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André De Shields Fund

“You must imagine it to manifest it.” – André De Shields

Andre De Shields Commencement 1200x800

Founded in recognition of the outstanding achievements of the indomitable UW–Madison alumnus and Broadway star André De Shields, the André De Shields Fund honors his 50-plus-year career as an artist and activist and offers seed grants of $1,000-$3,000 to develop, design, produce, and perform artistic works that inspire societal transformation. Grantees will also have access to mentors, teachers, and professionals to support them.

Who Can Apply?

Application is open to anyone who:

  • Is an enrolled UW–Madison undergraduate student.
  • Has an artistic vision for using the transformative power of the performing arts to create social change.
    (Performing arts includes theater, music, spoken word, dance, multidisciplinary, or other creative acts that can be performed live on stage in front of an audience.)
  • Whose background lacks visibility at UW–Madison compared to other more dominant or prevalent groups.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate how their community or perspective is unrecognized or insufficiently reflected in our campus culture.

How to Apply

Students must submit a proposal that includes 1-3 work samples and a list of items or services required for the project. Students are not required to list the cost of these items in the initial proposal. If a proposal is selected in the first round of review, the applicant will be contacted for more information about the project’s size and budget.

What format should the proposal be?

No specific form or template is required. Your proposal is your blank canvas. Consider how the proposal itself can encompass your artistic aesthetic. Statements may be written, recorded in a short video or audio recording (3-5 minutes), or other expression of your intended dream, epiphany, and action.

The proposal should answer these questions:

  • What is your artistic dream? What value does your artistic dream bring to the world?
  • What epiphanies might your dream evoke, particularly regarding the transformative potential of your artistic dream? What do you want the audience to realize upon viewing your work?
  • What action do you envision your dream will invoke? How will your art inspire social impact?

In addition to the proposal, applicants need to complete the Project Materials & Services template and submit that along with their proposal.

Proposals are being accepted on a rolling basis.

You can mail or email proposals to:
Dream, Epiphany, Action
Wisconsin Union Theater
800 Langdon Street, 3rd Floor
Madison, WI 53706
or
theater.admin@union.wisc.edu (with the subject line: "Dream, Epiphany, Action")

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The André De Shields Fund Selection Committee will review proposals and make recommendations to the Wisconsin Union Theater Director for final selection. The Selection Committee comprises UW–Madison faculty, staff, and alums from various backgrounds and arts disciplines.

    1. The applicant must be a UW–Madison undergraduate student who feels they belong to a community or background that lacks visibility on the UW–Madison campus.
    2. The project or a significant segment (e.g., a scene from a play, a final script, or a rehearsal) must be completed within one year of receiving notice of funding.
    3. The project must not have previously been performed in a professional capacity.
    4. The project must be designed to influence social change.

  • Yes, applications are open to UW–Madison undergraduate students.

  • Projects may be brand new or under development. Seed grants intend to facilitate the project's growth and take it to the next level. That level can include various degrees of being "performance ready."

  • If the project is performance-ready, the Wisconsin Union Theater must have the first performance or the first right of refusal for the first public performance of the funded project. Special considerations will be made for site-specific projects.

  • Criteria for selection include quality and clarity of responses to these guiding questions:

    1. What is your artistic dream? What value does your artistic dream bring to the world?
    2. What epiphanies might your dream evoke, particularly regarding the transformative potential of your artistic dream?
    3. What action do you envision your dream will invoke? How will your art inspire social impact?

    The selection committee will also factor in schedule, timing of the received proposal, scale of the project, and level of commitment demonstrated by the applicant/artist to work on the project.

  • The number of seed grants and the amount of each grant depends on the number of eligible applications received and the scope of the proposed projects. Awards will most commonly be between $1,000 and $3,000. If any projects funded by a seed grant qualify for a professional-level public performance, the Wisconsin Union Theater will consider them for presentation during a future Wisconsin Union Theater performing arts season. This opportunity will be by invitation only.

  • Awardees will receive the option of a faculty or staff mentor. Mentors may assist with project development, planning, budgeting, financial management, and general advising. This mentor will receive a stipend to cover time and expenses related to their mentorship. Mentors may be university faculty, staff, or non-university-affiliated community members. Students may choose their mentor or request the Wisconsin Union Theater's help finding them a mentor.

    • Space rental. If the project requests to use the Theater's spaces (Play Circle, Shannon Hall, and Festival Room), the Wisconsin Union Theater will waive rental costs. If the project uses other spaces outside the Wisconsin Union that require a rental fee, that cost is eligible to be covered by the Fund.
    • Artist and designer fees or honoraria, including transportation, lodging, meals, and hospitality (backstage and studio rehearsal needs, such as beverages and snacks).
    • Materials such as set designs, costumes, props, sheet music, musical instruments or equipment
    • Production costs such as stage labor, audio and video equipment, and lighting and sound technicians
    • Marketing costs such as printing costs and advertising or promotional costs
    • Mentor stipends. See "Do any other benefits come with the award?"

  • No. According to University of Wisconsin System policies, funding from the André De Shields Fund is defined as an award.

  • No. Awards will not go directly to the student. The Fund will cover the project's direct costs and be processed through internal fund transfers or direct payments.

  • No. Students may only submit one application for one project in a given year.

If you would like to impact the next generation of student artists, you are invited to support the André De Shields Fund. 

DONATE

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