USITT YD&T Award

College Majors Musical Theater Majors
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<p>I rarely boast about our students here, but I just have to tell you about this one. USITT, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, has for about a decade given out Awards for Young Designers and Technicians in the Performing Arts. Known as the YD&T Awards, they are given for technical production, sound design, scene design, makeup design, lighting design, and so on. Only one award is given in each category. All but three of the awards are for graduate students. One, in stage management, can be given to a graduate or an undergraduate. There are only two for undergraduate students: one in scenic design and one in lighting design. The lighting design award is sponsored by Stage Technology. Here’s the description of the award:</p>

<p>This prize is awarded to a young designer or technician who has demonstrated excellence or outstanding potential in the area of lighting in the performing arts while pursuing an undergraduate degree. It was established in 2006 by Niles Sayre, Co-founder of USITT Contributing Member Stage Technology. Stage Technology is a single source provider of theatre and music performance equipment serving professional, educational, and community venues throughout the United States and abroad.</p>

<p>This year’s prize winner, although it has not yet been posted on the website, for his outstanding designs of Caucasian Chalk Circle, done last year when he was a junior, and last summer’s production of the musical My Way is… Andy Baker, from Otterbein College.</p>

<p>Here’s a link to the USITT YD&T description page: [USITT’s</a> YD&T Awards](<a href=“http://www.usitt.org/activities/awards/YDTAward.html]USITT’s”>http://www.usitt.org/activities/awards/YDTAward.html)</p>

<p>Can I crow a little?</p>

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<p>Please crow, DoctorJohn…this young man deserves kudos. Also as an educator, it is a proud moment to have one of your students achieve so highly. Bravo to Andy Baker and to you and your program for guiding him to this accomplishment!</p>

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<p>Congratulations! Thank you for posting this- Techies need their moment too!!!</p>

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<p>As a “techie”, I am really excited to read about this. Congratulations to that young man, and to Otterbein/doctorjohn for landing a place on the Tech Theatre Education Map!</p>

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<p>Many congratulations Dr. John; to both you and the young designer. That is a major accomplishment and he must be incredibly talented!</p>

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<p>Michelle: </p>

<p>He is incredibly talented. Dana White, the faculty lighting designer who supervised Andy’s work on Chalk Circle, and I had perhaps a half dozen notes for Andy during techs, if even that many. His design was thoughtful and sophisticated and worthy of any of our faculty or alumni. </p>

<p>Andy wrote back to me today and said, “Many thanks to all of those who have written about this honor. I appreciate the kind words and excitement from those outside of these walls.” Let me add my thanks, too.</p>

<p>Look for his name in future playbills: Andy Baker.</p>