Photos by Ralph Freso / Thursday morning slideshow / Thursday morning livestream
Award-winning prop designer and former Disney College Program intern Reese Tate had one thing on her mind when choosing her college degree: “I just want to perform.”
Theatre was an easy decision and one she hopes will fulfill her childhood dreams of becoming a professional actress.
Now, Tate is a Grand Canyon University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in theatre, crossing the stage at Global Credit Union Arena on Thursday morning. She's one of 5,669 traditional students who are graduating in five commencement ceremonies spanning three days, with 25,435 online and cohort students being conferred their degrees April 29-May 2.
“I remember growing up, all I wanted to do was perform,” Tate said. “My grandpa and mom did theatre, so it runs in the family. My mom would help me with my auditions because my dream as a kid was just to be an actress.”
Tate started her acting career in kindergarten, when she played one of the pigs in “The Three Little Pigs."
“I always loved getting involved in everything I could, but because I was so busy, I didn’t really get to perform much in high school. When it came to college, it was like OK, what do I want to major in? My passion was still in performing and theatre, so I just felt the answer was obvious.”
With two GCU graduates in the family – Tate’s mother and sibling – Tate saw the university as the perfect fit.
She plunged into freshman year eager to develop her acting skills and work closely with faculty. After touring Ethington Theatre with Assistant Dean of Theatre and Dance William Symington and seeing the prop design and building equipment, Tate considered picking up prop making as an additional skill.
“He (Symington) said to me, ‘We don’t really have a props person anymore, so I am hoping somebody will come in and do it.’ I have always been crafty, but I had never done props. So, I said, 'I will try it.'”
Ethington productions “Radium Girls,” “Addams Family” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” all featured freshman Tate’s props, but more than 200 hours later in the shop, she was burned out.
Fully immersed in her theatre craft, working a full-time job off campus and being a full-time student, Tate started to feel isolated from the theatre community and struggled to fit in during her first two years of college.
“Having a support system in theatre is crucial because it’s not as easy as people think. It can be very tiring. I didn’t really have a lot of friends initially and felt really alone.
“I remember telling my boyfriend, if this is how it is going to be, I don’t want to do this.”
As a big fan of Disney productions, Tate participated in the Disney College Program the summer after her freshman year. She discovered a passion for hospitality and considered changing her major, which would add another year to her undergraduate degree journey. So that didn't happen.
“And thank God I stuck with it, because the Lord had a plan for me.”
It was one small, yet very pivotal, moment at a final theatre event of Tate’s sophomore year that changed everything. A shocked classmate was surprised to see her, thinking Tate had dropped out.
“That is when I realized I missed out on so much. I had been so focused on other things and not being here that people thought I dropped out. That and attending the Disney College Program again where I reignited my passion for acting was a wake-up call for me.”
Tate had a new mission, and it was to jump back into things just like she did freshman year and turn the theatre program into a welcoming, inviting community.
“A big reason I wanted to get jumpstarted is because I had an epiphany,” Tate said. “I realized I only have two years left of college and that’s it. What am I doing sulking when I could just change my perspective?
“And so, I did.”
Tate jumped into her final year at GCU zealous and headstrong, opening the theatre season by creating a masterpiece prop, the Difference Engine, featured in the year's first production, "Ada and the Engine."
She tapped back into her acting as Mrs. Potts in “Beauty and the Beast,” followed by a short break from the stage to attend the regional competition of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, where she was the top winner for her intricate engine design. Her work got her a ticket to a theatre conference in Ohio, where she presented her work, interacted with other prop masterminds and learned from industry professionals.
“So many of our students come into theatre from an acting perspective, but we always encourage our students to sample a little bit of everything backstage,” Symington said.
“Props is where she really landed and just hit the ground running. She was a go-getter up to the point where she built this ridiculously complicated thing. We offered guidance here and there, but so much of it was just driven by her. She grew up here, and her confidence exploded.”
The last play of the season, "The Glass Menagerie," marked Tate's final work as a college theatre student. She produced her final props for the program’s end-of-year award ceremony, the Ethingtonys, where she created awards for students in the shape of a mini stage with Earth colors and a stage light sitting on top. Her design was inspired by Matthew 5:14. She unknowingly made one for herself, as she was surprised with the Outstanding Prop Design award. Additionally, she received the Morgan McCall Award.
“Reese has changed the entire culture of this department,” junior theatre major Cora Epton said. “From ground-breaking designs to captivating performances, to being a friend to us all over the past four years, a legacy has been left that I doubt will ever tarnish.”
The Morgan McCall Award is given to a senior who has made an unforgettable impact on the theatre program through impressive achievements, outstanding acting performances and graceful leadership within the Lopes community.
The recipient’s name is printed on a gold plaque and displayed on Ethington Theatre’s walls.
“I will be with this theatre forever now, can’t get rid of me,” Tate said.
“My senior year I made it my goal that I wouldn’t let anyone feel what I felt freshman year. I wanted to make sure this was a welcoming community and that everyone had a place here. Getting this award is confirming people thought I did that, and that impact is everything I wanted.”
GCU staff writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at Izabela.Fogarasi@gcu.edu
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