SA: ACT cancels 2020 scholarship programme

The ACT Scholarships Programme is funded by Nedbank and the Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO) and supported by the Market Theatre Foundation. The scholarships strives to nurture young talent and provide tertiary education opportunities to young people who have their sights set on pursuing performance and visual arts training.

“Due to the impact of COVID-19 ... and the anticipated adjustments to the school calendar, we have concluded that it will not be possible to go ahead with the ACT Scholarships Programme this year,” ACT said. “It is with great sadness and regret that ACT announces the cancellation of the ACT, DALRO and Nedbank Scholarships Programme. This decision to cancel the ACT Scholarships Programme was not made lightly as we understand the mammoth impact this will have on the many hopeful scholars.

“ACT cannot with any sense of integrity guarantee the easing of lockdown levels to accommodate for auditions that would traditionally take place in July, across all provinces or guarantee the safety and immunity of the participating students from the COVID-19 virus. As an organisation we place the highest value on the arts and capacity building but not at the cost of our South African children and fellow citizens' safety.”

ACT CEO Marcus Desando said: “As ACT, we pride ourselves in our contribution to knowledge creation for our sector through this youth-focussed programme. The ACT Scholarships Programme is a vehicle of hope and artist-youth empowerment that has become a highlight in our annual calendar, so cancelling this year’s programme was not an easy decision to make. We hope that this interruption to our offerings will be temporary and that when the world opens up again we will come out of it stronger.”

Nedbank head of group sponsorships and cause marketing Tobie Badenhorst said: “At Nedbank we see money differently and we regard our support of the ACT, DALRO and Nedbank Scholarships Programme as an investment in our country’s highly talented young people who are integral to the spirit, economy and growth of South Africa. We look forward to a time in the near future when the world opens again and the arts and arts education can flourish.”