Description
Chico State Technical Theatre would like to make it possible to provide professional development experiences for our students. Among those experiences, we are planning to take a group of high-achieving theater craft-oriented students to the United States Institute of Technical Theatre (USITT) conference in Longbeach, California from March 18th-21st. We are currently fundraising to provide our students with essential financial assistance to make attendance possible. Chico State Technical Theatre has made a special commitment to equity and inclusion. To this purpose, we endeavor to make these experiences financially possible for all of our students, regardless of their financial backgrounds.
How will donations be used?
The money fundraised through Chico State Giving Day will go to help offset the cost for our Technical Theatre Students to attend USITT 2026 in Longbeach, California next year!
$50- A hotel night for one student
$250- Housing for one student for the whole conference
$300- USITT conference fees for one student
$200- Each student's transportation costs
$1,500- A student's full conference cost
How has USITT impacted our students?
In one student’s reflection of the trip, she stated “I was astounded by the diversity of speakers at the conference. I was happy to have access to all this knowledge from people around the country! ... I was very happy to learn how much I could do with the Stage Management knowledge I have gained at Chico State this past year. … [USITT] has really empowered me to keep going. The repetitive nature of school can get draining, so being able to explore future opportunities really emboldens me moving forward.” When another student was asked about the experience they said “I went to USITT to try and hopefully find a job since I will be graduating this May. However, I met with a few recruiters from Grad Schools and decided to fully commit to getting my MFA. I am currently in talks with a Grad School about receiving a full ride […]and it is all thanks to USITT”.
Why are donations necessary?
Every dollar donated makes a difference in our students lives! All funds donated go directly to help the students cover the costs of attending conferences and similar educational opportunities. The USITT conference holds immense importance to the technical theatre community, and we want our students to participate in order to gain a competitive edge in their chosen industry. It is imperative for them to be a part of these firsthand experiences where technical theater professionals gather. Attendees have unique opportunities to network with peers and professionals while seeing many other theatrical career paths they may not have been aware of outside of this conference. In addition to professional companies and graduate schools conducting interviews, it is a collaborative space for innovative research to be presented, where our students will be at the forefront learning and gaining insight.