Simply put, we need more scholarship money for theatre students. We added two majors in the last few years. In addition to our bachelor of arts in theatre, we now offer a B.A. in musical theatre and a bachelor of education in speech/theatre. These are the two most requested programs at the Kansas Thespian Festival, the biggest theatre conference for high school students.
We are attracting students to these exciting programs, but our scholarship funds are stagnant. In fact, theatre has approximately the same amount of scholarship dollars as we did 20 years ago. To grow our programs and serve our students well, scholarships are vital.
Most of our students work in addition to going to school, and it’s particularly difficult to work when you are a student theatre artist. You are in classes during the day and rehearsals at night, so scholarships go a long way. Many of our students major in other disciplines but have a passion for theatre. They are eligible for scholarships, too.
We want to raise $5,000 on Day of Giving for this project. Every scholarship dollar is time theatre students can spend on their education instead of worrying about paying tuition. We want Washburn students to have every opportunity to be successful. Reducing financial barriers is a crucial step to success. Your help is greatly appreciated.
