The Grand Canyon University College of Arts and Media has announced its 2025-26 theatrical season at Ethington Theatre, beginning in September with the play “Our Town.” The season will feature a variety of productions, including Shakespeare’s works, an offbeat musical about an alien plant, and a bluegrass musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.
Assistant Dean of Theatre and Dance William Symington emphasized the diversity of experiences intended for students through these performances. “We want to have all kinds of different experiences for our students,” he stated. He also highlighted the importance of making classic plays more appealing to contemporary audiences. “Some of the challenges to doing classics is that when we make it seem too old-fashioned, for students it could feel like they are in a lecture class or there is going to be a test at the end. We just want it to be fun and approachable.”
The season opens with Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” directed by Professor Claude Pensis. The 1938 drama follows two New Hampshire families in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners. Edward Albee once called it “the greatest American play ever written.” Symington noted its minimalist approach: “This is a classic and a classic for a reason… It’s sad and sweet, and one of my favorite plays of all time.”
In November, Howard Ashman’s “Little Shop of Horrors” will take the stage under Technical Director Klay Wandelear’s direction. This darkly comedic rock musical features music by Alan Menken and centers on Seymour, who discovers an alien plant named Audrey II that thrives on human blood.
February brings Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Assistant Theatre Professor Michael Kary. GCU plans to present this classic love story in a contemporary setting to engage younger audiences better. Symington remarked on young people’s perception of Shakespeare: “Most young people hate Shakespeare because they got tortured in high school with some really difficult English class thing they had to do… The reason we still do Shakespeare is not because it’s so intellectually important… but because the themes and the stories remain the same.”
The season concludes in March with “Bright Star,” a Grammy-winning musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell set in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge mountains during 1944-45 with flashbacks to the 1920s. Costume Shop Manager Cindi Calhoun will direct this production.
Symington expressed his hopes for an engaging season: “We want this season to be fun, where if you saw the preview, it would be like going to the movies on the weekend.”
GCU staff writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at [email protected]
