OUR WINTER FINANCIAL AID APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED!
Our Spring Term applications will open on Sunday, January 5th, 2025.
To be notified when our applications open, please fill out the contact form below:
HB Studio offers two forms of financial aid: Scholarships and Work-Study.
One application covers both opportunities.
Please read the terms & conditions below carefully, as updates may have been made for the current term:
Financial Aid Audition Policy
New students to the studio will be required to audition for financial aid, and new playwriting students will be asked to submit a writing sample of their work. You will select an audition appointment within your application. You must notify us at least one day ahead of time if you are unable to make it to your audition as scheduled. No-shows who fail to email auditions@hbstudio.org in order to reschedule or cancel the audition will not be allowed to apply or receive financial aid the following term.
You are only permitted to submit one financial aid application for one class each term.
Notification of Awards
All applicants will receive notification whether or not you are awarded financial aid. Notifications are generally made within one month of the application deadline.
If you receive financial aid, policy prohibits you from using it on a class you have already paid for. Please wait to receive notification whether or not you have received financial aid before enrolling in the class you are seeking aid for. If you pay for a class before receiving notice of your financial aid award, we are not able to reimburse you.
Scholarships
HB Studio makes limited scholarship funds available for artists of demonstrated talent and commitment who lack the means to study. HB Studio Scholarships are awarded based on need, a statement of goals and intent, and instructors’ recommendations. Applications for Studio class scholarships are accepted prior to each Term with deadlines and applications. New students to the studio will be required to audition.
Scholarships for The Uta Hagen Institute’s Hagen Core Training or Hagen Summer Intensive programs are awarded through a separate process and you should indicate your wish to be considered for scholarship support when applying for those programs.
In addition to general HB Studio scholarships, we are pleased to offer the following select scholarships:
- Ann Feshbach Scholarship – Supports enrollment in a 10-week class in our Movement department for an artist who has done outstanding work in theater movement
- Christina Kukucka Scholarship – Supports enrollment in a 10-week Playwriting class for a promising new playwright
Please note that if you are awarded a scholarship, you are required to enroll in the class by the first day of the term. Failure to utilize your scholarship by this date may result in forfeiture. HB scholarships are awarded on consideration of both merit and need, and are given with the expectation that those supported will lead their fellows in discipline, attendance, and preparation, and demonstrate a full commitment to their work in class.
Work-Study
Students at HB Studio are eligible for a Work-Study position if they have studied for one full term or are invited to audition. HB offers two kinds of Work-Study Opportunities: Key Students and Studio Assistants. In exchange for their time helping at the studio, Key Students and Studio Assistants earn the opportunity to add a free course to their schedule for one term. Key Students and SAs must be enrolled in a second (paid) course during that term. These Work-Study positions are given to students who have proven reliable, punctual, and conscientious in their classwork, and show a true commitment to the Studio’s mission. Key positions are assigned to students upon the recommendation of their teachers, and Studio Assistants are assigned based on applications submitted online. In addition to the required Work-Study hours, all Key Students and SAs are required to perform 4 Community Hours per term.
Key Students
Select classes have a Key Student, appointed by recommendation of the instructor, to serve as a monitor and teacher’s assistant. The key is responsible for preparing the classroom; taking attendance; maintaining class contact lists; tracking auditors; assisting with emergency procedures; seeing that the Studio is left in proper order, and such other tasks as the teacher may require. In exchange for the key scholarship, keys are also asked to provide 4 Community Hours per term. Key Students must be enrolled in a second (paid) course during the term. If you are interested in a Key Student position, please contact your instructor directly to ask if they would like to recommend you as their Key.
Studio Assistants
Studio Assistants (SAs) work 2, 4 or 6 weekly hours over 10-weeks of a term. SA shift(s) are based on student work interest and supervisor availability within the Studio’s operating hours of 9:30am–9:30pm on weekdays, and 9:30am–6pm on weekends. Each term HB offers roles that are in-person, and a limited number of remote work-from-home roles:
Office Assistant SAs will help with tasks like database updates, filing, taking ticket reservations over the phone, mailings, internet research, scanning for archives, hosting Zoom auditions, marketing support, etc.
Venue Assistant SAs will help with tasks like student check-in, studio upkeep, preparing studios for incoming classes, updating casting database, organizing the library, taking ticket reservations over the phone, etc.
Facilities Assistant SAs will help with tasks like sweep and/or mop the studio stairs, help with snow removal from the front of the building and in the courtyard, mopping floors and wiping down restroom counters, cleaning and storing props in studios, etc. Occasionally help will be needed in the theater, so experience with carpentry or interest in technical aspects of theater are encouraged.
On acceptance to an SA position, the SA will be connected with a supervisor and agree to a regularly scheduled shift(s). The staff supervisor must approve changes in shift time in advance. If an SA misses more than 2 shifts without ample notification they may be asked to leave the SA program and withdraw from their class. Poor attendance may also prohibit a student from future SA positions. An SA’s duties and shifts may vary within any given term with the agreement of both the SA and staff supervisor. An SA may receive free enrollment for a maximum of one class per term and must be enrolled in a second (paid) course during that term. A limited number of waivers to the second class requirement will be granted each term, in exchange for an additional 2 hours/week of work. SAs are also asked to provide 4 Community Hours per term.
Community Hours
Over the course of the term student help will be needed to assist with front of house management for performances and talks, mailings, and other projects. All Key Students are required to complete 4 Community Hours a term. Community Hour opportunities will be sent out via email at various times over the term and hours will be assigned on a first response basis. If at the end of a term you realize you have not completed your Community Hours please be in touch with registration@hbstudio.org to make arrangements. In order to continue into a new term as a work-study student Community Hours must be completed or scheduled.
How to Apply
To be eligible for a Key or Studio Assistant position, a student must be studying at the Studio for at least one term. If awarded a Key or SA position, you must enroll in at least one other (paid) class during the term of your Work-Study. Requests for exceptions due to financial hardship may be addressed to the Student Affairs Committee in writing (studentaffairs@hbstudio.org). No student will be allowed more than one work-study class registration per term.
Contact the instructor directly if you have an interest in serving as a Key Student for a particular class, or email registration@hbstudio.org for more information.
Still have questions about any of the above? Email scholarships@hbstudio.org