New Line Theatre Names Amanda Leigh Jerry as 2012 Scholarship Recipient

New Line Theatre, soon to start its 22nd season of alternative musical theatre, has awarded its 2012 musical theatre scholarship in the amount of $1,500 to Amanda Leigh Jerry of Nerinx Hall High School, who plans to major in musical theatre at Carnegie Mellon University. Judith Newmark, theatre critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, selects the winner of the scholarship each year, which is funded through the donations of New Line supporters.

Amanda has appeared in many productions at Nerinx Hall and St. Louis University High School, and with St. Louis Fine Arts Theatre Co. and Insight Theatre Co., including leading roles in Les Miserables, Into the Woods, West Side Story, Where's Charley, and other shows.

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. Past recipients include Jake Fruend of Webster High School, who now attends Columbia College in Chicago; Matt Dumke of Kirkwood High School, who now attends Missouri State University; and Patrick Beecher of Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School (MICDS), who now attends Northwestern University.

"We always wanted to offer an annual scholarship," 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. 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 Amanda, Patrick, Matt, and Jake find as much joy in that work as the New Liners all do."

New Line's newest side project, New Line Theatre OFF LINE, will hold a fundraiser and launch party, THAT 70s GAME SHOW! LIVE!, August 4 at the Regional Arts Commission. More information is online at http://www.newlinetheatre.com/offline-gameshow.html

New Line Theatre's 2012-2013 season will include three premieres, BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, running Sept. 27-Oct. 20; NEXT TO NORMAL, Feb. 28-Mar. 23; and BUKOWSICAL, May 30-June 22. 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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