Alabama Thespian Festival Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by Alabama Educational Theatre Association

College and Scholarship Auditions

Eligibility: The Alabama Thespian Festival invites college representatives to audition high school juniors and seniors who are considering their programs. Any registered festival participant in either grade may audition for college representatives. Scholarship auditions are open to graduating seniors who are Thespians in a registered troupe and are registered festival participants.

• College auditions are open to registered festival participants in grades 11 and 12.
• Scholarship auditions are open to eligible graduating seniors.
• Participation in the Thespian Scholarship Auditions program is required for the scholarships listed below.

Scholarship Awards

Award Value: ALEdTA offers four one-time scholarships to graduating seniors pursuing different paths in or beyond the arts. The Theatre Performance Scholarship supports students planning to major in a performing arts field. The Theatre Educator Scholarship and Donnie Bryan Technical Theatre Scholarship support students pursuing theatre education and technical theatre, respectively. The Grant J. Stephenson Theatre for Life Scholarship recognizes a student who has contributed to theatre but will not pursue a theatre-related major or minor in college.

• Theatre Performance Scholarship: $1,000 for a student planning to major in theatre, film, musical theatre, vocal performance, or dance.
• Theatre Educator Scholarship: $1,000 for one graduating senior pursuing a career in theatre education or technical theatre education.
• Donnie Bryan Technical Theatre Scholarship: $2,000 for a graduating senior entering a college program to major in technical theatre.
• Grant J. Stephenson Theatre for Life Scholarship: $1,500 for a graduating senior who has worked in theatre during high school but will not major or minor in theatre in college.

Audition Preparation and Timing

General Guidelines: Dress neatly and do not wear a costume. Bring any presentation aids, materials, hard-copy résumés, and headshots; a chair and small table will be provided. Arrive 10 minutes before your assigned audition time, and you may leave when your audition is complete. Prepare any required audio track in advance, as live accompaniment and a cappella singing are not permitted.

• For music playback, a boombox with CD, AUX Line In, Bluetooth, and iPod/iPhone connectivity will be available.
• Choose monologues without dialects or accents, and avoid classical material.
• Attach your headshot to your résumé without staples or tape.
• Junior college audition: 90-second performance and 5-minute interview.
• Senior college or scholarship audition: 90-second performance and 5-minute interview.
• Technical theatre and theatre educator auditions: 5-minute presentation and 5-minute interview.

Theatre Performance Audition

Presentation: Applicants should present their strongest 90 seconds of performance. The selection may be one monologue or song, two contrasting monologues or songs, or one song and one monologue. Presentations must be solo performances.

• Prepare a solo selection or combination of selections that fits within 90 seconds.
• Dance auditions are not permitted.

Donnie Bryan Technical Theatre Scholarship Audition

Portfolio: Applicants must prepare a portfolio that demonstrates their technical theatre work. Materials may include scenic or costume designs, light plots, blueprints, photographs, renderings, sketches, models, or illustrations. Applicants with relevant coursework should include examples of drafting, technical drawing, or visual art; applicants focused on stage management, publicity, or theatre administration may include production journals, promptbooks, or marketing materials.

• Poster boards, PowerPoint presentations, photographs, and other exhibit materials are encouraged.
• Provide a concise, organized explanation of the portfolio materials.
• Bring your own laptop if needed; power outlets are available.

Theatre Educator Scholarship Audition

Eligibility and Presentation: Applicants must plan to major in theatre education. A presentation may include a performance, lesson plan, teaching video, or technical portfolio. Applicants must explain their materials clearly and in an organized manner.

• Prepare materials that demonstrate your interest and experience in theatre education.
• Bring your own laptop if needed; power outlets are available.

Grant J. Stephenson Theatre for Life Scholarship

Description: This $1,500 scholarship is for a senior theatre or technical theatre student who plans to attend college but will not major or minor in theatre, technical theatre, film, or another theatre-related field. It recognizes a student who has been actively involved in their school’s theatre program and intends to apply their theatre training in another career. The scholarship is sent directly to the student’s chosen college after the student matriculates. Applicants present a digital display or portfolio for adjudication at the Alabama Thespian Festival on Saturday.

• Complete the Google application form and submit the application electronically.
• Applicants must be ITS members in good standing, have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2, and receive a recommendation from their school’s ITS troupe sponsor.
• Email a scanned transcript to [email protected] before the application deadline in January.
• Submit two recommendation letters: one from the troupe director or drama teacher and one from another teacher, administrator, or counselor.
• The display should include a photograph and specific examples showing the breadth and depth of the applicant’s contributions to the local troupe or other theatre activities in the community.

Registration and Submission Deadline

Application Timeline: Required forms must be submitted by February 2 to participate in college or scholarship auditions. Forms, headshots, and résumés will not be accepted at the festival. Preregistration is required for both senior scholarship auditions and college or university auditions.

• Submit all required materials before the February 2 deadline.
• Preregister for the applicable college or scholarship audition.
• Check the Grant J. Stephenson scholarship requirements for its separate January transcript deadline.