Diana Wortham Theatre Announces 2019 Scholarships

DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2019 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR YOUNG EMERGING ARTISTS

The Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville, North Carolina announces the 2019 Y.E.S. Emerging Artists Fund, a program to support young performers by providing scholarships for graduating high school seniors pursuing a career in the performing arts. A limited number of Emerging Artists Fund scholarships beginning at $1,000 each will be awarded to finalists during a special concert on May 4, 2019 by Jonathan Scales Fourchestra at the Diana Wortham Theatre. Participants may also have the opportunity to perform a segment of their work at this event.

“We are delighted to continue this program after its success the past three years,” says Rae Geoffrey, Managing Director of Diana Wortham Theatre. “The Emerging Artists Fund scholarship can open doors for the next generation of performing artists in our community.”

Any student graduating from high school in 2019 may apply for the Emerging Artists Fund scholarship. Applicants must currently be permanent residents of Buncombe County, must intend to pursue a career in the performing arts, and must receive a recommendation from a teacher, instructor, or mentor.

The Emerging Artists Fund is an outgrowth of the Y.E.S. (Youth Education Scholarship) Fund, which was created to make it possible for underserved students to attend Diana Wortham Theatre school programming. Scholarships, made possible by private donors, cover the cost of admission and are available to students on a free or reduced lunch program. The Y.E.S. program expanded in 2015 to cover artist workshops in local schools and expanded in 2016 to cover the Emerging Artists Fund. Donations to the Y.E.S. Fund and its programs are accepted any time; more information at www.dwtheatre.com.

To apply for an Emerging Artists Fund scholarship, students must complete the application, create an audition video, and obtain a recommendation from a teacher or mentor. Submit materials to Diana Wortham Theatre via email or mail by 5:00 p.m. February 15, 2019. Students needing additional assistance with the application process or access to digital tools may contact Jared McEntire at 828-257-4512 or jared@dwtheatre.com. Submission of an application does not guarantee an award.

Award winners should be available to perform at the May 4, 2019 event with Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, and to participate in required rehearsal on May 3, 2019. Lauded by When Steel Talks magazine as “a major player in rewriting the books on steel pan music outside the box,” steel drum virtuoso Jonathan Scales is changing the perception of the typically tropical instrument. Scales’ innovation on the steel drums has been compared to Béla Fleck’s transformative mastery of the banjo. As part of Diana Wortham Theatre’s Mainstage Series, Jonathan Scales and The Fourchestra bring their unique sound — using horns, strings, drums and Asheville spirit to create their global, genre-bending, funk-rock-jazz beats — in this May 4th benefit performance for the Y.E.S. Fund, featuring the Emerging Artists Fund scholarship winners. The band will work with the Y.E.S. Emerging Artist award winners to integrate and showcase the students and their talent into the May 4th performance.

Contact/Info:For more information on the Y.E.S. Emerging Artists Fund, visit www.dwtheatre.com or call the theatre at 828-257-4530.