William Symington, assistant dean of theatre and dance at Grand Canyon University (GCU), has played a significant role in shaping the university’s theatre program since joining in 2010. Working closely with theatre professor Claude Pensis, Symington has contributed to the growth and direction of the College of Arts and Media.
Symington did not originally plan on a career in theatre. Growing up, he was more interested in activities like fishing, hunting, baseball, and cycling. He started college as an English major with intentions to write, briefly considered journalism, and then moved to art before finding his way into theatre through a chance encounter. “A lot of our students have the classic story of ‘I was born dancing and singing,’ but that is not me at all. Theatre was not even on my radar,” Symington said. He recounted how helping paint sets for a college production led him to take an acting class: “At first, I was super uncomfortable and terrified of being onstage, but in this class, I somehow started to not only get over it, but really love it. This was the starting point of my theatre career.”
Reflecting on formative experiences, Symington cited playing George in Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” during his last year of college as pivotal: “It’s such a touching, important story about life… That play will always be in my heart. I have a deep love for that show because it made me feel like I had figured out what I was doing.”
As artistic director for GCU’s Ethington Theatre season, Symington leads faculty and staff each year through selecting productions for the academic calendar. The process begins with an initial list of 150-200 plays narrowed down to four or five after considering student fit for roles, cast size, production logistics, alignment with university mission, audience interest, and educational value. “It takes a lot of debate and input from the costumer, technical director, designers, directors… We discuss the learning opportunities… the practical ability to produce it,” he explained.
Ethington Theatre’s limited space requires creative solutions for staging large productions. “One part of theatre training is that scrappy, figure-it-out attitude… We use every inch we have,” said Symington. He views these challenges as valuable lessons for students: “The goal is to turn our students into creative problem-solvers and excellent storytellers.”
Symington highlighted his pride in student achievements: “I am most proud of what this does for our students… The student outcomes are what I am most excited about.” He noted upcoming productions such as “Little Shop of Horrors,” which will feature puppets and a mechanical revolving stage designed by students.
Traditions also play a role in building community within the program. According to Symington: “Haircuts after opening day. We have a running joke around here that you know it’s a show’s opening day when everybody has a haircut.” Students refer to him as “Bill Sy the Theatre Guy,” sometimes singing it after the style of “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
Upcoming performances at Ethington Theatre include “Our Town” from September 12-14 and September 19-21 and “Little Shop of Horrors” from November 7-8 and November 12-15.
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