We are proud to announce the recipients of the 2022 Acting Excellence Scholarship at TK Studio!
The Scholarship provides awards towards tuition for the Two Year Acting Program for 1st Year and 2nd Year artists of color. The Excellence Scholarship aims to provide an opportunity to artists of color who are passionate about pursuing acting training and are committed to excellence. The Scholarship was established through the generosity of a recent graduate of color who believes in the richness of the work and the mission of TKS, and who wishes to remain anonymous. The fund is also supported by the Studio.
Last year, when we started the Scholarship, we had a handful of applications. This year we had 15–an exciting increase in the reach of this fund. Our available funds also increased this year, meaning we could offer more awards.
Congratulations to our 2022 Excellence Scholarship recipients:
(1st Year Fall Class)
“I want to climb this mountain of commitment and excellence with an unwavering passion. I am ready to elevate my level of knowledge so that I may be an inspiration to the next generation of black actors while passing on what I have learned. I am ready to bear my strengths and weaknesses to the world and learn what it truly means to be vulnerable. To use my blackness as an advantage and merge my unique experiences with my art.“
(1st Year Fall Class)
“As a black woman, I cannot emphasize enough how pivotal it is to see representations of black excellence in film. As a black actress, I intend to be one of the great representatives of my people and culture. I want to be an artist who has earned her place; the example that more black actors do exist. We should be taken seriously, because oftentimes we aren’t. The passion I have for acting is unshakable, despite the distractions, self-doubt, and disappointments I’ve faced. I’m tired of being underestimated and undervalued; I just want to be free.”
(2nd Year Class)
“As an artist of color, there is a deep sense of responsibility to take action, consistently toward equity for all—both in art & life. I think of the numerous ancestors, their sacrifices, and how their relentless efforts laid the very foundation that allows me the extraordinary privilege to study and the opportunity to move through and experience not only this industry but this gift of life with more boundless possibility than they. I think of the responsibility I have to honor them by means of unwavering integrity in the stories I choose and a fierce boldness in how I tell them. In choosing radical love and having the audacity to live, dream, advocate, especially when it means standing in my power and “making some noise and getting into good trouble, necessary trouble” in the face of injustice in a story or in the streets, for anyone.“
(2nd Year Class)
As a Latinx actor, I want to use my voice to create and play characters that show the complexities of women like me. Women who are intelligent, powerful, sensual, loving, contemporary, hurt, lost, and so much more. I hope to give back to my community and shed light on our strength and resilience. My aspiration is for them to see me playing characters they can dream of being and characters they already know; sharing performances that can help someone feel understood on a deep cultural level. I’d like to be a leader and a creator so that my memories can have a public face and maybe help others feel that magic exists for them too.”
In Addition, Two Awards were given towards Clown tuition for Clown students of color:
(2nd Year Class)
“I see an incredible amount of POC making waves in this industry finally and that’s something I want to be a part of–being able to inspire someone who looks like me and tell a story they can relate to. Representation plays such a huge role in the development of young people and if I’m going to be one of the leaders who represent my culture it would be a disservice not to do it in a passionate way.“
Marsha Tony (2nd Year Class)
“I want to train to be an actor because I want to tell stories. I want to live as many lifetimes as I can within this one. I look to my favorite actors and see how they’re able to constantly inspire me. To give performances so meaningful that you can see that they have more than just admiration for the art. It’s what I strive for everyday that I show up and and do this work.“