Bridget Saracino '11 has been awarded the 2010 Edward M. Murray Committee on the Arts Scholarship.

Saracino, a native of Clifton Springs, N.Y., is a theater arts major in the Department of Theatre, Film and Dance. She is also the recipient of the 2009 Christopher Reeve Class of '74 Performing Arts Scholarship, the 2009 Richard Cohen Dramatic Arts Scholarship and the Stuart and Suzanne C. Knauss Scholarship.

Her theater experiences at Cornell have included student-directed projects and mainstage productions, with roles including Lydia in "Big Love," Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" and parts in "Soiree Cabaret" and "The Government Inspector." She is currently in rehearsals for "Our Town." Her other activities include Bikram yoga, ceramics and playing the ukulele.

"Humans are constantly growing, learning and changing," Saracino says. "Theater allows us the means to process this dynamic transformation and witness the small, bright truths within each of us."

Seeing theater as a means to facilitate change, Saracino says that audiences learn that healing is possible by examining the truths they see on stage and its reflection within them: "This is the work we as actors do; this is the effect I want to have upon the world."

After graduation, Saracino hopes to pursue a graduate degree in acting. Her future goals are to teach acting, participate in theater for social change and form a theater company that supports young artists.

"Bridget is one of the most gifted actresses I've encountered in a long time," says Melanie Dreyer-Lude, assistant professor of theatre, film and dance. "She has rock solid instincts about how to approach a role, takes direction like a bandit and is always a humble member of any cast. Her professionalism is unparalleled. She arrives early for rehearsal, is always prepared, and makes a point of using every theatrical opportunity to move her craft forward. I love working with her and hope to cast her in a professional production soon. She's ready. She will thrive."

The Murray scholarship, administered by the Cornell Council for the Arts, is awarded annually to an undergraduate majoring in arts and culture-related programs as financial aid replacement worth $2,000. It is named in memory of Cornell professor of music theory Edward M. Murray.