Scholarships

For information about scholarships and loan programs administered by Winona State University and are available to all students go to: http://www.winona.edu/financialaid/

Theatre & Dance Scholarships

The scholarships described below are administered by the Theatre & Dance Department and are available only to theatre and dance majors and minors.

Deadline for continuing student scholarships is Wednesday, January 21, 2009.

Application Form for THAD Freshman/Transfer Student Talent Scholarship

Deadline for freshman/transfer student scholarships is Wednesday, March 4, 2009. In exceptional circumstances, later applicant may be considered.

Application Form for THAD Continuing Student Scholarship

Freshman and Transfer Student Talent Scholarships

• Three non-renewable scholarships of $800 each.
  
• Eligibility: Incoming first-year or transfer students who have been admitted to WSU and declare a major in theatre or minor in dance.
  
• Criteria: Demonstrated ability and potential for growth as an actor, dancer, or designer.
  
• Additional requirements: Scholarship recipients must
  • declare a theatre major or dance minor at the time of initial enrollment;
  • successfully complete twelve or more credits per semester with a GPA of 2.00 or better during the term of the scholarship;
  • audition for a minimum of two Main Season productions as a performer or technician during the scholarship year.
• Submit: Cover letter, completed application form, evidence of admission to WSU, resume of past theatre or dance experience, and two letters of recommendation.
  
• Audition or portfolio: Required. Presentation in person is preferred.
  

Winona National Bank Fine Arts Scholarship

• One non-renewable scholarship of $1000.
  
• Eligibility: Incoming first-year or enrolled continuing students who are declared theatre majors or dance minors.
  
• Criteria: demonstrated ability and potential for growth as an actor, dancer, or designer;
  financial need; graduation from Winona, La Crescent, Lewiston, St. Charles, Houston, or Rushford High School preferred but not required.
  
• Additional requirements: Scholarship recipients must
  
  • declare a theatre major or dance minor at the time of initial enrollment;
    
  • successfully complete twelve or more credits per semester with a GPA of 2.00 or better during the term of the scholarship;
    
  • audition for a minimum of two Main Season productions as a performer or technician during the scholarship year.
• Submit: cover letter, completed application form, evidence of admission to WSU or current transcript, two letters of recommendation or resume of past WSU theatre or dance experience.
  
• Audition or portfolio: Required of applicants who are new to WSU. Presentation in person is preferred.

Henry Marsh Scholarship (renewable)

• One renewable scholarship of $2000 per year; renewable for a total of eight consecutive semesters.
  
• Eligibility: Incoming first-year students who
  • come to WSU directly from high school;
    
  • have a composite ACT of 25 and rank in the top 15% of their high school graduating class;
    
  • have been admitted to WSU and declare a major in theatre.
    
• Automatically renewal if the recipient:
  
  • maintains the status of a declared theatre major;
    
  • lives on campus or with a parent or guardian for the first two years;
    
  • participates in two Main Season productions per year as a performer or technician;
    
  • maintains acceptable progress as a full-time theatre major with an overall GPA of 3.30 or better.
    
• Submit: cover letter and completed application form; evidence of ACT scores, high school rank, and admission to WSU; essay and two letters of recommendation.
  
• Audition or portfolio: Yes. Presentation in person is required; also required is an interview with members of the THAD Department faculty.
  

Jacque Reidelberger Scholarships

• Variable number of scholarships each year, $300-$500 each.
  
• Eligibility: Full-time declared theatre majors and dance minors who have completed at least 32 SH at WSU.
  
• Criteria:
  
  • 50% quality and quantity of participation in department activities, including but not limited to productions, Showcase, Wenonah Players, and Winona Dance Society;
    
  • 50% quality of academic work.
    
• Submit: Cover letter, application form, resume of past theatre or dance experience, and academic transcript.
  

Auditions for Theatre & Dance

Acting Auditions

Your audition should be a total of 2 - 4 minutes in length, memorized, and consist of two monologues of contrasting material from plays. Examples of "contrasting" material include serious vs. comic, prose vs. verse, old vs. young, and so forth.

We prefer that you audition in person, although all our scholarships except the Henry Marsh permit submission of a DVD or VHS-formatted videotape instead. If you must use this option, submit material you have chosen specifically for the scholarship instead of sending us excerpts from productions you have been in.

Dance Auditions

Your audition should be a total of 2 - 4 minutes in length. It may consist of a variety of styles (modern, ballet, tap, jazz, etc.); you should also be ready to participate in a short dance improvisation led by one of our dance faculty. We will have a CD/tape player available for your use.

Please audition in solid color, form-fitting attire. You may audition barefoot or in shoes appropriate for the dance style.

We prefer that you audition in person, but if you cannot do that, submit your 2 - 4 minute audition in VHS videotape or DVD format.

Design Portfolios

We are interested in seeing photos or videos of what you designed, of course, but we are also interested in seeing evidence of the thinking you did about the design.

Therefore, your design portfolio should include (a) photos, videos, or recordings, etc., of the production element you designed, (b) a paragraph describing the intention of the element you designed or the purpose it served, (c) a paragraph in which you evaluate the success of the element and of the process you used to complete it, and, optionally, (d) a paragraph from the director, describing how the element you designed amplified the show.

We prefer that you submit your portfolio in person, although only the Henry Marsh require that you make a live presentation.

Essays

The Henry Marsh Scholarship requires submission of an essay of 500-750 words in which you describe why you want to major in theatre at WSU. The essay should be typed, and your name should appear only on the cover page. Submit the essay when you come to campus for the Marsh Scholarship interview and audition.

Interviews

During your audition or portfolio sessions you will certainly talk informally with faculty. In addition, however, the Henry Marsh Scholarship requires applicants to have a formal 15-minute interview with faculty. Plan on talking about things like your high school academic work, your theatre experiences, and what you might like to do after college.

In Person Auditions and Interviews:

We prefer that you come to WSU in person to do your audition, portfolio presentation, or interview, although only the Henry Marsh scholarship requires this. For all other scholarships, you may present this material in other ways if you cannot come to campus. See the sections about Auditions and Portfolios for details.
Please phone 507-457-5230 to schedule an appointment.