Virginia Children's Theatre Announces Scholarship Recipients

Producing Artistic Director Brett J. Roden, the staff and board of Virginia Children's Theatre (VCT) are pleased to announce the recipients of the annual scholarships awarded by VCT. Ben Armstrong will receive the Sarabeth Hammond Scholarship and Ronin Ramey will receive the ARD Properties Scholarship for the 2022-2023 Season.

The Sarabeth Hammond Scholarship was created in memory of beloved youth actor, Sarabeth Hammond, whose vibrant life was tragically cut short in December 2016. The Sarabeth Hammond Scholarship is awarded annually to a young theatre artist in honor of the fearless spirit that Sarabeth exhibited when she participated with VCT in classes, productions, or in mentoring younger students. The yearly recipient will be allowed to enroll in as many VCT classes and camps as they desire for the upcoming season, have private coaching sessions with VCT professional artists and also be guaranteed casting in a VCT mainstage production.

The ARD Properties Scholarship was created to honor the support and dedication that ARD Properties contributes to VCT, the Roanoke Valley and beyond. Led by John D'Alessandro, ARD Properties fosters a strong sense of community through their outreach and giving back to area organizations. The Scholarship will be awarded annually to a VCT Academy Theatre artist who exhibits a strong sense of service, leadership and dedication to their community. Recipients of the ARD Properties Scholarship will receive complimentary VCT Academy sessions during the school year, one complimentary summer camp session and eight private coaching sessions. The recipient will also be provided with multiple leadership opportunities throughout the season.

Ben Armstrong receives the Sarabeth Hammond Scholarship because of his leadership, talent and dedication to Virginia Children's Theatre. Patrons most recently saw Ben on the VCT stage as Prince Topher in Cinderella.

Ronin Ramey receives the ARD Properties Scholarship because of his strong commitment to Virginia Children's Theatre. Ramey's hard work, dedication and leadership in the VCT Theatre Academy represents the partnership, legacy and sense of community that ARD Properties has created as a staunch supporter of VCT.

"We are thrilled to have Ben and Ronin as our scholarship recipients for the 2022-2023 Season," says Roden. "Both Ben and Ronin are hard-working/ dedicated young theatre artists, role models and leaders for our many young actors at VCT. They set our standard for excellence in performing arts at VCT."

Ben Armstrong is in 11th grade. His favorite credits include: Cinderella (Prince Topher), The Addams Family (Lucas Beineke), Junie B. Jones: The Musical (Herb), Mary Poppins Jr. (Bert) at VCT, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Schroeder) and The Little Mermaid (Flounder) at P&HCC, as well as High School Musical (Chad Danforth) at Mill Mountain Theatre. Ben is a member of the Youth Professional Ensemble here at VCT and Dance Conservatory at MMT. This summer Ben had the opportunity to go to NYC and study with Broadway stars and Veterans at BroadwayEvolved's summer intensive. Ben would like to thank his mom and the entire Virginia Children's Theatre staff for their continued trust in him and for pushing him to be the best he can be.

Ronin Ramey is in 7th grade at Woodrow Wilson Middle School. He has been heavily involved in VCT Academy Classes and Camps for the past three years. His favorite productions with VCT include Peter Pan, Jr. and VCT Summer Stock productions of Moana and The Lion King. Ronin also enjoyed Cirque du VCT. He loves to dance, read, play basketball (he was a student with Hoop Love Basketball Academy) and video games, and he is a huge football fan.

Virginia Children's Theatre (VCT) is an independently owned and operated 501(c)3 organization located in Roanoke, Virginia. VCT is the only professional theatre in the commonwealth of Virginia solely dedicated to youth, schools and their families. VCT produces a variety of high caliber professional literature based musicals, concerts, and issue driven plays each season. These productions are produced in the Roanoke Valley and toured throughout the commonwealth of Virginia. The VCT Theatre Academy provides year-round high-quality music, theatre and dance education for students Pre-K through 12th grade through in-school residencies, in-house classes & camps and outreach across the commonwealth. VCT has a mission to inspire, empower and transform the community through the magic of live theatre!

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