OVERVIEW OF THE IRENE RYAN ACTING SCHOLARSHIP AUDITION

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
The Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships provide recognition, honor, and financial assistance to outstanding student performers wishing to pursue further education. The Irene Ryan Foundation awards sixteen regional and two national scholarships annually. Sixteen of the awards consist of a $500 scholarship for each regional representative.  Students and coaches are encouraged to consult their regional chair or regional Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions Coordinator for information on other regional awards. The Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships are, indeed, scholarships; so the Foundation disburses the award through a school designated by the winner, to pay tuition and fees for further education, not necessarily limited to theatre arts.

CRITERIA
Auditions will be evaluated using the following criteria at every level of the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions and are of particular importance in the regional preliminary round:

• Ability to urgently pursue strong, clear objectives.
• Ability to partner.
• Ability to make varied, specific and bold acting choices.
• Mastery of an expressive and flexible vocal and physical instrument.
• Demonstration of facility with language and a clear understanding of the text.
• In addition to the above criteria, auditions in the semi-final and final rounds will be evaluated on the candidate's ability to demonstrate range and contrast.
• Given the above criteria actors are strongly encouraged to select and prepare material for auditions that will demonstrate the above competencies, and to avoid material designed to demonstrate the actor's cleverness as an end in and of itself.