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
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
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.
Sarah Morgan is a third year BFA Theatre Design and Technology student. She is working as the Assistant Scenic Designer and Scenic Painter for UCF's Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
The show posed a bit of a challenge for Sarah and the rest of the design team because of its setting: eighteenth century France. This set required a lot of visual research and all of the designers, including faculty member Joseph Rusnock, worked together. The main inspiration came from architecture and building interiors from the period.
The final set has a neutral color palette and will greatly contrast with the brightly colored costumes. Sarah says, "I think audience members will find it a visually refreshing change from some previous plays seen at Theatre UCF."
Some of her recent credits include serving as the Scenic Charge Artist for Orlando Repertory Theatre’s The Little Mermaid Jr., Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre's 2012 Summer Stock Season, as well as Theatre UCF's Ragtime and Veronica's Room. Upon graduation, Sarah plans to travel as a scenic designer.
Jany Bacallao is a senior in the BFA Acting program. He is playing the role of Vicomte de Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses. The play follows Valmont and Marquise de Merteuil, played by Jessie Booth, as they play a very dangerous game that those around them fall prey to. One of the biggest challenges that Valmont posed for Jany was the amount of lines that he had to memorize and the complex language. Dr. Donald Seay, Liaisons director and faculty member, took Jany under his wing and guided him throughout the entire process. One of Jany's goals with Valmont was to make him relatable. Although he is a deceitful and malicious character, Jany focused on his good qualities so that audience members could empathize with him. "I think this is something that everyone can relate to. We have all been our worst enemy at some point in our life." On top of Jany's full course load during the days and rehearsals in the evenings six days a week, he also worked double shifts at Hamburger Mary's. Jany was last seen on the Theatre UCF stage as Henry in Bury the Dead. He is a graduate of Florida School of the Arts where he received his Associate in Arts and his Associate in Science. In March 2013, he will attend the Southeastern Theatre Conference and will audition for many theatre companies in hopes of gaining an internship. Jany is really looking forward to what the next few months have in store for him, especially his move to New York City.
Kelli Rose Sleigh, a UCF BFA Musical Theatre 2009 Alum, recently competed in the NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Central Florida Chapter Musical Theater Competition. Sleigh competed in the Advanced Musical Theater division, which required contestants to prepare six songs of varying style and era. Sleigh placed 1st in her division and performed in the Winner's Recital with accompanist, Pati Sayers. Up next Sleigh will be traveling to New York City to compete in the preliminary auditions for the NATS National Musical Theater Competition in May, 2012. In the meantime, Sleigh is currently attending the Joe Blasco Make-up Artist Training Center in Orlando, FL where she is furthering her education and becoming a Professional Make-up Artist.
She says, "Thank you so much for your support! I am so proud to have graduated from our program at UCF!"
Sidonie Smith, former MFA MT student writes: "I had some really exciting news in the last couple of days and wanted to share it with all of you! I was mentioned yesterday on PLAYBILL.COM as one of the 14 finalists in composer Scott Alan's "I'm A Star" Contest! I am absolutely thrilled and hope that you'll take a look at the article and/or my submission video. Thank you so much for your never-ending support of me and my wacky dreams!"
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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. 
