CHICAGO — The future just got even brighter for students in The Theatre School at DePaul University thanks to a $1 million gift from Kristen E. Hansen.
Hansen, who served DePaul for more than 27 years in several staff positions before retiring in 2023, is giving back to the university by establishing the Christine A. Binder Endowed Scholarship in Lighting Design. The endowed fund provides recognition and tuition assistance to students enrolled in The Theatre School who are majoring in Lighting Design. Preference is given to students who belong to, and are committed to expanding, underrepresented populations in the performing arts.
“A core value of DePaul’s Catholic, Vincentian mission is serving others, and Kris exemplifies that quality,” DePaul University President Robert L. Manuel says. “Her generosity will make a difference for generations of students, and I thank her for the inspiring example she sets for us all.”
The scholarship honors Christine Binder, chair of Design and Technology and head of Lighting Design at The Theatre School, whose impact on students includes Hansen’s son, Brian Gallagher (TTS ’22).
“I’ve been a fan of The Theatre School since I started at DePaul. Their pedagogy, training and technology are leading edge,” Hansen says. “I was especially impressed with their innovative methods during the pandemic, which enabled my son Brian to launch a successful career in concert lighting design immediately upon graduation.”
“The Theatre School’s pedagogy, training and technology is leading-edge and launched Brian immediately into a successful career in concert lighting design,” Hansen says. “I’m grateful for the mentorship of dedicated professionals, such as Christine, who facilitate paths into performing arts careers that can be exceptionally challenging to navigate. It’s rewarding to help give future generations of students that same transformative opportunity.”
Hansen’s own service to DePaul is similarly inspiring. She served the university for more than 28 years in staff roles spanning university relations, marketing and communications and community, government and corporate relations. Since retirement, Hansen has been an active member of the DePaul Emeritus Society, which brings together former faculty and staff members.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at The Theatre School in 2024. Lighting design by Aidan McLeod, BFA ’24. Photo by Michael Brosilow.
“I’m absolutely honored by this scholarship’s naming and thrilled for the students for whom it will make such a difference,” says Binder, whose design work in theatre, opera and dance has included such leading institutions as the Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre and Lookingglass Theatre, where she is an artistic associate. “We teach students how to tell stories with light. I’m so thankful that Kris is helping make it possible for these artists and technicians to continue sharing their luminous stories with the world.”
The school’s Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Lighting Design gives students the opportunity to explore and expand their artistic and visual expression while providing practical experience. Designers learn to visualize, create, and implement their designs by collaborating with directors, dramaturgs, other designers and technicians, and professional production staff.
Students learn from a faculty of professional designers and artists and have access to the modern computerized tools today’s designers employ to illuminate theatre, opera, music and dance productions, including design software to sketch and model 2D and 3D light plots, multifaceted light control consoles and automated, moving LED light fixtures. Students work with professional faculty in two state-of-the-art theatres at the school on the Lincoln Park Campus and at DePaul’s historic Merle Reskin Theatre in Chicago’s South Loop.
“Whatever students can dream up they can transform into reality here,” says Dr. Martine Kei Green-Rogers, dean of The Theatre School, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2025. “Arts patrons like Kris play an essential role in making that happen and, in so doing, provide invaluable support to industries which enrich everyone’s daily lives. On behalf of The Theatre School, brava, Kris!”
Light Up DePaul from DePaul University Foundation Day 2023. Lighting design by Christine Binder. Photo by Kristin Morris.
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