Joe Aldridge, an associate professor of theatre and chair of UNLV's theatre department, has been named the October recipient of the Alumni Faculty Award for Excellence in Academics and Student Focus.
A member of the UNLV faculty since 1989, Aldridge has designed lighting for more than 15 theater or dance events at UNLV, the Community College of Southern Nevada, and New West Theatre. He has also designed lighting and scenery for several years for local conventions.
He has taught a wide variety of theater courses at UNLV, including stagecraft, lighting design, and metalworking for the theater. Aldridge has presented eight papers at conferences on such topics as theatrical firearm safety, utilizing local resources, intergenerational casting, and scenery construction techniques.
Aldridge has served on numerous committees on campus, including many Faculty Senate and Graduate College committees. He organizes and hosts workshops on rigging and high-angle rescue in the theater.
He also serves as a member of the board of directors for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology and as a theater consultant for the Nevada State Council for the Arts.
Aldridge holds a master's degree from UNLV and a bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University.
The UNLV alumni award is also given out in February, March, April, September, and November. This semester's recipients will be honored at the alumni leadership luncheon Nov. 3.
