{"id":155846,"date":"2026-10-15T13:28:54","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T17:28:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=155846"},"modified":"2026-10-16T10:11:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T14:11:00","slug":"from-center-stage-to-setting-the-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/from-center-stage-to-setting-the-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"From Center Stage to Setting the Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Annie Swift \u201926<\/strong> and a colleague were examining the floor of a kitchen set they had helped bring to life. Their question: Which way should the trail of simulated blood smear?<\/p>\n

Guests entering the room needed to immediately understand the story, Swift reasoned.<\/p>\n

UCF\u2019s newest Pegasus Partner<\/a>, Universal Destinations & Experiences, recently joined UCF to launch a first-of-its-kind school for future themed entertainment leaders<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For Swift, a set dresser at Universal Orlando Resort, the answer was more than where to place a prop. As part of a team developing a Halloween Horror Nights house, she helped shape the story guests would experience the moment they entered. Every staged bloodstain, overturned object and carefully placed detail served a purpose, even to visitors who rushed through the room with their eyes squeezed shut.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might sit there and pretend to be the person and think, \u2018How would that look here? How would that inform the space?\u2019\u201d Swift says.<\/p>\n

For the recent UCF theatre graduate, questions like that are part of her dream job.<\/p>\n

Finding Her Place Behind the Curtain<\/h2>\n

Born and raised in Orlando, Swift grew up drawing, painting, singing and sewing. She once imagined a future in interior design, and she loved performing. But backstage at Boone High School, she discovered a place where all her talents could truly thrive. Stage production combined artistic expression, teamwork, problem-solving and endless opportunities to keep learning. It was the first glimpse of a career where creativity could shape experiences and bring stories to life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been a creative person who really liked learning different methods of creation,\u201d she says. \u201cI never really stuck to one medium.\u201d<\/p>\n

Theatre gave those interests a home. It also gave Swift the confidence to build a career around them.<\/p>\n

UCF\u2019s College of Arts and Humanities<\/a> offered what she couldn\u2019t find elsewhere: a robust undergraduate theatre design and technology track<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cUCF was truly the only place where design and technology took importance in the space of theatre,\u201d Swift says.<\/p>\n

An Education Built Around Doing<\/h2>\n

At UCF, Swift learned industry-standard techniques and applied them through eight UCF Theatre <\/a>production assignments. She served as a light board operator, props manager, audio technician, scenic paint charge and associate projections designer. Each role helped her understand how the parts of a production come together.<\/p>\n