#usitt

The USITT and ESTA Terminology Work Groups are gathering suggestions about problematic racist, sexist, genderist, and other exclusionary language in our industry as well as suggestions to replace those terms.

The group's endeavor is to identify any terminology that is linguistically rooted in or suggestive of oppression or exclusion and supplant it with more inclusive and accurate language. As part of this initiative, a Terminology Work Group has been assembled that is compiling a list of exclusionary terms and suggested alternatives with the goal of creating a language guide applicable to our entire industry. You can review the working list at http://docs.google.com/.../1IuGYHziYPpDZJ9mgJScyC.../edit....

In the spirit of inclusion, they'd like to hear from you about terms that have not yet been identified as well as suggestions for alternative language. You are invited to take the following survey, where you can submit terms and suggest appropriate alternatives at surveymonkey.com/r/7FFJQWR.

Because perspectives shift over time, it is understood that there may be a need to periodically reevaluate the use of metaphoric language. For this reason, the survey will remain open so the document can continue to be updated to reflect contemporary perspectives.

Conference fee? Paid.

Airbnb? Taken care of.

Hype? Real.

Sad Wuggles came home from USITT with me a few weeks ago and is now proudly displayed in his new home, my wall of polaroids.

I GOT A JOB OFFER

I INTERVIEWED FOR ANOTHER JOB THAT STARTS AFTER THAT ONE AND IM FEELING GOOD ABOUT IT

I DYED MY HAIR RED

I GOT A TATTOO

I GREW VERY CLOSE TO MY FRIENDS

I MOVE TO COLORADO IN SIX WEEKS

They clearly posted a meme about payment saying “for the costume designers hahahahahah!” to which I responded, “what about the costume technicians, who are underpaid AND forgotten?” and this bag of entitled man-flesh in a suit responded with “this is a volunteer organization, if they’re not serving your needs, you ought to join the commission and help change that.”

Oh buddy, no. 

First, my posted response to you: remembering costume technicians should not be a hard task for the UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF THEATER TECHNOLOGY. For god’s sake, we may not number a million and we may not get big awards (which, like, get me started on THAT some other day) but to “forget” we exist and continually lump us in as “costume designers” is like saying oh, every TD is also a paint charge. Just because they often work in the same space doesn’t frigging mean that they do the same thing. 

My second response to you, I would frigging LOVE to be on a commission. But do you know what that takes? Time and money. Back to that underpaid thing-I don’t currently get paid enough to go to USITT every year, as much as I want to. Why? Because for whatever reason, costume techs are valued less than costume designers. Most schools that I work at or could work at class me as staff, not as faculty, meaning automatically I make $20,000 less that I could be with my terminal degree. I clear my bills in a month and save money for my christmas plane ticket home and that’s pretty much it. 

Also, because I’m staff supporting an 8 show season, I open a new show literally every three weeks. Tell me when in there I’m supposed to “commission” for USITT? Is it on my weekends? Because half of those are work calls or show calls too, because see above, I don’t get paid enough and so I work IATSE dresser jobs when I get called for them to bring in a little extra money.