ST. LOUIS, MO – The March 1 deadline is approaching for local young actors to register to compete in the National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL) 2019 Chapter Drama Competition. NSAL, a non-profit organization that recognizes and supports talented, young emerging artists, will award prizes up to $2000 and the opportunity to compete at the national competition for up to $12,000. Actors between the ages of 18 and 27 who live or go to college within the NSAL Saint Louis Chapter region of Missouri, southern Iowa, Kansas and southern Illinois are eligible to apply. Contestants are encouraged to start planning early as they must present two audition monologues from memory, including a comedic and serious piece.
Actors must register for the competition by March 1 at https://nsalstl.org/competitions. The contestants will perform for a panel of top-ranked professional judges at the NSAL Chapter Drama Competition on March 16, 2019 at Webster University in St. Louis.
The first place NSAL Saint Louis Chapter Drama Competition winner will receive $2,000 and full financial support to compete for up to $12,000 at the national competition in Washington D.C., May 30 through June 2, 2019. The second-place chapter winner will receive $1,000. The third-place chapter winner will receive $750.
“The NSAL competition was an amazing experience for me,” said Drew Battles, theatre instructor at John Burroughs School, former regional competition winner and national competition runner-up. “The $5,000 I won made it possible for me to take a huge risk and move to New York City. Later, I gained experience by going to Brown University and earning a Master of Fine Arts. Now I’m teaching and acting in St. Louis.”
“This is an incredible opportunity for those that aspire to be professional actors to take an important step towards fulfilling their dreams!” said Elizabeth Branstetter, president of the St. Louis Chapter of NSAL. “We are excited meet talented young performers from across our region and send our first-place winner to compete at the National Conference where the top prize is $12,000!”
For more information or to view the 2019 NSAL Saint Louis Chapter Drama Competition application form, rules and performance requirements, visit https://nsalstl.org/competitions. Applications should be emailed to [email protected] and mailed to NSAL Saint Louis Chapter, P.O. Box 50101, Clayton, Missouri 63105. General inquiries should be sent to Cecilia Nadal, competition chair, at [email protected].
ABOUT NATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARTS AND LETTERS
Founded in 1944, the National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping promising young artists through competitions, financial assistance, master classes and career introductions. Each year, NSAL awards more than $60,000 through national and regional chapter competitions in a designated field of art, which rotates between art, dance, drama, literature, music and musical theater. The NSAL Saint Louis Chapter was founded in 1953 and showcases the work of young artists, conducts competitions and awards merit and financial assistance to students. Through their Artist Support Fund, NSAL Saint Louis provides grant funding to young artists, ages 14 to 30, who demonstrate exceptional talent and promise of future success in their artistic field. NSAL membership is open to professionals in the arts and to supporters and patrons of the arts. For more information about NSAL, visit http://arts-nsal.org For more information about the NSAL Saint Louis Chapter, visit https://nsalstl.org.
Media Contact:
Rachel Brown
Synergy Group
314.961.9772
###