New Line Announces Recipient Of 2011 Scholarship

New Line Theatre, "the Bad Boy of Musical Theatre," now in its 20th season of provocative, alternative musical theatre, has awarded its 2011 musical theatre scholarship to Patrick Beecher, from the Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School (MICDS). Judith Newmark, theatre critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, selects the winner of the $1,000 scholarship each year, which is funded through the donations of New Line supporters.

Beecher has performed with both Stages St. Louis and The Muny, and has played leading roles in several shows at MICDS under the direction of Carolyne Hood, including Mr. Cladwell in Urinetown, Corny Collins in Hairspray, and Mr. Biggley in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, among other shows. Beecher plans to attend Northwestern University.

Each year, the New Line Theatre Scholarship Fund awards a scholarship to one St. Louis metro area high school senior who shows the potential to make outstanding artistic contributions in the musical theatre. This scholarship is available only to high school seniors planning to study musical theatre in college. The first recipient of the scholarship in 2009 was Jake Fruend of Webster High School, who now attends Columbia College in Chicago. After receiving the New Line scholarship, Jake was also accepted as a directing intern and assistant director for New Line's Evita last season. The 2010 scholarship recipient was Matt Dumke of Kirkwood High School, who now attends Missouri State University.

"We've been wanting to offer an annual scholarship for years," says New Line artistic director Scott Miller, "and we couldn't be happier to provide this small help to some young artist who wants to pursue work in the musical theatre. As I've said many times before, musical theatre is one of our few indigenous American art forms and it's never been more vigorous or more adventurous than it is right now. It's an amazing time to be working in the American musical theatre -- we're in a new Golden Age today -- and we hope that Patrick, Matt, and Jake find as much joy in that work as the New Liners all do."

New Line Theatre is a professional company dedicated to involving the people of the St. Louis region in the exploration and creation of daring, provocative, socially and politically relevant works of musical theatre. New Line receives funding from the Regional Arts Commission, the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

New Line's 20th season closes with the cult hit rock musical bare, running June 2-25. The company continues to offer the New Line Free Seats, ten seats put aside for every performance, free to anyone with a valid college student ID, as well as $10 tickets to any performance for high school students with a valid ID. For other information, visit New Line Theatre's full-service website at www.newlinetheatre.com. All programs are subject to change.

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