College of Fine Arts and Production

Suzy Guarino-Hall, a tap instructor for the dance program, is producing “Murder at the TAP’Ocho,” which will incorporate tap dancing with singing and a storyline and debuts Sunday in Mesa. The show will feature several GCU students and alumni as well as Director of Dance Susannah Keita. “This is literally going to be the best show we’ve ever done,” Guarino-Hall said.

Two days before commencement, 57 design students filled four classrooms in the College of Fine Arts and Production Building on Tuesday to display their portfolios for their peers and families at the Senior Design Showcase. Animations, photography, marketing designs and numerous other forms of artwork allowed viewers to get a better idea of who these students are. “Everyone’s setup is their own,” Elizabeth Segura said. “Every year you have something different. There’s different people, different things that they have to offer. I think it’s pretty cool every year to see the variety.”

Who needs to end the semester with a BANG if you could end it with a POP? The Spring Dance Concert premieres Friday and will be the final production at Ethington Theatre for the semester. Audiences can expect to hear an array of music of multiple musical icons and genres over the decades. Students will be performing contemporary, tap, ballet as well as classical jazz throughout the production. “There is something for everyone,” faculty member Kevin Godfrey-Chevalier said. Start times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

The Theater Department works hard to provide the best opportunities they can for their students. One of those opportunities was in the form of a workshop that took place over spring break to allow students to learn how to prepare for a professional audition outside of GCU. Robert Kolby Harper lead the workshop and helped students get a better understanding of how to feel more comfortable in an audition setting, as well as letting them know that it is ok to be yourself in an audition. “The biggest thing I take away from everything I’ve seen in what we’re doing here is just to be ourselves and try and shed the performance skin that we’ve all been built up to over the years,” said COFAP student Mykhal Polite.

The premier of “Godspell” hits Ethington Theatre tonight, and offers a colorful musical experience, that showcases a modern interpretation of the book of Matthew. The music, composed by Stephen Swartz of Pippin and Wicked fame, provides a unique take on the stories, integrating forms of rock with adapted hymns. “We are singing the word of God and passages from the bible because we just feel an immense amount of joy about it and I feel like that’s what makes music in this show different than other shows,” cast member Charlotte Perkis said. The show will be performed March 22-24 and March 29-31. Friday and Saturday Shows begin at 7:30 p.m., while Sunday shows begin at 2 p.m.

For the seventh year in a row, the Dance Department has successfully had a piece selected to be featured in the American College Dance Association’s West Region gala. Three pieces of choreography were chosen for the weeklong conference, and Madison Knutson’s “The Sun Will Rise, and We Will Too” was among the 10 featured works in the gala. “I think it’s a testament to the strength of our program, which is still under 10 years old,” said Susannah Keita, Director of Dance.

Creativity was abundant at the College of Fine Arts and Production’s Film Festival last night. Students from all genres of film flocked to Ethington Theatre to see the winners in eight categories. The one-night event was three nights in the past, and Lisa Tervo, Chair of GCU’s Department of Digital Film Production, said, “I think a lot of people just are really excited and pleasantly surprised by what they end up seeing.”

Bill Symington, Assistant Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Production, continues to work vigorously on projects outside the University to help build bridges that lead students to jobs in the entertainment industry. Symington has judged for the Kennedy Center, has designed a show for TheaterWorks! and even has helped establish the “Backstage Pass” program with the AriZoni Board of Directors. The program connects students to professionals in the business to help inform them about the business and teach them what employers are looking for.

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.

Miguel Perez has worked as a dancer for Celine Dion, Donnie and Marie Osmond, and Cirque de Soleil. But he recently turned his attention to working with GCU’s dance students during a guest artist residency. Dance students arrived on campus two weeks early for the first time and got in some important work with Perez and their GCU instructors.