2026-27 CWRU Theater Scholarship Events
Case Western Reserve University has made merit-based scholarships available for prospective theater students. Each year, the Department of Theater awards four full-tuition scholarships to students who intend on majoring in theater, and two $10,000 scholarships to students who intend on minoring in theater, or those interested in pursuing theater as an extracurricular activity at CWRU.
In Person Scholarship Event dates for 2026-2027:
October Theater weekend: October 2 & 3 2026
Registration opening soon!
November Theater Weekend: November 13 & 14 2026
Registration opening soon!
February Theater Weekend: February 19 & 20 2027
Registration will open in December
Virtual Option: Arts Supplement Applications: Due by February 1, 2027
See below for details.
About the CWRU Theater Scholarships
FOUR FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS for THEATER MAJORS
For students intending to major in theater at CWRU, we have FOUR FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS to award. Each scholarship is a full-tuition, four-year scholarship (room and board not included). To retain the scholarship, the student must declare theater as a major by the end of their freshman year, as well as maintain the stipulated GPA.
TWO $10,000 SCHOLARSHIPS for THEATER MINORS
For students intending to minor in theater, or pursue theater as an extracurricular activity, we have two $10,000 SCHOLARSHIPS to award. Each scholarship is a four-year scholarship. To retain the scholarship, students must contribute to theater productions in either a performance, design, or technical capacity on an annual basis, as well as maintain the stipulated GPA.
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SCHOLARSHIPS
To be considered for one of these scholarships, the prospective student must submit an application for admission to CWRU, as well as register for one of our theater scholarship events. There are several avenues a student can submit for the CWRU theater scholarship – see below for details. Audition and Portfolio requirements are the same for both scholarships. See specific audition and portfolio requirements below.
Please Note: The audition and portfolio presentation process is for scholarship consideration only. You are not applying to be admitted to the theater program. Any student admitted to CWRU may choose their field of study. If you are admitted to CWRU and want to study theater here, but do not receive one of the theater scholarships, we would love to have you join our program!
HOW TO SCHEDULE A SCHOLARSHIP AUDITION OR PORTFOLIO PRESENTATION
ATTEND IN-PERSON THEATER WEEKEND
Students interested in attending one of our in-person events will need to register online – see top of page for links. Prospective students attending a theater weekend event will have the opportunity to audition and/or present a portfolio for the scholarship, participate in an acting or design workshop, attend an undergraduate theater production, meet with faculty and students, and ask questions about the program. In-person events are held in October, November and February.
INDIVIDUAL CAMPUS VISIT
If you are unable to attend the Theater Weekend, you may contact Professor Bohan to schedule a time to come to campus for an audition or interview. Deadline for individual appointment is February 20, 2027. Individual auditions and/or portfolio presentations are only held during the school week. If you would like to make an appointment, please contact Professor Bohan at christopher.bohan@case.edu
ARTS SUPPLEMENT SUBMISSION
If you are unable to attend an in-person event or schedule an individual visit, you can submit your materials for theater scholarship consideration to the Arts Supplement portion of your CWRU application. Once you submit your application to CWRU, you will receive a notification asking if you would like to submit an ‘arts supplement’ to your application. See below for submission requirements. Once you have uploaded your materials to the Arts Supplement, please email christopher.bohan@case.edu to let us know to review your materials. Once we receive your materials, we will review your submission and contact you to schedule a virtual interview.
IMPORTANT DEADLINES for 2027 Scholarship Eligibility:
January 15, 2027: Deadline to submit your CWRU application
- You must submit a CWRU application to be eligible for consideration
- All Early Action and Regular Decision applicants are eligible
- You may audition/present portfolio for scholarship before submitting CWRU application
- International students ARE eligible for the CWRU theater scholarship
February 1, 2027: Deadline to submit CWRU Theater Scholarship application materials to the Arts Supplement.
February 20, 2027: deadline for in-person auditions and portfolio submissions.
Ineligibility: This scholarship is intended for students who are seeking admission to college for the first time. Therefore, transfer students, as well as those who have already completed, or begun, an undergraduate degree are ineligible.
Detail of Submission Requirements for each discipline
PERFORMANCE CONCENTRATION
ACTING:
Candidates interested in focusing on the acting concentration are asked to select, memorize, and prepare ONE monologue of their choosing. Selection can be from a contemporary or classic play and should not exceed two minutes in length. Each candidate will be asked to submit a headshot or current photo, as well as a theater resume or short bio of their theater experience. You may also prepare and present 16 bars of a musical, but this is not required. There will not be an accompanist, so you may sing a cappella or with a device. For Arts Supplement, please upload your audition videos and your headshot/photo and resume/bio.
DESIGN/STAGE MANAGEMENT CONCENTRATION
Design:
For the design concentration scholarships, a portfolio demonstrating skills in theater is required (which can include some or all of the following: renderings, sketches, paperwork, scale drawings, production photos, etc.). Students may also include experience in a related field, such as art, architecture, cosplay, graphics, or photography. The portfolio may be in scrapbook format or on an online platform. Art projects or model making could substitute or be included with the other requirements. The material should be organized into some kind of cohesive presentation, with identifying labels for references. Arts Supplement submission: Please upload your presentation and or links to the Arts Supplement in ONE pdf document.
Stage Management:
Students interested in stage management should bring in their SM binders, copies of scripts they have worked on (with cues written in), paperwork related to the show, and any other evidence of skills related to stage management such as organization, managing/coordinating large groups of people, multitasking, and communication. Arts Supplement submission: Please upload your presentation and or links to the Arts Supplement in ONE pdf document.
DIRECTING CONCENTRATION
DIRECTING:
For candidates interested in the directing concentration, a portfolio presentation is needed. Your portfolio should consist of the following:
- 1) A one-page resume documenting your theater experience (directing, acting, playwriting, design, stage management, etc).
- 2) A 1-2 page Director’s Concept for a published play or musical that you would be interested in directing, detailing your vision for the show (characters, moods and tones, visual aspects) and what you would want the audience to take away from the production in terms of its central themes and ideas.
- 3) Production photos from previous projects you have directed (if applicable, not required). Candidates should be prepared to speak about their interest and passion for directing, as well as their previous directing and/or theater experience. For Arts Supplement, please upload any documents and/or photos that represent your work.
- SCHOLARSHIP AWARD NOTIFICATION
The department of theater will make its scholarship award selections in the first week of March. Award selections will be sent to the CWRU department of admissions. Awardees, regardless of application submission (Early Action, Early Decision, Regular Decision) will be notified by CWRU admissions during the second or third week of March when admission notifications are sent out to Regular Decision candidates. If you are awarded the theater scholarship, it will be indicated in the Financial Aid portion of your admission letter. Those who were admitted Early Decision/Action will receive an updated financial aid package at that time which indicated the Theater Scholarship. The CWRU Department of Theater is not authorized to notify awardees.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT
Professor Christopher Bohan at 216-368-6097 or christopher.bohan@case.edu