CANDIDATE AWARDS
Information on the Candidate Awards for the 2025 URTA Auditions & Interviews will be available on this webpage in September 2024.
The Candidate Award information below is from the 2024 URTAs and is meant to serve as a reference point only.
URTA Candidate Awards provide free registration for the URTA Auditions and Interviews, including free admission to continuing education sessions and other programming. The Candidate Award is currently 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.
ARTS LEADERSHIP
URTA is committed to increasing diversity among leadership in the American theater. To support 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.
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.
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 working in the industry. 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 application. To apply for the award candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Pursuing a graduate degree in costume design after working in the industry for a minimum of 3 years
- Planning to attend the upcoming year’s URTA Auditions and Interviews
- Have started, but not submitted, their URTA application
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.
Applications should be submitted HERE by November 14, 2023 (11:59 pm, Eastern). The selected recipient(s) will be notified by November 21, 2023 and will be sent instructions on how to redeem their free URTA registration.
This award is generously funded by Holly Poe Durbin in memory of Sarah Nash Gates.