Nine is the story of a celebrated film director Guido Contini and his attempts to come up with a plot for his next film as he is pursued by hordes of beautiful women, all clamoring to be loved by him and him alone. Flashbacks reveal the substance of his life which will become the material for his next film: a musical version of the Casanova story. The play has also been adapted into a major motion picture.

Senior Ashley Turner plays the role of Guido’s wife Luisa, and speaks to the originality of the production. “This play is nothing like the movie. I hope the audience doesn’t bring in preconceived notions that they are seeing a recreation of it.”

Turner says the play is relatable for college students and older audiences alike. “Luisa loves Guido, but realizes that her marriage is toxic and needs to make a decision about staying with him or doing what is best for herself. And Guido is at a point in his life where he has to change his old ways and adapt to new ideas. He’s having a midlife crisis, but college students are also having to leave old things behind and adjust to a new life. These are ideas that anyone can relate to.”

Nicholas J. Wood, Jr., a Theatre student in his final year of studies, is the assistant director and assistant choreographer. He agrees with Turner that UCF’s production is unique. He says it is sleek, sensual, and bold.

“It is very imaginative. For people who know Nine, this is a different type of production,” he said. “[Director Earl D. Weaver] and I haven’t been trying to copy what happened on Broadway. We’re interpreting this in our own way.

“It’s kind of a voyage between fantasy and reality. From a choreographic standpoint, it was important to have two styles that represented those two worlds. For instance, ‘Folies Bergeres’ is a memory piece for Lilianne LeFleur [Guido’s producer]. It flips between reality and her memories. Her reality is sleek and jazzy and the memories are a glorification of the French showgirl. It’s a show-stopping piece.”

Wood says he is working closely with Weaver. “He offered me the opportunity to be his assistant director for Nine. And the after seeing my work in Kiss of the Spider Woman, he asked me to be the assistant choreographer, as well.”

“Earl is most definitely a mentor. I’m also working on [next fall’s production of] Hair with him. UCF allows you to not just find mentors while at the school, but it helps build relationships with them that will throughout your life.”

School of Visual Arts and Design professor Stephen Schlow will join director Weaver for a post-show discussion on Friday, March 20. This musical contains sexual situations and is not suitable for young audiences.

Production at a glance:

Nine

Book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston

Directed by Earl D. Weaver

March 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 at 8 p.m.

March 22, 29 at 2 p.m.

$20 standard, $18 senior, $10 student

Main Stage, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando

407-823-1500

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For more information about Theatre UCF, visit .

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UCF will host a celebration this weekend as part of the 9th annual international Home Movie Day, which will be observed in more than 50 cities worldwide.

The UCF project is jointly hosted by the Film, History and Library Special Collections departments and will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Center for Emerging Media, 500 W. Livingston Street in downtown Orlando.

Organizers are asking the community to dig through attics and old boxes for film reels they’d like to share at Home Movie Day or donate to the UCF Library’s Home Movie Archive Special Collection. Donators are welcome to bring films to the free Oct. 15 screening or drop them off prior to the event at the UCF Film office in room 121 of the Nicholson School of Communication.

Volunteers will be on-site at Home Movie Day to help clean and repair old films and collect archive donations.

The event will not only teach amateur filmmakers how to preserve old movie reels, but will continue UCF’s initiative to become a leading institution for archiving, studying and restoring 8mm, 16mm and Super 8 films. UCF also will continue its tradition of offering free digital transfers of films, which are donated to the university’s archive.

“Preserving and cataloging these precious pieces of history is a major step in achieving a local archive of images from the past,” said Stephen Schlow, interim chair of UCF’s Film department. “You’re seeing in home movies life as it was lived.”

Filmmakers and archivists say home movies offer a new perspective on society: What did people wear? What did they drive? How did the live? Numerous home movie gems have already been discovered locally, everything from NASA’s first launches to the construction of Walt Disney World.

The first Home Movie Day was held in 2003. Today the Los Angeles-based Center for Home Movies runs the celebration, which aims to highlight the cultural significance of home movies and the need to properly preserve these important works. The events encourage audience discussion of each film, filmmaker and the images shared.