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Ali Srour ’21: Travel grant allows student to present at regional festival

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Posted on Tuesday, February 4, 2020

A Drinko Center Travel Grant permitted junior theatre major Ali Srour to travel to the University of Maryland to present his research at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in January 2020.

Srour presented the research and design work that he completed for the lighting in Theatre Westminster’s 2019 production of Hamlet, titled “Design-Tech-Management: Hamlet Light Design.”

Srour’s presentation was well received by professionals and the festival presented him with the Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas Award. The award is annually given to students who exemplify the ideals of those who work in live entertainment technology.

“They were impressed by my ability to work the lights while acting in the show. They also liked my choice to present this research instead of my newer work, because I felt like Hamlet offered me a better learning experience to talk about,” Srour said.

He also gained helpful feedback from presenting his research and talking with professionals. Specifically, Srour learned to focus more on the background of his design choices and to more clearly communicate his intentions to others.

Srour attended the KCACTF region two festival, which hosted colleges from Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, New Jersey, western New York, northern Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Srour conducted his research under the mentorship of Christopher Strangfeld, performing arts technical director.