Mical Whitaker Scholarship

By Zoe Boylan

Mical Whitaker has left an impact on the world of theater inside and outside of Georgia Southern.

Whitaker is a native of Metter, Georgia, and has been in theater since his freshman year at Howard University in Washington D.C. Since that time he has always wanted to be on stage.

He eventually made his way to New York City and went to the Academy of Dramatic Arts. He then created his own theater company called the East River Players which became one of New York Cities most influential African American voices.

In 1981, Whitaker came to Statesboro to teach theater. He was the program's first African American instructor. While Whitaker was at GS he acted in over 100 productions with his fellow students.

Whitaker retired from teaching at GS in 2005, but he certainly was not forgotten. He has continued to remain influential in GS’ theater program.

He was honored in 2014 with the presentation of the Mical Whitaker Scholarship, a scholarship representing his legacy and the impact he had on African American theater.

Scholarships are an important part of a student's schooling and what they have accomplished, especially a scholarship dedicated to the study of African American theater.

The first recipient of the scholarship was presented to Tyair Blackman in April of 2019. He was a rising senior theater major. Blackman was an active member of the theater program and was recognized for his performances. That is what earned him the scholarship.

The scholarship is available to those students who are interested in studying African American theater. They can apply for the scholarship through the GS website.