This is not your standard scholarship application. For a $1,000 award, applicants for the Sara Evelyn Smith Scholarships in Theatre Arts and the Phyllis Mailes Memorial Scholarship for Actors must “audition” for their scholarships. After meeting academic requirements, students rehearse and perform monologues from artistic works of their choosing at SBCC’s Interim Theatre. They are evaluated by a small group of faculty.
This Thursday, 15 finalists of the 42 applicants will find out that they have won a scholarship.
Anne Smith Towbes, daughter of Sara Smith, and Tim Whitcomb, son of Phyllis Mailes, will be on hand to present the scholarships.
The $1,000 scholarships are awarded annually to SBCC theatre arts students who attended local high schools, maintain high academic achievement, and demonstrate performance talent and experience. They are named for the late Sara Smith, a local teacher and philanthropist who spent over 50 years in theatre arts education, and the late Phyllis Mailes, who directed, organized and participated in neighborhood and community theatre projects in the San Fernando Valley.
Santa Barbara City College is also home to the critically acclaimed SBCC Theatre Group, the oldest producing theatre organization in Santa Barbara County. Since 1977, The Theatre Group has been located in the Garvin Theatre Complex on SBCC’s beautiful West Campus. The Theatre Arts Department at Santa Barbara City College offers a variety of programs of study and experience in theater production and acting.