Gus Gress is a senior from Thousand Oaks, CA majoring in Theater Studies and Public Policy and minoring in Spanish. His Theater Studies mainstage credits include Rent (Roger), By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Fredrick Slasvick/Brad Donovan), and The Liar (Cliton). Other Duke theater credits include Me Too Monologues (Actor, Director), Playhouse Shorts (Producer), Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (Associate Producer), The Importance of Being Earnest (Algernon), Into the Woods (Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf), and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Ensemble). Gus is proud to be graduating with Distinction in Public Policy for his thesis on local governmental investment in nonprofit theater, which focuses on the Horn in the West outdoor drama in Boone, NC. After graduation, he plans to pursue acting and producing in London.
Academic Plans
- 1st Major Public Policy (A.B.)
- 2nd Major Theater Studies (A.B.)
- Minor in Spanish
Graduation with Distinction in Public Policy
Break a Leg, Y’all: The Impact of Local Governmental Investment in a Nonprofit Outdoor Drama
Advisor Dr. Sarah Wilbur
Awards
- 2025 Dance Project Award, Duke Dance Program
- 2024 Forlines Family Theater Studies Grant
- 2022 1st Place, Discourse for Democracy Art Competition, Polis: Center for Politics
Honors
- Dean’s List with Distinction (Fall 2021, Fall 2024)
- 2024 Brodhead Service Fellowship
- 2024 Leadership in Arts Policy Internship (LAPI) https://hart.sanford.duke.edu/news/lapi-2024-fellows/
Mainstage
- The Liar (Cliton)
- By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Fredrick Slasvick/Brad Donovan)
- Rent (Roger)
Study Away
- Duke in London: Arts
- DukeEngage Paraguay
- Duke in Madrid - Advanced
Other
- Trinity Ambassador Theater Studies