Theatrical Lighting Design Scholarships?

[thematthewman]

I am currently a senior attending Denver School of the Arts as a Stagecraft and Design major studying lighting design. I am now starting the process of applying to colleges and scholarships. I have found many colleges that have great lighting design programs but I have been un able to find scholarships for theatrical/entertainment lighting design. Does anyone know of some theatrical/entertainment lighting design scholarships?



Thanks,

Matt

 

[Tex]

If your school has an ITS Troupe, there are scholarship auditions at your state convention.
Scholarship Auditions « Colorado State Thespians
Your school of choice may not attend, but it's always good to explore many opportunities.
Best of luck!

 

[Footer]

USITT offers some.

That being said, you will find that most private scholarships do little to nothing for you. Usually they come in at a grand or two and are none repeating. Your best bet is always to see what schools you apply to offer scholarship wise. The school I went to offered talent scholarships. Some schools do that, others only do academic. Apply to every school you want to go to and look at the bottom line of each, not the amounts they start with. After that, decide what you can afford (while avoiding as many student loans as possible) and then choose your school.

Just be sure to minimize those student loans as much as possible. Find out what you will owe by the time you graduate. If that number is more then about 30k, you should look at a different school or consider bypassing college all together. You will never get those loans payed off and have a job in this industry.

 

[StNic54]

Try contacting the schools or lighting professors directly - arrange a phone interview, express interest, and ask what scholarships their students typically come in with. The majority will be academic scholarships, I'm sure.

Respecting Footer's opinion on loans and the industry, it is possible to pay off loans and work, but the catch is how much you will make starting off. The trap that my wife fell into was the loan consultant banked on her making a certain figure upon graduating, and the reality was it took her 5 years to get to that number. Student loans have a way to sink your finances, and should you choose college, do not take out credit cards just to get by. You are meant to be broke in college for a reason. Our current student loan payments equal a second rent, and we're on a 30-year plan, so you can see where it can be very tough depending on the route you take.

That being said, different schools offer different scholarships for a myriad of reasons. There are also workships that you can get to supplement your living expenses, all depending on the program. I had a 3/4 academic scholarship based on grades for undergrad, and graduate school was completely covered including a living stipend. As schools have been impacted by the terrible economy and terrible lending practices, we'll all continue to see the methods of scholarships and loans change and never be "like the good old days".

It is really hard to answer all these questions moving forward, and like most theatre majors, you probably won't be entering college as an independently wealthy stagehand. If you have a list of schools in mind, go to their website, calculate the 4-year cost of tuition and expenses, plan on having roommates, plan on the costs changing, and make plans for summer work early. You can forebear loans for limited amounts of time after you graduate, and you'll often see people advise that you start making payments while in college (how to do that is not always explained). There is no way to know where you will be in 4 years at your age, so planning will be critical for future peace of mind. We're all here to help, too, even if it can seem discouraging.

 

[DELO72]

Hi,

Try URTA. URTA - Home

The University/Resident Theatre Association (URTA) advances theatre by connecting theatre training programs with the professional performing arts industry, promoting professional practices and artistic excellence in higher education, and assisting students with their transition into the profession.
Established in 1969, URTA is the nation's oldest and largest consortium of professional, graduate (MFA) theatre training programs and partnered professional theatre companies.

There are a LOT of programs that offer TA positions for Graduate students. In fact in most programs the Graduate students are Teaching Assistants by default/design, and you put in hours working on the shows, working in the Electric shop, helping teach the undergrads, etc. in exchange for tuition and a stipend. The amount of the package differs for each program. Some of the best programs are out of the Midwest. Some schools like Yale don't offer (or didn't use to) assistance or financial aid to 1st year grads because they didn't have to. What you get from programs like that are the networking contacts- which are gold and can jump start your career. Definitely contact the lighting professors directly and ask them what financial assistance their program offers.

USITT has portfolio interviews and most of the top grad programs for technical theatre (Lighting, Sound, Set, & Costume Design) exibit at the tradeshow, and have tables/booths for you to speak with their alumni, professors, and/or current students. USITT