced in las vegas as the Q-file 2000 in
the show room at the tropicana. a second one was installed at the original
MgM grand Hotel.
in 1974, colortran introduced the first portable, troupable modular
control system and in 1975, introduced the first ellipsoidal specifically
designed for axially mounted tungsten-halogen lamps. the colortran fixtures used a joy-stick alignment of the lamp rather than screws and had a
lens system that could be re-configured for different beam angles.
in the 1980s, a need to find methods to interconnect the diverse
pieces of developing electronic, electrical, sound and lighting equipment
was identified by the engineering commission members. the commission members and others with the institute also identified and began to
address an expanding need to ensure all this new equipment and existing equipment was used safely. the engineering commission used this
identification of critical needs to begin its ongoing venture into the area
of codes and standards. the first standards resulting from this expanding venture were the 1986 issues of DMX512 Digital Data Transmission
Standard for Dimmers and Controllers and AMX192 Analog Multiplex
Data Transmission Standard for Dimmers and Controllers.
the dMX512 standard was, in my opinion, one of the more significant developments in the control of theatrical lighting control. While initially resisted by some part of the lighting control industry, dMX512 has
led to interoperability of various controls, dimmers, fixtures and other
equipment. this standard has remained in place for almost thirty years.
even as development proceeded on its younger more advanced brother

1978

18th
Annual USITT
Conference,
Phoenix, AZ.

1978
1977

Arnold Aronson and Kate
Davy, co-editors of TD&T from the
Spring 1978 issue until the Summer
1988 issue. The cover image of their
first issue is scenes from Robert
Wilson's Einstein on the Beach.

17th Annual USITT Conference, Washington, DC.

1977 New USITT

logo published
in the newsletter.

1977-1980

Charles Williams
USITT President

1977

Elvis dies
on August 16.

1979

50th anniversary of
Thespian Society.

theatre

design

teChnology

W I N T E R

2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2010