USITT this year was simply better than ever. Vast numbers of passionate and enthusiastic young people reminded me strongly that theatre is not yet dead! A great conference with the highest attendance yet.

On behalf of the Fellows, I was producer of the new-style “Opening Night — Bridge to Innovation” that sought a renewed emphasis on networking, bridging the gap between student, young professional members, and USITT. It seemed to work, with an audience enthusiastic response.

I was honored to be given the 2013 GOLDEN PEN AWARD for my book A THEATRE PROJECT. We had a fun conversation about the book in a 90-minute session, and the next day’s book-signing, sold out! Thank you USITT.

Finally with Robert Bell and Eric Cornwell, we had a stimulating session on Virtual Magic Sheet, LightWright and iPads, exploring the future of software specifically created for the lighting designer. We announced the new open source initiative www.vmsproject.org that seeks to bring LD’s and software engineers together to further the art.