Scholarships

Each year, the Department of Theatre awards over $45,000 in tuition scholarships to its majors – including nearly $23,000 to first year students.

In order to be eligible for these scholarships, you’ll need to fill out the university scholarship application before the February 7 deadline.

If you are a current student applying for Department of Theatre scholarships, you’ll be required to submit an essay, and email an updated resume and list of productions to the department. For more information on applying for scholarships as a current student, see this document.

If you are a new student applying for Department of Theatre scholarships, you’ll be required to participate in our annual Scholarship Day, which is held virtually. More information about Scholarship Day can be found below.

Applying for scholarships as a new student

Our annual Scholarship Day – held virtually – provides incoming students with an opportunity to meet and interview with theatre faculty, and to showcase their talents through performance auditions and/or portfolio presentations. Students interested in theatre education may apply with an interview, letters of recommendation and submissions of written work.

Students will be asked to:

Provide recorded auditions or samples of work by January 27, 2025
Interview with faculty on February 4, 2025

Don’t miss Scholarship Day on February 4, 2025!

Scholarships – Eligibility and Application Process

To be eligible for scholarship consideration, a first year student should:

Plan to be admitted to UNI by April, 2025 (contact the UNI Admissions Office for information and forms).
Intend to declare a theatre major.
Hold a "B" average or be in the upper one-third of the class at the time of application.
Transfer students with a 3.0 GPA and an established record of participation in theatre activities are also encouraged to apply.

To apply for a UNI Department of Theatre scholarship:

Complete the online application (submit by clicking on link below.)
Provide a current photo and a resume which includes theatre training and production experience.
Provide a high school transcript containing academic information including GPA, class rank, core units taken and ACT scores.
Have two letters of recommendation sent by high school or community college teachers or directors stating why you are a good candidate for this scholarship. These must be on school letterhead and signed by the authors.

Complete the Application for Scholarship Day

Audition and Interview Requirements

Actors

Prepare two memorized two-minute contrasting monologues. Monologues should be one character speaking from a play. Please do not use a prose piece, or anything from film or television. Please include an introduction that identifies the character and the play (for example: Emily from Our Town). Time Limits will be enforced.

Designers/Technicians

Students interested in design and production should provide either a video recording of you presenting samples of your work OR an annotated slide presentation with images by January 27. The time limit for recorded presentations is 4 minutes. Annotated slide presentations should contain between 10 and 25 images.

Theatre Education

Students interested in theatre education should provide letters of recommendation and submissions of written work. Examples of materials include: lesson plan outlines, workshop outlines, summary descriptions of work supporting youth [younger than high school] in theatre learning environments; production work specific to youth theatre.

Materials are due no later than January 27, 2025

Email materials as Word attachments to susan.connor@uni.edu or mail to Scholarship Auditions, Department of Theatre, CAC 257, UNI, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0371.

All candidates will be contacted by email with a specific audition/interview time.

Scholarships for Current Students

Theatre Activity Scholarships

This scholarship funding is given to the theatre program by the university through the Office of Financial Aid. The funding of such a scholarship recognizes the contribution theatre makes to the academic and cultural life of the UNI community. It also acknowledges the kinds of sacrifices that theatre majors make to stay active in the program and maintain a high grade point average.

Evelyn and Stanley Wood Scholarship

The Evelyn and Stanley Wood Scholarship was established in 2011 after the death of Mrs. Evelyn Wood.

Mrs. Wood was an Emeritus Professor of English, and the devoted wife of Stan Wood, who worked as Director of Theatre at UNI from 1956 - 1972. After his death, Evelyn continued to provide staunch support to the theatre department and never missed a performance until the very later years of her life. She was also a well-loved and active member of the Cedar Falls theatre and arts community, both in raising funds and appearing onstage in productions.

Her attachment to theatre was so strong that her sons, Doug and David, elected to hold her Memorial Service in the Strayer-Wood Theatre. They also established this award to support the work of theatre students who make quality contributions.

Ruth Miller Donaldson Endowment Fund

Ruth Lorraine (Miller) Donaldson was born and raised in Independence, Iowa, and she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Theatre Arts Teaching from the Iowa State Teacher's College in 1942.

As a senior drama student, Ruth played the title role in G.B. Shaw's "Candida." Ruth's college theatre experience also included roles in "It's the Sensible Ones," "Family Portrait," "Hamlet," and "Ladies in Retirement."

Ruth met and married David H. Donaldson while he was serving in the military during WWII. Dr. Donaldson came from a long line of doctors, and the couple settled in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where David practiced medicine and served as chief of staff at a major hospital. Mrs. Miller Donaldson maintained her interest in the arts, especially music and theatre, throughout her life.

Ruth passed away in 2000 and Dr. Donaldson in 2010. Prior to their deaths, the couple established the Ruth Miller Donaldson Endowment Fund to provide scholarships for students who are from Iowa and who are in the music and/or theatre programs at the University of Northern Iowa.

Margaret Divelbess Scholarship

Margaret Divelbess was an early theatre education major at UNI, when it was known as the Iowa State Teacher’s College. After receiving her M.A. from Grinnell, she spent seven years teaching in various Iowa public schools.

In 1927 she joined the faculty of the Malcolm Price Laboratory High School, a position she would retain for 37 years before retiring in 1964. During her years at Price Lab she taught English and Literature. She sponsored the school’s National Honor Society, served on the school’s Language Arts Committee, and directed many drama activities.

In memory of Margaret’s love for theatre education, the Divelbess family created this endowed scholarship in her name, specifically to support the education of students seeking a degree in Secondary Speech/Theatre.

Theta Alpha Phi Alumni Scholarship

Once theatre majors graduate, they join the ranks of Department of Theatre alumni. The university as a whole has no stronger or more generous and concerned group of alumni than the over 650 members of Theta Alpha Phi, Iowa Beta Chapter. These loyal alums include artistic directors of nationally known theatre companies, actors, directors, designers, teachers, scholars, scientists, and passionate theatre amateurs.

In the late 1930’s, TAP alum started contributing to a theatre fund that was to be used for a “new Theatre.” While the fund grew, the interest generated went to scholarships. This fund is the oldest existing theatre scholarship fund at UNI. Even after Strayer-Wood Theatre was built in 1978, they ensured the tradition of sponsoring a scholarship for future generations of TAP’s by raising $40,000 to establish an endowed TAP Scholarship.

Eleanor & Frank Starr Scholarship

The Starr Endowed Scholarship is given in honor of Eleanor J. and Frank W. Starr, who were both graduates of UNI.

Mrs. Starr, an English and Speech major, went on to work at UNI for 27 years where she was positively involved in the lives of the students in her residence halls. During her teaching career in Iowa, her love of theatre never waivered. She directed school plays and enjoyed attending productions wherever she lived. She was fondly known for her zest of life, an insatiable curiosity, and a love for people. Her husband, Frank, was a science education graduate and spent 28 years in the Waterloo School District.

Myrtle Telleen Collins Spirit of Life Theatre Scholarship

Myrtle Telleen Collins grew up on a dairy farm in Gowrie, Iowa. She majored in drama, English and French at Iowa State Teacher’s College, graduating in 1937. She became a well-known educator, author, drama coach, producer, and lecturer in Colorado, Hawaii and Laos. In 1984, she was awarded the University of Northern Iowa Alumni Association prestigious Heritage Honors Award.

Ms. Collins was a uniquely alive woman who exuberantly embraced all that life had to offer. She loved the theatre, books, and the art of teaching. To honor a woman who exemplified the best of human kind and to encourage students to nurture and develop the same qualities of character that shaped her life, the Leighty Foundation established scholarships in her name in both theatre and creative writing.

Friends of Theatre UNI Scholarship

For nearly four decades, the theatre’s support group, Friends of Theatre UNI (formerly known as S.T.A.G.E. Inc.) has supported many projects for the theatre, including guest residencies, receptions and purchases of equipment. In addition, Friends supports Theatre UNI by utilizing membership fees to fund scholarships for students in the department. Board members from Friends of Theatre UNI select the scholarship recipients through a competitive application and interview process.

Lenore Shanewise Memorial Scholarship

Lenore Shanewise was a distinguished graduate of the Iowa State Normal School class of 1909. Two years later, she received her master's degree from the University of Chicago, and while there was honored to have been elected to the prestigious Dramatic Club. A few years after beginning her professional career, an opportunity arose for Ms. Shanewise to return to Cedar Falls to serve as a faculty member in the English department, where she worked alongside Bertha Martin to direct many highly acclaimed productions. She was an adored and respected teacher of dramatic arts.

She helped Hazel Strayer to found Theta Alpha Phi and the theatre program on campus; she moved on from the Iowa State Teacher's College (the name changed in 1909) in the early 1920's to spend the remainder of her career in Los Angeles, California. The Pasadena Community Playhouse would be the center of Ms. Shanewise's professional career for over 40 years. She found great success in Hollywood as a talented director and actor on stage, in movies, and on television.

Hazel Strayer Memorial Scholarship

Hazel Strayer received a Bachelor's degree in Interpretive Speech and Drama from the Iowa State Teacher's College in 1914. After beginning her career as a teacher at Independence High School, she accepted a position in the Theatre Department working alongside Bertha Martin to teach oral interpretation and drama as well as to direct productions.

She earned a Master's degree in English and Drama from Columbia University in 1923 and rose to the rank of professor in the Iowa State Teacher's College Department of Languages, Speech and Theatre in 1947. Throughout her career, Ms. Strayer continued her professional development by working with George Baker at Yale and doing Broadway and Off-Broadway work as a costumer and wardrobe mistress.

She is responsible for beginning the fund drive for the theatre in which we now work and bringing what was the Iowa State Teacher’s College into national prominence as one of the nation’s premiere theatre education schools. She retired from teaching in 1956.

Stanley Wood Memorial Scholarship

Stanley Wood, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, received a Bachelor's degree from the Iowa State Teacher's College (now UNI) in 1931. After teaching in several Iowa high schools, he worked as an instructor at Rhode Island State College and the University of Vermont. He was also on the staff of the Studio Theatre in New York City and received a Rockefeller Fellowship from the National Theatre Conference in 1946.

Wood joined the Iowa State Teacher's College faculty in 1946 and was Director of Theatre from 1956 until 1972. It was under his leadership that UNI continued its tradition of excellence in educational theatre and began the development of the programs in performance and design that are currently offered. A student of Miss Strayer, he continued his work at UCLA and Western Reserve and brought back several innovations, including the construction of a studio theatre for student directed and designed work (now part of Sabin Hall) and the addition of a summer repertory theatre program in 1966. It was a student of Stan’s who did the initial designs for the Strayer-Wood Theatre and Stan lived to turn the first spade of dirt for the construction of the theater in 1975. Stan Wood served on the UNI faculty until his death in 1976, and while at UNI he was involved in more than 125 major theatrical productions.

Bertha Martin Memorial Scholarship

Bertha Martin is largely credited as the founder of the theatre program at UNI. She came to the Iowa State Normal School in 1905 from the Columbia School of Expression in Chicago and helped transform a traditional program in elocution into a modern program of oral interpretation and theatre education.

Professor Martin introduced a new method of acting, focusing on more natural and human movements. In addition to directing, she also trained those students interested in public speaking contests and expanded the course offerings in drama. Professor Martin was admired and respected by both her students and her peers. Among her students were Hazel Strayer, who would succeed her, and Stanley Wood.

She passed away after a brief struggle with pneumonia in 1929, and the entire campus felt the loss of this gifted teacher.

Martha Ellen Tye Endowed Theatre Scholarship

Martha Ellen Tye, a native of Marshalltown, was especially known across the UNI campus for her support of arts, education and youth. Her endowments have sponsored such UNI programs as the Martha Ellen Tye Visiting Professorship and Guest Artist programs for the Departments of Art, Music, and Theatre, the Martha Ellen Tye Multicultural Fine Arts Festival, and patronage of Strayer-Wood Theatre and UNI Lyric Theatre. Ms. Tye believed in supporting the education of young artists.

Vivian Partington Heath Memorial Scholarship

Vivian Heath was a student of Bertha Martin. Throughout her time at UNI and beyond, Ms. Parkington was very positively influenced by the leadership of Miss Martin, and felt her life was forever changed because of Miss Martin's presence in it. This scholarship comes from her estate and was founded by her husband, Merle Heath, who was a dedicated supporter of the theatre program.

Theatre Minor Scholarship

As a department, we count on the contributions of a good number of Theatre Minors in addition to our Majors. Given the quality of those contributions, the department began offering scholarship funding to Minors in 2008.

The Romanin/Tomlyanovich Memorial Student Assistance Scholarship Endowment Fund

The Romanin/Tomlyanovich Memorial Student Assistance Scholarship Endowment Fund was established from a gift provided by STAGE Inc. (now known as Friends of Theatre UNI) in 1998. The income from the endowment is used for academic scholarships for Theatre majors, experiential learning training outside of UNI, and to support guest artists brought to campus for the enrichment of Theatre students. The Friends of Theatre UNI Board approves distribution of these funds.

Sturgis Youth Theatre Scholarship

The Sturgis Youth Theatre Scholarship was established by Gretta Berghammer in 2008 and is supported through the generous contributions of Drama and Theatre for Youth emphasis graduates and faculty who recognize and value the importance of sustaining the arts in education. The scholarship is awarded annually to a declared Drama and Theatre for Youth emphasis Theatre major who has displayed committed involvement in Youth Theatre at UNI. The scholarship is renewable provided the student's continued eligibility.

The Karbula Family Scholarship for Excellence in Theatre Education

Roy Karbula earned a Bachelor's degree from the Iowa State Teacher's College in 1959 and later earned a Master's degree from UNI in 1969. He enjoyed a 40-year teaching career in the Iowa towns of Manning, Webster City, and Fort Dodge. His wife, Marie, worked 30 years as an elementary school secretary and central office administrative assistant. They were much-loved and respected by many generations of students and by their own six children.

One of their sons, John Karbula, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts from UNI in 1979. After graduation, he spent more than 27 years as a high school English and Theatre teacher, principal, and school superintendent.

It is with great pride that John Karbula established the Karbula Family Scholarship for Excellence in Theatre Education to honor the educational service of his beloved parents, Roy and Marie Karbula. This scholarship provides support for an outstanding undergraduate junior or senior student majoring in Theatre Education.