Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2014 - 53

Lighting Design Commission

Revised lighting portfolio guidelines
The portfolio is a staple document in the life of a designer which must continually reflect a career's productions
and its direction and design aesthetic. Likewise, any portfolio guidelines must apply to new technologies and the
ever-changing ways in which we communicate and consume information. In 2012, at the Long Beach USITT Conference & Stage Expo, the Lighting Guidelines Committee was formed and began the task of refreshing the portfolio guidelines published in 1994 and revisied in 1997.
The committee began work with Todd Studebaker as chair and Steve Shelley, Anne McMills, Andrea Bilkey,
Vickie Scott, Autum Casey, Ellen E. Jones, and Darren E. Levin as members. Over the next year and a half, they
held extensive discussions and developed a framework for a new document. The project stalled, however, and no
final version was completed.
In the fall of 2013, renewed interest from committee members Ellen E. Jones, Autum Casey, and Darren E.
Levin pushed the project forward at a rapid pace, with additional input from the other original committee members. The new three-person committee, led by Darren E. Levin, examined the mission of a portfolio guideline
document in depth to determine if revisions could be made to the existing versions but came to realize that the
fomer guidelines were no longer relevant to an ever-evolving, highly technical industry.
Members of the committee began working on a new document that has a concise focus and a clear purpose
and that serves varying levels of student and professional designers and also provides a framework for young designers searching for a basic outline of how to begin a portfolio. We realize that many design and technology programs across the country have courses dedicated to the development and production of portfolios, and we have
observed great caution not to undermine them. And there are many programs without dedicated design faculty
or portfolio courses. We see the need to reach all these students. The document is be a framework for designers
and educators to expand upon and make their own. Most importantly, through these guidelines we allow for the
portfolio to continue as a natural extension of the designer's artistic statement.
Given the ever-expanding markets in which designers are working, it is also essential that the guidelines
not limit portfolio creation to a single set of documents or images. Instead, they should allow the user to make
an informed decision about what each potential employer might wish to see. Therefore our mission has been to
create a reference document outlining best practices and the portfolio options available without limiting personal
creativity in the development of a portfolio. We hope these guidelines will serve students, educators, and professionals well into the future, allowing for growth in one's aesthetic and career as well as rapidly changing methods
of communication.
Ellen E. Jones and Autum Casey presented the working draft to the Lighting Commission at the 2014 USITT
Conference & Stage Expo in Fort Worth. Following that initial presentation we have gone through multiple steps
in feedback and evaluation of the proposed document. In May, we distributed the next working draft to a large
cross section of the lighting industry (sixty persons) for response. These professionals included designers, educators, and manufactures of varying genres within the industry. We received fifteen extensive responses, all of which
were very positive and agreed to the serious need to update this document. All felt the document was a giant leap
in the right direction, but there were notable concerns over the document's length and a concern over a section

2014

theatre design

& technology

Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2014