Two new scholarships awarded to UF students by Friends of Theatre and Dance

May 12, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Two new scholarships were recently awarded to College of Fine Arts School of Theatre and Dance students at the University of Florida.

A newly formed support group, The Friends of Theatre and Dance, created and funded the two $750 annual scholarships that were awarded in the Constans Theatre.

Each year, the Friends of Theatre and Dance will award one of the scholarships to a theatre student, the other to a dance student. Brandon Washington, a dance performance major, and Matthew Lindsay, a graduate student in theatre, became the first students to win the award in an April 23 ceremony at the School of Theatre and Dance.

The criteria for the scholarship are talent, scholarship, contribution to the School of Theatre and Dance, and outstanding artistic promise in the fields of theatre and dance.

Brandon Washington, a bachelor of fine arts student with a major in Dance Performance, performs with UF’s student groups The Florida MOD Project and Theatre Jazz Repertoire. This academic year he was also seen in “Dance 2008: Tribute, Voyage to Tomorrow,” the dance event for the UF Capital Campaign’s kickoff gala, Valencia Community College Choreographer’s Showcase and the UF fall and spring BFA Dance Showcases. Brandon was also on the College of Fine Arts Dean’s List and is a member of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Matthew Lindsay, a third-year master of fine arts candidate, was last seen performing as Henry in “The Real Thing” and Harry in “Night of the Living Dead.” He also interned last semester with the Hippodrome’s H.I.T.T. program, working with local youth. Past UF performances include “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare” (Abridged), “Sir Fopling” (The Man of Mode), “Horst” (Bent), “Kerry” (The Exonerated), “Vincent” (Vincent In Brixton), and “Claudius” (Hamlet).

The Friends of Theatre and Dance was organized in January 2008 to provide scholarship funding and to encourage public awareness and support for the UF College of Fine Arts School of Theatre and Dance. A membership drive is presently underway by the Friends and a major fund raising event is scheduled for April 2008. For more information about the organization and next year’s event, please contact Kelly Vogel at 352-846-1218.