Theatre Scholarships - Spring 2022

For over 40 years, Tom Lyttle served as the heart of UHD's theatre program until his retirement in spring 2016.  Dr. Lyttle served as a professor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the coordinator of the drama area.  He helped to develop the Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts (BAFA) degree program to serve students seeking careers primarily in the administration of fine and performing arts.  He was the first director of UHD's O'Kane Theatre, created over 40 years ago to introduce UHD students to live theater, and directed or produced over 90 productions.  For his work and dedication to UHD, Lyttle received the 1996 Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Professional Activity.  When asked about this long service, Dr. Lyttle said "The students make all the work worthwhile. What they go through to just be in a play, with work, school, families and commuting, is unbelievable."

Prior to his role at UHD, Lyttle served as staff director at Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) and directed major stage productions of West Side Story, My Fair Lady, and Peter Pan.  He also taught at TUTS Humphrey's School of Musical Theatre, the Alley Theatre, Merry-Go-Round School of Acting, Houston Baptist University and University of Northern Iowa.  Tom was a dresser for the Houston Ballet for 25 years.

In addition to his work in theatre education, Lyttle served a stint with the Peace Corps at the University of Carabobo in Valencia, Venezuela.

Dr. Lyttle earned a Ph.D. in Theatre with an emphasis in Directing and Staging from Bowling Green State University; a Masters of Arts in Speech/Theatre with an emphasis in Directing from University of Akron; and a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Theatre from University of Akron.

The Charles and Betti Saunders Foundation Fund has contributed to this gift in honor of Dr. Lyttle to recognize his accomplishments and honor his friendship with the Saunders family, longtime donors to the theatre program at UHD. 

To be considered for this scholarship, applicants must:

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The Rockwell endowed scholarship was established in 1988. To be considered for this award, applicants must:

• Be enrolled for at least 6 semester credit hours (SCHs) of UHD coursework
• Have completed 50 SCHs of college coursework (transfer work included)
• Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0
• Have participated in 3 major UHD productions and/or One Act plays, in some capacity.

Please note that these funds are restricted to UHD tuition, books and fees, and classroom materials associated with credit bearing work.

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Longtime patrons of the O'Kane Theatre program,  Charles and Betti Saunders established this  scholarship in 2007. To be considered for this scholarship, applicants must:

• be enrolled for at least 6 hours of UHD coursework
• have completed 30 hours of college coursework (transfer work included)
• have an overall GPA of 2.5
• have participated in 2 major UHD productions and/or One Act plays, in some capacity
• become involved with the UHD play(s) being presented during the semester for which the scholarship applies
• be available, as needed, to assist with various theatre tasks and projects while displaying a positive, respectful and professional attitude

The scholarship funds may only be used for the following: UHD tuition, books and fees; classroom materials; the furthering of one's professional and/or educational theatre preparation through auditioning, acting training, workshop participation, conference attendance, and the like. Students may also use these funds for acquiring printed or video materials for one's personal library and study resources.

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The Bill and Ann Bradshaw Stokes Endowed Drama Scholarship was established in 2005. To be considered for this scholarship, applicants must:

• be enrolled for at least 6 hours of University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) coursework
• have an overall GPA of 2.0 in all college coursework, or, if an entering first-time college student, in all high school coursework
• become involved with the UHD play(s) being presented during the semester for which the scholarship applies
• be available, as needed, to assist with various theatre tasks and projects while displaying a positive, respectful and professional attitude