Introducing

Jason Chin Improv Bursary

Background

The Jason Chin scholarship was open to everyone, giving anyone in need of financial assistance the opportunity to join one of our workshops. However, we are reworking it slightly keeping the following in mind:

Global Financial Disparity

The Nursery has gained greater awareness that the pandemic is merely the latest catalyst in the disparity in purchasing power for people around the world. Each of us may be feeling increased financial strain because of the pandemic, but for some individuals, communities, and countries, that strain is status quo.

We established the Jason Chin scholarship to remove the financial barrier for our workshops, but our registration process didn’t alleviate the labour of requesting assistance.

Increased agency, decreased effort

We’re removing the sign-up process and the request for a testimonial. We’re removing the waiting period and requirement to re-request the code for each workshop.

We remain committed to removing the financial barrier, no questions asked. Every three months, we’ll update the bursary codes here on the website or in the student handbook/mailing list.

How does it work?

Two bursary tickets available

We have expanded our bursary program to cover most of our courses and electives, letting you decide the workshop appropriate to your interest and improv experience. Due to class size, some speciality electives are not available for bursary

Step 1: Check below for the code

You can use the code CHIN1st while signing up for a workshop that interests you, any one. If you’ve signed up for multiple workshops using this code, we’ll email you to ask you to commit to one workshop, to give the same opportunity to more people

We are currently working on a way to offer different codes for first-time and returning students who wish to avail the Bursary.

The above section will be periodically updated with newer codes and information should more Bursary spots be available for classes.

Step 2: Apply the code on our ticketing website

All our classes accept registrations via the website Eventbrite, which is our event ticketing software. Find the course or class you wish to sign up for on our Organizer Page HERE or simply search on Google for the name of the course or class accompanied by the word “Eventbrite”.

When you click on “Tickets” on the main event page, it should redirect you to a page with the ticket price and on the top left there should be an option called “ENTER PROMO CODE”

If you are unable to sign up for workshops through Eventbrite, email Jess Mitolo, the Education Manager (jessica@thenurserytheatre.com), to arrange for a solution accessible to you.

P.S. If you’re facing any trouble, see this Eventbrite article on how to apply a discount code while signing up.

Additional Bursary Support

Partial Bursary Support

Some students have asked us to continue the partial bursary program. From September to December, use code CHIN25 (for a 25% discount) and CHIN50 (for a 50% discount) when choosing your workshops from our workshop calendar.

In case you are unable to apply the above codes directly on our ticketing website while signing up for a course, please email our Education Manager Jessica Mitolo (jessica@thenurserytheatre.com) with the name of the class and the type of partial Bursary support you’d like to avail.

Black Improv Alliance

The Nursery is committed to strengthening our relationship with artists from the global Black diaspora. As a gold partner with the Black Improv Alliance, we’re supporting new improvisers as a cohort in our WELCOME TO IMPROV – BEGINNERS courses; ensuring at least four (4) Black people per class. Additionally, on occasions where free workshops are available, placement offers to this community will be prioritized.

From September to December, use code BIA2 when choosing your workshops from our workshop calendar. Additionally, you can apply the same code (BIA2) to sign up for other courses and electives, if spots are available.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I need to contact The Nursery about the bursary?

We’ve tried to streamline the process to remove unnecessary back and forth emails

Once you’ve signed up for a workshop, the workshop spot is yours, barring past infractions with The Nursery Code of Conduct, or issues beyond our control (cancelled workshop, scheduling mismatches, etc.)

If the bursary code is not working for you, it means the spots are allocated at that time. Some spots become available again as people cancel before the workshop starts. So don’t lose hope!

However, we enjoy connecting with our students. Feel free to send an email to Jess Mitolo, the Education Manager jessica@thenurserytheatre.com.

Are you capturing bursary data and will you share it with the community?

As a charity/non-profit, The Nursery is required to report on our financials and our successes in meeting our mission. To bolster those reports, we will include anonymized data on the number of workshops, students, and bursaries distributed.

Will I have to provide a testimonial in order to qualify for a bursary?

At any time of the year, individuals are welcome to submit a testimonial for The Nursery. This feedback can help bolster our efforts in obtaining grants and sponsorship. We will not solicit this feedback from any specific community but may include a request for testimonials in our scheduled communications to all students.

How do you fund your bursaries?

Current Model

The Nursery  are committed to offering at least two (2) bursaries per course

As a charity, The Nursery’s mandate is to cover operating costs and programming and use any profits to further our charitable aims.

• Since moving to primarily online, our revenue model became dependent on class sales. While the majority of our courses and elective workshops require a minimum of 6 (six) paid participants to run, the operating cost to do so is typically (£150). When we recoup the operating cost, we extend the number of bursaries available per class.
• Eventbrite allows for pay-it-forward workshop fees as a form of in-kind community donation

Future Model

The Nursery will be creating a strategy to increase donations, grants and sponsorship funding, to positively impact the number of bursaries offered per workshop.

What if I have feedback on your Bursary Process?

We welcome your feedback on participating in the bursary program, as well as ideas you have to improve the system. Email Velvet Wells (velvet@thenurserytheatre.com) or Jess Mitolo (jessica@thenurserytheatre.com)

The Nursery will continue to monitor and assess the bursary distribution process to ensure it provides the greatest ease of use for the greatest number of people.

About Jason Chin

Jason R. Chin was the iO Associate Artistic Director, as well as the Director of the Training Center for eight years. He coached the Harold team “Deep Schwa” for 13 years and was a regular cast member of the “Armando Diaz Experience”.

He created/directed several long-form classic shows such as “Dinner for Six” and “Whirled News Tonight” which has enjoyed over 15 years of continuous shows. He taught and directed improv in the Phillipines, Australia, England and even Gainesville, and Florida.

He also wrote the book, “Longform Improvisation and the Art of Zen”.