UNITED STATES INSTITUTE FOR THEATRE TECHNOLOGY INC
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
USITT strives to provide life-long learning to individuals pursuing careers and avocations in the entertainment design and technology fields.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
USITT Presents
Workshops educating professionals and students on all aspects of theatre design and technology.
Rigging Safety Intitative
This program funds inspections of rigging in auditoriums for k-12 schools, both public and private. In addition to the safety inspection, the school receives four hours of training for up to 6 persons on the safe operation of their specific system.
Annual Conference & Stage Expo
250 learning sessions and 3 days of trade show
Gateway Program
Gateway brings young people from under represented populations in our industry to the Annual Conference and pairs them with a mentor to help introduce them and open doors.
Glerum Rigging Masterclasses
These classes provide training for advanced rigging improving safety in our industry.
A second track provides entry level instruction for educators on theatre safety to improve safety in our academic theatres.
Innova
Online education for professionals in design and technology
Where we work
Awards
Prudential Leadership Awards for Execptional Nonprofit Boards- Honorable Mention 2014
BoardSource
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of classes offered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Artists and performers, Self-employed people, Students
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Classes are offered at the Annual Conference as well as throughout the year in multiple online training opportunities.
Number of conference attendees
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Academics, Artists and performers, Self-employed people
Related Program
Annual Conference & Stage Expo
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Conference attendance was lower due to there being an online only conference
Number of free participants in conferences
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Students, Adults, Artists and performers
Related Program
Annual Conference & Stage Expo
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Students are able to volunteer hours in exchange for conference admission. Additionally, there is no fee if you are accepted to Elite Training.
Number of affiliates speaking at conferences
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Academics, Artists and performers, Self-employed people
Related Program
Annual Conference & Stage Expo
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Training at all levels, entry through advanced, requires a large pool of speakers and trainers. USITT is pleased that we have a commitment from our industry to help achieve this mission.
Number of different periodicals published
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Artists and performers, Students
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
USITT produced 12 issues of Sightlines and 4 issues of Theatre Design & Technology, reaching 4,500 people in 25 nations each issue. We also publish a newsletter focused on our annual conference.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Volunteers include: Committee Service, Board Service, and speaking at educational programming.
Number of new donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of overall donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Donations increased as individuals donated their conference registration to USITT when COVID-19 resulted in the conference cancelling.
Number of first-time donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
By providing education and training we seek to create a culture of safety and learning throughout all sectors of the live entertainment industry.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
USITT seeks to achieve our training goals through the following programs:
The Annual Conference & Stage Expo features over 100 learning sessions in 4 days coupled with the only trade show open to all aspects of design and technology.
USITT Presents provides high quality training year-round in regional locations. Through the support of teaching sponsors this training is offered at affordable rates close to home.
The Rigging Safety Initiative provides safety inspections of secondary school theatres in the United States and four hours of safety training for their faculty and staff on their specific system.
Our online learning system provides live and recorded courses for individuals to take at their own pace and at times that are convenient.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
USITT is funded through membership and generous donors who believe in our missions of learning in the design & technology field. All endeavors are entered in to with a sound business plan for funding and resources.
We maintain an online system that gives people access to learning year-round, 24 hours per day.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
USITT is still limited by funding in providing inspections to all schools that apply for the Rigging Safety Initiative. It is our goal to fund 25 schools or more per year at a cost of $1,000 per school.
We continue to seek new, underserved markets for education and training and believe that we will always find need, we simply lack the resources to fulfill every possible need for learning in an ever evolving industry.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is hard to come up with good questions to ask people, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
UNITED STATES INSTITUTE FOR THEATRE TECHNOLOGY INC
Board of directorsas of 06/30/2021
Carolyn Satter
Retired
Term: 2021 - 2024
Daniel Culhane
Wenger
Kevin Rigdon
The Alley Theatre
Kasey Allee-Foreman
University of Oklahoma
Carolyn Satter
San Diego Civic Theatres
Paul Brunner
Indiana University
Kim Scott
Intrigue Shows
Rafael Jaen
University of Massachusetts- Boston
Tammy Honesty
Kent State University
David Stewart
Walt Disney Parks Live Entertainment
Tina Shackleford
Carnegie-Mellon University
Jim Streeter
Princeton University
Nicole Queenan
Walt Disney Parks Entertainment
Yolanda Williams
Jackson State University
Andrea Bilkey
Texas Tech
Deb Sherrer
Children's Theatre Minneapolis
Tony Hardin
University of Kentucky
Ashley Bellet
Purdue University
Kimb Williamson
Designer
Deanna Fitzgerald
University of Arizona
Cary Gillette
Baltimore Center Stage
Debra Krajec
Marquette University
Eric Rouse
Entertainment Rigging
Jerome Sheehan
San Diego State University
Bryan Huneycutt
Huneybadger Consulting
Annemarie Duggan
University of Pittsburgh
Autum Casey
Freelance Designer
Jennifer Jacobs
University of New Orleans
Kimberly Corbett-Oates
Shuler Shook
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 06/16/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.