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“Uncommon Success” at DePauw’s Theatre Program

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DePauw chapter.
Donald (Dil) Smith was named this year’s Don Campbell Award recipient last week. This prestigious award is given annually to one male and one female whom are deemed the most active seniors in the DePauw Theatre; Jackie Keyes won the female category. We sat down with this week’s Campus Celebrity, Donald, to get to know him a little better.


Her Campus: What is your major here at DePauw?

Donald Smith: I’m a Bachelor of Musical Arts and German double major with a minor in Theatre.

HC: What do you think made you stand out from the other Don Campbell Award applicants?
DS: I’ve done over 25 shows at DePauw in my 4 years here. Most of the time I’ve been backstage, but I’ve done a lot of them.

HC: What kinds of jobs have you done for each show?
DS: I’ve done lighting design and sound design; I’ve been a stage manager, assistant director, assistant stage manager, and an actor.

HC: Will you be involved in any more shows this year?
DS: Well, I designed all the lights and sounds for my last show, ‘The Language of Angels.’

HC: Have you had any other outstanding achievements this year?
DS: Because of the Don Campbell Award, I also won the ‘Most Outstanding Senior Award’ for the Duzer Du Theatre Honorary Society.

HC: Was there any part of your DePauw experience that you feel helped you win the Don Campbell Award?
DS: I studied abroad in Vienna, and even though I didn’t really do any theatre while I was there, I still immersed myself in the culture and studied through the program. I took three courses in German and met up with some old friends, because I used to be in the Vienna Boys Choir.

HC: Wow, that is really impressive! How long were you in the Vienna Boys Choir?
DS: For two years in 7th and 8th grade.

HC: What kinds of experiences did you have while you were in the Vienna Boys Choir?
DS: At that time, I traveled around the world with the choir singing in different venues in different countries. We went to almost every country in Europe, and we also went to a few Asian countries.

HC: Are you involved in anything else on campus?
DS: I’m involved in my fraternity. I’m a Fiji and was social chair for two years, but now I’m just on the Social Board. I don’t have time to be involved in much else because I rehearse about 10-12 hours a week; and during tech week, while shows are running, I spend about five hours a day getting shows ready.

Overall, it takes a lot of hard work to become a recipient of the Don Campbell Award, and Donald Smith continues to prove that he has had what it takes to be the most outstanding member of DePauw’s Theatre Program.

Mckenzie Curran is a Sociology and Communication major at DePauw University. Mckenzie is new to the HerCampus Team, and looks forward to planning HerCampus events in the upcoming school year in order to spread awareness of the site. Mckenzie spends her free time going to campus events, baking, and hanging out with her Kappa Alpha Theta sisters.