Drury graduate Justin Gannaway accepts teaching position and jumps into directing shows

The Drury University theatre department continues to provide quality theatrical performances to the university community despite the obstacles it has been forced to overcome throughout the pandemic. The first show of the 2021-2022 season will be Thanksgiving Play, a comedy directed by new professor Justin Gannaway. The Mirror sat down with them to discuss their experiences as a professor who was once a student here and to gain some insight into their teaching style.

“At first I wanted to be a talent agent,” Gannaway admitted when asked about their time as a student. “Then I worked as a wig designer on Measure for Measure at Drury and that was when I got into costuming.”

From there, they began to design costumes for Drury shows in their junior and senior years before moving on to graduate school. 

“Because Drury offered these design opportunities, I already had a portfolio, but I wanted to sharpen my skills before entering the workforce,” they said. 

After attending Indiana University for grad school and designing for five shows, Gannaway achieved well-rounded experience working with both entry-level summer theatre and well-funded large theatre companies. Not long after that, they were offered a guest designer position for a Drury show, last year’s Seussical. During the run of the show, Gannaway notes that they found working with the students a much different experience than expected.

“I was super impressed by how the student body has changed and become more well-rounded,” they commented, a discovery that urged them to take the position of professor when it was soon offered.

Gannaway is working with student actors and designers on the upcoming production of Thanksgiving Play, and they are excited to direct a Drury show after gaining experience and portfolio pieces in scene design, costume design, and directing. 

The most important thing Gannaway wants their students to know going forward is that their door is always open. 

“I want students to bring in what inspires them and makes them feel creative. It’s important to have the agency to create your own curriculum, and I want you all to come out of Drury with a strong sense of who you are,” they said.

Thanksgiving Play will open in the Sunderland Studio Theatre on October 6 and run through October 9.

Article by Kay Wacasey