Theatre UCF’s production of Gem of the Ocean is one of six university productions accepted into the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Region IV Festival. The festival, which is not open to the public, will be held at Daytona State College in February.
The Region IV Festival showcases the top productions from universities and colleges in a nine-state area. Productions at the regional festival will be considered for acceptance into the national festival, held in Washington, D.C. in April.
Gem of the Ocean ran at Theatre UCF from Nov. 17, through Dec. 4, and was highly praised.“The top notch cast, led by Be Boyd as cackling, shrewd Aunt Ester, is captivatingly tight ensemble,” said Matthew Palm in his Orlando Sentinel review of the production.
The play is the first installment of August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, which consists of 10 plays that chronicle the African-American experience in Pittsburgh’s Hill District in the 1900s. The cycle includes the Pulitzer Prize-winning plays Fences and The Piano Lesson.
Patrons will have one more opportunity to see Theatre UCF’s production of Gem of the Ocean prior to the festival. It will be presented by Daytona State College at the News-Journal Center on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 or two tickets may be purchased for $15. Students from Volusia and Flagler counties and from UCF will receive one free ticket with a valid student ID. Tickets may be purchased at 386-226-1927.
Theatre UCF has been asked to bring productions to the KCACTF Region IV Festival for seven out of the last nine years. Prior nominations include Dames at Sea (2011), The Learned Ladies (2010), Marisol (2009), The Piano Lesson (2008), Anna in the Tropics(2006) and The Woman Who Fell from the Sky (2004).
In addition to the nomination for Gem of the Ocean, the regional festival also includes individual awards. Theatre UCF students and faculty were nominated for individual awards in acting, writing, costume design, scenic design, lighting design, sound design, stage management, directing and dramaturgy.
A complete list of Theatre UCF nominees follows:
Full Production
Gem of the Ocean
One Act Play Concert Reading (Writing)
Last Chance by Bryant Hernandez
Irene Ryan Nominees (Acting)
Nice People Dancing To Good Country Music
Kelly Kilgore
Jesse Hinton
Savage in Limbo
Bryant Hernandez
Kevin Alonso
Kayla Zaniboni
Vinegar Tom
Allison Walter
Chloe Miranda
Pajama Game
Gracie Winchester
Jessica Booth
Into the Woods
David Paul Kidder
Gem of the Ocean
Michael Rodney
Robert Wright
Kevia Goins
Barbizon Costume Design Nominations
Into the Woods
Grace Trimble
Pajama Game
Kelly-Anne Salazar
Barbizon Scenic Design Nominations
Pajama Game
Benson Knight
Vinegar Tom
Benson Knight
Barbizon Lighting Design Nominations
Savage in Limbo
Kenneth Haines
Pajama Game
Maytte Martinez
Gem of the Ocean
Ryan Bosshardt
National Stage Management Nominees
Twelfth Night
Jasmin Holton
Into the Woods
Jasmine Holton
Savage in Limbo
Katy Sylvester
Pajama Game
Shannon Jones
Gem of the Ocean
Brittany Parlor
SDC Student Director Nominations
Twelfth Night
Nick Saldivar
Into the Woods
Benjamin Rauhala (Student Conductor)
National Dramaturg Nominations
Gem of the Ocean
RK Barringhaus
Faculty Designer Nominees
Savage in Limbo
Daniel E. Jones
Bert Scott
Gem of the Ocean
Vandy Wood
Faculty Director Nominees
Twelfth Night
Be Boyd
Into the Woods
Kate Ingram
Steven Chicurel
Pajama Game
Earl D Weaver
Gem of the Ocean
Julia Listengarten
Theatre UCF is a program in the School of Performing Arts at the University of Central Florida. The department’s graduate and undergraduate programs focus on providing a competitive edge to theatre artists seeking professional theatre careers, as well as to future creative intellectual leaders. The program offers theatrical presentations year-round to the public at the east Orlando campus. For more information about attending performances call 407-823-1500 or visit https://theatre.cah.ucf.edu/.