CANDIDATE AWARDS

URTA Candidate Awards provide free registration to qualified candidates for the URTA Auditions and Interviews. For the 2026 URTAs, Candidate Awards are offered in several ways:

SOUND DESIGN

Recognizing the important growth in the field of sound design and the goal of introducing graduate study to students with backgrounds outside traditional theater, URTA offers a Candidate Award to all candidates in Sound Design. The sound design award is built into the URTA candidate registration form, please follow the instructions within the URTA candidate registration on Acceptd for instructions on how to redeem the sound design award. Note: in 2026, sound design will recruit at the Live-Virtual Design/Tech event only.

ARTS LEADERSHIP

URTA is committed to supporting the education and training of the future leaders of the arts and entertainment industry. For those seeking training in areas including arts administration, theatre management, producing and arts entrepreneurship, URTA offers a Candidate Award to all candidates in Arts Leadership. The arts leadership award is built into the URTA candidate registration form on Acceptd, no separate award application is required. Note: in 2026 , arts leadership will recruiting will take place live-virtual only.

KENNEDY CENTER AMERICAN COLLEGE THEATER FESTIVAL

For 50 years, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States. KCACTF is a natural partner with URTA and to underscore our overlapping missions, URTA provides Candidate Awards to the following qualified KCACTF participants:

• National Finalists for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship
• SDC Directing Initiative Fellows
• National Finalists for Design Excellence (Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound, Projection Design)
• National Stage Management Fellows
• ASPIRE Arts Leadership Fellows
• National Finalists for Allied Design and Technology

URTA also supports the Kingsley Colton Award for Outstanding Partner with a $500 scholarship. The recipient is selected each year at the KCACTF national festival in Washington, D.C.

KCACTF recipients may make use of their Candidate Award within two years of their national finalist award. More information on the KCACTF Candidate Awards and eligibility can be found HERE.

SARAH NASH GATES AWARD

Sarah Nash Gates was a costume designer, educator, and President of URTA from 2007 to 2010. A founder of Theater Puget Sound in Seattle, Sarah Nash Gates was an early pioneer in promoting the professionalism of the costume design industry, helping to elevate the respect costume designers received in the workplace. In celebration of her lasting impact on the costume design profession and in continuation of her mentorship of early career professionals, the Sarah Nash Gates award will be granted annually to up to two costume design candidates returning to graduate school after having worked in a costume related field. The award recipient(s) will receive free registration for the upcoming year’s URTA Auditions and Interviews.

Prior to applying for the Sarah Nash Gates Award, candidates should review all URTA requirements and should have begun, but not submitted, their URTA registration. To apply for the award, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Planning to attend the upcoming URTA Auditions & Interviews for costume design
• Having started, but not yet submitted, their URTA registration on Acceptd
• Pursuing a graduate degree in costume design after having worked in a costume related field (during review, additional weight will be given to candidates returning to graduate studies after being out of school for a number of years and working in a costume related field during that time)

Applicants will need to submit the following to be considered for the award:

• The Sarah Nash Gates award application form
• A professional resume
• A brief essay on why they are pursuing graduate school at this time, what their professional goals are in the costume design industry, and how they hope an MFA will help them achieve these goals.

Sarah Nash Gates Award applications and accompanying materials should be received via the online submission form (at the button below) by November 2, 2025 (11:59 pm, Eastern).

This award is generously funded by Holly Poe Durbin in memory of Sarah Nash Gates.

PAY-IT-FORWARD CANDIDATE AWARDS

Each year, candidates for the URTA Auditions and Interviews may opt to donate as little as $1 to the Pay-it-Forward fund, which supports awards to candidates based on personal hardship and other considerations. Donations to the Pay-It-Forward fund will be matched by Acceptd.

Candidates interested in applying to receive a Pay-It-Forward award for the current URTA application cycle should review the application requirements and apply below. A limited number of awards are open to eligible candidates who demonstrate need for a registration fee waiver. Candidates should first fully complete their URTA registration up to the point of payment, then stop and save. They should then complete the award application form below, in which they will submit a short personal essay outlining their need for the support and why they are seeking a graduate degree at this time, as well as provide a letter of recommendation from a colleague, mentor, employer, or teacher, speaking to the candidate’s need and deservedness of the award.

Pay-It-Forward Award applications and accompanying materials should be received via the online submission form (at the button below) by November 2, 2025 (11:59 pm, Eastern).

We are unable to accept applications after the November 2 deadline. Previous recipients of the Pay-It-Forward award are not eligible to receive the award again.

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The URTA Excellence Awards in Undergraduate Training were established to recognize undergraduate instructors, coaches, mentors and their respective institutions for excellence in the training and preparation of undergraduate theatre artists, URTA recognizes one coach/mentor in each discipline annually, as well as two institutions – one in acting and one in design and technology. Recipients are selected by teams of adjudicators, based on a review of candidates’ materials and preparedness at the URTAs. The two institutions each receive a Candidate Award for a student attending the following year’s URTA Auditions and Interviews.

2025 Award Recipients

Individuals
Acting – Professor Jonathan Drahos, University of North Carolina, Pembroke

Costume Design & Technology – Senior Lecturer Raymond Marius Boucher, Concordia University

Lighting Design & Technology – Professor Misti Bradford, Weber State University

Projection/Media Design & Technology – Professor Misti Bradford, Weber State University

Properties Design – Associate Professor Eric Renschler, University of Evansville

Scenic Design & Technology – Associate Professor Christian Harvey Boy, Concordia University

Sound Design & Technology – Professor Brian Kelley, Metropolitan State University of Denver

Technical Direction – Associate Professor Jonathan Shimon, University at Buffalo

Institutions
Acting – University of Evansville
Design & Technology – University of California, Irvine

2024 Award Recipients

Individuals
Acting – Associate Professor Jacqueline Duprey, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Peidras

Costume Design & Technology – Associate Professor Janine McCabe, College of Charleston

Lighting Design & Technology – Associate Professor, Chair Jessica Greenberg, Weber State University

Scenic Design & Technology – Senior Lecturer Raymond Marius Boucher, Concordia University

Properties Design – Director of Production Trevor Norton, University of Redlands

Institutions
Acting – California State University, Long Beach
Design & Technology – Concordia University

2023 Award Recipients

Individuals
Acting – Assistant Professor Amelia McClain, University of Evansville

Costume Design & Technology – Assistant Professor Whitney Locher, Oakland University

Projection/Media Design – Associate Professor Peggy Mead-Finizio, Saginaw Valley State University

Scenic Design & Technology – Professor Linda Roethke, Northwestern University

Technical Direction – Associate Professor Nolan O’Dell & Professor Reid Parker,  East Carolina University

Institutions
Acting – Temple University
Design & Technology – University of Texas at El Paso

2022 Award Recipients

Individuals
Acting – Dr. Baron Kelly, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Costume Design & Technology – Assistant Professor Larissa McConnell, Gustavus Adolphus College

Lighting Design & Technology – Assistant Professor Marissa Diaz, University of Texas at El Paso

Projection/Media Design – Associate Professor Price Johnston, Colorado State University

Properties Design – Professor John Saari, Greensboro College

Scenic Design & Technology – Associate Professor Milagros Ponce de León, Penn State

Technical Direction – Associate Professor Jonathan Shimon, University at Buffalo

Institutions
Acting – Idaho State University
Design & Technology – Arizona State University

2021 Award Recipients

Individuals

Acting – Assistant Professor Amelia McClain, University of Evansville

Costume Design & Technology – Professor Alessia Carpoca, University of Montana

Lighting Design & Technology – Professor Miguel Vando, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras

Projection/Media Design – Associate Professor Jessica Mueller, Belmont University

Properties Design – Assistant Professor Matthew Georgeson, Frostburg State University

Scenic Design & Technology – Professor Jason Foreman, Oklahoma City University

Sound Design & Technology – Professor Hideaki Tsutsui, University of Texas, El Paso

Technical Direction – Professor Daniel Volonte, Citrus College

Institutions
Acting – Norfolk State University
Design & Technology – University at Buffalo

2020 Award Recipients

Individuals

Acting – Dr. Eve Graves, Clark Atlanta University

Costume Design & Technology – Adjunct Instructor Katie Curry, Concordia College

Lighting Design & Technology – Professor Lonnie Alcaraz, UC, Irvine

Projection/Media Design –Professor Bill Wallace, Hamline University

Scenic Design & Technology – Cathia Pagotto, Concordia University

Technical Direction – Associate Professor David Pierce, Northern Michigan University

Institutions
Acting – Clark Atlanta University
Design & Technology – Western Michigan University

2019 Award Recipients

Individuals
Acting – Associate Professor Jacqueline Duprey, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras

Costume Design & Technology – Professor Chrisi Karvonides, UCLA

Lighting Design & Technology – Professor Stanley Kaye, University of Florida

Projection/Media Design – Associate Professor Price Johnston, Colorado State University

Props Design – Assistant Professor Dyan Burlingame, University at Buffalo

Scenic Design & Technology – Professor Myung Hee Cho, UCLA

Sound Design & Technology – Assistant Professor Brian Redfern, California State University, Chico

Technical Direction – Associate Professor Ed Baker, Wichita State University

Institutions
Acting – Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras
Design & Technology – UCLA