The students enjoy an all expenses paid trip to the LDI trade show; backstage access to ETC's tradeshow stand; an insider's look at the latest technology; and the chance to network with industry professionals. ETC matches the Student Sponsorship recipients with industry luminaries who serve as mentors - giving advice, inspiration and support to the students as they embark on their careers.
This year's ETC LDI Student Sponsorship recipients:
Ryan Bona is a Master of Fine Arts candidate for theatrical lighting design at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia. He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2009, with a BA in theatre. In 2010, Bona was awarded a Wally Russell lighting internship at the Los Angeles Opera. He has designed for shows like The Missile Man of Peenemunde at studio/stage in Los Angeles, and Simple Magic and Wounded at the California Institute of the Arts.
Mike Farmer is a senior undergraduate at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, working on a Bachelor of Fine Arts in technical production, with an emphasis on lighting design.
Bryan 'B' Lussier is working toward a Master of Fine Arts in lighting design at the University of Florida and holds a BA in English, Elizabethan and Jacobean drama from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was lighting director at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 2007 to 2009.
Mary Montgomery is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in theatre design and technology from the University of Minnesota. She graduated from Minnesota's Winona State University in 2009, with a BA in theatre and dance.
Kong Qingyao is this year's international recipient of the ETC LDI student sponsorship, hailing from China. He is studying at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, working toward a Master of Fine Arts in lighting design and technology.
Ethan Steimel, currently a graduate student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Missouri State University in 2010.
(Jim Evans)
