Download the Minutes
Minutes of Meeting in Amsterdam, The Netherlands April 23-26, 1998
1. Welcome from Louis Janssen and Rudolf Kück, Vice-Presidents of the Commission.
Regrets from Chairman Bill Graham whose leg is injured.
2. Introduction of the delegates:
Austria: Bruno Groesel; Belgium: Ivo Kersmaekers; Canada: John Mayberry;
Cuba: Jose Antoino Prades Hung; Czech Republic: Stanislav Hrdlicka; Denmark: Gorm Friborg;
Estonia: Sirli Bergstrom; Finland: Keijo Koli, Timo Tuovila; France: Jean-Pierre Decaudin;
Germany: Rudolf Kück; Hungary: Sandor Böröcz; The Netherlands: Paul Anderssen, Frans van Heiningen, Louis Janssen;
Poland: Andrzej Sosnowski; Sweden: Erik Westerlund; United Kingdom: Steve Green;
USA: Jonathan Darling, David Ramsey; Yugoslavia: Miomir Mijic;
3. There were no comments on the minutes from the Graz meeting.
4. Delegates introduce theatre technology issues in their countries.
- Stage machinery standards in Austria
- Training programs for new equipment in Finland
- The need for theatre expertise in Estonia
5. Review of the Commission's agenda and schedules for the meetings.
6. Louis Janssen discusses the wireless frequency regulations in various countries.
- subcommittee of Jonathan Darling (USA) and Miomir Mijic (Yugoslavia) appointed to continue compilation of national regulations for the use of wireless microphones.
7. Louis Janssen discusses the Theatre Atlas Project.
- Presentation of the Theatre Atlas data format.
- Timo Tuovila (Finland) will revise the atlas data format and mail to members to fill it with content.
8. Uses of the Internet for theatre technology.
- Louis Janssen explains the OISTAT website.
- Erik Westerlund (Sweden) and Gorm Friborg (Denmark) will serve as Technology Commission Web Coordinators.
9. Louis Janssen discusses Technology Commission Procedures.
- Education Commission Guidelines were distributed as an example for our Commission.
- An upcoming publication will list member's names, OISTAT Center contacts, and Commission procedures.
- Louis Janssen (Netherlands) and John Mayberry (Canada) will gather comments and make recommendations at Sunday's meeting.
- The selection process for Vice-Presidents needs to be specified.
- Specify that meeting sites should include points of technical interest.
- Specify that meetings will be held in English with translation to the host language (if required).
- Revise area descriptions for Vice-Presidents.
- Discussion of Mission Statement.
- Include safe working standards.
- Include training issues.
- Include dissemination of information.
- Include working on standards.
- Louis Janssen (Netherlands) and John Mayberry (Canada) will revise the Education Commission document to reflect the discussion and circulate the draft revision to Commission members for comment.
10. Jose Antonio Prades Hung (Cuba) made a presentation about the Cuban Theatre Organization.
He also invited Commission members to attend a theatre conference in Cuba in October 1998.
11. Mrs. Bergstrom (Estonia) presented the status of theatre renovations in Talin and invited members to visit their theatre.
12. Louis Janssen (Netherlands) announced that the leadership of the Technology Commission will be elected next year and he reviewed the election process.
13. Timo Tuovila (Finland) announced that in August 1999 there would be a meeting of Finnish theatre technicians which would include seminars and equipment displays.
There will also be at this time the European Theatre Convention, "A Quality Approach To Safe Theatre Production".
Keijo Koli (Finland) latter announced that the OISTAT Technology Commission was invited to come to Finland during these events for it's 1999 meeting.
14. There was a discussion on how to proceed on the subject of standards for stage equipment.
- Bruno Groesel (Austria) and Timo Tuovila (Finland) will work on the initial collection of standards information for the Commission.
15. There are no firm commitments for the Technology Commission meeting in 2000, but Hungary is interested due to the reopening of their national theatre.
16. There was a discussion of Technology Commission programming at the 1999 PQ.
- The programming will be part of OISTAT's side program.
- Timo Tuovila (Finland) suggested a charrette such as USITT mounted in Pittsburgh to bring technicians and architects together. This will be suggested to the Architecture Commission.
- The shops of the Czech Republic's National Theatre may be open for workshops.
- A charrette was suggested where technology students would be presented with a technical problem to solve.
- Mrs. Bergstrom (Estonia) and Stanislav Hrdlicka (Czech Republic) will coordinate the Technology Charrette.
- Ivo Kersmaekers (Belgium) suggests a workshop on specialty props construction. He has a contact who could provide such a workshop.
- Louis Janssen will coordinate the schedules of Technology Commission members who will be attending the PQ. - A projections workshop was suggested. It will be coordinated by Franz Von Heiningen (Netherlands).
- A CAD workshop might also be successful. Perhaps CAD for touring productions would be a good topic. Erik Westerlund will coordinate this.
Minutes Recorded and Compiled by Jonathan Darling (USA).
