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 a costume design candidate returning to graduate school after working in the industry. The award recipient 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 through the form below 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.

Completed applications must be received by November 19, 2021.

The selected recipient will be notified by November 24, 2021 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.