Travis DeCastro, School of Theatre associate director for production and head of the stage management program, has been named a United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Fellow.
DeCastro became a member of the Institute in 1993 when he attended the organization’s annual conference. During his 25 years of membership, he has sat on several committees, acted as mentor for members and served as the Institute’s treasurer.
USITT is a national organization of managers, designers, and technicians formed in 1960 to promote dialogue, research and learning among practitioners in theatre design and technology. For almost 60 years, the organization has functioned as a connection point for industry professionals and during that time, just more than 100 other USITT members have been honored with the title of Fellow.
“It is an honor given to individuals who have contributed over a lifetime to the benefit of the institute and I’m extremely excited to be recognized for my 25 years of service to the institute,” DeCastro said.
DeCastro joined the Penn State faculty in 1991 and four years later, under his direction and development, the University offered one of the first four-year stage management degree programs in the country. The program, which accepts about five students each year, has become a perennial producer of stage management professionals that will steer the future of the industry.
“The institute has been great for me in terms of my own promotion and tenure process, but it has also offered opportunities to present my research, which helped to grow a program that turns out stage managers of high quality on a regular basis,” DeCastro said. “And we’re going to continue to improve it, bring in better guest artists, create better connections in the city and continue to develop the alumni network that builds upon the success of a program that creates opportunities for the next generation of stage managers.
For more information on USITT, visit http://www.usitt.org.