Theatre Arts Scholarship Guidelines
2009-2010 Evert B. Person Scholarships in Acting, Dance, and Theatre Design
The Theatre Arts Department as Sonoma State offers a substantial number of scholarships to promising freshman and transfer students in the performing arts, as well as continuing SSU Theatre majors. These scholarships are made possible by the Evert B. Person Endowment fund and range from $500 to $2,500 for the academic year. Sonoma State University is a liberal arts and sciences university located 50 miles north of San Francisco in beautiful Sonoma County.
The Performing Arts Program at Sonoma State University is an intimate and lively department with a nationally respected professional faculty. Its’ 475-seat Evert B. Person Theatre, with its state-of-the-art technical equipment, provides an excellent showcase facility for our main stage season of dramas, comedy, dance, and music theater productions. Classes in acting, dance, and technical theatre offer individualized instruction, personal challenges, and many opportunities for hands-on learning. With the support of the Person Endowment, the Theatre Arts programs are growing. Through a rigorous and individualized approach to the development of theatre artists and crafts persons, we are committed to educating the whole person through the performing arts exposure and practice.
TO APPLY, return a completed scholarship application by Friday, February 6, 2009 at 4pm. Scholarships are granted only to those students who have been admitted to the University and are declared Theatre Majors.
Applications to the University are accepted beginning November 2006 and until maximum enrollment is achieved. Applicants are urged to pay particular attention to the narrative essay.
Auditions will be at SSU on Saturday, March 7, 2009. Auditions are required for all applicants.
Guidelines
Actors: Auditions will consist of 2 contrasting monologues totaling no more than 3 minutes. Applicants are free to choose a song as one of their audition pieces, and may bring a CD accompaniment. Examples of contrasting monologues that show of the applicant’s versatility are:
- contemporary/classical monologues
- comedy/drama monologues
- dramatic monologue/16 bar song.
Dance: Applicants will perform a 2-4 minute dance choreographed either by you or someone else. We will have a CD sound system available for you.
Design: Presentation of a portfolio of the applicant’s previous design work is required for design students. Areas of design are scenery, costumes, sound, lighting, and multimedia. Students may present portfolios that include one, more than one or all areas of design.
A brief interview with Faculty follows the formal audition/portfolio presentation for all applicants.
The Person Scholarship opportunity is intended primarily to support promising students pursuing degrees in performance and theatre design. However, at the discretion of the Faculty, a Person Scholarship application from a gifted student in other areas of study within the theatre may be accepted. If accepted, in lieu of an audition applicants will be required to present an appropriate portfolio of scholarship, or otherwise demonstrate exceptional aptitude within the applicant’s chosen discipline, as determined by the Faculty. Normally, this type of scholarship opportunity is reserved for continuing students, and is not intended for incoming freshmen and transfer students.
The Department will acknowledge receipt of applications by phone. At that, time applicants will be given an audition time, directions to the campus and audition location.
We encourage applicants to plan a full campus visit at the time of their auditions. Applicants may want to attend classes in the department on Thursday, March 5. Tours of our facilties can be arranged for Friday, March 6. Unfortunately, there will be no classes to sit in on that day.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD 2009-10 THEATRE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION (PDF)
