GCU Theatre Student Highlights
The development of skills with which students can express themselves creatively is a central element of the theatre department at Grand Canyon University’s College of Arts and Media. Students are involved in all aspects of theatre production, from performance, to technical and design work in sets, lights, hair and makeup, properties and costumes. Students learn leadership skills while producing professional quality shows as stage managers, designers and actors. The award-winning productions at GCU’s Ethington Theatre prepare students by immersing them in real-world roles where they create and lead productions.
Below are a selection of student-led main-stage productions:
In 2017, the GCU student designed production of "Tartuffe" wowed audiences and judges at Ethington Theatre. The play, set in the 1600’s, is considered one of the most famous works by French playwright Moliere. The many intricacies of this period piece required students to explore the concept of “deconstructionism,” the idea of breaking down the complex elements of architecture, costumes, hair and makeup, and keeping only that which communicates the core principals of the play. The end-result was a beautiful and evocative collaborative design produced by 10 students who were entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. The production was also nominated for “Best Overall Production”, and 11 other awards, in the 2018 AriZoni Awards for Theatre Excellence.
Produced in the fall of 2018, "Peter and the Starcatcher" took audiences on a unique and fantastical adventure across the open seas in the telling of the Peter Pan origin story. Set in 1885, student designers and technicians created sets, costumes, and lighting that invoked a pirate ship through the imaginative use of objects from a child’s playroom. The student designers were all participants in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and were all nominated for AriZoni Awards of Theatre Excellence.
In the fall of 2019, GCU students brought the colorful musical “A Year with Frog and Toad” to the Ethington Theatre stage. The play, based on the children’s stories of the same name, follows two young amphibians as they embark on adventures over the course of a fun-filled year. This magical production allowed students to explore with child-like wonder and to create something straight out of a story-book. Anchored by a faculty set-designer and visiting professional director, the costumes, props, hair and makeup were all designed by students. “ A Year with Frog and Toad” earned eight AriZoni nominations and eight wins, for design, acting, best director and ultimately “Best Overall Musical Theatre Production” for that year.
The Ethington Theatre production of “Macbeth” takes the 11th century play and gives it a new twist. The GCU production takes place in modern, abstract setting with costumes inspired by haute-couture fashion. The dark themes of Macbeth are echoed in the massive post-modern set, textured lighting and haunting sound design. This Shakespearean classic was brought to life in a totally new, exciting concept.
