MACON – Junior Annie Fair was the first-ever student to represent Mercer University at the annual United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Conference, where she presented a poster and displayed two lighting designs.
This year's USITT conference and stage expo, held March 8-11 in St. Louis, Missouri, included practitioners from all corners of entertainment and performing arts with all levels of experience.
Fair, a double-major in theatre and communication studies from Augusta, presented a poster, titled “The Many-Titled Technical Theatre Student,” during the juried poster session. The poster, which she also presented April 7 during Mercer's Breakthroughs in Engagement, Arts and Research (BEAR) Day, shared collected research from undergraduates regarding the size of their theatre programs and how program size impacts available opportunities.
Fair also displayed lighting design work, which she previously created for two Mercer Theatre performances, as part of an exhibit, titled “Cover the Walls.”
Additionally, she met entertainment professionals and students from throughout the country during the week's worth of workshops and sessions on various topics.
“It was such an amazing experience to see Mercer Theatre represented so professionally at the national level through Annie's work,” said Frani Rollins, assistant professor of theatre. “Her poster presentation started heated discussions among academic professionals across the county about the needs and perceptions of students from different-sized programs, and her lighting design display on the expo floor showed the skill level of our students. Our program is lucky to have such an exceptional designer and technician to represent us on campus, at academic conferences and in her professional career.”
USITT was founded in 1960 as an organization to promote dialogue, research and learning among practitioners of theatre design and technology. Today, it has grown to include members at all levels of their careers and has embraced the new technologies being used in entertainment. USITT is the leader in lifelong learning opportunities for the entertainment design and technology industry. For more information, visit www.usitt.org.
