Brady Alumbaugh
Major: Theatre Design and Production
Minors: Spanish, Computer and Information Technology
Hello! My name is Brady Alumbaugh and I am from Pendleton, Indiana. I am majoring in Theatre Design and Production with minors in Spanish and Computer and Information Technology.
The story of me selecting a major is an interesting one! When I was in second grade, I saw a performance of Peter Pan and I knew then I wanted to work in theatre and live entertainment. Back then, I wasn’t sure exactly what within live entertainment I wanted to do, but I knew it would be something technology-related.
In high school, I took a liking to lighting design and technology. After my freshman year of high school, I began part-time work at a lighting and production management company located near my hometown. It was then I removed any doubt I had of studying technical theatre and pursuing it as a career. Fast forward to present day and I have been a full-time employee for the company for over two years. At this point, I plan to continue working for this company when I graduate.
That leads me to why I chose Purdue. When I looked at other colleges I had an interest in attending, none of them quite had the technology like Purdue. It was amazing to be on campus, where I could literally feel the influence of technology across all aspects of campus.
That directly ties into my absolute favorite aspect of Purdue: the interdisciplinary nature of my program! I can, and have, taken courses in computer programming and architecture, electrical engineering, and database management. These courses were “designed” for students in computer science and engineering, but I can take the concepts and principles taught in these courses and directly tie them to my major and area of interest!
Currently, I am working on building a scale model of an amusement park ride controlled via DC motors with flashing lights, sounds, and safety mechanisms that all connect back to a Raspberry Pi. Some other fun projects I am working on include building a database software for assistant lighting designers to keep track of notes, cues, and calling follow spots and building a scale model of a performer flying system to fly people on the stage (like in Peter Pan!) complete with DC motors and a programming and cueing interface. The Purdue environment directly fosters a creative and supportive atmosphere to create projects like these!
I am also highly involved on campus; I am active in Purdue Theatre, Alpha Psi Omega (the theatre honor society), the College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Ambassador program, and am vice president and founding member of SCUBA Club of Purdue. All of these activities keep me busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! The connections and networking I am exposed to in these activities is highly valuable to me, not to mention all the friends I have made and continue to make.