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March 25, 2008/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Marla Carpenter, 336-770-3337, carpem@ncarts.edu THREE FROM THE NCSA SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND PRODUCTION RECEIVE NATIONAL AWARDS AT CONFERENCE Ittoop Named 2008 Rising Star; Miller and Paisley Receive Two of 10 YD&T Awards
WINSTON-SALEM – Two alumni and one student at the North Carolina School of the Arts were recognized this past weekend at the 2008 U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Annual Conference and Stage Expo in Houston. All three studied or study in the School of Design and Production at NCSA. Elisheba Ittoop, a free-lance sound designer and NCSA D&P alumna, received the 2008 USITT Rising Star Award. This is a national award given to one person per year. Ittoop graduated in 2007 with a Master of Fine Arts from NCSA, where she studied sound design in the School of Design and Production. She is from Cary, N.C. In addition, an alumnus and a student from the School of Design and Production at the North Carolina School of the Arts received two of 10 USITT Awards for Young Designers & Technicians (YD&T) in the Performing Arts. Rick Miller received the KM Fabrics, Inc. Technical Production Award, and Kaylan Paisley received the USITT Makeup Design Award sponsored by Kryolan. The YD&T recipients were selected after an adjudication process that included jury members drawn from USITT's ranks and representatives of the individuals and companies who sponsor the awards. Miller graduated in 2007 with a Master of Fine Arts from NCSA, where he studied technical direction in the School of Design and Production. From Texas, he is currently technical director and professor of technical production for the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Alabama. Paisley is a college senior in the School of Design and Production, where she is studying wig and makeup design. She is from Nebraska. "USITT is the world's largest association of entertainment design and technology professionals,” said School of Design and Production Dean Joseph P. Tilford. “The fact that so many of our students have been honored by selection to a small group of the very best young professionals is an indication of the world-class strength of training we enjoy here, and an indication of the high aspirations we have for the future of our programs. I am very proud of Elisheba, Kaylan and Rick. Their talent and hard work have earned them the prestige of these awards."	Elisheba Ittoop at work at the Ravinia Festival Kaylan Paisley design
The Rising Star Award is sponsored by LDI2008 and Live Design magazine. The award recognizes excellence and artistic achievement in the areas of scenic, lighting, sound, and projection design, or the convergence of these design disciplines. This is the fourth year the Rising Star Award has been presented. Only those at the beginning of their design careers are considered. The winners must be in the first four years of professional (non-academic) work following the completion of their highest degree. "We are very impressed with Elisheba Ittoop's resume, as well as her unique focus on the niche world of children's theatre," David Johnson, associate publisher and editorial director of Live Design, told USITT’s Sightlines publication. “In keeping with the strong sound component of this year's USITT, with tributes to Abe Jacob and Helen and John Meyer, it seems fitting that this year's Rising Star winner is a young sound designer." In nominating Ittoop, David Smith, director of the sound design program at the North Carolina School of the Arts, said, "She has quickly made a success of what is traditionally such a precarious position straight out of school. Not only has she picked up designs, she has also, more importantly, been asked back to design additional and future shows." Since graduation, Ittoop has done sound design for Children's Theatre of Charlotte (The Christmas Doll), Burning Coal Theatre (The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer), Justice Theatre Project (Grapes of Wrath), and others. At NCSA, she mixed the sound for the all-School production of West Side Story at the Roger L. Stevens Center in Winston-Salem as well as the touring production at Chicago's Ravina Festival. Ittoop is also interviewed in the March issue of Live Design magazine: http://livedesignonline.com/mag/usitt_rising_star_2/ The KM Fabrics, Inc. Technical Production Award is awarded to a young designer or technician who has demonstrated excellence or outstanding potential in the area of technical direction or production management in the performing arts while pursuing a graduate degree. Established in 1994 by Richard K. Heusel, CEO and founder of USITT Contributing Member KM Fabrics, Inc. of Greenville, S.C., KM Fabrics, Inc. is the major manufacturer of woven cotton and inherently flame retardant velours employed in the stage curtain industry. NCSA School of Design and Production faculty member Henry Grillo nominated Rick Miller. Michael O'Nele, technical director at the University of Memphis, noted Miller's “excellent carpentry skills” in his evaluation. The USITT Makeup Design Award sponsored by Kryolan Corporation is awarded to a young designer or technician who has demonstrated excellence or outstanding potential in the area of makeup design in the performing arts while pursuing a graduate degree. It was established in 1998 by USITT Contributing Member Kryolan Corporation of Germany. With plants and subsidiaries throughout the world, Kryolan offers professional makeup designers a system of products and services to help them cope with the tasks of their work through innovative products and education in the proper application of these many products. NCSA School of Design and Production faculty member Michael Meyer, director of the wig and makeup program, nominated Kaylan Paisley, who was noted as being a “great designer and team worker as well as a self-starter.” The Makeup Design Award for 2007 was also won by an NCSA alumna: Jillian Carter Rivers. In addition to a cash prize, award winners received complimentary USITT conference registration and had opportunities to meet and discuss their work with the award sponsors and adjudicators at the conference. In addition to the honors listed above, a team of students from the NCSA School of Design and Production also won first place at the Tech Olympics at the Houston conference, as well as several individual events. Tech Olympics offers students the opportunity to display their skills of stagecraft, lighting and costume, competing individually and in teams. The first, second, and third place individual winners of each event receive award certificates. The winning team takes possession of the traveling trophy. USITT is the association of design, production, and technology professionals in the performing arts and entertainment industry. The organization’s membership spans the United States, Canada, and 40 other countries. The association’s conference draws more than 4,000 professionals from all over the world each year. ###
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March 25, 2008/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marla Carpenter, 336-770-3337, carpem@ncarts.edu

THREE FROM THE NCSA SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND PRODUCTION RECEIVE NATIONAL AWARDS AT CONFERENCE

Ittoop Named 2008 Rising Star;
Miller and Paisley Receive Two of 10 YD&T Awards

WINSTON-SALEM – Two alumni and one student at the North Carolina School of the Arts were recognized this past weekend at the 2008 U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Annual Conference and Stage Expo in Houston. All three studied or study in the School of Design and Production at NCSA.

Elisheba Ittoop, a free-lance sound designer and NCSA D&P alumna, received the 2008 USITT Rising Star Award. This is a national award given to one person per year. Ittoop graduated in 2007 with a Master of Fine Arts from NCSA, where she studied sound design in the School of Design and Production. She is from Cary, N.C.

In addition, an alumnus and a student from the School of Design and Production at the North Carolina School of the Arts received two of 10 USITT Awards for Young Designers & Technicians (YD&T) in the Performing Arts. Rick Miller received the KM Fabrics, Inc. Technical Production Award, and Kaylan Paisley received the USITT Makeup Design Award sponsored by Kryolan. The YD&T recipients were selected after an adjudication process that included jury members drawn from USITT's ranks and representatives of the individuals and companies who sponsor the awards.

Miller graduated in 2007 with a Master of Fine Arts from NCSA, where he studied technical direction in the School of Design and Production. From Texas, he is currently technical director and professor of technical production for the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Alabama. Paisley is a college senior in the School of Design and Production, where she is studying wig and makeup design. She is from Nebraska.

"USITT is the world's largest association of entertainment design and technology professionals,” said School of Design and Production Dean Joseph P. Tilford. “The fact that so many of our students have been honored by selection to a small group of the very best young professionals is an indication of the world-class strength of training we enjoy here, and an indication of the high aspirations we have for the future of our programs. I am very proud of Elisheba, Kaylan and Rick. Their talent and hard work have earned them the prestige of these awards."

Elisheba Ittoop at work at the Ravinia Festival

Kaylan Paisley design

The Rising Star Award is sponsored by LDI2008 and Live Design magazine. The award recognizes excellence and artistic achievement in the areas of scenic, lighting, sound, and projection design, or the convergence of these design disciplines. This is the fourth year the Rising Star Award has been presented. Only those at the beginning of their design careers are considered. The winners must be in the first four years of professional (non-academic) work following the completion of their highest degree.

"We are very impressed with Elisheba Ittoop's resume, as well as her unique focus on the niche world of children's theatre," David Johnson, associate publisher and editorial director of Live Design, told USITT’s Sightlines publication. “In keeping with the strong sound component of this year's USITT, with tributes to Abe Jacob and Helen and John Meyer, it seems fitting that this year's Rising Star winner is a young sound designer."

In nominating Ittoop, David Smith, director of the sound design program at the North Carolina School of the Arts, said, "She has quickly made a success of what is traditionally such a precarious position straight out of school. Not only has she picked up designs, she has also, more importantly, been asked back to design additional and future shows."

Since graduation, Ittoop has done sound design for Children's Theatre of Charlotte (The Christmas Doll), Burning Coal Theatre (The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer), Justice Theatre Project (Grapes of Wrath), and others. At NCSA, she mixed the sound for the all-School production of West Side Story at the Roger L. Stevens Center in Winston-Salem as well as the touring production at Chicago's Ravina Festival.

Ittoop is also interviewed in the March issue of Live Design magazine: http://livedesignonline.com/mag/usitt_rising_star_2/

The KM Fabrics, Inc. Technical Production Award is awarded to a young designer or technician who has demonstrated excellence or outstanding potential in the area of technical direction or production management in the performing arts while pursuing a graduate degree. Established in 1994 by Richard K. Heusel, CEO and founder of USITT Contributing Member KM Fabrics, Inc. of Greenville, S.C., KM Fabrics, Inc. is the major manufacturer of woven cotton and inherently flame retardant velours employed in the stage curtain industry.

NCSA School of Design and Production faculty member Henry Grillo nominated Rick Miller. Michael O'Nele, technical director at the University of Memphis, noted Miller's “excellent carpentry skills” in his evaluation.

The USITT Makeup Design Award sponsored by Kryolan Corporation is awarded to a young designer or technician who has demonstrated excellence or outstanding potential in the area of makeup design in the performing arts while pursuing a graduate degree. It was established in 1998 by USITT Contributing Member Kryolan Corporation of Germany. With plants and subsidiaries throughout the world, Kryolan offers professional makeup designers a system of products and services to help them cope with the tasks of their work through innovative products and education in the proper application of these many products.

NCSA School of Design and Production faculty member Michael Meyer, director of the wig and makeup program, nominated Kaylan Paisley, who was noted as being a “great designer and team worker as well as a self-starter.”

The Makeup Design Award for 2007 was also won by an NCSA alumna: Jillian Carter Rivers.

In addition to a cash prize, award winners received complimentary USITT conference registration and had opportunities to meet and discuss their work with the award sponsors and adjudicators at the conference.

In addition to the honors listed above, a team of students from the NCSA School of Design and Production also won first place at the Tech Olympics at the Houston conference, as well as several individual events. Tech Olympics offers students the opportunity to display their skills of stagecraft, lighting and costume, competing individually and in teams. The first, second, and third place individual winners of each event receive award certificates. The winning team takes possession of the traveling trophy.

USITT is the association of design, production, and technology professionals in the performing arts and entertainment industry. The organization’s membership spans the United States, Canada, and 40 other countries. The association’s conference draws more than 4,000 professionals from all over the world each year.

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