Ken Kimura will head up DPA’s new office in Hong Kong.

DPA Microphones has opened a new office in Hong Kong. The office will be headed by Ken Kimura, DPA’s Asia and Pacific general manager. The move comes after a record year of sales for DPA in the region. DPA plans to supplement its existing team in Hong Kong with new sales staff and is interested in hearing from any suitable candidates. For more information, please contact Ken Kimura at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Sharidan Giles, 1957-2013

Sharidan Giles, a pioneering production manager and technical director, died Friday, April 26 in Kissimmee, Fla., after a brief illness. Giles was one of the first women admitted in IATSE Local #50 in Sacramento, Calif., in the early ‘80s. Once she joined she quickly left her mark, taking on the position of training chairman, and developing the standardized tests which the Local still uses to test apprentices before they achieve journeyman and full union membership. She was a mentor to countless technicians through the years, and made it a point to help women understand how the union worked and how to become a part of it. Giles served as a stage manager for the Sacramento Symphony from 1986 – 1992 and the production manager/technical director for Chico City Light Opera from 1992-1995. In 1995, she relocated to Orlando, Fla., where she worked at Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts as an entertainment manager for stage and fireworks shows for the past 18 years. iTheatrics, an educational theatre consultancy firm, has established an annual Sharidan Giles Technical Theatre Award Scholarship in her honor. The annual award, the first of which will be awarded in January, 2014 at the Junior Theatre Festival, will be given to the technical theatre student who “most exemplifies commitment, curiosity, collaboration and creativity in technical theatre” and includes a cash award as well as mentorship sessions from a technical theatre professional.

Pictured Left to Right: James A. Wilson, runner-up Pablo Lopez, Kenny Leon, overall winner Thembisile Gxuluwe, Brandon J. Dirden, third-place winner Branndin Phillips-Laramore, Crystal A. Dickinson, and Pauletta Washington. Photo credit: Gustavo Munroy/AWMC.

Congratulations to Thembisile Gxuluwe of the West Mifflin Area High School! Gxuluwe took home top honors in the fifth annual August Wilson Monologue Competition Monday, May 6. Pablo Lopez from L.A. was runner up, and Branndin Phillips-Laramore from Chicago won honorable mention. Gxuluwe won $1500, while Lopez and Phillips-Laramore won $750 and $500, respectively. All finalists received a copy of TCG’s Century Cycle collection. The competition featured high schoolers from across the country performing monologues from August Wilson’s works in front of celebrity judges at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre on 52d St.

The Theatre Resources Directory is always available online at trd.stage-directions.com

Stage Directions, in anticipation of its annual Theatre Resources Directory issue, has expanded the Directory online. In addition to its Theatrical Retailers and Suppliers section—which will be part of the printed version of the Directory for the first time this July—another new category will be included: Stage Automation. Any company that provides stage automation services or gear, including everything from hydraulic lifts and pumps, to turntables, winches, and computerized control packages—even those who build automated sets—now has their own category in the Directory.

Jake Tickle, new director of technical services at Bandit Lites

Bandit Lites has promoted Jake Tickle to the position of director of technical services. In his new role, Tickle will be responsible for all technical aspects of Bandit including support for road staff, research and development, training and repairs. Tickle joined Bandit Lites in 2006 and was promoted to tech service manager in 2007.

Michael Hollomon has guided more than 1,100 students to Dallas Theater Center as part of their Project Discovery program

The Dallas Theater Center has named Michael Hollomon as its 2012-2013 Project Discovery Distinguished Educator of the Year. Hollomon is the Director of Theater at R.L. Turner High School, and has brought more than 1,100 students to the Dallas Theatre Center through his work with their Project Discovery program. Now in its 26^th year, DTC’s Project Discovery program provides transportation, a pre-show workshop and tickets (approximately 1,000 this year) to its productions to area high school students at no cost to the student or the school.

Masque Sound supplied a DiGiCo SD7, wireless mics, speakers and more for the Broadway revival of Pippin.

Jonathan Deans and Garth Helm were stepping into big shoes when they signed on to design sound for the Broadway revival of Pippin. The original sound design was handled by the legendary Abe Jacob, and Deans and Helm wanted their work to live up to its standards. They pulled in Masque Sound, and Gary Stocker there helped select the gear for the show, which includes a DiGiCo SD7 at front of house, Sennheiser wireless mic packs and d&b speakers in the house.

The New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Fellowship supports six playwrights in its 2013/2014 cohort.

The New York Theatre Workshop has expanded their Emerging Artists of Color Fellowship. The new fellowship, the 2050 Fellowship Program, is designed to “support a wider range of artists of varied backgrounds and aesthetics” and includes artists of all backgrounds whose work imagines the national cultural identity in 2050. The Fellows will attend retreats, participate in developmental readings and feedback sessions, be granted rehearsal space, office facilities, office equipment and mentoring. They will also receive an unspecified stipend. The six 2050 fellows are: Hilary Bettis, Lileana Blain-Cruz, (Mashuq) Deen, Reginald L. Douglas, Will Davis, And Michel Hausmann.

Stage Technologies will train people in their automation hardware and software during USITT’s Elite Training Weekend

Stage Technologies will supply a hands-on automation course as part of the 2013 USITT Elite Training Weekend in Las Vegas, which takes place May 9-11. The course will include an introduction to automation, instruction on how to operate and program Stage Technologies’ eChameleon software and a hands-on look at Stage Technologies winches and control systems. The training will take place at the Cirque du Soleil training facility, and each class is limited to eight students each.

City Theatrical will be hosting demos of several popular lighting software program Thursday, May 9.

Want to learn more about professional lighting software? Going to be in New York City Thursday, May 9? Then you’ll want to know about City Theatrical’s free Professional Lighting Software Demo Day on Thursday May 9 at New York City Center, 130 W. 56^th St. John McKernon will be demo’ing Lightwright 5, Andrew Voller will show off Moving Light Assistant and Kevin Linzey will demo Nemetschek Vectorworks. The event is free, but RSVP’s are required—email and phone numbers to contact are below.