theatre

Robert Vance, proVanceTek founder, graduated from Ohio University with a BS in Telecommunications and a minor in Technical Theatre. While attending undergraduate school he was employed by Ohio University Telecommunications Center (WOUB - PBS) which services Southern, South Eastern, and Eastern Ohio with two television stations and six radio stations.

Through college, Robert freelanced a number of high-profile projects in the Columbus area. He assisted a handful of touring musicals with sound engineering, was sound designer and engineer for a local performance of Carmina Burana and a couple local High School's musicals, and was sound designer and engineer for a local performance by Mickey Rooney (The Wizard of Oz). He has also continued to do similar work since.

During Robert's last year at Ohio University, he also completed an internship at WBNS10TV in Columbus, Ohio in their production and operations departments. Robert was in studio, control room, engineering, and remote microwave trucks. He received academic credit from Ohio University for his completion of the program at WBNS.

Robert has since started his own company. proVanceTek has continued to grow, though briefly based in North Carolina, in Central Ohio and maintains a geographically diverse base of customers. However, Robert and his company are always looking to meet new people involved in theatre, video production, broadcast engineering, web design, and IT support.

This weekend we visited USITT Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

What is USITT you might ask? Most audiences at a performance don’t stop to consider everything it takes to get to that point. The performance is just the tip of the entertainment iceberg. So much creativity and hard work go into scenes, lighting, costumes, sound, make-up, stage managing, and the performance area itself not to mention keeping everyone safe. It is the design, production, and technology professionals in the performing arts and entertainment industry that the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) has served since 1960. USITT provides an environment for these professionals to connect, create, share, and communicate their craft.

What specifically is the Annual Conference you may wonder? It's the combination of professional, university educators and students, secondary educators, and even novice theatre technicians who come to learn about the latest technical theatre trends from theatrical vendors - who bring the latest and greatest technology - and presenters - who have seminars covering management, lighting, sound, costuming, state makeup, etc.

USITT's 49th Annual Conference & Stage Expo held in Cincinnati was a huge success with record attendance. The 2010 Annual Conference will be held in Kansas City, Missouri and in 2011 it will be in Charlotte, North Carolina.