Theatre UCF, part of the UCF School of Performing Arts, introduces an annual arts festival to its 2014-15 season, in addition to its regular schedule of plays and musicals.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Larry Shue\u2019s The Foreigner<\/em>, running June 12-29, is directed by Mark Brotherton (The Music Man, Shipwrecked!An Entertainment<\/em>). The play centers on two British friends who visit a Southern fishing lodge. Since one of the gentlemen is shy and not keen on talking about his recent divorce, the pair tells the local residents that he doesn\u2019t speak English. Believing them, the residents openly share some of their secrets, causing \u201cThe Foreigner\u201d to have to \u201clearn\u201d English in a very short period of time.<\/p>\n The Foreigner <\/em>will take place in the Black Box. Patrons familiar with the UCF Black Box will be pleased to learn that new seats have been installed in the theater, thanks to a donation from the Greene Family Fund.<\/p>\n The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee <\/em>is directed by Be Boyd (The Fantasticks, Stop Kiss<\/em>). The light-hearted musical about six spelling champions and their mentors will run on the Main Stage July 10-20 and again Aug. 21-24 to kick off the fall semester. The production includes optional participation from audience members. Patrons should arrive early in order to apply to be part of the show (no \u201cspeshal\u201d spelling skills are needed!)<\/p>\n Both summer productions will begin evening performances at 7 p.m. The regular start time of 8 p.m. will resume in August. The matinees will continue to start at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n Julia Listengarten (Eurydice, Gem of the Ocean<\/em>) will direct Baltimore Waltz<\/em>, which runs Sept. 18-Oct. 4 in the Black Box. Written by Paula Vogel, the play tells the story of a sibling pair who are traveling through Europe to find a cure for the sister\u2019s fatal illness, Acquired Toilet Disease. Vogel wrote the play as a method of healing from the loss of her brother to AIDS.<\/p>\n The fall musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman<\/em>, shines a spotlight on the men in the Theatre department. Set in a South American prison, two cellmates share their fantasies in order to escape the horrors they encounter in the prison. One of the fantasies focuses on a famous diva, Aurora, who kills with her kiss. The musical will be directed by Mark Brotherton and runs Oct. 16-26 on the Main Stage.<\/p>\n Nick Jones\u2019 Trevor <\/em>is directed by Christopher Niess (Love, Sex, and the IRS; No Sex Please, We\u2019re British<\/em>) and runs Nov. 13-23 in the Black Box. Trevor is a chimpanzee that was a childhood star. His career is now at a standstill and his owner just doesn\u2019t understand him. The story was inspired by the true story of a woman who was attacked by her pet chimpanzee.<\/p>\n The spring semester opens with Arcadia <\/em>by Tom Stoppard (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Shakespeare in Love<\/em>). Director Kate Ingram (The Underpants, Spike Heels<\/em>) directed the play at the New Paltz Theatre in New York in 2000 and has long wanted to bring the science-and-math-themed play to UCF. Arcadia runs from Jan. 22-Feb.1 on the Main Stage.<\/p>\n Mark Routhier (Leveling Up<\/em>) brings to the Black Box a new play from the 2013 Playfest! Part of Harriett\u2019s New Play Series from Feb. 19-March 1. (a love story) <\/em>looks at love through the eyes of three couples\u2014and a few plants. It was written by Kelly Lusk.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n To complement the male-heavy Kiss of the Spider Woman<\/em>, the cast of the spring musical comprises mostly women. Nine <\/em>is directed by Earl D. Weaver (The Drowsy Chaperone, Side Show<\/em>). Nine <\/em>takes the audience through one man\u2019s journey with life choices and how those choices affected his relationships with women.\u00a0The musical is an homage to Frederico Fellini\u2019s film, \u20188\u00bd,<\/em>\u2019 and deals with adult themes and situations.<\/p>\n On April 10-12, the School of Performing Arts and School of Visual Arts and Design will join forces for the inaugural Pegasus Arts Festival, to be held at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts. The three-day festival will consist of many mostly free events and one large, ticketed celebratory interdisciplinary event.<\/p>\n Two productions are planned for summer 2015, which will be included in the 2015-16 season.<\/p>\n Season at a glance:<\/p>\n The Foreigner<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n by Larry Shue<\/p>\n A comedic chain of events is set into action at a Georgia fishing lodge when two friends tell a small fib about one\u2019s inability to speak English.<\/p>\n June 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 at 7 pm<\/p>\n June 15, 22, 29 at 2 pm<\/p>\n $20 standard, $18 senior, $10 student4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Music and lyrics by William Finn<\/p>\n Book by Rachel Sheinkin<\/p>\n Conceived by Rebecca Feldman<\/p>\n Additional material by Jay Reiss<\/p>\n Directed by Be Boyd<\/p>\n Six spelling champs vie for ultimate glory in this spirited musical. Audience participation encouraged.<\/p>\n July 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19 at 7 pm<\/p>\n August 21, 22, 23 at 8 pm<\/p>\n July 13, 20, August 24 at 2 pm<\/p>\n $20 standard, $18 senior, $10 student<\/p>\n Main Stage<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Baltimore Waltz <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n by Paula Vogel<\/p>\n Directed by Julia Listengarten<\/p>\n With\u00a0Baltimore Waltz,\u00a0playwright Paula Vogel pens a love note to her brother who recently passed away from AIDS-related complications. Anna and her brother embark upon a fantastical trip to Europe in order to flee the diagnosis of Acquired Toilet Disease, a fatal disease contracted by the sister from a school bathroom. Will they find an escape before reality sets in?<\/p>\n Sept 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, Oct 2, 3, 4 at 8 pm<\/p>\n Sept 21, 28, Oct 4 at 2 pm (Note: October 4 is a Saturday)<\/p>\n $20 standard, $18 senior, $10 student<\/p>\n Black Box<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kiss of the Spiderwoman <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n music by John Kander<\/a> and Fred Ebb<\/a>; book by Terrence McNally<\/a><\/p>\n Directed by Mark Brotherton<\/p>\n Cell mates in a Latin American prison, Valentin is a tough revolutionary undergoing torture and Molina is an unabashed homosexual serving eight years for deviant behavior. Molina shares his fantasies about an actress who portrays a deadly Spider Woman who kills with a kiss in order to distract himself and his new friend from the horrors they encounter in the prison.<\/p>\n Kiss of the Spider Woman won the Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score when it debuted on Broadway.<\/p>\n October 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 at 8 pm<\/p>\n October 19, 26 at 2 pm<\/p>\n $20 standard, $18 senior, $10 student<\/p>\n Main Stage<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Trevor <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n by Nick Jones<\/p>\n Directed by Christopher Niess<\/p>\n Trevor is a chimpanzee who once performed with the likes of Morgan Fairchild. Now, he\u2019s approaching puberty and can\u2019t even get a callback. Is it because he\u2019s big and strong and potentially dangerous? Or does he just need better costumes? Trevor lives alone with a Sandra, a middle-aged widow. Sandra knows Trevor would never hurt anyone, at least not on purpose. And just because he\u2019s not \u201ccute\u201d like he used to be, she won\u2019t send him to some dirty sanctuary, at least not to appease her paranoid neighbor Ashley and her precious newborn baby.<\/p>\n November 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 at 8 pm<\/p>\n November 16, 23 at 2 pm<\/p>\n $20 standard, $18 senior, $10 student<\/p>\n Black Box<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Arcadia <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n by Tom Stoppard<\/p>\n Directed by Kate Ingram<\/p>\n 1809, on an elegant English estate, 13-year-old Thomasina makes a startling scientific discovery that will change the way people understand the world.\u00a0Around her, the adults, including her tutor Septimus, are preoccupied with secret desires, illicit passions, and intense rivalries. January 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31 at 8 pm<\/p>\n January 25, February 1 at 2 pm<\/p>\n $20 standard, $18 senior, $10 student<\/p>\n Main Stage<\/p>\n <\/p>\n (a love story) <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n by Kelly Lusk<\/p>\n Directed by Mark Routhier<\/p>\n Love. We\u2019ve killed over it. We\u2019ve fought wars over it. Books dissect and explore it. We\u2019ve been told by The Beatles that it\u2019s all we need. But what is it? (a love story) tells the tale of three couples who set out to answer this eternal question.<\/p>\n February 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 at 8 pm<\/p>\n February 22, March 1 at 2 pm<\/p>\n $20 standard, $18 senior, $10 student<\/p>\n Black Box<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nine <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n book by Arthur Kopit<\/a>, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston<\/a><\/p>\n Directed by Earl D. Weaver<\/p>\n Inspired by the Fellini film 8\u00bd, Nine was the winner of the 2003 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. Celebrated film director Guido Contini is in the midst of a midlife crisis and stuck for ideas for his next project. As he is pursued by beautiful women who are all clamoring to be his only love, flashbacks reveal the substance of his life which will become the material for his next film: a musical version of the Casanova story.<\/p>\n March 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 at 8 pm<\/p>\n March 22, 29 at 2 pm<\/p>\n $20 standard, $18 senior, $10 student<\/p>\n Main Stage\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\nTwo hundred years later, academic adversaries Hannah and Bernard, under the scrutinizing eye of a young mathematician, are piecing together puzzling clues, uncovering the past scandals of the estate, in their quest for an increasingly elusive truth.<\/p>\n