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Georgia Southern student awarded Kennedy Center fellowship, wins scholarship

Georgia Southern University junior Gabrielle Scott has been awarded a Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region 4 Stage Management Fellowship. Scott, who is double majoring in theater and women’s, gender and sexuality studies, was also recently named to the inaugural cohort for the Cody Renard Richard Scholarship program for theater majors who are Black, Asian, Latinx, Indigenous and people of color.

Gabrielle Scott

For the fellowship, Scott’s work as a stage manager was measured against students from 10 other states and two U.S. territories by a panel of professional Broadway stage managers. She will now have the opportunity to train and network with professional designers and stage managers alongside students from across the country.

“Being selected for the KCACTF Stage Manager Fellowship is exciting because it gives me the chance to develop my skills and have them reviewed by active stage managers in the professional world,” Scott said.

For her scholarship, Scott will attend sessions with Cody Renard Richard, a decorated stage management professional who has worked within Broadway, television, Cirque du Soleil and opera. Professional mentorships and social justice seminars will also be provided by a group of diverse leaders in the theater industry. The program will also allow for the cohort to connect and celebrate theatrical contributions as they grow as artists and leaders in the field.

“I’m most excited about the scholarship because of the opportunity to form new connections within the technical theater industry and learning about different approaches and creating space for artists of color to be heard in the industry,” Scott said.

After graduation, Scott aspires to have a career in production stage management, while branching out into live events and concert tours.

Scott said her theater and women’s, gender and sexuality studies program instructors have encouraged and challenged her while serving as mentors in and out of the classroom.

“My professors have allowed me to challenge myself and learn new things, which is extremely important in a mentor, especially within theater,” Scott said. “There is rarely a problem or question that I can’t come to them with, and they are always willing to help me work through challenges and grow as a person.”

Scott hopes her recent recognition will act as stepping stones to her larger goals.

“Both of these amazing honors feel like a testament to my hard work and drive that has developed since I began theater,” she said. “They also mean that I am one step closer to helping create a space for women and artists of color in the field, which is one of my main goals.”

Georgia Southern’s theater major is offered through the Department of Communication Arts in Georgia Southern’s College of Arts and Humanities on both the Statesboro and Armstrong campuses.

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