ACTING/IRENE RYAN SCHOLARSHIPS

Irene Ryan Information Submission will be available later this fall.

Irene Ryan Coordinator Letter

Dear Irene Ryan Candidates and Faculty Coaches of Region IV,

Congratulations to each of you for your excellence and commitment. We are pleased to announce the Eddie Collins of Young Harris College has graciously agreed to serve our region as the Irene Ryan Scholarship Auditions coordinator. Jeff Green, Vice Chair for Region IV, will continue to assist Eddie this year as well. The entire regional committee is looking forward to seeing you at the KCACTF Region IV Festival XLIII in Daytona, Florida, February 1 - 5, 2011.

There are a number of significant changes to the Irene Ryan format this year, so you'll want to read this carefully.

Please complete one Irene Ryan Information Form. Your partner does not need to complete an Irene Ryan Form. You may fill this out online or you may fax it to Eddie Collins at 706-379-4596 by January 21, 2011. Please make sure it is completely filled out. Please note that you also have to complete a festival registration form; please check with your KCACTF faculty liaison to see if your school is doing this for you.

Orientation for the Irene Ryan Scholarship Auditions is on TUESDAY EVENING, February 1, 2011 at 9:00 PM. You MUST be present at the Tuesday orientation to participate in the Wednesday, February 2 preliminary round auditions. There will be a question and answer session at the orientation. The semi-final round will be held Thursday afternoon, February 3 and the final round will be on Friday, February 4. [Dates and times are subject to change. Please check back]

In addition to the $500 scholarship award made by the Kennedy Center to each of our regional winners, we will give a regional award of $150 each for best partner, best classical audition and best musical audition. We're also proud to continue to award the Region IV Marvin Sims Diversity Award to an Irene Ryan finalist or semi-finalist who best exemplifies and celebrates the rich diversity of our culture in the performance of an Irene Ryan Audition.

Candidates MUST comply with the following performance guidelines:

Preliminary Round: The Regional Preliminary Round audition shall consist of one (1) two-person scene not to exceed a maximum of three (3) minutes in length . If the audition incorporates singing, at least 50% of the scene must be in dialogue or duet with partner and the accompanist will not count as the partner unless singing/performing with the candidate.

Semifinal Round: The regional semifinal round audition must be composed of the preliminary round audition scene plus a second two-person scene using the same partner in both scenes. Singing may be incorporated in the second two-person scene in the same manner as the preliminary round . The semifinal round audition will not exceed a maximum of five (5) minutes total .

Final Round: The Final Round audition at the regional and national levels shall consist of the semifinal round audition scenes plus a monologue or solo musical number. The audition will not exceed a maximum of six (6) minutes total.

Significant Changes!

1). In an effort to model the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions after professional auditions, there will no longer be a "disqualification" at any level of the Irene Ryan auditions. Time limits will be enforced, and are limited to 3 minutes at the preliminary audition, 5 minutes at the semi-final audition, and 6 minutes at the final round of auditions. Much like a professional audition, actors will be stopped at the time limit at all levels. There will be no warnings on time, such as hand raising, paddle waving, etc. There is no grace period at any level; nor any disqualification. Time management is a very important consideration in selecting material. While there is no longer any disqualification, actors are strongly encouraged to allow for room in their audition to fully develop the acting moments. It is a disadvantage to the actor to prepare an audition that requires the actor to rush to finish the material, or to risk having the most important moments go unseen and is indicative of an unprofessional and ill-prepared audition. Time the performance carefully so that it is always within the required limits. The confidence, poise, and polish of outstanding auditions are the result of dedicated, concentrated rehearsal and astute coaching.

2). All musical accompaniment must be live. No recorded accompaniment will be allowed. If a scene in the audition incorporates singing, the scene must be in dialogue or duet with the partner. The accompanist will not count as the partner (unless the accompanist performs as a character in the audition).

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.
* Demonstration of 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.

Nominees are strongly urged to visit the KCACTF Irene Ryan site to become familiar with its detailed information on rights, royalties, awards, and rules for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions.

KCACTF Irene Ryan site: http://www.kcactf.org/ryan_index.html

Don't hesitate to contact either Eddie Collins at ecollins@yhc.edu or Jeff Green at jgreen@canes.gsw.edu if you require assistance with any of the guidelines.

Thanks to all of the Region IV students and coaches who make the Irene Ryan Scholarships such an exciting part of our Festival. We look forward to working with all of you in February.

Have a great year!