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Come and perform!

Explore the many opportunities available on campus in acting, directing and technical theatre.

Participate in theatre and/or performance works that reflect cultural relevance. Your Graceland experience includes learning, performing, designing and building in both the Shaw Center Family Auditorium (40-foot proscenium stage, 500 seats) and the JR Shaw Black Box Theatre (flexible performance space, 150 seats).

Auditions are open to all Graceland students and offer production opportunities in set, costume, sound, lighting design and stage management performance.

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Upcoming Performances

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Theatre Production Scholarship

 

  • Theatre Production Scholarship Application

    Theatre Production Scholarship Application

    Graceland University offers Theatre Production Scholarships to talented and promising young performers, designers and technicians whose academic qualifications and demonstrated theatrical abilities indicate that they could make a significant contribution to the theatre program of the university. The amount of these awards is determined by several factors including student ability, financial need and specific needs within the theatre department.

    "*" indicates required fields

    Name*
    Address
    MM slash DD slash YYYY

    THEATRE EXPERIENCE

    Please give the following information for community and/or school productions in which you have participated (or attach resume).

    RELATED EXPERIENCE

    Music: Vocal range

    DESIRED EXPERIENCE

    ELIGIBILITY

    Recipients of a Theatre Production Scholarship must do the following: - Enroll in THTR2350 Theatre Production Studies each semester - Attend a Theatre Orientation Meeting at the beginning of every semester - Participate in at least one theatre production per semester, with a minimum of 40 hours per year - Maintain a 2.5 GPA

    APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

    1. An audition or interview is required. Auditions are generally offered to students who have experience in performance. On-campus auditions are preferable, but a high-quality video is acceptable. Please bring (or send) a resume of your theatrical experience and a headshot if you have one. Your audition will be a memorized monologue, two-three minutes in length, from a play or musical. At the beginning of your audition, state your name, the name of the character you are portraying, the name of the play and the playwright's name. Choose material that will showcase your abilities.

    INTERVIEWS

    Interviews are generally offered to students who have experience in design and/or technical areas. On-campus interviews are preferable, but phone interviews are acceptable. Please bring (or send) a resume of your theatrical experience. If possible, you should also submit a portfolio of your work. The portfolio may include prompt book materials, drawings, renderings, light/sound/props plots, photographs of your work and any other appropriate materials. Portfolios may also be presented online or on CD.
    Please check one:
    *All application materials should be received by the Admissions Office by May 1 prior to the academic year you wish to attend. To schedule an audition/interview, contact the Admissions Office. This application must be completed and your letter of recommendation received no later than one week before the time of your audition/interview.

    2. Along with this application form, submit a letter of recommendation from a theatre director/instructor.

    Name of theatre director/instructor

    3. Submit Application for Admission online at www.graceland.edu/apply.

    4. File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

    STUDENT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

    Student work assignments may be available in the theatre department as faculty assistants and production assistants. Complete the Graceland Student Work Application and notify the Chairperson of the Division of Visual and Performing Arts of your interest.

    PLEASE RETURN TO:

    Admissions Office, Graceland University, 1 University Place, Lamoni, Iowa 50140 If you have questions, please contact 866.472.2352 (866.GRACELAND), 641.784.5196, admissions@graceland.edu or 641.784.5480 (fax).
    This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

TO PREPARE A THEATRE PRODUCTION SCHOLARSHIP PORTFOLIO

DEFINITIONS
Resume – in the theatre, a one-page document outlining your training and experience in a given area or areas
Portfolio – in the theatre, a collection of materials which demonstrate your expertise in a given area or areas

SUGGESTIONS FOR RESUME PREPARATION

  • Use a word processing program to create and refine your resume.
  • Put your name and contact information at the top.
  • Divide your resume into categories, then list your experience in each category.

For example:
COSTUME EXPERIENCE
Assistant Costume Designer, The Odyssey, Gibson High School
Wardrobe Manager/Dresser, Hello, Dolly!, Lane Community Theatre
Makeup Designer, Narnia, Gibson High School
Makeup Crew, The Fantasticks, Gibson High School

  • You may also include a list of special skills, which may be useful in your technical theatre/design future. (For instance, if you have experience in woodworking, creating your own sewing patterns, mixing sound/music, etc. Any experience in visual arts – painting, sculpture, photography, etc. – should be included here.)

SUGGESTIONS FOR PORTFOLIO PREPARATION

  • Whenever you work on a production, keep records and take pictures.
  • Purchase an appropriate holder for your portfolio. You can buy a traditional portfolio at art supply stores or get a three-ring binder and a set of sheet protectors at an office supply or discount store.
  • Prepare an attractive title page with your name and contact information.
  • Neatly organize your portfolio by categories in the same order as your resume.

 

Also include

  • Hand-written documents should be retyped neatly on the computer and printed out.
  • Items smaller than one page (photographs, cards, etc.) should be mounted on a full sheet of paper.
  • Letters or cards of thanks or congratulations for your work
  • Coverage of your work in newspapers, newsletters or magazines
Portfolio Content Examples

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The materials list is huge. Do I have to include ALL that stuff?
Think of your portfolio as a sample book, providing examples of your work. For a design project, use four to five portfolio pages to demonstrate process and product. For big technical assignments, one to two portfolio pages per assignment will do. Smaller technical assignments may simply be listed on your resume.

I don’t have most of the stuff on this materials list. My portfolio will be small and pathetic.
Gather as much evidence as you can. Check with your teachers/directors and others who worked on the show to see if they have materials to loan, copy or give to you. Find out if parents, friends or classmates took pictures. If costumes or props are in storage, dig them out and take pictures. Reconstruct lists, plots or cue sheets if you need to.

Should I include original documents in my portfolio?
While original documents are lovely, there is always the danger of your portfolio being lost in the mail or damaged in some way. We recommend that you use high-quality copies rather than original work whenever possible.

I live far away from Lamoni, Iowa. Can I mail you my resume and portfolio?
Yes, provided you follow the instructions above.

May I submit an electronic resume and portfolio?
Absolutely. Send it by email, on a CD, or post it on the internet and inform us of the URL.

If I receive a Theatre Production Scholarship, where does the money go?
Theatre Production Scholarship funds are applied to the cost of your tuition. For example, a grant of $1000 would be distributed fall semester ($500) and spring semester ($500).

If I receive a Theatre Production Scholarship, what do I do next?

  • enroll in THTR2350 Theatre Production Studies
  • attend a theatre orientation meeting at the beginning of the semester
  • participate in at least one theatre production per semester
  • maintain a 2.8 GPA

More specific information will be provided in a scholarship confirmation letter from Student Financial Aid.

Once I have received a Theatre Production Scholarship, can I lose it?
If you fail to complete the scholarship requirements for any semester that scholarship funds are given, your scholarship may be revoked.

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For more information, please contact

Theatre Program
Kimberly Manuel, Assistant Professor of Theatre and Design, Theatre Program Coordinator
Graceland University
1 University Place
Lamoni, IA 50140
kmanuel@graceland.edu ph: 641.784.5386 , fax: 641.784.5487

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