American Theatre Wing Names Recipients of Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative Programming

The American Theatre Wing announced today the recipients of the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative's programming, including the 4-Year University Scholarships, the Training Scholarships, and the Classroom Resources Grants. These scholarships and grants represent the Wing's most rigorous investment in direct support for underserved public school students demonstrating exceptional talent and economic need to continue their study of theatre.

"Arts education, and making theater available to all young persons, is vital to the growth of our culture and society. The grant proposals received this year have shown the urgent need for arts funding in primary and secondary schools across America, and for young persons looking to further their arts education. I am proud that we are in the third year of this program, and am excited for the years to come," said Andrew Lloyd Webber.

"Since we launched the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative almost three years ago, we have significantly expanded it to provide more support to even more schools and students all across the country. To date, the Initiative has awarded over $1.3 million in grants and scholarships, reaching over thirty-five thousand students nationwide," said Heather Hitchens, President & CEO of the American Theatre Wing.

High school students in Grade 12 who demonstrate talent and ability in the theatre arts but lack the resources to attend a four-year university program are eligible to apply for the 4-Year University Scholarships. These scholarships can be used at an accredited private or public university or college in the United States. Each of the scholars are provided with scholarships of up to $10,000 towards their course fees, and are renewable for four years so long as a minimum GPA of 3.0 is maintained.

The 2018 recipients include: actor Nena Daniels of Richmond, VA, attending Rutgers University; actor Daelin Elzie of Manvel, TX, attending New York University; dancer/choreographer Anijah Lezama of New York, NY, attending the University of Southern California; stage manager Corina Matos Aguilera of Morrisville, NC, attending the University of North Carolina School of the Arts; musical composer Alyssa Payne of Mableton, GA, attending the Boston Conservatory; actor Hannah-Kathryn Wall of Charlotte, NC, attending Western Carolina University; and stage manager Avery Woodruff of Dayton, OH, attending the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.

Public middle and high school students who demonstrate talent and ability in the theatre arts but have a lack of resources to receive high level training prior to college are eligible to apply for the Training Scholarships. These scholarships can be used for Private or Group Voice, Dance, or Music lessons; theatre training programs that stand alone or are housed in professional theatre settings; theatre training camps; or special training opportunities.

The 2018 recipients include: Austin Anderson of Decatur, GA, who attended the Youth Creates program; Nicholas Askew of Murfreesboro, TN, who attended the MPulse Musical Theatre Workshop; Eugene Bois of Marietta, GA, who attended the Milwaukee Ballet Summer Intensive; Armani Brown of Houston, TX, who attended TUTS Humphrey's School of Musical Theatre; Jaqueline Cabrero of West Harrison, NY, who attended the Carnegie Mellon University Pre-College Program; Jazmyne Charles of Houston, TX, who attended the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, Summer Musical Theater Program; Ingrid Nicole Corleto of Winnetka, CA, who attended the Teenage Drama Workshop "TADW" at California State University, Northridge; Jamia Croft of Louisville, KY, who attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts' Contemporary Dance Intensive; Joilynn Green of Austin, TX, who attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts' Drama Intensive; Rich Adrian Lazatin of Aurora, IL, who attended the National High School Institute "Cherubs" Musical Theatre Extension at Northwestern University; Sydney Lopes of Smyrna, GA, who attended the Berklee Five Week Summer Intensive; Kelly Lukito of Flushing, NY, who attended Young Actors at Strasberg; Freedom Martin of Chicago, IL, who attended the British American Drama Academy; Amara McNeil of Bristol, CT, who attended NYU's Summer High School Production and Design Workshop; Katelyn Ortiz of Pembroke Pines, FL, who attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts' Summer Drama Intensive; Elise Porter of Las Vegas, NV, who attended the Las Vegas Dance Academy; Imani Preyor of Los Angeles, CA, who attended the University of Southern California Summer Theatre Conservatory; Anthony Quintana of Miami, FL, who attended French Woods; Julia Schick of Kennesaw, GA, who attended The Performing Arts Project: Panorama;Isabella Torres of Dearborn Heights, MI, who attended The Performing Arts Project: Panorama; Imani Turner of Baltimore, MD, who attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy's High School Summer Conservatory Musical Theatre Program; Indigo Turner of Baltimore, MD, who attended the Interlochen Theatre Ensemble; and Carrington Vaughn of Detroit, MI, who attended Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

Through these University and Training Scholarships, the Wing hopes to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity, and create a strong pipeline to the professional theatre for promising artists of all backgrounds. The student's area of focus can be from any aspect of theatre from performance, to design, to writing, to stage management, and others.

Any individual public K-12 school in the U.S. or Puerto Rico, or non-profit parent group associated with that K-12 school are eligible to apply for the Classroom Resources Grants, providing funding directly to under-resourced public schools to provide instruments, dance floors, lighting grids, and other necessary materials to help create and enhance existing theatre programs. Grant requests of up to $100,000 are considered, but the priority of funding is for resource requests in the $10,000 to $40,000 range, allowing the Wing to extend meaningful resources to multiple deserving schools each year.

The 2018 recipients are: Charter School of New Castle (New Castle, DE), Chavez High School (Houston, TX), Donald McKay K-8 (East Boston, MA), East Lee County High School (Lehigh Acres, FL), Gregory-Lincoln Education Center Performing and Visual Arts (Houston, TX), Hagerman Elementary School(Hagerman, NM), Mariposa Elementary School (Mariposa, CA), McCluer High School (Florissant, MO), Northside High School (Houston, TX), Steel Academy(Akron, OH), Tyler Elementary School (Washington, D.C.), Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts (New York, NY), and Washington Middle School (La Habra, CA).

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski