College of Fine Arts and Production

Graduates of the online program at Grand Canyon University always have inspirational stories to tell, and this year they were equally inspired by keynote speaker Gian-Paul Gonzalez’s talk — and by the celebration that is a GCU commencement ceremony.

If the graduates at fall commencement didn’t know about ninth-grade world history teacher and New York Giants chaplain Gian-Paul Gonzalez before they got to GCU Arena, they sure do now. Gonzalez’s keynote addresses at the five ceremonies were a hit every time, and in addition to all the standing ovations he also was descended upon by a sea of thankful listeners when he came out to watch the “tunnel walk” after the Saturday morning ceremony.

The Dance Fall Student Spotlight, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in Thunderground, will feature “works inspired by loss, friendship, change and the celebration of life,” according to the Dance department. One of the 19 pieces will be dedicated to Taylor White, the GCU student who was killed while jogging across Camelback Road last spring.

Classic Shakespeare tragedy “Macbeth” gets a re-do in GCU Theatre’s production of the classic. Director Claude Pensis has taken the play, rife with themes of ambition, greed and murder, out of its 11th century setting and into a contemporary setting with celebrity-like, privileged, young crowd. The play opens on Friday, during Family Weekend, on the Ethington Theatre stage for a two-weekend run, though tickets are going fast. The first weekend of shows already is sold out, though a few tickets remain for the final weekend.

Increasingly, students at Grand Canyon University are adding minors. These extra concentrated courses give students deeper knowledge in a branch of their major, an increased skill set, a complement to their major, or a completely different academic area to explore.

Dr. Rachel Velarde, associate professor of voice, grew up with world influences, considering her mom was a Chinese scholar and dad and Arabic scholar. Her recital with pianist Dr. Luis Rodriguez-Morales, whose “Love Songs Around the World” is included in the program, pays homage to the world influences that helped shape both performers. The recital is coming up Sunday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Tempe and Tuesday at GCU.

GCU Costume Designer and professor Nola Yergen just wanted to make a video about Renaissance dress to show to her students. But that idea turned into something more — a 9-minute documentary called “Dressing a Renaissance Queen,” which is an official selection in the Lady Filmmakers Festival, coming up Sept. 27-30 in Beverly Hills.

Thomas Brodek said working in television and film production is never dull and boring and recalled a time when he worked on the movie “The Savage Bees,” when he actually had to cast bees and find a beekeeper to helm that pivotal scene when “trained” bees were prompted to blanket a Volkswagen Beetle. Brodek, who has worked as a production executive for Showtime’s “The Tudors” and “The Borgias,” to name a few, spoke to GCU film and television students about his career and about getting a job in the industry.

If you stick to just Mozart, you’re missing out on a lot, said GCU clarinet professor Tim Haas. So for his bass clarinet recital Sept. 27 in the GCU Recording Studio, he’s turning to new compositions, the oldest of which dates back to 2006. The concert will spotlight works inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, a beast, the Lydian scale, and even the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

The College of Fine Arts and Production has been spread across campus for some time, with faculty offices and classes dotting the Colter business complex, Media Arts Center, Ethington Theatre and more. But now much of the college is consolidated into the former Colangelo College of Business building. “This is going to be a great growth opportunity for all our degrees,” COFAP Dean Claude Pensis said.