UCF artists have spent the last year making theatre in front of webcams, blowing horns in parking garages and dancing in kitchens. They’ve been hosting poetry readings over Zoom and painting alone in empty studios.
But now, they are ready to come out of isolation and — following safety protocols — experience the arts together.
UCF Celebrates the Arts will return to showcase creativity, innovation and collaboration at Dr. Phillips Center April 2–10. The annual event, which started in 2015, brings UCF musicians, theatre practitioners and visual artists from the UCF campus to the downtown Orlando community in an array of offerings.
Although the festival will look a little different this year, the heart of the event remains the same: the arts are built on community.
“This is a time to bring the community back together in a safe and convivial environment,” says Michael Wainstein, director of the UCF School of Performing Arts and producer of the annual festival. “And our students and faculty are eager to be performing again. Artists want to be in front of an audience, and they have sorely missed that.”
In-person Events
UCF Celebrates the Arts 2021 will feature both in-person and virtual events to ensure everyone can celebrate UCF artists in whatever setting they are most comfortable.
UCF will open the festival on April 2 with a lunchtime concert featuring UCF’s Flute Ensemble and Brass Ensemble and an evening performance of A Knight of Opera: Carmenella and Opera Scenes in the new, 2,000-seat outdoor venue on Dr. Phillips Center’s front lawn.
Other outdoor, in-person offerings taking place in partnership with the arts center’s Frontyard Festival™ include the Flying Horse Big Band, A Knight to Shine 2021: A Musical Theatre Showcase, the UCF Choirs, UCF Percussion, UCF Bands and the UCF Symphony Orchestra.
Additionally, throughout the festival, UCF Celebrates the Arts will host daily ensembles during the lunch hour at Frontyard Festival. Performances will feature a variety of UCF chamber ensembles, including the New Music Ensemble, Pegasus String Quartet and Chamber Choir.
For those interested in sitting indoors, limited seats are available for A Knight of Dance in the Walt Disney Theater on Thursday, April 8. The event, which was originally scheduled for 2020, features dancers from across the university. The safety protocols and audience seating will be consistent with Dr. Phillips Center’s health and safety protocols.
Children ages 2 and up are welcome at all events, but The Grumpiest Boy in the World is being presented specifically for families to be able to enjoy the festival together. The opera Carmenella, an updated version of Cinderella, also offers families an accessible evening of entertainment for audiences of all ages.
Offerings from the School of Visual Arts and Design head in a new direction this year. Crowd-pleaser Creative Clash, a speed-drawing event in which artists race to create art on a given theme, will continue, but due to limited indoor space, visual art exhibitions will move to a digital format. Patrons are encouraged to arrive at performances early to view videos of studio art, character animation, gallery tours, interviews and more on the large outdoor screens. Fresh content will appear daily and will be available online after the initial viewing.
Virtual Events
Along with in-person events, UCF Celebrates the Arts will feature virtual events that can be enjoyed from the comfort of home. Arts On! A Virtual Showcase of Creativity at UCF is a two-hour tour of creativity across the disciplines, hosted by UCF alumnus and Broadway veteran Justin Sargent ’08. The event will include live interviews, video tours and more. Other virtual events include a screening of The Druze: An Ethnic Minority in the Holy Land, a happy hour creative writing reading and a discussion with linguistic justice expert April Baker-Bell. Virtual events will be ticketed through UCF; patrons are invited to pay what they want, starting at free.
UCF’s usual two weeks in the performing arts center have been shortened to accommodate changes to the university’s calendar, which allow for Orlando Ballet to present the final show of their 20-21 season during that time. From April 15-18, the dance company will be presenting Jorden Morris’ Peter Pan in the Walt Disney Theater.
“This collaboration between UCF and the Orlando Ballet is a great example of what organizations can accomplish when they work together,” says Wainstein. “We are excited to include Peter Pan as part of UCF Celebrates the Arts and are eager for our students – and the Central Florida community – to benefit from the partnership and the wonderful productions that will be given by both the Orlando Ballet and UCF.”
For more information about UCF Celebrates the Arts, visit arts.ucf.edu.
Tickets
Tickets for UCF Celebrates the Arts are on sale starting March 8. Tickets for in-person events will be sold through Dr. Phillips Center’s website; prices range from free to $50 (with the exception of Peter Pan.)
Reservations for virtual events can be made through the UCF School of Performing Arts box office and are “Pay What you Want” pricing. A complete event list and more information is available at https://arts.cah.ucf.edu/celebrates.
Lineup and Schedule
Events will continue to be added to the schedule at arts.ucf.edu/celebrates and are subject to change. For more information about UCF Celebrates the Arts, visit arts.ucf.edu.
In partnership with Dr. Phillips Center’s Frontyard Festival, UCF Celebrates the Arts will be hosting ensembles daily for the lunch hour.
Opera students perform the children’s opera Carmenella followed by scenes from famous operas.
In partnership with Dr. Phillips Center’s Frontyard Festival, UCF Celebrates the Arts will be hosting ensembles daily for the lunch hour.
Enjoy an evening of singing with UCF choirs with music that inspires us to unite. The performance features a new piece celebrating the 100th anniversary of the women’s suffrage movement.
In partnership with Dr. Phillips Center’s Frontyard Festival, UCF Celebrates the Arts will be hosting ensembles daily for the lunch hour.
Join musical theatre seniors as they present an evening of cabaret-style performance, featuring songs from popular Broadway musicals including Waitress, Chicago, Wicked, West Side Story and many more.
In partnership with Dr. Phillips Center’s Frontyard Festival, UCF Celebrates the Arts will be hosting ensembles daily for the lunch hour.
Theatre alumnus and Broadway veteran Justin Matthew Sargent ’08 takes viewers behind-the-scenes to see how the arts and creativity come alive at UCF through interviews, video clips and conversations during this two-hour online showcase.
In partnership with Dr. Phillips Center’s Frontyard Festival, UCF Celebrates the Arts will be hosting ensembles daily for the lunch hour.
This free interactive workshop offers an introduction to transcribing letters from the past. Trace the communication networks of early America through the lens of hand-written letters and learn about the University of Central Florida’s PRINTor People, Religion, Information Networks, and Travel project.
Designed to be performed outdoors, Inuksuit is a unique experience for both the performers and the audience. The musicians start at the stage and move to surround the audience for an immersive sound experience.
In partnership with Dr. Phillips Center’s Frontyard Festival, UCF Celebrates the Arts will be hosting ensembles daily for the lunch hour.
Join Kenneth Hanson, director of Judaic Studies at UCF, for a screening of his 30-minute documentary with conversation to follow.
The UCF Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band will present an exciting and colorful program of music by composers representing the great diversity of our community and nation.
This evening of dance showcases the incredible talents of student, alumni and faculty choreographers and dancers. The concept features 17 original dances from genres such as tap, ballet, Pointe, contemporary, lyrical and jazz.
In partnership with Dr. Phillips Center’s Frontyard Festival, UCF Celebrates the Arts will be hosting ensembles daily for the lunch hour.
Raise a glass to literature! Faculty and alumni from the UCF Creative Writing program read pieces from their bodies of work.
The chart-topping Flying Horse Big Band is composed of students in UCF’s jazz studies program. Under the direction of saxophonist and American jazz musician Jeff Rupert, the Flying Horse Big Band performs at festivals and concert halls regionally and nationally.
Wanting to be more than the average seven-year-old boy, grumpy Zachary sets out to find a land of giants, flying things and anything else that will help him standout from the average kid.
Artists armed with black markers race against the clock to create large-format artwork. The theme will be announced seconds before the start of the event, so come cheer on the artists and help choose a winner at the end of the competition.
More information to be available soon.
The orchestra will perform two works by trailblazing American composers, Lyric for Strings by George Walker and Mother and Child by William Grant Still, as well as the chamber orchestra version of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8.
Fly through a starlit London night and dive headfirst into a magical adventure in Neverland in Jorden Morris’ Peter Pan. More information at orlandoballet.org/event/peter-pan.
Artful Moments: Creative Highlights from the School of Visual Arts and Design (Virtual)
Explore a selection of curated clips, interviews, photos, exhibitions, events and more from the School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD). Each feature will showcase facets of SVAD and the exceptional work that students and alumni are creating.
Theatre UCF’s student production group brings their flash playwriting festival to public audiences. Watch throughout the week and vote for your favorites.
