Peninsula Players Theater Announces Scholarship Opportunities for Local Students

Peninsula Players Theatre is pleased to announce they are accepting scholarship applications from Door County high school seniors pursuing a major or minor in arts management, music or theater. A $500 scholarship will be awarded this spring to one student at each of the Door County high schools. Students may apply through the Door County Community Foundation and applications are due April 6, 2020.

This award was created in 2019 by Peninsula Players Theatre and its Board of Directors to foster the career path and arts education of graduating high school students across Door County in the performing arts. Peninsula Players Theatre, America’s oldest professional resident summer theater, is proud to support the higher education of Door County seniors pursuing an advanced degree with a major or minor in arts management, music or theater.

In 2018, Peninsula Players fashioned the c to recognize and reward graduating high school students across Door County for their achievements in and enthusiasm for the performing arts. “The Board of Directors is thrilled to provide five scholarships to high school students wishing to further their education in the performing arts,” Peninsula Players Managing Director Brian Kelsey said.

Peninsula Players Theatre and the National Standards for Arts Education agrees that the arts are an integral part of education and of the human journey. Arts education extends beyond academics; students show increased self-confidence and self-understanding, enhanced communication skills, and improved cognition.

“The arts are such a critical part of a student’s overall education as well as continued personal development,” said Peninsula Players Managing Director Brian Kelsey. “It is with great pride that we reward and encourage the development of careers in the performing arts.”

American for the Arts reports students who are involved in the arts are four times more likely to participate in a math or science fair, three times more likely to win an award for school attendance and score higher on the SAT.

“The Door County peninsula has a wealth of diverse visual and performing arts organizations,” Kelsey said. “Our communities are impeccably positioned to play a critical role in the continued education of our students and adult population. It is very enriching to see that Door County schools value the arts as part of core learning and that the adult population embraces life-long learning.”

Peninsula Players Theatre Scholarship applicants must plan to enroll as a full-time college or technical student with plans to major or minor in arts management, music (performance or education), or theater (acting, theater studies, theater technology and design). Applications for the scholarship are available through the Door County Community Foundation.

More information and a full list of qualifications for the Peninsula Players Scholarship is listed at www.doorcountyscholarships.org. Applications are due April 6, 2020, and maybe sent via email to [email protected] or mailed to: Peninsula Players Scholarship c/o Door County Community Foundation at 222 North Third Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235. For more information, contact Development Director Danielle Szmanda at (920) 868-3287.

Peninsula Players Theatre is committed to providing educational programming for the community through its wither play reading series, The Play’s the Thing, and pre-show seminars. The Peninsula Players has a long history of educational initiatives, including an intern program that dates back to the founding days of the Players in the 1930s. The theater continues to offer theater tours and post-show discussions as listed in the program and website.

Peninsula Players Theatre, America’s Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theater, produces a five-show season of Broadway-quality comedies, dramas and musicals. Learn more about Peninsula Players and its 2020 season at www.peninsulaplayers.com.