Grand Canyon U Students Help Build COVID-safe Outdoor Theatre

Faculty, staff and students at Grand Canyon University's College of Fine Arts and Production have constructed an outdoor theatre for use this play season, which addresses COVID-19 restrictions while still allowing students (and their audiences) to enjoy live productions. During the first production, The Comedy of Errors, students wore clear face masks.

The project, which took about a month, called on student workers and cast members to pitch in on construction of the stage, which is located on the lawn in front of the college's building.

The university reported that stage lighting will resemble that of a café. Photo by David Kadlubowski, GCU News Bureau

The 40-foot stage is surrounded by designated seating areas for audience members, allowing families to sit together while also remaining distanced from others. The lighting resembles an outdoor café. The set also has a booth for controlling stage lighting and sound. All plays will be livestreamed for people who prefer to watch from home. The first production is already available for viewing on GCU's YouTube channel.

"It's much different than one of our standard builds for a theatrical show because we don't normally have to build an entire theatre," said Technical Director Brad Cozby in a college article.

Cozby said he worked with the college's Dean, Claude Pensis, and Assistant Dean, William Symington, on the effort. "There were a lot of talks among the three of us on how we could make something like this happen," Cozby said. "I was given a list of objectives for what the stage needed to accommodate, and then I took that and worked through the engineering of it all."

"I think that artists and particularly performing arts folks are used to being adaptable," Symington added. "Creative problem-solving is literally what we do every day. When we're working on a project, it's never sort of a set situation where we're like, 'Oh we'll just do it the same way as we've always done it.' It never works that way."

Cozby said his favorite part of the initiative was working alongside students. "They've really thrown themselves into this project whole-heartedly," he noted. "It's just been an absolute joy to work with them and make all of this happen."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Breaks Ground on New Office Building

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced that construction has begun on a new office building for its campus Research Park, according to a news release. The university partnered with Hoar Construction on the 34,740-square-foot Center for Aerospace Technology II (CAT II), which will be used for research and lab purposes.

  • Fellowes Launches New 3D Modular, Product Configurators

    Contract interiors and architectural solutions provider Fellowes recently announced the launch of new 3D modular and product configurators for several of its product lines, according to a news release. The new products offer SIF file integration and pricing for the Volo, Markerboards, Sena, and Rising product lines in connection with 3D Cloud, which provides 3D product visualization and 3D digital asset management.

  • Spaces4Learning Announces Winners of 2025 Product Awards

    Spaces4Learning has just announced the winners of the 2025 Product Awards! The award program recognizes innovation and excellence in products that enhance learning environments in K–12 schools and institutions of higher education.

  • Average Annual Number of Tornadoes per State

    New Tornado Wind Load Design Criteria in IBC Offer Improvements to Life Safety

    For the first time in U.S. building code history, the 2024 International Building Code (IBC) includes tornado wind load design criteria, marking a significant advancement in life-safety provisions.

Digital Edition