The realization hit him one day on the job. This project’s legacy and impact were going to outlive him.

“When I think back on every cool thing I’ve gotten to do so far in my career, it does all kind of lead back to Orlando Family Stage,” Lowe says.

Lowe was 6 years old when his cub scout troop attended a show at the stage, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary — the last 25 of those years in partnership with UCF.

He eventually went through its Youth Academy, interned as a UCF theatre student on site, made industry connections and now regularly contracts work at the stage as a full-time lighting designer for Clair Global, a tech company that specializes in live production services.

Lowe’s story is just one example of the countless ripple effects that have materialized from UCF’s longstanding, collaborative partnership with a nationally recognized leader in the theater industry.

“I’ve watched kids come in and they’re so shy and they can’t do anything. But by the time they leave, they’re not only signing up for the next show, they’re leading the next show,” says Paul Lartonoix, assistant dean for the College of Arts and Humanities and longtime Orlando Family Stage board member. “Sometimes it’s amazing at what it does. There’s no reason to not be proud of it. It’s doing great things for families. It’s doing great things for kids. It’s doing great things for our students, and it’s awesome that it’s being run by Knights.”

A Partnership That Builds Community

Orlando Family Stage, founded in 1926 as part of the City of Orlando’s Recreation Department, has evolved over the past 100 years while persevering through historic challenges including the Great Depression, World War II, the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

UCF entered the picture in 2000 when former Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood and UCF President John C. Hitt formed a community coalition to bring the stage under UCF’s oversight. At the time, the theater needed a major overhaul — both to its physical home at Loch Haven Park and in programming — to ensure it could thrive in the new millennium.

“I know with great confidence we would not be sitting here today without UCF on board. We wouldn’t have survived.” — Chris Brown ’05, Orlando Family Stage executive director and UCF theatre alum

“We wanted it because we thought that space was an exceptional, it had tremendous potential, and UCF should be a part of it. That really was the driving force,” says Lartonoix, who served as executive director on-loan and was instrumental in leading the early years of the partnership. “And when things worked, it was fantastic.”

The intervention proved to be a major catalyst for its impact in the community today, and for the world at large through the countless children and UCF graduates who have been affiliated with its programming and education.

“I know with great confidence we would not be sitting here today without UCF on board. We wouldn’t have survived,” says Chris Brown ’05, Orlando Family Stage executive director and UCF theatre alum. “To think that leaders came together and said, ‘We don’t want to lose a vital theater organization in our town, and we want to create an active and engaged partnership with the university where we can collectively do good things to serve young people in the world.’ It’s very special.”

Florida’s Only Professional Theatre for Young Audiences

A major part of that partnership is UCF’s MFA in theatre for young audiences program, which launched in 2004. The program has operated for the past two decades as Florida’s only professional theatre for young audiences and is one of the most distinctive programs in the country with its unique graduate-training residency.

In addition to learning from the university’s esteemed faculty, students gain practical experience with opportunities to work with professional artists and teach in Orlando Family Stage’s award-winning Youth Academy, which offers camps, classes and experiences for every age level from infancy through teens.

The MFA program has seen graduates go on to work at some of the most prestigious theaters in the country, become educators at universities as far as Dublin and help run community theaters across the United States.

In addition to his leadership role, Brown teaches theatre management courses on UCF’s campus. He says he believes an important part of his responsibility as an educator is to expand his students’ idea of where a career in the arts can take them.

“We’re helping them recognize that arts administration is creative work,” he says. “Writing a grant narrative, crafting a brand voice, planning a touring route or stewarding a donor relationship all require the same storytelling skills they bring to performance and production roles.”

Instilling Bravery in Children

The stage’s mission is to empower young people to be brave and empathetic.

Sure it sounds good, but more importantly, there’s truth to the claim. Recent research by the UCF Department of Psychology provides evidence to support it.

The Orlando Family Stage’s education team collaborated with associate professor Valerie Sims and senior lecturer Matthew Chin and more than a dozen undergraduate students from the Applied Cognition and Technology Lab along with associate professor of musical theatre Tara Deady ’07MFA on a study, which they are currently working on publishing. The study aimed to determine if the stage’s programming delivers on its promise to promote creative engagement and bravery in children ages 1-5.

Because of the young age of the participants, traditional survey tools and written questionnaires wouldn’t work. The team needed to get creative in a research approach that matched how children experience theatre.

The research team meticulously observed second by second footage of children and parent engagement during performances of Yo, Ho, Ho! Let’s Go! — an interactive, multi-sensory original production created by the stage’s senior director of education Jennifer Adams-Carrasquillo ’11MFA.

“We have evidence that theater participation really is beneficial to these very young kids.” — Matthew Chin, UCF psychology senior lecturer

They logged and quantified data through body language and audience responses. Early on, Sims and Chin say, children needed to be prompted by their parents to participate. However, as the show progressed, you can clearly see children initiating the participation on their own and parental involvement decreasing.

“With this study we are able to say that it isn’t just this thing that we think is true — we have evidence that theater participation really is beneficial to these very young kids,” Chin says.

In 2024-25 alone, more than 4,770 audience members attended Theatre for the Very Young productions like Yo, Ho, Ho! Let’s Go!. Multiply those numbers year after year and the impact to the youth in our community is monumental.

The Next 100 Years

As the stage commemorates this special milestone in its history, it also acknowledges the scope of possibilities and impact ahead.

This year, when Gershwin Entertainment Group, who owns the theatrical rights for A Charlie Brown Christmas, needed a national touring partner to bring the show to life on stage around the country, they turned to the Orlando Family Stage to deliver. It became the highest revenue-generating show in the history of the organizatoin’s performances in Orlando —without counting the 32 cities it visited from New York City to Vancouver, Canada.

A partnership with the UCF Department of History is enabling the stage to create an archive of its materials from the last century as part of the RICHES Mosaic Interface, an online resource dedicated to collecting and sharing the stories of Central Florida.

Another is the inaugural Florida Children’s Book Festival in partnership with Writer’s Block Book Store and WUCF, which they hosted in February and plan to host annually to celebrate literature and the link between books, storytelling and live theater.

“We all need to be aware of how special this place is. And we need to be so proud that our community has something like this.” — Chris Brown ’05, Orlando Family Stage executive director and UCF theatre alum

They look to expand the reach of Mind Matters, a program the stage initiated with UCF’s psychology department and national playwrights to produce 10 original short plays about geared for teens about depression, anxiety, loneliness, isolation and other mental health challenges they face today. The plays serve as an educational resource for teachers to spark honest conversations on these topics with their students.

Brown envisions one day expanding the footprint of the building with more theater space, new classrooms and offices to help alleviate their bursting-at-the-seems infrastructure, so they can keep delivering on all the dreams they want to turn into reality and continue creating meaningful experiences for children and the audiences of tomorrow.

“I can’t get past the energy and the faces of busloads of kids coming in here every day,” Brown says. “We all need to be aware of how special this place is. And we need to be so proud that our community has something like this.”

Celebrates the Arts Programming

You can catch live performances from the Theatre for Young Audiences program during April’s UCF Celebrates the Arts festival at the Dr. Phillips Center in downtown Orlando.

Thursday, April 2 – 7:30 p.m.
Hosted by Ashley Eckstein (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Her Universe, HypeFriend!), this concert features performances that span musical styles and theatrical traditions, reflecting the many creative paths that begin at Orlando Family Stage.

*Featuring Micheal James Scott (Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway), Leslie Carrera-Rudolph (Emmy Award-winning performer for Abby Cadabby, Sesame Street), Jack Griffo (Nickelodeon’s The Thundermans), Davis Gaines (Broadway’s longest running Phantom of the Opera), Michael Andrew (Composer and one of America’s greatest interpreters of the American Songbook), Paul Vogt (Broadway’s Hairspray and Chicago). Video appearances by Mandy Moore (This Is Us), Jasmine Forsberg (Broadway’s Six and Here Lies Love), Clayton and Bella Grimm (Blippi), Broadway legend Norm Lewis and more.

*Artist lineup is updating and is subject to change.

Tuesday, April 7 – 10 a.m.
When best friends Squiggle and Square move away from each other, they must find creative ways to keep communicating! Told through clowning, puppetry and music, Pen Pals is a 30-minute interactive play designed for 5 to 10-year-olds.

Saturday, April 11 – 10 a.m.
Yo, Ho, Ho! Let’s Go! is a 30-minute adventure designed especially for children ages 1 to 5 as a multi-sensory experience that invites them to help a pirate navigate the high seas. Together, they follow a treasure map, solve clues and chart the course forward.

These athletes exemplify the spirit and dedication of Knight Nation. Watch the events on NBC or stream via Peacock as you cheer them on.

Samantha Bosco

Event dates: Sept. 4

Born with a born with a bowed tibia in her right leg, Samantha Bosco, began cycling with her dad at 7 years old. At 11, she underwent three years of surgeries to fix her leg-length discrepancy from the bowed tibia. The surgery to lengthen her right leg two and a half inches didn’t go as planned, eventually leaving her with permanent damage to her leg.

Unable to ride a bike after the surgeries, Bosco switched sports, going on to receive a full athletic scholarship with the Knights. From 2005-07, she rowed for two seasons in the V8, V4 and JV8 boats. However, the damage to her leg led to her retiring from the sport after her sophomore season.

An adapted bike allowed her to participate in road races. Two years after her return to her bike, she discovered paracycling. She found success in the sport, reaching her first world championship in 2013 before earning a pair of bronze medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games. In 2019, after discovering nerve damage and still competing at a high level, she was nominated for the Best Female Athlete with a Disability award at the ESPYs. Three days after being named to the Team USA roster for the 2021 Tokyo Games, Bosco suffered a traumatic brain injury and two skull fractures, forcing her out of the competition. In her return, she won every paracycling road race she entered in 2022, becoming a double world champion in Baie-Comeau, Canada in August of that year.

Kyle Coon ’13

Event dates: Sept. 1-2

Coon, a communication alum, will compete in the Paralympic triathlon after secured his place by finishing third in the World Triathlon Para Series Montreal. His impressive performance in the race, which included a 760-meter swim, 20.2-kilometer bike, and 5-kilometer run, earning him the honor of representing Team USA in Paris.

He also represented Team USA in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, where he made his first Olympic appearance and placed fifth. A lifelong competitive athlete, Coon was a member of UCF’s Wrestling Club and a group exercise instructor for UCF’s Recreation and Wellness Center during his studies.

At 10 months old, Coon was diagnosed with bilateral sporadic retinoblastoma, the most common form of eye cancer for children. By the time he turned 7, both of his eyes had been surgically removed. Shortly after, Coon’s father introduced him to Erik Weihenmayer, a blind extreme athlete who inspired the young boy to continue to stay active.

Malacchi Esdale

Event dates: July 24, 25 and 27

Esdale, a former UCF student, will compete in rugby for Team USA. After becoming a professional rugby player in 2017, he was appointed as a travel reserve for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Esdale discovered rugby in by playing for the Naples Bears in Florida. After attending ASA College in New York and the șŁœÇֱȄ of Miami, he transferred to UCF, where he joined the Rugby Club – Men’s Team and honed his skills.

Sarai Linder

Event dates: July 25, 28 and 31; Aug. 3, 6, 9 and 10

Former UCF women’s soccer defender Sarai Linder will represent her nation of Germany. She is one of three UCF women’s soccer alums to compete at the Olympics, joining USA’s Michelle Akers ’89 (1996 Atlanta) and Brazil’s Aline Reis ’11 (2016 Rio).

Linder, spent the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign with the Knights, playing seven matches. She capped her season by earning First Team All-American Athletic Conference honors, All-AAC Rookie Team accolades, and 2020-21 AAC All-Academic Team honors.

Julie Poulsen ’20

Event dates: July 28 and 30; Aug. 1

Poulsen will represent her home county of Denmark in the women’s four portion of rowing.

The UCF communication alum began rowing at 10 when her mother took her to a local club. Poulsen is one of the most decorated UCF rowers in program history. She is one of three Knights to be named a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) All-American. She was named First Team All-American Athletic Conference three times (2018, 2019, 2021) and earned CRCA National Scholar Athlete and American Athletic Conference All-Academic honors in four straight years from 2018-21.

“My days at UCF has taught me a lot of lessons, which has played a big part of who I am today,” Poulsen says. “An important lesson I learned at UCF was to be less timid of challenges. We were often thrown big challenges we didn’t think we could overcome, but we always would. This has made me believe that there is no challenge that is too big, and it has made me so much more tough than I was before.”

Viktorija Senkute ’18

Event dates: July 27-Aug. 3

Senkute will compete for Team Lithuania in women’s single sculls for rowing.UCF’s rowing team won four American Athletic Conference championships while the interdisciplinary studies student-athlete attended the university (2015-18). She earned a CRCA All-Region nod in 2018 as well as First Team All-American Athletic Conference first team honors in 2017 and 2018 and second team recognitions in 2015 and 2016.

“Before coming to UCF I didn’t know how to be a teammate; I didn’t know how to fight as one. UCF taught me so many things about what it’s like to be on a team,” she says. “In Lithuania, you have to choose one path in college — sports or education. UCF allowed me to combine both and experience a culture and life I would have never dreamed about.”

Kristen Thomas ’16

Event dates: July 28-30

Thomas, a theatre studies alum, is a rugby traveling reserve for the Team USA. She previously represented Team USA as co-captain in the 2020 Summer Olympics, helping the team achieve a top 10 finish.

Thomas began her rugby career at UCF in 2011, joining the Rugby Club – Women’s Team. Her exceptional talent was quickly recognized, leading to a call-up to the national team just two years later.

“UCF was pretty instrumental in developing me as a player,” Thomas said in a 2021 article. “Our coach, Raoul Besse, really harped on our skills. The physicality of the game I think I get a lot from him because you need to be physical in a contact sport. He was the first one to nominate me for the under-20 national team and if he hadn’t done that, I don’t know if I would be where I am today.”

#GodHatesYou is a new play receiving its first full production at UCF’s Pegasus PlayLab in June and August. The story follows Laurel who takes the message of her radical church to Twitter and is confronted with unexpected encounters, leading her to question the meaning of her faith, her relationship with God and the impact of her words.

This play was first seen in Orlando at Orlando Shakes’ Playfest 2018.

“When we did the reading of #GodHatesYou last November, we really liked the play but in many ways the script seemed to be a better fit for UCF’s Pegasus PlayLab than for Orlando Shakes,” says Cynthia White, director of #GodHatesYou and director of New Play Development at Orlando Shakes. “The central character is 26 and is just stepping out into a larger world and finding her voice, something you could say students do when they come to a university.”

Pegasus PlayLab at UCF is a new play festival in its second year dedicated to developing plays by emerging playwrights. The 2019 festival kicked off with a series of workshop readings during which actors presented new plays with minimal staging and scripts in-hand in front of an audience. #GodHatesYou is this year’s full developmental production, meaning a script that has already been polished through workshops and readings and is ready to introduce the elements of sets, costumes and lighting.

That’s not to say that this is the final product. The cast and playwright are still digging deeper into these characters and discovering what their journey holds.

“Exploring the characters and building relationships within the play, I have been impressed by the way the words resonate,” says White. “On the surface, one could see a group of rigid and angry fanatics, but we find as we dig deeper, a group of people who think they are saving the world and deeply believe that they love everyone.”

If there is something to take away from this play, according to White, it is “Words matter.” The main character is opened to new ideas and thoughts when she talks to people outside of her constrictive religious bubble. When she sees that her words cause harm, she must reconsider her entire life. “She comes to the conclusion that she doesn’t just need to ask for God’s forgiveness, but for humanity’s forgiveness.”

Although this play covers several heavy themes, there’s levity as well.

GodHatesYou is full of enormous contradictions, but the director says it will take viewers on a fascinating and unexpected journey towards a better understanding of what makes us all human.

Pegasus PlayLab runs through June 23 with an encore production of #GodHatesYou Aug. 29-Sept. 1. Tickets, information and more at

#GodHatesYou | Main Stage

June 13-23 and Aug. 29-Sept. 1

By Emily Dendinger Directed by Cynthia White

Having attended her first picket at 5 years old, Laurel is proud of the good work she has done in the name of the Lord. Groomed to be the next leader of her radical church, Laurel takes to Twitter to spread the Word. When her tweets are responded to by an agnostic college student, a rabbi and a few Twitter trolls, Laurel struggles to determine the true meaning of her faith and define her relationship with God.

On Thursday, Aug. 29, the production will be joined by WMFE’s for a post-show talkback about the play, religion and social media.

“I remember they showed the renderings the first day of rehearsal. In fittings I was just beside myself,” Jaros says. “It’s so cool to see them again. They’re just stunning.”

She moved to New York immediately after graduation to pursue her Broadway dreams. So while she always imagined this for herself, she says she sometimes still can’t believe she is out on stage every night in the biggest musical in America now.

Jaros recently celebrated her one-year anniversary with the U.S. tour of Hamilton, which is playing at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando until Feb. 10.

“What I love about Hamilton is it’s creating conversation everywhere,” Jaros says. “[When I look back on this] I will remember the honor that it has been to be a part of something that will live on for a very long time. I get to be an original cast member of that. Who knows if I’ll ever get to experience that again? I will remember all the hard work it still took to maintain the dream.”

You auditioned for the show nine times before getting your role as Woman One.  Did you always feel it was going to work out eventually?

I was holding onto that hope. I had gotten some reinforcement from the creatives I was working with in the audition process. They were giving a lot of great feedback. I was thankfully on a first-name basis with some of them. Things don’t happen for a reason in certain places and that’s just how life is.

My friend, Phil Colgan, who is also on the tour with me, found out the same day I did. He texted me that night, “I have something to tell you.” I said, “We should get drinks this week because I have something to tell you, too.” The next day he called me and he’s like, “No. I have something to tell you.” We had to keep it a secret for six months until they were ready to announce it. Anytime he and I saw a Hamilton poster, we took a picture with it and thought, one day we can share this. It was hard to keep it a secret because I am someone who is in auditions every day. When people stop seeing you at those or stop seeing you on that grind, they say, “Wait a minute, what’s happening?” You have to play dumb to it, and that was very hard.

Tell me about your character.

I’m Woman One. She’s sassy. She’s fun. You have to be able to do all things that I’ve studied my whole life and at this institution. You have to be able to act through dance and song. I’m singing soprano, so I’m singing the highest track on the show and still dancing a lot. I really get a fulfillment of all the areas.

And you’re doing all that while wearing a corset. What’s that like?

We do have a vest we have for a couple of the larger dance numbers, but we still dance a lot in the corset. I don’t even know if I can explain it. There are times that even though my arms aren’t tied down, I feel like I’m in a straightjacket because I can only move certain parts. We have to dance with it, and we have to make it look easy. I’ve definitely gained a serious core dancing in one. That’s for sure.

How does the experience compare to your expectations when you first got the gig?

I knew there was a big following with the show but until you’re in it, you don’t realize how much you’re in the spotlight all the time. And I’m in the ensemble, I’m not even some of the people who get recognized from the show. It really does become your 24/7 life. I’m very grateful for that, but it definitely was more intense than I had realized.

Why do you think Hamilton resonates with so many people?

“There are so many times Hamilton was shot down, but he never gave up. I think that is a huge theme we can learn from this.”

To me, there are multiple reasons. I was never very good at history, but putting it to music and dance, OK now I get it. I think that’s the answer for a lot of people. I also think with the representation of different colors and sizes on our stage, it represents America and what people see in the people who were the founding fathers of our country and building this big thing we have now. I think it gives a lot of hope to people. It just is revolutionary in the musical theatre world. There are just so many answers to that. And I’m still finding more and more answers to that all the time, especially when fans come up to you at the stage door and say, “This resonated with me today.” There are so many times Hamilton was shot down, but he never gave up. I think that is a huge theme we can learn from this.

What is your day-to-day routine like?

We get to sit down in places for a while and really get to know areas of the country that we’re performing in, which is amazing. We have eight shows a week, and five of them are on the weekend, which can be intense. It’s a lot of Hamilton in three days. Our cast rallies through that. Mondays are the days to explore and live your life. I’ve had to learn to build a schedule because being on the road and living out of a suitcase is tough. I go to the grocery store and meal prep for the week. I usually work out Wednesdays through Fridays. There’s still life stuff going on. Taxes are coming up, so I’m dealing with that. I’m constantly striving to keep my personal life and my professional/career life balanced.

What has helped keep your life balanced?

My dog Ernie. He is a Brussels Griffon, and he has an Instagram (@LilErnieBigJourney). I got him four months ago. I think there are actually about eight dogs on our tour with us. A lot of us have gotten them in the last few months. I was in a little bit of a slump personally. It can get lonely on the road, and I was trying to figure out what I could do. I did a lot of research and talked to a lot of people, especially people on the road who were making it work. If I was going to bring in another life into my life, I needed to make sure I was going to be able to be responsible for it. He has been the best little addition. He is known around town every city we go to. He’s a ham. And it’s led to meeting a lot of cool people. I was at the dog park yesterday for two hours and met a lot of local people and just got to chat with them. It’s so great. He’s brought a lot of happiness to me.

What have been some of your favorite experiences away from the stage in the cities you’ve visited?

What is really cool about being on this show is a lot of people know about it so they want to show us their world. They are so gracious to give us their time and invite us for VIP tours. When we were in Durham we got to go to the Duke Lemur Center. We’ve done Anecestry.com headquarters in Salt Lake City. With Ernie, now I get to walk more and experience the culture. It was a part of my life on the road that I didn’t explore until I had him. It’s great to walk around and see different shops and meet people and talk to people. Every place has its own trademark.

When Tollefson joined the UCF faculty, she heard about a local woman who owned every piece of clothing she had ever purchased. Knowing that this would be a unique opportunity to research vintage clothing and could provide a useful teaching tool for her students, she set out to meet this legendary woman.

“But as soon as I saw her closet I knew I had to find a way to share it with a wider audience.”

“It took me a while to get Harriett to agree to meet with me and even longer to get her to agree to let me see her closet,” says Tollefson. “But as soon as I saw her closet I knew I had to find a way to share it with a wider audience.”

At first, Tollefson’s main draw was Lake’s closet. But as their relationship grew, Tollefson began to see connections between Lake’s stories and the recurring themes in her closet.

“This was an amazing opportunity to work at documenting a single person’s collection with the provenance of each piece — not just where she bought it and wore it, but the events in her life that influenced her to make the purchase in the first place even if those life events took place 80 years previously,” says Tollefson, who explained that most vintage collections are from many different people and rarely do we see such a large collection from an individual.

Before Lake passed away at the age of 96 in July, Tollefson and Ozimek worked closely with her for more than 10 years, collecting stories, vintage photos and quotes from the “brassy, big-hearted dame herself.” Tollefson says, “There is a lot more than just clothes in this book. This tells the most complete story of Harriett’s life in one place.”

This one-of-a-kind fashion biography follows Harriett’s life through the Great Depression as a child, her service as a Marine during WWII, her flight from heartbreak to Miami Beach followed by her marriage to Hymen Lake and accumulation of wealth (and swelling closet full of jaw-dropping fashion pieces) thanks to the real estate boom brought on by the theme park and space industries. Tollefson and Ozimek guide readers through her extraordinary journey by connecting her life experiences to her fashion choices, explaining why she had so many red coats and what filled her pockets.

The centerpiece of the book is the stunning photography of Lake’s wardrobe by local photographer, Tony Firriolo. Over 800 photographs illustrate Lake’s 96-year life and highlight over 200 of her favorite and most popular looks. Lake herself oversaw the photo shoots and expertly styled every look so that each one is “quintessential Harriett.”

Tollefson’s new book is more than just a passion project. She wants it to be a resource for her colleagues across the design community.

“I hope that costume designers can learn about how even childhood experiences can influence the fashion choices people make long into adulthood,” Tollefson says. “In fact, I hope I encounter a Harriett-like character in a show I get to design someday so I can really put this research to work.”

A book release party to celebrate the launch of  Too Much Is Not Enough: The History in Harriett’s Closet will take place on Sept. 27 from 5 to 7 p.m. in Harriett’s Bar at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803). The authors will read from the book and will be available to sign purchased copies of the book at the event.

To me, the beauty of movies is to escape our everyday life and transport us into a new reality. From this experience, the celebration of these masterpieces is the Oscars.

But more and more people today are not going to theatres to see movies. Nationwide attendance at movie theatres has been declining for years, and is at a 20-year low.

Maybe it is because it is easier to rent movies, purchase DVDs, or just log into Netflix and Hulu to watch films? Or maybe today’s rising ticket prices or the quality of movies are the main factors why audiences have turned away from movie screens to their laptop screens?

Perhaps more focus should be put on a movie’s story line rather than just expecting that pouring more and more money into a project will make it successful. As can be seen from this year’s Academy Awards, the independent, low-budget Moonlight was named the best picture of the year, beating out the other films that cost way more to produce. Maybe this is a lesson that the bigger film companies should learn.

To me, actually going to the theatre is part of the movie-watching experience.

When I was in high school, going to the movies was the best time. In my hometown of Weston, FL, we had a movie theater, and every Friday my friends and I would dress to impress since we would see our classmates. But once we were seated, my attention was always toward the 100-foot screen. It was a time when I could forget my week and enjoy this movie.

That love of movies still resonates with me.

The magic of movies will always be there for me. I still attend premieres and midnight showings, but do “save for later” movies on Netflix, Hulu, HBO and Showtime. I wish I could go to drive-in theaters!

This appreciation of movies shown at the theatre will never go away because I was raised on the expectation that when the opening credits start rolling, the next 120 minutes will take me away into another world.

Amanda Osorio is a UCF junior majoring in humanities and cultural studies. She can be reached at amandaosorio08@yahoo.com.

The prohibition-era setting depicts racial tension in the shady business of speakeasies where people of all races sought to turn a profit and better their lives.

Director Belinda Boyd says of the setting, “I love the decades that introduced jazz into our culture – Jazz gave us a new perspective on life. Jazz clubs gave us place where for the first time different cultures and races mixed socially. Jazz created a new rhythm for our writers and produced prolific literature that changed how we saw ourselves. Jazz gave us permission to be casual and opened the door for conversation in our country.”

Boyd believes the play will speak to all audiences because “The hope that we find undying love is relevant to all of us, [as is] the clash between parental hopes and childhood dreams, the fact that love is stronger than hate, breaking away from tradition or what others deem is right, and following your heart in spite of the consequences.”

Isabella DeChard, a sophomore in the Theatre BFA Acting track, plays the title role of Juliet. She says, “I definitely hope the audience will take something from the show because what really got me into theatre in the first place was seeing shows and taking something from them or seeing a piece that inspired me or taught me a lesson.”

DeChard believes the topics of alcohol in the Prohibition era, women’s roles in the 1930s, and racial tensions will allow the audience to better relate to the classic story of star-crossed lovers.

The show will be performed on Theatre UCF’s Main Stage. On opening night, audience members are invited to join the cast and creative team for a post-show reception.

Tickets are available for $20 for the general public, and $10 for those with a valid UCF ID. They can be purchased online athttp://theatre.cah.ucf.edu/tickets.php or at the box office.

Production-at-a-Glance:

Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Be Boyd

February 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 at 7:30 pm

February 19, 26 at 2:00 pm

A post-show reception will immediately follow the February 16 performance.

In the 1930s, speakeasies were the place where races could mingle but they also sparked clashes as each culture struggled to maintain their share of profits and their piece of the American pie from the underground sale of alcohol. Young lovers Romeo and Juliet are caught in these turf wars and hatred as the Montague and Capulet families vie for control of the clubs, the distribution of alcohol and ownership of the American Dream.

$20 standard, $10 UCF ID

Main Stage, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando

407-823-1500

theatre@ucf.edu

More than 1,000 UCF students and faculty members will participate in the festival of performing and visual arts that will showcase studio art, music, theatre, dance, gaming, animation, photography and film. This is the first time all the UCF artistic endeavors can be experienced in one place, and all activities are free and open to the public.

The week also will provide invited high school music and theater students unique access to workshops led by UCF faculty members and an opportunity to showcase their talents during select performances at a state-of-the-art venue.

“We’re presenting the depth and breadth of UCF’s arts units to Orlando, taking them off campus and presenting them in one of the best spaces in the southeast,” said Jeff Moore, director of the UCF School of Performing Arts and artistic director of the festival. “Also, this shows how arts integration across all disciplines happens at UCF. This creative environment is necessary to develop community outreach.”

Events are still being added to the UCF Celebrates the Arts schedule, but some of the highlights will feature:

*  Icarus at the Edge of Time. The UCF Symphony Orchestra will perform the music of composer Phillip Glass with an accompanying movie by Al & Al, based on a children’s book by Columbia șŁœÇֱȄ physicist Brian Greene about a boy traveling in outer space who challenges the power of a black hole. Friday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m.

Kate Mulgrew, who portrayed Capt. Katharyn Janeway in the Star Trek: Voyager TV series, will provide live narration for the fable.

The Icarus presentation is part of a National Science Foundation project that seeks to broaden the participation of students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) research activities, and each year UCF organizes some STEM activities in an artistic way. This event will be an interdisciplinary arts-and-sciences collaboration involving the School of Performing Arts and the College of Sciences. “It is an excellent example of the integration of science, literature, and the performing and visual arts,” said Debra Reinhart, UCF assistant vice president for Research and Commercialization.

*  Several musical collaborations are planned with UCF partners. The Flying Horse Big Band will perform a cabaret with the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, themed “Shakespeare in Love” (Saturday, April 11, at 8 p.m.); UCF Choirs will provide the vocals for the Orlando Repertory Theatre’s production of Civil War Voices, which uses diaries and letters to tell the true stories of people who lived through the war (several matinee productions throughout the week); and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra will hold a rehearsal for Tosca with an instructional class for voice students following.

*  Theatre UCF performances will include scenes from Nine, Hair, class projects, alumni cameos, and scenes from students who have been nominated for Kennedy Center Irene Ryan Acting awards. The Theatre UCF Dance showcase will feature a selection of dance pieces choreographed and performed by UCF students and faculty members.

*  Music concerts will include performances from the Collide Percussion Music Festival, UCF Symphonic Band, UCF choruses, and the chamber and wind ensembles.

*  Students in the School of Visual Arts and Design will have works from digital media, film, animations, games and studio arts showcased on every floor at the Dr. Phillips Center. SVAD faculty will present lectures on the arts and will be available for portfolio reviews from high school students. A Game Jam will be held so patrons can watch games being developed during a 24-hour period.

* The Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy also will demonstrate the interactive development process of video-game design. Final products and artwork will be on display showcasing the works of students and professionals.

* Performances will be scheduled for select high school musicians. There also will be clinics and workshops for the participating musicians. Schools that would like to participate can contact Kelly Miller, coordinator of music education, at Kelly.Miller@ucf.edu.

Organizers of the festival hope to expand its length and scope in coming years.

“We are using this opportunity to share the products and performances of our university students and faculty. We want the world to know that UCF invests in the arts, and this festival makes that statement,” Moore said. “This celebration is a showcase for UCF to share the return on that investment with the city and the entire Central Florida region. We are looking forward to this inaugural event and sharing UCF’s arts activities, both on and off campus, with everyone for years to come.”

Visit  for more information and updated scheduling. All events are free, but tickets are required for many of the programs. Tickets will be available on the website later this month.

Family Weekend begins Friday, Sept. 27. The previously scheduled college open houses will be postponed to a later date to accommodate the Knights’ noon kickoff against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bright House Networks Stadium on Saturday.

On Friday, UCF women’s soccer team will face their rivals, USF, at 6 p.m. at the UCF Soccer Complex. The volleyball team also will play USF on Friday with a match start of 8 p.m. at the Venue. UCF students are admitted free to both games with their student IDs, and adult tickets will be for sale for $5 for each game.

UCF Athletics also will distribute 2,000 early entry passes for Saturday’s football game to students with a valid ID who attend the soccer and volleyball games. The passes will serve as an early entry option for the game but will not guarantee admission.

The Recreation & Wellness Center will host a welcome party featuring food, music and other entertainment from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday. The event costs $25 per person.

Late Knights—the monthly late-night alcohol-alternative program—will start at 10 p.m. Friday in the Student Union. “Game Knight” will feature Jenga, Twister and other classic games, as well as music and other entertainment.

Student Development and Enrollment Services will host its annual family weekend breakfast from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. The event is $20 per person.

The Student Government Association’s Family Weekend Tailgate will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Knights Plaza. The free event will include games, giveaways and live music.

Families visiting students who live in UCF Housing can participate in free housewarming parties in select communities.

The Rosen College of Hospitality Management will celebrate its 30th anniversary with family-oriented, New Orleans-inspired brunches on Sunday. Brunches will begin at 10 and 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Theatre UCF’s production of The Underpants also will be showing throughout Family Weekend. The laugh-out loud play adapted by comedian Steve Martin focuses on the human spirit of curiosity and how a small bit of impropriety can cause the biggest scandal. It will play at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the UCF Black Box Theatre.
Tickets are $10 for students and $20 for other guests.

The event – Wednesday, Nov. 7, and Friday, Nov. 9 – has been two years in the making and will feature 14  theatre and film professionals with a wide range of style, type and versatility.

The event will be hosted by Ben Hope (BFA Musical Theatre, 2006) and Justin Sargent (BFA Musical Theatre, 2007). Hope and Sargent are currently featured in Broadway productions: Hope is in the Tony Award-winning Once and Sargent has the lead role of Drew in Rock of Ages.

The showcase is directed by Joseph Fletcher (BFA Stage Management), and the music is directed by Westley Todd Holiday (BFA Musical Theatre, 2007). The program features established artists and newcomers to the city, and includes the following UCF alumni:

Comedy cabaret duo Mel and El, Melanie Kinard and Ellie Dvorkin (BFA Acting, 1998), will also make an appearance at the event.

“It is moving to see the varied personalities and talent working in the industry that will perform at this event,” says Christopher Niess, chair and artistic director of the Theatre Department. “We are extremely proud of these artists coming together, and thankful for the legacy they are building for our current students.”

The aim of the showcase is to share the collective network and to support each other.

Darla Olive Talley, director of external relations for the UCF Alumni Association, said the association is proud of the work these alumni are doing. “We love seeing our UCF alumni working together and creating strong networks in their regions,” she said.

The showcase will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Shetler Studios, Penthouse 1, 244 W 54th Street, 12th Floor. The event is open to the public, but reservations are required at UCFShowcase@gmail.com.