The McCulley-Scammon Scholarship, a $4,000 scholarship payable over 4 years, is available to Greater Virginia Peninsula residents meeting the following requirements:

1. Be a senior at, or have graduated within three years of the due date of the Application from, an accredited high school on the Greater Virginia Peninsula
2. Have maintained a cumulative B average throughout the four years of high school
3. Have been accepted as a student to a college, university, or professional school in an academic degree program in theatre, musical theatre or dance. The Board of Directors of the Williamsburg Players may accept alternative curricula which meet high professional standards.

The application process is composed of two parts.

Applicants must submit the following to be received by 05/31/2025:

1. A completed Scholarship Packet (PDF) and Application Form (PDF). (see Scholarship Application).
2. An essay describing the applicant's interest in pursuing a career in theatre (performance or technical emphasis) or dance performance. The essay should be no more than one page, double-spaced, typed using 12-point font.
3. A resume listing any theatrical/performance experiences. The resume should include title of show, role/character/crew position, dates of show, and institute (high school/college/theatre company name), and director of show. The resume should include any additional training the applicant has received, type of instruction, names of instructors, dates of instruction, and institute (examples: private voice lessons, dance classes, acting coaches, etc.). The resume can also include any paid work experiences (performance related or non-performance related), volunteer activities, awards, or hobbies, which the applicant believes would make him/her a good candidate.
4. Two recommendation letters - both letters should be written from a person (non-relative) with whom the applicant has worked or studied; examples: theatre teacher, theatre director, another teacher and/or supervisor who can provide insight about applicants work/study ethic or performance experiences/abilities.
5. An official transcript of the applicant's high school record (current college students should also provide a college transcript).
6. A current photograph - can be black and white or color, no smaller than 4x6, no larger than 8x10.
7. A copy of an acceptance letter (if available) from the college/university which the applicant intends to attend.

A review committee will evaluate all completed applications/submissions and select those applications which merit further consideration. Only completed packets including all 6 (or 7 if acceptance letter is available) of the required items will be considered.

Applicants selected to proceed to the second phase of the process will be invited to audition and be interviewed. The audition/interview will be held at The Williamsburg Players, James-York Playhouse, 200 Hubbard Lane, Williamsburg on TBA. All applicants will be notified of the audition/interview date. Applicants who cannot attend the audition/interview forfeit their application and will not be considered for the scholarship.

The guidelines for the audition/interview are as follows:

1. Performers (actors, singers, and dancers) should prepare two short, contrasting pieces to perform in their discipline. Singers should provide their own accompanist or recording of their accompaniment music. The scholarship coordinator will contact each applicant to determine what is needed prior to the audition/interview. With 2 contrasting pieces, the entire performance should be no more than 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Playwrights should submit two examples of their work. Playwrights will not submit an entire work, but choose an excerpt that best demonstrates their ability, limited to no more than 15 pages per work. Excerpts of the work should be submitted in PDF format upon request from the scholarship coordinator. The audition/interview adjudicators will read excerpts of the work prior to the audition/interview date. Playwrights should be prepared to answer questions about his/her work during the interview process.
3. Applicants interested in technical aspects of theatre should bring a professional portfolio of their work, which may include schematic drawings and/or photographs of set designs, costume designs, lighting plots, sound design/plots, set dressings, and properties.

The Scholarship recipient will be chosen based on his or her application, audition and interview, and will be notified by mail within 10 to 14 days following the audition/interview. A letter of scholarship acceptance from the recipient is required, postmarked no later than 10 to 14 days following receipt of notification.

An annual payment of $1,000 will be paid directly to the recipient after the first semester of each of the four school years, subject to the following stipulations:

1. The scholarship candidate is required to send the scholarship coordinator an official transcript certifying grade compliance
2. The scholarship candidate is required to provide a statement from the institute providing evidence of the candidate's continuation in an approved theatrical field of study.

Grade compliance is defined as the maintenance of at least a B average in theatre and dance courses and a C or above in all other subjects throughout the four years. If the recipient fails to successfully complete any semester, or if he or she trans fers to another major field of study, the Scholarship will be canceled.

Application material must be received by 05/31/2025. All submissions will become the property of the Williamsburg Players. Please address material as follows:

Jason Kriner
Scholarship coordinator
The Williamsburg Players
scholarships@williamsburgplayers.org