OISTAT celebrated its 50th anniversary on August 28 – September 2 at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff, Wales, UK.
Over 150 theatre-makers from over 25 countries around the world gathered at the campus of RWCMD to celebrate fifty－year of international knowledge and cultural exchange over the performance landscape.
The Linbury Gallery in RWCMD featured a graphic installation exhibition charting OISTAT’s fifty years’ history. People are encouraged to tag the faces of OISTAT people they know in historical photos.
Highlight included the keynote speech “A Touch on the Times” by Pamela Howard, the founder of Scenofest. She shared touching stories and her drawing of 7 theatre artists she had connected through OISTAT.
The“ Seven -Eleven Bar “ was recreated at the canteen of RWCMD. In WSD 2017 in Taipei, there is no bar near the accommodation. OISTAT people thus gathered every night in Seven-Eleven, the convenience store to have drinks and conversations. The Seven-Eleven Bar has become a symbol of OISTATness: we are fun and professional (and we know how to live like locals when we travel. )
We held two Global Community Exchange sessions on August 29 & 30. 19 presenters shared their own practice & OISTAT memories with 20 slides within total 400 seconds. Thank you for the presenters’ precious stories which touched the heart of each audience. (See the full list of presenter in Global Community Exchange)
The celebration also includes collaboration workshops led by international artists.
Including workshop “Cena#3 Intersections” led by scenographer and art director Aby Cohen, “Beyond the Horizon” by Japanese scenographer Kazue Hatano, “The Eye of the Storm” led by Theatr NaNog & Ian Evans & Sean Crowley, “Music as a Chariot” led by Richard K Thomas and “Heritage Theatre Techniques in Contemporary Scenography” led by Jerome Maeckelbergh.
Members are the core of OISTAT. It’s our pleasure to see so many new & old friends gathering at RWCMD to celebrate the 50th anniversary of OISTAT.
The Full List of the Symposium | Research & Practice
Sceno-grafika | A reflection on how the design of the exhibition catalogue can contribute to the imaginative presentation of scenic invention in graphic terms | A presentation by Greer Crawley.
Working with Theatre Designers to create Immersive exhibitions at the V&A “Opera” a case study | A presentation by Kate Bailey.
Sailors and Stagehands | A presentation by Peter McKinnon
'Scenography Expanded' | A presentation by Joslin McKinney and Scott Palmer. University of Leeds.
Significant women in OISTAT | Maija Pekkanen in conversation with Rosane Muniz, Simona Rybakova. Chaired by Sofia Pantouvaki
De Roma, An Acoustic Case Study | A presentation by @Ivo Kersmaekers
Plays and Play Places | A presentation by Peter McKinnon
The Theatres of Latin America project | A presentation by Jose Luis Ferrera and Claudia Suárez
“Off-Off Broadway Theatre Phenomenon – Surviving in a new paradigm” | A presentation By Nic Ularu, Head of MFA Design Program, University of South Carolina
Innovative Costume | A presentation by Igor Roussanoff
Absent Voices in Stage Image and Performance Design Theory | A presentation by Carl H. Walling.
Portfolios: Yes or No? A Critical Examination of the Use of Portfolios as an Employment Tool in both Local & Global Settings | A presentation by Pavlína Šulcová, Marketa Fantova & Brad Caleb Lee
Presenting the work of Paul Brown | Kate Burnett and Jonathan Hamilton
Encounters through OISTAT and the advancement of teaching and research in costume design | A presentation by Donatella Barbieri
100 years of painted backdrops – the rediscovery of a forgotten stock" | A presentation by Ivo Kersmaekers.
