OPEN TO BIPOC APPLICANTS
(New York Campus Scholarship)

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, we are establishing several new scholarships named in honor of prominent alumni whose work exemplifies Lee Strasberg’s Method Acting and inspires us all.

We are thrilled to announce a scholarship in honor of multi-talented actor, director and alumna, Chandra Wilson. This scholarship for 1 year of full-time study at the LSTFI in New York will be awarded to a talented BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) actor who demonstrates great potential and passion for a career in the performing arts.

Chandra Wilson studied at The Institute for four years though NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts program. Prior to this, she had extensive training and performance experience in musical theatre.

“I chose Strasberg because, with all my years of being a musical theatre actor, I felt I lacked knowledge of the internal journey of creating a character when song and dance were not an option. And, as difficult and painful as that journey was sometimes in class, leaving me full of doubt about what I was doing, I was made to understand that my talent is what got me in the room. Now it was my job to ground it in Lee’s instruction. I would love the scholarship to be a vessel to support an actor like me who has the talent, but is seeking to be more grounded in the work.”

Chandra Wilson

In her theatre career, Wilson has performed in Broadway productions, “On the Town,” “Avenue Q,” “Caroline, or Change” and “Chicago,” as well as in Off-Broadway plays. Best known on television for creating the role of Dr. Miranda Bailey on “Grey’s Anatomy,” she has also worked on “Law and Order, SVU,” “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City,” “Third Watch” and other shows. Among her many awards, she has won a Theatre World Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, 4 NAACP Image Awards, a People’s Choice Award, 2 PRISM Awards, and been nominated for 5 Emmy Awards.

The scholarship includes three full-time terms of study and will be awarded to a student who is not currently enrolled in a degree program, for one academic year beginning in Fall 2026.