Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2020 - 26

Mary Black, USITT Vice-Commissioner
for Technical Production
Member since 2008
"I hope to continue to see the same excitement from students and young professionals in our industry and to see
more and more of them engaged in the
Institute, and I hope that more of those
faces are queer and women and people
of color. The Gateway Program has been
an incredible initiative to bring young
technical theatre professionals and technical theatre students of underrepresented populations to the conference in
a meaningful way. USITT needs to build
on the Gateway initiative, to build not
just numbers and token members of populations in each of our commissions, but
to also build the feeling of inclusion and
the environment at the conference and
beyond. I want to see a future USITT
that places diversity at the center of all
of our conferences and inclusion at the
center of all of our communities."

Kirk Starks, Former Vice-Chair for
Programming, USITT Midwest Chapter
Member since 2005
"I really hope that USITT continues to
bring in established professionals to help
mentor the next generation, to throw focus on the young professionals. We've really engaged the student members, and
it would be a good thing to then continue
that focus and keep them engaged once
they graduate. Let's get them to come
back and, hopefully, keep giving back to
USITT. Let's create a cycle of giving and
returning."

Celeste Jennings, new member
Member since 2019
"USITT is great at connecting the entertainment industry, so in the future it
would be awesome to expand even further beyond theatre, maybe into broadcasting, film, or gaming. We should
start thinking more about collaborating
across different platforms and media."

Rafael Jaen, USITT Vice-President for
Communications
Member since 2001
"I look at my students and mentees
as models for the future-almost like
creating family. The first year that we
launched the Gateway Program, my
mentee told me, 'I can't compete! How
can I compete? I don't even have a sewing
machine.' So, we sat down and we made
a plan. Now he's in graduate school and
has this website where he's posted the
most beautiful costumes. I'm thinking,
'Okay! Five years from now, he's going
to be back here and speaking at one of
our panels.' I have students who went
from attending to presenting to earning
a merit award. And then they will mentor
someone. It's like a family. USITT will
need to keep expanding our concept of
what diversity, inclusion, and equity are,
because we're setting a standard for the
industry, and keep partnering with other
folks who are trying to do the same, to be
their strong ally."

26 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | WINTER 2020

Madilynn Garcia, Early Career Member/
Gateway Program Coordinator.
Member since 2014
"This year, at the start of Gateway and
in the opening of a couple of sessions,
we participated in a land acknowledgement. I want that done at a keynote.
USITT moves to all these cities and we
can either act like that place is just ours,
or we can show up and honor this place
and this community that was here, that
is here, that will be in the future. I think
that kind of thoughtfulness is going to be
imperative to a future USITT.
Every year, I look around the
Gateway room, and I think about what
it would be like if USITT's board looked
like the people in here. We've had mentees come into the program who use
wheelchairs, we've had deaf stage managers, we've had so many students of color and first-generation college students.
They bring so much passion to our craft
and so much desire to learn. These are
the same qualities that we want in leadership. But how do they become leaders
when their path is still so different, and
when they have so many challenges to
navigate? Once they have fewer barriers to do what they love, they can be the
ones to give back. Then they can lead.
They'll be there for the next generation
and the next."

Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2020

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