# Grants



## jyenish (Jul 14, 2005)

Here is a question that anyone who knows may not want to answer for obvious reasons. 

So I will begining Grad. School this fall, and while I have a stipent, I am curious if anyone knows about any grants that I could apply for that have to do with Tech Theater. I really don't want to have to get a job outside of the the theater I will be working in and I am just curious if anyone has any good grants or ideas where I could find out, besides Googling it (I tried that).


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## Mayhem (Jul 15, 2005)

Start by talking to people involved in the school as they may have the information that you require. 

As I am not in the US I am not in a position to give you specific advice. However, as a post grad student, I have been given several potential sources of funding (mainly gov) for when (if) I commence my doctoral studies.

Most of them need to be applied for 12 months in advance so you will need to look at that aspect as well.

Again - this may be different in the US.


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## ship (Jul 15, 2005)

Most of the graduate students I knew were working for the theater in teaching classes or being a slave in the shop for primary pay, designing at local theaters and schools and working as a stage hand for the local civic center or road house theater.

There are grants out there, but I forget who is doing them - once in a while a blurb in the trade magazines about X person won Y companie's grant.

I agree with talking to the school. While most of the grad students I was in school with were poor, they did have sufficient income coming in.

This might also be a question to ask on stagecraft or to E-Mail some of the college professors from that forum about directly.

Good luck by the way on the Masters. What's your primary study?


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## jyenish (Jul 16, 2005)

I appreciate the comments I've received so far. To answer a question or two I have spoken to the department and they have little idea about tech scholarships. While they do recieve department grants individual grants they are pretty clueless about it. 

As to my Studies, I will be an MFA student studying Theatrical Lighting Design. I am uber excited for the program since this will be the first time I will have had any classes in lighting. In high school and college I was the only one interested in lighting, everyone else wanted to act or direct. But in those years I have learned alot form working with other designers, reading everything printed I could, and just practicing the trade. 

As an undergrad I had to work several jobs outside of theater that, while paying the bills, do little more than take time away from my craft, so again I emplore anyone with any ideas out there to put in their two cents.


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## zac850 (Jul 16, 2005)

I do not know much about getting grants like that, however are there any regional theaters around you? If so, submit a resume and try to get on there over-hire call list. While it is not steady money, if you can work a strike every week or two, you can hopefully keep a bit of money on the side for a rainy day.


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## ship (Jul 16, 2005)

Try contacting the various manufacturers and trade magazines for advice - and do do the stagecraft post. Should you wish I can send you a link to the various manufacterers potentially giving grants. As for government and foundation grants otherwise, I would hope the stagecraft could mention them (probably too late) but otherwise otherwise McArther grants to PBS might have other grants to students. Must be a list or publication somewhere. Who are you talking to at the school? Cover both the secretary to the theater, it's admistrator, your supervisor, and the grant writing people. There is probably a book or website somewhere with the various grants that might be interactive.

Probably also depends much upon current tax code. If a grant is not tax deductable in hard times, it might be done away with for the various manufacturers.

Sorry if not much help, scratching my brain but it's just nothing I have dealt with. In having worked with other grantes on the ohter hand I do know that it's kind of late in the game to be seeking. Perhaps work on next year if nothing else if you can swing the student loans for a year.

Lighting design is cool, where at?


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## jyenish (Jul 16, 2005)

Again I appreciate the help in this field, I am a little lost as to what Stagecraft is. Is it another site like this? 

The persons in the department I have talked to have been the PR guy, he is also the grant writer for the dept, and the Lighting Designer. Other than that I don't know too many other profs. or staff in the deptarment. I also figure I may be too late for a grant this year but I am can always have a leg up on it for next year. In addition to that I try to smooth the way out for those students who follow me in the schools I have been at, so what ever I find I can leave for the next guy.

But to answer the question of where I am studying, I will be Minnesota State University at Mankato this fall. I got a pretty good deal out of it. A nice stipent, 75% tution cut and I did my undergrad work at another college in the area and they have hired me to be lighting designer for the school. 

The nice part about that is, not only will I be getting paid to do it, where in the last few years it has been for credit, but I will also be continuing to build up my portfolio.


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## ship (Jul 17, 2005)

Check the links section or http://stagecraft.theprices.net/ and subscribe for the digest version.

There is many websites for theater or even repairing cars out there. Each has a different feel to them and expert level. This given the case, for theater there is no compitetion, just differences in home site and feel to them, but best advice being that you should scribe to many and read from them all. Never know where you will get a new idea or advice from or where you can help. Amongst them is Rats nest or something like that, http://forums.delphiforums.com/lightnetwork/start , http://srforums.prosoundweb.com/ - lighting forum, http://www.blue-room.org.uk for a few lighting forums.

Stagecraft list is the top of the list of websites or mailers in that it is the most populated site. From student to expert, most are there and while infrequently it's a mean response or something that's side lined into a seperate discussion, most of the time there will be good advice if not even industry changing discussions on it. Good to stay abrest of what's going on in it as similar as you would with Lighting Dimensions or PLSN.

I contribute to two on-line and two off line. You have your choices in being a reader or poster off and on, line. There is options in commenting on or off line even if you don't find yourself as expert in getting your ideas out.


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