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Irene Ryan Scholarship Auditions
The Rules
The Irene Ryan Scholarships provide recognition, honor, and financial assistance to outstanding student performers wishing to pursue further education. The Irene Ryan Foundation awards 16 regional and two national scholarships annually. Sixteen (16) of the awards consist of a $500 scholarship for each regional representative of KCACTF. There are two scholarships of $3500 each for the winners at the national festival in Washington, D.C. In addition, the student judged the Best Partner in the national auditions is awarded a cash prize of $250. The Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships are, indeed, scholarships; so the Foundation disburses the award through a school designated by the winner, to pay tuition and fees for further education, not necessarily limited to theatre arts.
Additional awards are made to Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship participants and their acting partners each year at the national level. Past awards include a fellowship to attend the Society of American Fight Directors' National Stage Combat Workshop, the Williamstown Theatre Festival Fellowship for outstanding minority candidates, the KCACTF National Partners Classical Acting Award, the Mark Twain Prize for Comic Performance, fellowships to attend the Margolis Method Summer Intensive in Minneapolis, the Dell'Arte School of Physical Theatre and Mad River Festival, and an offer to become a member of the acting company of the Sundance Theatre Laboratory. The list of awards and student opportunities associated with the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions at the national festival continues to expand each year and the auditions are now undoubtedly one of the most exciting educational and artistic opportunities for student actors in the country.
Other awards to student participants in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions may also be made at the regional level. Students and coaches are encouraged to consult their regional chair or regional Irene Ryan Scholarship Auditions Coordinator for more information on regional awards.
The following information applies to Irene Ryan scholarship auditions held at regional festivals and at the national festival:
1. Student Status: Only those performers who have appeared in either a participating or associate KCACTF entry and are bona fide students in a college or university at the time of the KCACTF response are eligible. For the purpose of these awards, a bona fide student is:
- an undergraduate student* registered for at least six semester or equivalent quarter hours;
- or a graduate student* registered for at least three semester or equivalent quarter hours;
- or a continuing part-time student* enrolled in a regular degree or certificate program.
* Undergraduate, graduate, and continuing part-time students must be matriculating and pursuing a degree at the time of the KCACTF official response.
Undergraduate, graduate, and continuing part-time students must be matriculating and seeking a degree at the time of the KCACTF official response.
The chair of the theatre department (or their delegate) must verify in writing the candidate and partner's bona fide student status either by signing their festival registration forms, or a verification letter.
2. Notice of Guidelines: Each director of a participating or associate production shall inform all eligible students of the Irene Ryan guidelines.
3. Number of Nominees: Each college or university may nominate one student performer from the cast of each of its participating entries and one student performer from the cast of each of its associate entries. KCACTF representatives may nominate two additional performers from the casts of participating entries, and one additional performer from the casts of associate entries.
4. Notice of Nomination: The regional chair or their delegate shall notify each of the nominees of his or her selection as an Irene Ryan competitor.
5. Expenses: Each Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Audition participant shall bear all expenses of attending the regional festival (unless these expenses are otherwise provided for within the region), including festival registration. Registration, transportation, lodging, and a per diem allowance are provided for each national festival participant and for each partner.
6. Composition of Preliminary and Semifinal Rounds: Up to sixteen nominees shall appear in final round at regional festivals. If more than sixteen competitors qualify for the regional festival, the regional chair must determine a screening system insuring that no nominee perform more than twice on any day. Whenever possible, the auditions should be combined with oral feedback sessions from judges, an audition workshop, or both.
7. Final Round Scheduling: The regional screening and final rounds should normally occur prior to the performance of any regional festival production. However, if the regional chair can ensure final round judges who will not have seen any festival productions prior to the final round, that round may be held any time during the regional festival.
8. Final Round Judges: Academic professionals affiliated with regional institutions must not judge the final round of the regional festival.
9. Announcement of National Finalists: The names of the national finalists and the first alternate shall be communicated first to the regional chair and subsequently announced at a time designated by the chair.
10. Audition Introduction: Each Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Audition nominee and partner shall be introduced by name and material selection only‹no school affiliation shall be identified.
11. On-site Rehearsal: At the regional festival, a rehearsal shall be scheduled in the performance space before the final round of auditions. Coaches may attend this rehearsal. At the national festival, an initial and a dress rehearsal will be scheduled: the initial rehearsal is a closed rehearsal—only candidates, their partners, and accompanists will be allowed. Coaches may attend the dress rehearsal.
12. Audition Time Constraints: Including transitions between scenes, the audition presentation shall be limited to a maximum of three (3) minutes in the preliminary round, a maximum of five (5) minutes in the semifinal round and a maximum of six (6) minutes in the final round. Timing of the audition will begin with the first action or word in character following the setup and introduction and will not stop from that point onward. All introductions should therefore be made before beginning the audition.
Participants exceeding the time limit (plus a 15-second grace period) will be disqualified at all levels, including the KCACTF Irene Ryan "Evening of Scenes" in Washington.
13. Audition Material and Partner Requirements: The regional preliminary round requires an audition comprising one two-person scene not to exceed three (3) minutes in length. The audition must be performed with a partner who was a bona fide student at the time of the initial KCACTF response or during the term in which the regional festival occurs (confirmed in writing as outlined in #1 above). If the audition incorporates singing, at least 50% of the scene must be in dialogue or duet with partner and the accompanist will not count as the partner (unless the accompanist performs as a character in the audition).
The Regional semifinal round requires an audition comprising the preliminary round audition scene and a second two-person scene or song using the same partner in both. Singing may be incorporated in the second two-person scene under the same conditions that apply to the preliminary round scene. The audition will not exceed five (5) minutes total.
The Final Round audition (performed at both the regional and national festivals) shall consist of the semifinal round audition plus a monologue or solo musical number. The audition will not exceed six (6) minutes total.
14. Partner Limitations: No Irene Ryan nominee may serve as partner for another Irene Ryan nominee. A student may serve as partner for no more than two (2) Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship nominees per festival. All scene partners must have been a bona fide students at the time of the initial KCACTF response or during the term in which the regional festival occurs (confirmed in writing as outlined in #1 above). Nominees and their partners need not be students at the same institution.
15. Audition Clothing: It is recommended that no costume as such be used. A costume accessory may be used, but the nominee must provide it.
16. On-Site Lighting: Only basic lighting is permitted for Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Audition rehearsals and/or performances and will be provided by the festival host.
17. On-Site Furniture and Props: Two (2) straight-backed armless chairs and one (1) table will be provided by the festival host. If simple hand props are used, the nominee must provide them.
18. Information forwarded to the National Festival: Within ten days of the closing of the regional festival, each national finalist must provide the regional chair or designee with:
- two 8"x10" photos labeled with the actor's name, permanent address, and temporary school address (if different from permanent address). # the name and complete school mailing address of the administrative official to whom the regional scholarship funds should be directed.
- Local hometown newspaper contact information (for publicity purposes).
- proof of royalty clearance for the selected audition material (if it has not previously been designated as available). If a national finalist is unable to provide rights clearance documentation within the ten (10) day period, the regional chair reserves the right to send the Irene Ryan regional alternate to the national festival in the finalist's place.
The regional chair will immediately forward all information to Kingsley Colton, Executive Director of the Irene Ryan Foundation, and to the KCACTF national co-managers.
