Gabrielle Burton and Jordan Aplin, theatre Students at Georgia Southern, won the Region 4 competition for the Irene Ryans Scholarship and will be heading to the National Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., with a cash prize of $500 dollars being awarded to the winner of the national scholarship.
The Irene Ryans Acting Scholarship, according to the Kennedy Center’s website, “provides recognition, honor, and financial assistance to outstanding student performers wishing to pursue further education.”
The contestants participate in pairs, and these scholarships are awarded to winners and runner-ups in eight regions, with Burton and Aplin winning Region 4.
While they have already won a $500 dollar scholarship for each of themselves, the real prize is a ticket to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. This is where these students will compete for another $500 dollar cash prize, while also networking, taking classes with theatre professionals and meeting other region winners from across the country.
When it comes to the national competition itself, and the execution of their scene from William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, Aplin said, “I feel very confident about our performance and the work going into what we have,” also saying that the performance is “oozing confidence.” He is very glad to be a part of this partnership with Burton, and that his role in their scene and Burton herself have given him this confidence.
He said, “There’s absolutely gonna be nerves. I don’t feel it to the full extent right now, but I know for sure I will when we’re flying up or touching down at some point I’m going to get them. It’s just a part of my biology to feel like a nervous wreck.”
When asked about what she would like to say to students who want to go for scholarships like this one, Burton said, “I hope that they just remember to keep it fun for themselves.”
To students interested in getting into theatre, Burton said, “Oh my gosh, do it. It’s one of the most freeing things you could ever do. You learn empathy, and you take that out into the real world. You know, it expands your imagination. You could just see all the ways that the world can just be a better and more loving place.”
