(From The Brock News, Friday, August 24, 2018 | By: Sarah Moore)
Professionals from the theatre community descended on the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) last week for the 28th annual CITT/ICTS Rendez-vous Annual Conference.
Attendees from across North America took part in three days of sessions, workshops, backstage tours and a trade show from Aug. 15 to 18, using the unique facilities of the Walker School and nearby Meridian Centre.
Wendy Waszut-Barrett, President of Historic Stage Services in Minnesota, left, and Jenny Knott, Paint Product Manager of Rosco Laboratories in Connecticut, hosted a foliage painting workshop as part of the CITT/ICTS Rendez-vous Annual Conference at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, August 15 to 18.
This is the first time the bilingual conference has come to St. Catharines, and organizers said the School was the “perfect locale” to serve as the host venue.
“It was a pleasure to be at the MIWSFPA for our annual Rendez-vous conference in the vibrant and beautiful city of St. Catharines,” said conference Acting President Michael Harris. “The beautiful facilities exceeded our expectations.”
The school’s lecture rooms played host to courses for theatre technicians on pyrotechnics, lighting and sound techniques, and the campus scenography studio housed several workshops on foliage painting techniques.
Wendy Waszut-Barrett, President of Historic Stage Services in Minnesota, and Jenny Knott, Paint Product Manager of Rosco Laboratories in Connecticut, said the studio offered the ideal place to teach the ins and outs of painting stage backdrops.
“The Marylin I. Walker scene shop was delightful, spacious and well-lit; it is the perfect place to paint,” Waszut-Barrett said. “Thank you to the faculty and staff at Brock University who made this possible.”
Elizabeth Vlossak, Director of the MIWSFPA, said that hosting professional colleagues for conferences such as the CITT/ICTS Rendez-vous is an important part of the School’s mandate to be a strong community partner.
“We were pleased to welcome our theatre technology colleagues to the School this week as they further honed their craft,” she said. “We are always pleased to share our space with others in related industries and showcase future career opportunities to our students studying similar concepts and techniques.”