Fall 1999 p. 3

1999 Clyde Vinson Scholarship Awarded to Phil Timberlake

At the 1999 VASTA conference the Clyde Vinson Scholarship was awarded to Phil Timberlake. Mary Irwin, the chair of the scholarship committee, was unable to attend the conference, in her place Marya Lowry presented Phil with the award. After reading Mary’s statement, Marya introduced Phil by sharing snipits of the nomination letter she had written on his behalf. Portions of her letter and introduction follow:

“I have known Phil since 1986, first as a student/actor in the Theatre program at Purdue University and since then as a colleague and friend. I have continued to watch Phil grow as an artist who has found a respected place in his community. That Phil is committed to the artist in himself and to the primacy of the arts in our society is evident from his activities since completing his B.A. degree in 1989. As opposed to embarking solely on a career as a professional actor, he has continued to pursue the study of his craft as a means to art as a higher calling. (His commitment to the Vineyard Center for Artists, his continued study of the craft of acting with the Shakespeare Rep Theatre, his long term work with the Urban Gateways, and his pursuit of further work with the Roy Hart Theatre in France are examples of this.)

“In the past few years, Phil has turned his attention and energies in the direction of the voice, pursuing further training in this area. Because of his interest in voice and his background in singing, I encouraged him to take the weeklong Roy Hart voice intensive in Mars Hill, which he did in 1992. He was captivated by the nature of the work—how it stretched him physically, vocally, psychically—and it’s application and value to the actor in training. I attended that intensive with him and can attest to his natural aptitude for the work and his ease with this uniquely different approach to the use and training of the voice. It was no surprise when he decided to immerse himself further into the study of voice.

“In 1996 he was awarded the Annette Kade Fulbright Fellowship in France to spend nine months living and studying in Malerargues, the Roy Hart International Arts Centre. During this time, his commitment to the field of voice training was clinched. A convert, so to speak. Since his return in the summer of 1997, Phil has continued acting but turned his energies toward teaching.

“I have known Phil a long time. He is a highly gifted, intelligent, sensitive young man. This is not recommendation rhetoric. He is special. As a voice teacher Phil will make a contribution. And his contribution will be unique. As is evident from his achievements, Phil has always excelled at whatever he has done. To have another teacher engaged in the Wolfson/Hart approach to the speaking/singing voice will be a real asset to our field. I have no doubt that Phil will enlarge the field of voice training by bringing to it his singular talents and his passion for life, excellence and the theatre.

“As a former student of Clyde Vinson, I know how he prized and valued his students as individuals first and foremost and as actors second. He was not interested in training our voices only; but he connected to us in a truly human way. He was kind in his approach and gentle as he lead us through the sometime rough waters of our training. In his own way, Clyde was a ground breaker. He was among the first teacher trainees of Kristin Linklater. He continued to add to and develop the work that bears her name. He wasn’t one to honor the status quo. I would like to think that Clyde would have embraced the Roy Hart work and supported us in our pursuit of deeper waters. The Clyde Vinson Scholarship allows us to remember and honor Clyde and his contribution to the profession of voice training. I am confident that, as a recipient of the Clyde Vinson Scholarship, Phil Timberlake will continue that tradition.”

Clyde Vinson Memorial Scholarship Nominations Sought

Nominations are being sought for the 2000 Clyde Vinson Memorial Scholarship. The purpose of this award is to provide scholarship assistance to outstanding pre and early career voice and speech trainers. Awarded funds are to be applied toward the costs of advanced training opportunities. Nominations for the Clyde Vinson Memorial Scholarship must be made in writing by a VASTA member. The nominee must either be currently engaged in preparatory work as a voice/speech trainer, or have less than three years teaching employment experience. Upon receipt of a nomination letter, application materials will be sent to the nominee. Nomination letters should include the nominee’s address. The deadline for nominations has been set at March 15, 2000, and the deadline for completed applications is April 30, 2000. Please address all nomination letters to:

Mary Irwin,
School of Drama,
North Carolina School of the Arts,
1533 South Main Street,
P.O. Box 12189,
Winston-Salem, NC 27117-2189
USA

© Copyright 1987-2001 Voice and Speech Trainers Association, Inc.