The USITT Ken Vannice Electrical Workshop is heading to Indianapolis this fall. It will take place on October 24, 2022 at Newfields: A Place for Nature & the Arts – Indianapolis Museum of Art from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT. This Electrical Workshop will be held concurrently with USITT’s Glerum Rigging Masterclass.
Vannice was a USITT Fellow, board member, committee member, and member of the Institute beginning in the early 1960s. He was active in codes and standards work through the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) as well as USITT. Vannice was also active in establishing a certification program for entertainment electricians through the Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP).
Vannice died Jan. 15, 2018 from cancer complications. This workshop extends the legacy of Vannice, whose career was devoted to proper electrical education and training. It is designed to give participants a deeper understanding of the hazards and consequences of working with electricity in the entertainment industry.
Register for USITT’s Ken Vannice Electrical Workshop
Instructor:
Mitch Hefter – Mitch Hefter has been working in lighting controls for over 40 years. He has played a major role in setting entertainment technology standards, promoting electrical safety and developing certification for entertainment industry electricians, and is an ETCP Certified Entertainment Electrician and Recognized Trainer. Mitch was instrumental in the development of USITT DMX512. He is a founding member of the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) Technical Standards Program (ANSI E1) and co-chairs the Electrical Power Working Group. Mitch has worked on updates to the National Electrical Code since 1981, representing the Illuminating Engineering Society on Code Panel 15 since 1997, and was appointed the USITT Alternate on Code Panel 13 in 2022. He is chair of the IES Lighting Controls Committee and worked on several IES documents including IES LP-6, IES RP-42, and IES LP-16. Mitch has presented at LightFair, LDI, USITT, and at IES chapters on several topics, including Emergency Lighting Control. Mitch is also a Fellow of the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology, a recipient of the USITT Founders Award in 1993, and was awarded Honorary Lifetime Membership in 2014. Mitch is a Senior Systems Engineer with Signify and works on multiple types of lighting control systems.
