Professor Emeritus of Theatre George Scranton
George Scranton, professor emeritus of theatre, passed away on Nov. 28. George, an SPU alumnus, served on the faculty for more than 40 years and left a lasting impact with hundreds of students and Seattle Pacific.
George earned his B.A .and M.A. from Seattle Pacific College, in 1968 and 1971, respectively. He also earned an MA from the University of Washington in 1975 followed by his PhD from the Graduate Theological Union and Pacific School of Religion in 1994. He was an SPU faculty member since 1970, teaching theatre for more than four decades. His degrees include speech (with a drama emphasis) and religion, biblical literature, theatre history and criticism, and theology and theatre. He has also taken stage movement training at Webster University’s American Movement Institute in St. Louis, Missouri, and at the Paddy Crean International Stage Combat Workshop in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Of the dozen plays George wrote and/or adapted, three received national awards by the Christians in Theatre Arts Guild (CITA). Another was selected as one of seven national winners in a contest co-sponsored by the American Theatre Association’s Religion and Theatre Forum Group and Anchorage Press for inclusion in Wrestling With God: New Plays With Jewish or Christian Themes. One of his last full-length plays at SPU, Ring-a-Ring of Roses, won the Association for Theatre in Higher Education's Religion and Theatre annual playwriting contest.
He directed and toured with Seattle Pacific's “Chancel Players” for 20 years and wrote many of their performance scripts. His academic and professional acting credits include performing in more than 30 plays. His directing credits include more than 90 plays in both educational and professional venues, including Taproot Theatre Company; Acacia Theatre Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and TOV in Manhattan, Kansas. George was ordained to specialized ministry in the Evangelical Covenant Church.
George described his experiences as a professor. “I have been blessed with a long series of mentors, without whom I would not have been at SPU in any capacity. Just as they lovingly invested in my nurture and growth both in theatre and in theology, I wanted to ‘pay it forward’ with my students. As we collaborated in the classroom and on the stage, I hoped to become a mentor to them, as we sought to grow both as artists and as persons, who are made in the image of God and who strive to become more and more conformed to the ‘mind of Christ.’”
He gave the annual "Last Lecture" in 2015, and talked about his life in a recent SPU Voices podcast titled, "The Story of My Life."
George was an active member of the SPU emeriti faculty and served with distinction as its president from 2016 until he recent resignation due to illness in August 2023. He blessed us with an ongoing love and enthusiasm for SPU even in retirement. Memorial services are pending.
Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 2023