Marjorie O’Braza Memorial Drama/Theatre Arts Scholarship

For Graduating High School Seniors

$3,000

Application submission deadline is January 29, 2027

The Des Moines Women’s Club is delighted you are applying for this scholarship.

Please complete all sections of the application by January 29, 2027, to be considered for an award. Recipients will be notified the first week in March 2027.

Good luck to you as you pursue your educational and career goals.

General Information

  • Applicant must be a graduating high school senior who will be pursuing a degree in drama, speech, communications, or broadcast journalism at a college, university, or conservatory.

  • Applicant may only apply for one Des Moines Women’s Club scholarship per year.

  • Applicant must be a legal resident of or a registered student in Polk, Boone, Dallas, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Story, or Warren County.

  • Only complete applications, including references, will be considered.

  • The scholarship recipient is requested to attend the DMWC Scholarship Award Program on April 21, 2027.

  • The scholarship award will be sent directly to the winning recipient’s selected school upon verification of registration and shall be applied toward university expenses for the 2027-2028 school year.

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN AND READ THROUGH ALL REQUIREMENTS BEFORE STARTING.

STEP 1: Application

STEP 2:

One letter of recommendation from a high school drama teacher or from a director of any outside drama, speech, or broadcast journalism activity, with their contact information, must be sent to the Des Moines Women’s Club office at dmwclub@hoytsherman.org. Please have them include your name and O’Braza Theater Arts Scholarship in the subject line.

STEP 3: Audition

  • Applicants may audition in one of the following areas of Theater Arts: performance, set/technical design, directing, speech communications, or broadcast journalism.

  • Acting auditions will be live and scheduled in February 2027. Auditions will include an introduction, followed by a three-to-five minute monologue.

  • Directing auditions will be live and scheduled in February 2027. Directing audition applicants will include an introduction followed by a live ten-minute scene (number of actors can range from not less than three to not more than fifteen and should not include the director).

  • Scenic design applicants should include a drawn-to-scale ground plan and may be asked for a scenic model.