The Goldner Mini-Fellowship

ABOUT

The Department of Theater recognizes that work study or other job requirements can constrain a student's ability to commit to being a part of a theater production. In order to help alleviate this problem and facilitate student participation in our productions, the department is currently offering term-long mini-fellowships of $1000 each.

Students receiving a mini-fellowship are expected to decrease their work hours accordingly (by approximately 10 hours/week) in order to help free up their schedule for rehearsals and/or production work.** Please note that only students who are currently receiving financial aid from the College are eligible to apply for a mini-fellowship. Funds will be disbursed in two payments of $500 each over the course of the term.

The mini-fellowship is designed to facilitate preplanned involvement in the department over the course of an entire term; students must thus apply for it in advance of the start of each term. Students who wish to perform as part of their fellowship term should be aware that a role in a department production is not guaranteed. Similarly, students wishing to apply for a student production slot should know that selection for a fellowship term is not a guarantee that their production proposal will be approved.  If the audition process does not yield a role, or if the application for a student production slot is not successful, we will work with the fellowship student to develop a rewarding alternative that will expand the student's theatre experience in useful ways.

Please note that the Goldner Mini-Fellowship is designed to facilitate extracurricular involvement in the department; it is not intended to facilitate credit-based or course-based activity such as those related to an honors thesis, THEA 40, or an independent study. It can, however, facilitate the completion of production credits that are not connected to an academic course.

**For the spring 2021 term: we are aware that student employment opportunities are limited due to the ongoing pandemic. In planning their decrease of work hours with the dept, spring 2021 fellowship recipients will be able to take into consideration position(s) that they would normally have expected to hold but were unable to secure this term, either because they are enrolled remotely or because the position is not currently available.

2020-21 DEADLINES

For the 2020-21 academic year, we are able to offer two mini-fellowships each term (except summer). Application deadlines:

For fall term fellowships:        September 16, 2020
For winter term fellowships:   January 23, 2021 **EXTENSION!**
For spring term fellowships:   Wednesday, April 7

Please note that future funding for this program is not guaranteed; yearly opportunities will be dependent on available funding.

TO APPLY

1. Fill out the Goldner mini-fellowship application form** and the financial aid disclosure form.

2. Following the submission of your application, you may be contacted by the Chair or Director of Theater for an informal interview.

Applications will be evaluated by the Department Chair, the Director of Theater, and the Production Manager, with additional outreach to faculty and staff as necessary. As part of the evaluation process, we will prioritize those students who have demonstrated a sense of commitment and dedication based on their involvement in our classes or productions. Students who have not received a mini-fellowship in a previous term will also be prioritized.

We will also take level of financial need (high, medium, or low, as reported by the Financial Aid office) into consideration. A student's level of financial need will be kept strictly confidential; it will be shared only with those evaluating the applications, as part of the decision-making process.

**For the spring 2021 term: the dept is aware that student employment opportunities are limited due to the ongoing pandemic. When completing the fellowship application for spring 2021, please include any work position(s) that you would have expected to hold in a "normal term" but are unable to secure this winter, either because you are enrolled remotely or because the position is not currently available. Make sure to clearly distinguish between jobs that you expect to hold and jobs that you are currently unable to perform due to the pandemic.

Questions may be directed to Jamie Horton, Director of Theater.