Congratulations
Candace Spencer and Scout Smith
Winners of the 2019 Marcia Quick Gard Theatre Arts Scholarship

Candace Spencer

(recipient of $1,000.00 in 2019) is a 2019 graduate of Greensboro College. She received a BA in theatre. Her recent credits include A Doll's House, Part 2 as Nora Helmer, The Book of Will as Rebecca Heminges, Laughter on the 23rd Floor as Carol Wyman, and Disaster the Musical as Levora Verona at Greensboro College. She has also recently worked on Taking Flight with Barter Theatre in Virginia. She recently contributed to a short film called Oh Crappy Day (OCD). This summer, Candace will be going to the Glow Lyric Theatre in Greenville, SC. She will be performing in three shows; The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas as Jewel, Carmen as Ensemble, and My Fair Lady as Flower girl/Bystander 3. She has also accepted an offer for the fall to go to graduate school at The University of Louisville. She will be acquiring a MFA in Performance and gaining a Graduate Certificate in African American Theatre (GCAAT). Louisville is the only University that offers this prestigious certificate in the United States of America. She wants to thank God, her Grandmother, and all of her friends for their continuous support. Getting this scholarship, it means that funding will be the least of her problems when she goes to Kentucky all by herself in the fall. Being awarded this money will allow her to fund for transportation, housing, food, and other miscellaneous activities that may occur.

Scout Smith

(recipient of $500.00 in 2019) is approaching her last semester at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she will graduate with a BFA in theatre performance. Scout’s passion for theatre started at a very young age when she would dress up and force her family to watch her perform, and has grown throughout the years. At VCU, she is able to create even more sparks of passion, she discovered a joy for writing stand up comedy, and writing with sketch comedy groups, such as, The Roast, in VCU’s No Shame Variety show. It was projects like these that excited Scout to continue working at her craft. From productions on VCU’s mainstage such as The Three Musketeers, and The Wolves, to student films, and sketch comedy groups Scout constantly took on new projects and opportunities in the community to grow. She recently had the opportunity to voice a character for Cartoon Networks, Best Furry Friends. Scout is eager to continue to work and collab with strong women to create work that makes an impact on the audience. Upon graduation in December, Scout will be participating in a showcase that will take a group of students to New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta in hopes to continue her career professionally. Scout would like to thank her mom, dad, and brother for their endless support, and her professors at VCU who have taken the time to help her grow as an actor and a person.