Sarah Salmi of Chandler was among the Mesa Community College Theatre and Film Arts students who earned the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology Director’s Award during the organization’s conference in March.

MCC Director of Performing Arts Facilities Chris Tubilewicz served as faculty advisor for the seven-person MCC team that included Salmi.

The MCC squad is the first team from a 2-year program to participate in the ASTC-USITT Venue Renovation Challenge. They competed against teams from Oberlin College, the University of Oklahoma and The Ohio State University.

The MCC team developed a concept to transform an existing cineplex into Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Center Performance Venue. The nonprofit organization was in need of a performance venue to host existing programming.

The team incorporated visual aesthetics from Cooper’s live shows into the interior design and layout of the building.
For the Challenge, participants representing a variety of academic backgrounds including theatre, architecture and engineering, work together to envision the renovation of an existing theatre space or adaptation of an existing building for performing arts programming.

The teams are guided by faculty advisors and ASTC mentors, and presentations are judged by five ASTC members.

Students presented their design with materials including research of existing conditions and user-groups’ needs, sketches and renderings showing their design process, proposed plans and sections, and interior and exterior finishes.

Howard Glickman, ASTC Chair of Outreach and Education, praised each of the teams for delivering thorough, professional-quality presentations.

USITT Education and Training Coordinator Andrea Ball presented the $1,000 USITT Director’s Award for showing special merit during a ceremony on March 7 in Columbus, Ohio.

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