Student Profile: John DeLisa

When John DeLisa was a kid he was cast in a local production of Annie as Star to Be. "That's what hooked me. I sang about NYC and making it big and I thought to myself, among all the pretty grown up theatre girls, 'this is where I want to be.'"

Now John is playing Moritz in Theatre UCF's Spring Awakening. His busy schedule has been the biggest challenge for this production. John is not only in classes and rehearsals every day but he is also a beginning piano and voice instructor. Spring Awakening director Joshua Chase Gold asks the actors to leave their outside life out of the rehearsal space and John has been striving to do that with great success.

Working with Gold, who is an alumnus of the UCF Theatre Department, has been a treat for John. He has come to admire his director a great deal. Gold asks the actors to pay very close attention to the details in the script. This has led to John digging deeper into the text and analyzing the music more than he ever has before.

John is the oldest of eight children from Palm Harbor, FL and is a senior in the BFA Musical Theatre program. John has been seen on the UCF stage as Younger Brother in Ragtime and Buddy in Sideshow. He has also performed in three productions at Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay. John's favorite part about Theatre UCF is how much the faculty pushes students to be better in a supportive and encouraging way.

By: Elle Sullivan

Student Profile: Ryan Riegner

Ryan Riegner had spent three years studying to be an engineer when one day at work his task was to assist unloading the Broadway tour of Cats as it came through his town. That day he decided to change his major and he received his AA in Theatre from Santa Fe College in Gainesville. He is now a senior in the BFA Design and Technology program with a focus on lighting and sound design. Ryan is currently working as the sound designer on the upcoming production of Spring Awakening.

 Ryan says the biggest challenge of this production has been that the director, Joshua Chase Gold, has been working out of the state for the last few months. Gold is a Theatre UCF alumnus who lives in New York City. It is difficult to communicate everything online or over video but the team has done a great job at making it work.

This process has been the most rigorous but will result in the most advance sound system Ryan has ever worked on. “The digital sound console itself is capable of reproducing equipment that would take up an entire room of analog equivalents…and I will need to plan it out very carefully so I don’t get overwhelmed.”

Ryan was the lighting designer for Theatre UCF’s production of Stop Kiss last semester. He was also the lighting designer at the Orlando Repertory Theatre for The Little Mermaid, Jr. After graduation Ryan intends to work locally for a couple years and eventually move out west to pursue his dream of being a moving light programmer for concerts, events, or films.

By: Elle Sullivan

Student Profile: Deirdre Manning

Deirdre Manning has had two lead roles this year. She was last seen at Theatre UCF as Violet Hilton in Side Show and is currently the title character in Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice. Relating to this character was easy for her. Both Deirdre and Eurydice are young women who are trying to find themselves. 

Eurydice, directed by faculty member Julia Listengarten, is a modern retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. This show is very imaginative and unrealistic. As a result, the technical aspects of this production are very complex and cause some challenges in rehearsal for Deirdre. For example, it is difficult to rehearse on flat ground when the set will have many levels. 

Although the story is tragic, this cast and crew are incredibly goofy and rehearsals are always a lot of fun. Deirdre has too many funny stories to share. "My abs get a great workout in rehearsal from all the laughing." 

Deirdre is originally from Boston and is a Junior in the BFA Musical Theatre program. On top of rehearsals and classes, she works as an Office Assistant for the UCF Department of Residence Life. She is also in the Burnett Honors College and has a minor in Environmental Science. After graduation, Deirdre plans to move to New York and work professionally as an actor.

By: Elle Sullivan

Student Profile: Amanda Hill

Amanda Hill wrote a play for Theatre for Young Audience called Dancing and the international organization "Write Local. Play Global." selected it to be read at the One Theater World Conference in Cleveland this May. This is a great honor and Amanda is very excited about it, but in the meantime, she is hard at work at theatre UCF as the Assistant Scenic Designer for Eurydice.

Scenic design is a new field for Amanda: she got her bachelor's degree in performance at Susquehanna University and currently works as a teaching artist and house manager for the Orlando Repertory Theatre. Faculty member and Eurydice Scenic Designer Vandy Wood is helping Amanda through the process.

The most complex project was her design of the water pump. "I don't want to give too much away, but there were definitely hula hoops involved in this design." Amanda wanted to create something that the actors could interact with in many different ways throughout the course of the play.

Amanda is completing her third year in the MFA Theatre for Young Audiences program. Last summer, she traveled around Southeast Alaska working with girls in rural areas. She spends a lot of time working with disadvantaged youth in the Orlando area to help them find their artistic voices and positive self-image. Amanda hopes to be a college professor when she graduates.

By: Elle Sullivan

BFA Student Stephanie Trull Wins ICCA Quarterfinals with Gemini Blvd.

Stephanie Trull, a BFA Musical Theatre student at the University of Central Florida, has captured the Outstanding Soloist award at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Quarterfinals.

Trull participated as a member of the coed group Gemini Blvd., which took second place overall at the competition, guaranteeing them a spot in the ICCA South Semifinals on March 23 at Vanderbilt University. UCF student Jeff Ting also won an award for Outstanding Vocal Percussionist.

Trull joined the a cappella group three years ago as a freshman. She intended on majoring in Film and was interested in the singing group as a way to make friends. Once part of Gemini Blvd., she realized she didn't want to do anything for a career that didn’t involve singing, and she auditioned for the BFA Musical Theatre program.

"The majority of the group has no theatre background, though," says Trull. "We do a cappella as a fun outlet because we enjoy the music and the performance aspect. Most people are having fun, not looking at it as a career choice." The range of majors in the group includes Statistics, Global Studies and International Relations, Biomedical Sciences, and Music education.

"This group solidifies our mission to integrate our musical theatre majors into other artistic disciplines," says Musical Theatre faculty member Earl D. Weaver. "Having the opportunity to collaborate with artists in other departments like Music strengthens their educational experience and broadens their skill set as musical performers. This is an excellent example of how an interdisciplinary project can benefit all its participants."

Trull believes participating in an a cappella group is beneficial for all students, regardless of major. It enhances education, and teaches discipline, scheduling, and organizational skills.

UCF has four a cappella groups: the all-female "So Noted" and "KeyHarmony," the all-men's group "Crescendudes," and the coed "Gemini Blvd." The four ensembles are housed under the Registered Student Organization "Contemporary A Cappella."

Interest in the singing groups on campus has soared with the popularity of Fox's "Glee" and the movie "Pitch Perfect," which features the ICCA. More than 100 students auditioned to be part of Gemini Blvd. this fall.

"We aren't letting our wins affect our group," says Trull. "We had a big dinner so we could all watch a video of the performance. The group is first and foremost for fun and to be a family for each other. We don’t want this to be anything that comes between us and the other groups on campus. In fact, they are even helping us fundraise so we can get to the competition."

Gemini Blvd.'s winning set included music from VV Brown's "Shark in the Water" and two mashups: "Skinny Love" by Birdie with "Almost Lover" by Fine Frenzie and "We Found Love" by Rhianna with "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston. They will keep the same set for the semifinals. The music director for the group is Christopher Szczerba.