Michael Kary

The GCU Theatre Department had another big year at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Brandon Brown and Abby Yee made it to the finals of the Irene Ryan Acting Competition, and Morgan McCall was offered a $1,500 scholarship to the California Institute of the Arts program. “I really focus on the feedback that they get at this level of performance more than if they get trophies,” Acting instructor Michael Kary said. “We have been doing better and better. I think that our school has grown in reputation because of its presence at the festival over the last few years.”

Ethington Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s “Henry V” features epic sword fighting, stunning costumes and a tale of a king’s growth as a person. The play, which opens tonight, also contains an important message that is just as relevant today as it was when the show was written in 1599. “I think what people can take away is some hope for what a leader of a country can be like,” director Michael Kary said. “A leader that’s inspiring, a leader that wrestles with ethical issues, and the one thing that stuck out to me in this production is how often he turns to God throughout for his decision-making and giving God glory for whatever victories he has.”

A new season of Ethington Theatre plays begins Wednesday night with Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors.” In addition to debuting on the new outdoor stage, the production will showcase some original musical pieces adapted written by instructor Michael Kary and composed by theatre student Ryan Ardelt.

After reading a book by Alan Alda, South West Advanced Neurological Rehabilitation speech language pathologist Patricia Backus came up with the idea of incorporating improv into therapy sessions. She reached out to GCU’s Theatre Department and was connected with the Cantalopes, and for the past several months GCU’s improv group has worked alongside SWAN Rehab professionals to teach improv techniques to both staff and patients.

Halloween is right around the corner, which means it’s the perfect time to get in the spirit with “The Addams Family” at the Christian Youth Theater, where a group of GCU alumni are doing the creative and technical work. Alexandra Biggs called CYT “a natural fit” for all the GCU alumni and added, “I think that CYT’s mission aligns really well with GCU, and it’s nice to be working for a company that is kind of a ministry opportunity for alumni as well.”

References to the Ethington Theatre’s production of “Peter and the Starcatcher” last year will have to be amended — now you can say it was an award-winning production. GCU’s Theatre Department took home four ariZoni Awards for “Starcatcher” — best overall production, Megan Sutton for Actress in a Supporting Role and Michael Kary for Director and Fight Choreography. “Winning at all now is really hard because it’s so big,” Assistant Dean William Symington said of the ariZonis, the state’s version of the Tony Awards.

The Theatre Department earned 20 ariZoni Awards nominations for last year’s productions of “Peter and the Starcatcher” and “Ring Round the Moon,” and Christina McSheffrey was selected as one of three winners of the 2019 Zoni Scholarship. “I think it just speaks volumes about the education they’re receiving and how we try to work as much as possible to help them be ready to move on to either grad school or into entertainment as a profession,” said Claude Pensis, College of Fine Arts and Productions Dean and also an ariZoni Nominee. The award ceremony is scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday in Scottsdale.

Grand Canyon University Theatre Department’s first play of the 2019-2020 season looks to be one of the most comedic it has done in a while. Director Michael Kary compares the comedic styles to shows like “The Office” or “Parks and Recreation,” and the cast said audiences won’t want to miss the production. “It’s very funny, I will go as far as to say I’ve never been part of a show that is funnier than this one,” said Micah Larsen, who plays the role of Francis Henshall. “There’s a laugh at every turn, so if that’s not good enough reason to come out and laugh a little, I don’t know what is.”

It has been about three years since Michael Kary self-published what he once thought to be journals, and now his book, “Acting in Faith: A Christian’s Guide,” is being published by Kendall Hunt Publishing and distributed to other Christian institutions across the country. In it, Kary teaches students that they can still be proud Christians while also excelling in the acting profession. Kary believes that differences between the entertainment industry and Christianity have led to both sides holding misunderstood views about each other and hopes his book will help clear up some of the misconceptions that exist.