Brian Swiger Memorial Scholarship

The Twin City Players established the Brian Swiger Memorial Scholarship in 1996 in memory of former member Brian Swiger. Scholarships of up to $1,000 are earmarked for seniors graduating from Berrien County high schools who have demonstrated a strong interest in theater-related activities during their academic careers. Winners, however, can use the award money to pursue any field of study at any accredited college, university, trade school or arts education institution.

Applications can be downloaded using the link below or by calling Twin City Players at 269-429-0400, requesting an application and leaving your name, address and phone number.

Applications should be mailed to Twin City Players, PO Box 243, St. Joseph, Michigan 49085. Applications must be received no later than March 31st. Previously the scholarship has been awarded based upon school and community activities, TCP involvement, grade point average of 2.5 or better and a short essay. The recipient(s) will be announced in late May.

Brian Swiger Memorial Scholarship Application

2020 Brian Swiger Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Zoe Downey is an honors graduate of St. Joseph High School where she was a part of the National Honors Society, Choir, and Band. Zoe's debut performance was at the age of four as Toto. She later reprised the role at Twin City Players where she stayed for many more years performing and working in the crew. She has also performed with CMW, CMW TeenStock, Kids On Stage, St. Joe High School, and Buchanan High School. Zoe is also a member of the Average Joes Robotics team where she was the Electrical team and Math Captain for two years. She has been a volunteer for many organizations including United Way, Area Agency on Aging, Berrien County Animal Control Center, and more. Zoe plans to attend Michigan State University to study Engineering with the goal of being the voice between the engineering community and the rest of the world.

2019 Brian Swiger Memorial Scholarship Recipients

Aly Wilson is a graduate of Lakeshore High School where she has been involved in band, choir, and theater. As part of these programs Aly is a four time MCBA state champion in the color guard, has sung two years in the Lakeshore Chorale, and has been part of the fall play and musical every year where she just finished her role as Cinderella in Lakeshore’s production of Into The Woods. Along with these extracurricular activities she is also a mentor for underclassman and taken advanced placement classes. She also enjoys volunteering with the National Honor Society, the Blossomtime Organization, at Ironman Steelhead, and at Twin City Players. Aly plans on attending Michigan State University where she is part of the live and learn science college Lyman Briggs, she plans on studying Molecular and Cellular Biology and minoring in music.

Megan Yacobozzi is a graduate of St. Joseph High School, where she performed in the Concert Choir and Show Choir, helped lead the Women's Ensemble and Chorale, and had prominent roles and solos in musicals, plays and concerts. Both in school and out, Megan has performed in over 180 theatrical productions and concerts, including seven Twin City Players productions between the ages of 7 and 15. For her performance in Wait Until Dark, Megan won the TCP Tiffany Award for Best Supporting Actress when she was only 11 years old. Megan has also been a featured soloist with the St. Joseph Municipal Band, trained and performed in Savannah, Georgia's annual Voice Festival, and toured with choirs in Ireland and Central Europe. Recently, Megan made her international opera debut in Puccini's Gianni Schicci while studying in Italy. This fall, Megan will attend the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance in pursuit of a degree in Voice Performance, focusing in operatic studies. But no matter where she goes in this world, Megan will always be grateful for the TCP family that she has been a part of for more than a decade, and will never forget their generosity in awarding her the Brian Swiger Memorial Scholarship.

2018 Brian Swiger Memorial Scholarship Recipients

Leo Carmody is a graduate of Lakeshore High School where he participated in the school musicals, Choir, and Berrien County Dancers. Leo won the TCP Tiffany Award for Best Actor and Best Youth Male Actor for his role as Peter in Peter and the Starcatcher in 2017. Leo has been singing, dancing, and acting since first grade with Lakeshore, Southwestern Michigan College, Lake Michigan College, the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra and, of course, TCP. Leo is following his dreams and continuing to study Musical Theatre at The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) in pursuit of a BFA this fall! Leo would like to thank Twin City Players for being the foundation of his passion in theatre. This scholarship means so much to him and he thanks TCP for helping to shape little ole’ Kurt von Trapp (2009) into the young adult he is today through the power, love, and unparalleled community Twin City Players has given to him over the years.

Ariel Higgins is a graduate of Saint Joseph High School. While there, she participated in their theatre department plays and musicals. Ariel also brought back the drama club and then served as its president. Besides participating in theatre at SJHS, she worked on shows at CMW, LMC, and Twin City Players. She was given a President's Award by TCP during the 2014-2015 season and received an Unsung Hero Award for A Christmas Carol. She loves working backstage as well as being onstage. Ariel will be attending Alma College in the fall where she will major in Theatre with a minor in Psychology. She hopes to one day get a Masters in Fine Arts so she can become a college professor and teach what she loves the most: Theatre!

2017 Brian Swiger Memorial Scholarship Recipients

Ian Bradford is a graduate of St. Joseph High School where he was a member of both the Robotics Team and Marching Band for four years. He was the Pit Percussion section leader for three years and Band MVP his sophomore, junior and senior years. Ian has been involved in scouting since 1st grade and is an Eagle Scout. Along with other volunteer activities, he has volunteered his theatre skills with Children’s Music Workshop, SJHS and The Twin City Players, where he received the TCP President’s Award in 2015. Ian plans to attend LMC and then transfer to Western Michigan University to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and a minor in Marketing.

Aidan Kidd Diefenbach is a graduate of Bridgman High School. He has performed since the age of five with CMW, TeenStock, Twin City Players, Lake Michigan College, Southwestern Michigan College, SMSO, and Paul Mow events. Aidan was a Youth Actor Award winner at TCP in 2016. At Bridgman, he was a member of the Top Ten GPA and National Honor Society along with receiving multiple art awards. His volunteer activities include TeenStock, NHS, and TCP. He is a recipient of the Pepsi Partnership Scholarship, the inaugural David A. Hicks Scholarship for the Arts, and the Broadway Theatre League of South Bend, Inc.’s Anita F. Boorda Scholarship for the Performing Arts. This fall Aidan will attend Columbia College Chicago, where he has received a Columbia Scholar Award, to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Comedy Writing and Performance, a minor in Writing for Television, and participate in the Honors Program.

Natalie Smiy is a graduate of St. Joseph High School where she was a section leader in the Marching and Concert Bands. Natalie was also a member of the Varsity Cheerleading team and co-captain her senior year. She was an academic mentor, an NHS tutor, and a member of the Robotics Team. Natalie participated in volunteer activities as president of TEAM through the Berrien Community Foundation, the Blossomtime organization, and with Twin City Players where she received the Golden Neophyte Award in 2014 and President’s Award in 2015. She was Miss Teen Stevensville and is currently 1st Runner-up Miss Stevensville and Miss Spirit of Blossomtime. Natalie earned her Academic Letter and Academic All-Conference with the SWMI Athletic Conference. She received the Suchovsky Scholarship through SJPS Foundation and Cheer, Academic Leadership, and St. Albertus Magnus Scholarships at Aquinas College where she plans to double major in Business Administration and Mathematics.