UNITED STATES INSTITUTE FOR THEATRE TECHNOLOGY INC

aka USITT   |   Liverpool, NY   |  www.usitt.org

Mission

To actively promote the advancement of the knowledge and skills of its members and to facilitate communication among individuals and organizations engaged in all aspects of design and production in the performing arts.

Ruling year info

1967

Executive Direcotr

Mr. David Grindle

President

Mr. Dan Culhane

Main address

290 Elwood Davis Rd, Suite 100 USITT

Liverpool, NY 13088 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

13-6216921

NTEE code info

Professional Societies, Associations (A03)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2021, 2020 and 2019.
Register now

Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

USITT strives to provide life-long learning to individuals pursuing careers and avocations in the entertainment design and technology fields.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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.

Population(s) Served
Adults

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.

Population(s) Served
Students

250 learning sessions and 3 days of trade show

Population(s) Served
Adults

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.

Population(s) Served
Students

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.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Online education for professionals in design and technology

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Awards

Prudential Leadership Awards for Execptional Nonprofit Boards- Honorable Mention 2014

BoardSource

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

By providing education and training we seek to create a culture of safety and learning throughout all sectors of the live entertainment industry.

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.

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.

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    USITT serves the broad community of individuals who work behinds the scenes in entertainment design and technology. Our members work in the largest theatres in the country as well as the smallest community playhouses. They work in houses of worship, theme parks, museums, and corporate events. From the creative minds that envision the spaces to the creative hands that realize those visions, USITT serves a broad constituency that often goes unnoticed, but without whom, the show would not go on. We work to help individuals across the life-span of their career. Our members include students, professionals and retirees.

  • 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

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    Our members told us that the upfront cost of annual membership was a barrier. We worked with our member management system to create a new monthly subscription membership that allows a few dollars per month rather than a single investment per year. Member benefits remain the same for both monthly and annual payment members.

  • 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

  • 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

UNITED STATES INSTITUTE FOR THEATRE TECHNOLOGY INC
lock

Unlock financial insights by subscribing to our monthly plan.

Subscribe

Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our 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.

Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build 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.

lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build 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 directors
as of 06/30/2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 6/30/2021
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

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:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Decline to state
Disability status
Person with a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 06/16/2021

GuideStar 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

Data
  • 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.
Policies and processes
  • 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.