The performance "Lysistrata" opened the
2005-06 Theatre Season, which is dedicated to Bill Sakalauskas.
(Photograph by Neil Blake, Photo Editor, The Torch)

The community, faculty and staff participated in an Oct. 29 ceremony honoring former Ferris Theatre Director Dr. William Sakalauskas. Guests gathered in G. Mennen Williams Auditorium before the Ferris State University Theater performance of Lysistrata to recognize Sakalauskas by dedicating the 2005-06 theatre season to him. Also celebrated was the recent establishment of the Dr. William Sakalauskas Scholarship Endowment Fund through the Ferris Foundation.

As director of Ferris Theater from 1979 to 1998, Sakalauskas developed a rich and varied theater program for Ferris students, giving them a wide range of theater experiences. Opportunities offered students involved in Ferris' theater program under Sakalauskas' tutelage include working with professional actors and playwrights.

The audience also benefited from Sakalauskas' innovation when he enhanced the theater experience by placing audience members on stage with actors to turn G. Mennen Williams Auditorium into a small theater venue for more intimate plays.

Sakalauskas also made scholarship opportunities available to the hardest working students to attend the Stratford, Ontario, Canada, Shakespeare Festival.

"It is a pleasure to honor professor Sakalauskas for his many years of service and support for the theater program at Ferris," said Matthew A. Klein, dean of Arts and Sciences. "It could not be more appropriate to honor those efforts in part by inaugurating a scholarship that will help ensure support for students' involvement in theater for many years to come. I offer my thanks to all of Bill's supporters and the work they did to create this meaningful event."

The scholarship endeavor in his name is available for full-time students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher who are eligible to participate in Ferris Theater. Candidates must have made significant contributions to the theater program and be able to conduct themselves as ambassadors of Ferris Theater.

Scholarship funds will be applied to University-related costs such as tuition, books and other educational expenses. Theater faculty will select the recipient, and eligibility for the school year's second semester is dependent upon the candidate's ability to continue to meet scholarship criteria.

For more information or to make a gift to the Dr. William Sakalauskas Scholarship Endowment Fund, please contact the Ferris Foundation at (231) 591-2365 or fsufdn@ferris.edu. Details about establishing scholarships or endowments may be obtained from the Advancement Office at (231) 591-3825.