Pegasus PlayLab 2023
At the fifth annual Pegasus PlayLab, a festival dedicated to developing plays by emerging playwrights, you’re invited to attend three workshops of new works and experience a full production of a new play workshopped at Orlando Shakes’ PlayFest 2022. Follow these plays into the next stage of development and be part of the creative process with playwrights, casts and artistic teams!
Pegasus PlayLab 2023 Package
This package includes all three workshops–summertime (an interlude), Building A Shared Home and Go Like Saints–and the full production of Bite Me. Package benefits include: priority seating, free ticket exchanges and exclusive ticket discounts!
$60 Standard | $40 UCF Student | $40 UCF Faculty/Staff
Purchase Package
Workshops | Studio 1
summertime (an interlude)
By Aniello Fontano | Directed by John Gardiner
The hottest day of summer is interrupted when a community leader is rushed to the hospital. As Red fights for his life, the neighborhood bands together to hunt down his wannabe executioner. Through belly laughs, cold beer and blunt smoke, the truth about the shooting at “Red’s Deli” bleeds out. Relationships are tested, lies are told, questions are answered, confessions are made — and before sundown, the neighborhood loses a piece of its heart forever.
The story includes discussions of violence, death, and incarceration. The script also includes moments of strong language.
June 2-3, 2023 at 7 PM | $15, $10 student
summertime (an interlude) Playbill
summertime (an interlude)
Playwright: Aniello Fontano
Director: John Gardiner
Assistant Director: Andres Procel*
Dramaturg: Gian Arellano*
Production Stage Manager: Marisa Figueras*
Stage Managers: AJ Willis*, Jaina Hope*
*Theatre UCF student
CAST
VINCE: Zachary Racine*
DAVID: Arthur Johnson*
WINDY: Alyssa Vincent*
SYD: Lauren Schulke*
TRIGG: Izzie McKenzie*
KYRI: Dominique Marshall*
STAGE DIRECTIONS & U/S VINCE: Seth Thornton*
U/S DAVID: Kyle Machande*
U/S WINDY: Alayna Ruggiero*
U/S TRIGG & U/S KYRI: Rachel Yurchick*
*Theatre UCF student




“summertime (an interlude)” SONG CREDITS
"Cielo Dorado"
Music and Lyrics by Santrio
"BUTTER DREAMS"
Music by E Woods
"Bronzeville Blues"
Music and Lyrics by Lesage Williams
"Tomorrow is Forever"
Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton and sung by Quimbly Majkowski
Design Team
Design and Technology Advisor: Vandy Wood
Lighting: Ally Reichard*, Reyann Epps*
Sound: Kate Jeffcott*
Scenic: Leslie MacMillan*
Costumes: AJ Hued*, Morgan Barkhurst*, Nicolas Zamora*
Props: Lauren González*
*Theatre UCF student
SHOW CREW
Celise Carson*, Taylor Petros*, Nick Moffa*
*Theatre UCF student
SHOP CREW
Scene Shop Crew: Gil Bloom*, Annie Swift*, Hailey Osborn*, Leslie MacMillan*, Celine Salcedo*, Spencer Valdez*, Idannys Gonzalez*, Janiyha Harris*, Ian Cardwell*, Macserne Salomon*, Pedro Polillo*, Marinee Reynoso*, Hayden Costner*, Alexis Calderwood*
Costume Shop Crew: AJ Hued*, Nara Juarez*, Caleb Jones*, Analucia Raimont*, Nicolas Zamora*, Adam Laws*, Morgan Barkurst*, Tatiana Brown*, Savannah Kutryb*, Jalen Stewart*
Lighting/E-Shop: Sam Sherrard*, Michael O’Brien*, Ally Reichard*, Reyann Epps*, Megan Nowik*, Emily Duncanson*, Lizett Echevarria*, Jon Curry*, Kevin Scates*, Emily Nardoni*, Anthony Miller*
Sound Show Crew: Kate Jeffcott*, Lance Labonte*, and Demetri Rath*
*Theatre UCF student
FRONT OF HOUSE
Ushering: Maya Carpentiere*, Makenna Siefke*, Jasmine Robinson*
Box Office: Michael St. Martin*, Spencer Valdez*, Anastasia Landron*
*Theatre UCF student
PEGASUS PLAYLAB/Theatre UCF
Artistic Director: Julia Listengarten
Design and Technology Advisor: Vandy Wood
Stage Manager Advisor: Claudia Lynch
Artistic Associate: Cory Kennedy*
Marketing Coordinator: Jessica Compton
Assistant Marketing Coordinator: Morganne Flood
Box Office Manager: Bridget Parry
Assistant Box Office Manager: Austen Martin
Production Manager: Gary Brown
Production Electrician: Beth McAshan
Production Sound Engineer: Casey Deiter
Costume Shop Manager: Allison Rexrode
Costume Shop Supervisor: Amanda Roberts
Technical Director: Tramaine Berryhill
Assistant Technical Director: Thomas Taylor
* Theatre UCF student
Cast Bios
Arthur Johnson (David) is in his Sophomore year in the BFA Acting Program. He has appeared in commercials and indie and student films. This is Arthur’s second performance for Theatre UCF. Arthur was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. His love for the arts led him to Theatre UCF to continue his theatrical training.
Kyle Machande (U/S David) is a sophomore in the B.A. Theatre Studies program. He was last seen on the Theatre UCF stage in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Goodwill/Fish/Ensemble). Previous UCF credits include Affinity Lunch Minutes (Cal) as part of Pegasus PlayLab, and Ghostwriter (Clark) and A Guide Through Hell (Hephaestion) with Project Spotlight.
Dominique Marshall (Kyri) is a first-year in UCF’s MFA Acting Program. She was most recently in UCF’s production of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Emmanuele Giri). Other UCF roles include The Interference (Reporter/Marcie). Prior to UCF, she played in HWS Colleges’ theater production of Marisol (June) and abroad through U.E.A., U.K. she was in Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (Dirk Gently). Some other HWS credits include: Isle of Slaves (Arlequin), The Breach (Older Quan/Woman), Love/Sick (Sarah), Aria De Capo (Assistant Stage Manager) and Servant of Two Masters (Assistant Stage Manager).
Isabelle McKenzie (Trigg) is a British actress who has worked on and off the stage, appearing in stage productions during her time at the University of Manchester as well as parts in Zoom productions and professionally produced documentaries. Having worked with both classical and contemporary pieces, she has a well-rounded background in performance. She uses her skill in both acting and hosting for numerous YouTube and TikTok channels, amassing more than 8000 followers.
Zachary Racine (Vince) is a first-year student in the MFA Acting Program. He earned his B.A. from Flagler College, St. Augustine. Regional: Horn in the West (Samuel, Jack U/S). Theatre UCF: Bright Star (Daddy Cane), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Ol Dogsborough, Clark), The Interference (District Attorney). Other: Once (Guy), The Old Man and the Old Moon (Old Man), White Christmas (Bob Wallace) and Eurydice (Father).
Alayna Ruggiero (U/S Windy) is a rising junior in the Creative Writing program, minoring in Theatre. Her favorite roles include As You Like it: the Musical (Silvia) and Much Ado About Nothing (Claudio). She is a volunteer for youth theatre and enjoys scareacting. @alaynaruggiero
Lauren Schulke (Syd) recently finished her first year in the MFA program. This is her first Theatre UCF production. She holds a BFA from University of Minnesota Duluth and was most recently seen in Silent Sky (Margaret), Gruesome Playground Injuries (Kayleen), In a Word (Fiona), and It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (Lana Sherwood). She also apprenticed with Commonweal Theatre Company, where she worked as an actor and in areas of scenic design and scenic painting.
Seth Thornton (U/S Vince) is a third-year transfer in the BFA Acting Program. Prior theatre credits include See Rock City (Raleigh) and As You Like It (Jacques). Seth would like to thank his family and friends for supporting him through it all. Seth is also an avid chess player.
Alyssa Vincent (Windy) is going into her third year in the BFA Acting program. She is so excited to be a part of this Pegasus PlayLab show as this is her first show at UCF. Prior to this, some of her favorite roles have been Into the Woods (The Witch) and Lord of The Flies (Simon(e)). She has loved the process so far and has learned so much by being able to work with the writer of this play. She hopes you enjoy this piece as much as she does and welcomes you to Chicago! @alrvincent
Rachel Yurchick (U/S Trigg & U/S Kyri) is a senior in the Theatre Studies program and is making her UCF debut. Her favorite role is the musical 9 to 5 (Missy). She is also a part of the Political Science program double majoring with a track in International Relations.
Creative Team Bios
Gian Arellano (Dramaturg) is a senior in the B.A. Theatre Studies program and former artistic director of Project Spotlight, UCF’s developmental student-theatre RSO. Gian’s play, Race to Infinity, read as part of Pegasus PlayLab in the summer of 2022, was recently produced by Project Spotlight as part of UCF Celebrates the Arts 2023. Outside of theatre, Gian participates in The Improv Academy and Playback UCF.
Morgan Barkhurst (Costume Designer) is a rising talent in theater costume design, currently pursuing a BFA in Technical Theatre. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Morgan has already made her mark with notable productions such as As You Like It, Shrek The Musical and Bright Star. Inspired by the immersive power of theater, Morgan's dedication continues to captivate audiences.
Celise Carson (Show Crew) is a Junior in the B.A Film program, minoring in Theatre.
Reyann Epps (Co-Lighting Designer) is a first-year transfer student in the BFA Design and Technology program. Other credits include Bright Star (Board Operator) with Theatre UCF and The Zoo Story (Lighting Designer) with Alpha Psi Omega’s Chi Xi Cast. She is involved with Project Spotlight and a member of Alpha Psi Omega’s Chi Xi cast.
Marisa Figueras (Production Stage Manager) is a rising second-year student in the BFA Stage Management program. Her theatre credits include Bright Star (Production Assistant), The Drowsy Chaperone (Stage Manager) and Das Rheingold (Assistant Stage Manager).
Aniello Fontano (Playwright) is an award winning playwright, screenwriter, and educator originally from Little Italy, Chicago. After receiving his BA in Directing and Design from the University of Illinois at Chicago, he earned his MFA in Dramatic Writing at New Mexico's flagship university, UNM, on teaching and graduate assistantships in Dramatic Writing and Women’s Studies. Until its cancellation, he served as the Writer’s Room Assistant and an Art Department Lead Person on HBOMax’s South Side. Before the writer’s strike, he was writing for a show in development at Netflix and developing a project with writer/producer Christopher Oscar Peña and actor/director Ty Molbak. In addition, he is a Board Member of Prop Theater in Chicago, once Associate Board Events Chairman and now volunteers with BUILD Chicago (a nationally respected gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development organization based on Chicago’s West Side), a Journeyman in the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Chicago Local 476 and Los Angeles Local 871, and a member of SAG-AFTRA.
Lauren González (Props Manager) is a first-year in the BFA Design and Technology program.
Jaina Hope (Stage Manager) is a rising second-year student in the BFA Stage Management program. Her theatre credits include Writes of Spring (Production Assistant) at the Orlando REP, Knights Season of Joy (Assistant Stage Manager) with
UCF at the Dr. Phillips Center, and Broadway on Magnolia (Assistant Stage Manager) with CFCA at the Dr. Phillips Center.
Kate Jeffcott (Sound Show Crew) is a rising second-year Sound Designer in the BFA Design and Technology program. She is thrilled to be A2 for The Prom and Assistant Sound Designing The Cherry Orchard this upcoming fall and spring. Her recent theatre credits include Bright Star (Qlab operator) and Bite Me (Qlab operator).
Leslie MacMillan (Scenic Designer) and Scenic Charge Artist for Bite Me, is a senior in the Design Technology BFA program. Previous Theatre UCF credits include Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine (Scenic Charge), Working (Props Manager and Scenic Charge Artist), Bright Star (Scenic Charge) and UCF Celebrates the Arts' production of Shrek The Musical (Scenic Charge). Additionally, she is a professional fine artist, focused on textiles and is very involved in the Central Florida arts community. LKMArtist.com
Nick Moffa (Show Crew) is a junior in the UCF Theatre Studies B.A. Program. His theatre credits include Spoon River Anthology (Butch Weldy, Frank Drummer and Hamilton Greene), Importance of Being Earnest (Merriman) and Peter and the Starcatcher (Alf) at Seminole State College. He was also a sound board operator for theatre at Seminole State.
Ally Reichard (Co-Lighting Design) is a rising third-year in the BFA Theatre Design and Technology program. She has previously worked on The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Production Electrician), and Fabulation (Assist. Production Electrician). Other Lighting Design credits include Rent, Frozen Jr, and Seussical the Musical. Her next project will be Lighting Design of Peter and the Starcatcher in the Main Stage Theatre.
AJ Willis (Stage Manager) is a rising second-year transfer student in the BFA Stage Management program. Their theatre credits include: Junie B. Jones Jr. (Production Assistant) at the Orlando REP, Peter and the Starcatcher (Production Stage Manager) and The World Goes Round (Stage Manager) at St. Petersburg College.
Dramaturg's Note
Laughter. Gossip. The ‘cshhh’ of a beer can opening… the city is alive.
These stage directions mark the beginning of Aniello Fontano’s summertime (an interlude), set in a Chicago neighborhood on the hottest day of summer. The play follows the activities of four residents of an apartment building and two dope radio hosts in their adjacent self-made studio following the shooting of deli owner and one of the most cherished members of their community, Red. One of the biggest plot threads revolves around David, originally thrown into prison 10 years ago on marijuana charges, and his adjustment (or lack of) to life outside. By capturing the everyday lives of his characters set against the backdrop of recent violence in their peaceful yet impoverished community, Fontano explores the joy still found in the struggles of this neighborhood while also bringing systemic issues into the spotlight.
For example, characters converse about “the system” and how it works to keep marginalized groups suppressed, which speaks to the larger systemic issue of housing inequality in the United States. Homer Hoyt, head chief of the Federal Housing Administration (created by the National Housing Act of 1934), created a list that ranked a multitude of ethnicities and races by “desirability” in 1933, which placed white ethnicities at the top and African-Americans and Mexicans at the bottom. Then, from 1935 to 1940, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) created maps of large American cities that ranked neighborhoods from “best” to “hazardous,” based on Hoyt’s racist heirarchy in a process called redlining. HOLC used these maps to determine what groups of people could receive loans; combined with “white flight” to the suburbs that took business with them, these actions created impoverished inner-city neighborhoods of working-class white people as well as various peoples of color. Today, black Chicagoans are five times more likely to own a home in an area previously marked as red (“hazardous”) than green (“best”).
Another area of systemic inequality addressed by the characters in this play is the current mass incarceration system also fueling the racial inequality in the US. Statistics from 2018 reveal that Latino men and African-American men are respectively 3.1 and 5.9 times more likely to be arrested than their white counterparts, no doubt influenced by racist police tactics (such as random top-and-frisks and over-policing of petty crimes) and a lack of government-allocated resources (such as employment and housing programs, mental health services, drug treatment centers). Looking at marijuana arrest rates specifically, a racial disparity exists in all states; at its best, African-Americans are 1.5 more times likely to be arrested for marijuana in Colorado, and at its worst, they are 7 times more likely to be arrested in several states - such as Illinois, where the play is set.
Fontano’s play sparks these conversations at a pivotal point in Florida’s history. Throughout May, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed several bills into laws that prohibit what kindergarten through high school teachers can discuss about sexuality and gender, with other laws cutting Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs in universities as well as college curriculums that teach critical race theory (a concept that explores the aforementioned systemic racism and its existence in American society). Yet these “Culture War” policies that aim to ignore systemic issues hurting marginalized groups do nothing to actually solve the issues facing Americans like the characters in summertime (an interlude). However, Fontano and his characters do not focus on the hardships of their lives - some out of choice and some out of necessity - but rather the joy. The act of violence against Red is just what the title suggests: an interlude in an otherwise peaceful neighborhood. Despite the voiced struggles and fights over the investigation of who shot Red, Fontano also manages to capture the excitement and laughs and sense of community that inspires a hope that someday our country’s unjust structures may not have as much of an impact on those we love.
- Gian Arellano, Dramaturg
Building A Shared Home
Funded by Pabst Steinmetz Foundation Arts & Wellness Innovation Award, the project is a partnership between Pegasus PlayLab, UCF’s College of Community Innovation and Education, and Best Buddies of Florida. This collaboration brings together young adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to devise a theatrical piece around the theme of “home,” based on the group’s creative ideas and experiences.
June 9-10, 2023 at 7 PM | $15, $10 student
Building a Shared Home Playbill
Building a Shared Home
(funded by the Pabst Steinmetz Arts and Wellness Foundation)
Facilitators: Sage Tokach***, Christian Anderson*, Julia Veiga*
Asst. Facilitator: Caroline Cutillo*
Production Stage Manager: Olivia Perez*
Stage Managers: Elliott Bertrand*, Addy Wood*
*Theatre UCF student, ***Theatre UCF Alumni
FACULTY ADVISORS
(IDD Consultants and Pabst Steinmetz Grant Facilitators)
Rebecca Hines: UCF College of Innovation and Education
Keri Watson: UCF School of Visual Arts and Design
Elizabeth Kinchen: UCF College of Nursing
Missy Glavey: USF Department of Language, Literacy, Exceptional Education, and Physical Education
PARTICIPANTS
Amelie Andujar
Aurora Andujar
Isabelle Aviles***
River Banks*
Gil Bloom*
Caroline Cutillo*
Caroline Hull*
Rotem Miara*
Elyse Mundelein
Emany Volcey**
*Theatre UCF student, **UCF Student, ***Theatre UCF Alumni




MUSICIANS
Andre Anthony Braza*
Ariel Siverio
*Theatre UCF student
DESIGN TEAM
Design & Technology Advisor: Vandy Wood
Lighting/Costumes: Sam Sherrard*
Sound: Annie Swift*
Scenery: Gil Bloom*
*Theatre UCF student
SHOW CREW
Celise Carson*, Taylor Petros*, Nick Moffa*
*Theatre UCF student
SHOP CREW
Scene Shop Crew: Gil Bloom*, Annie Swift*, Hailey Osborn*, Leslie MacMillan*, Celine Salcedo*, Spencer Valdez*, Idannys Gonzalez*, Janiyha Harris*, Ian Cardwell*, Macserne Salomon*, Pedro Polillo*, Marinee Reynoso*, Hayden Costner*, Alexis Calderwood*
Costume Shop Crew: AJ Hued*, Nara Juarez*, Caleb Jones*, Analucia Raimont*, Nicolas Zamora*, Adam Laws*, Morgan Barkhurst*, Tatiana Brown*, Savannah Kutryb*, Jalen Stewart*
Lighting/E-Shop: Ally Reichard*, Emily Duncanson*, Kevin Scates*, Megan Nowik*, Michael O’Brien*, Reyann Epps*, Sam Sherrard*
Sound Show Crew: Kate Jeffcott*, Lance Labonte*, and Demetri Rath*
*Theatre UCF student
FRONT OF HOUSE
Ushering: Maya Carpentiere*, Makenna Siefke*, Jasmine Robinson*
Box Office: Mitchael St. Martin*, Spencer Valdez*, Anastasia Landron*
*Theatre UCF student
PEGASUS PLAYLAB/Theatre UCF
Artistic Director: Julia Listengarten
Design and Technology Advisor: Vandy Wood
Stage Manager Advisor: Claudia Lynch
Artistic Associate: Cory Kennedy*
Marketing Coordinator: Jessica Compton
Assistant Marketing Coordinator: Morganne Flood
Box Office Manager: Bridget Parry
Assistant Box Office Manager: Austen Martin
Production Manager: Gary Brown
Production Electrician: Beth McAshan
Production Sound Engineer: Casey Deiter
Costume Shop Manager: Allison Rexrode
Costume Shop Supervisor: Amanda Roberts
Technical Director: Tramaine Berryhill
Assistant Technical Director: Thomas Taylor
*Theatre UCF student
Participant Bios
Amèlie Andújar Villalón (Participant) is a high school freshman that graduated from UCP Bailes and will be attending Timber Creek. She was born in Puerto Rico and relocated with her family to Orlando in 2011. She has done some acting for school plays and was casted as Jasmine for Aladdin the musical in 2021. Strong advocate for inclusion and thrives in making everyone feel welcome.
Aurora Andújar Villalón (Participant) was born in Puerto Rico and relocated to Orlando in 2011. Diagnosed with a genetic condition after birth she has defeated all the odds and is thriving at a general education classroom at Timber Creek. She is currently a sophomore at school and is an active member of the Best Buddies organization.
Isabelle Aviles (Participant) is a part of best buddies and an alumnus of UCF. They are excited to be part of this play. It was a good experience to be part of it.
River “Billy” Banks (Participant) is a second-year BFA Acting Major. His Theatre UCF credits include Home of the Brave (Ty), As You Like It (U/S Dukes/Silvius/Forester), Indecent (U/S Avram). Other Credits include Footloose (Ren) and Once on this Island (Agwe).
Caroline Cutillo (Participant) is a BA Theatre Studies Major with a Dance Minor. Most recent credits include the Orlando Fringe Production of We Begin in a Tavern (Heroine/Bard 3). UCF credits include The Games We Play (Robin), Manor of Death (U/S The Entertainer/The Mistress) and choreographing the Mannequin for UCF Celebrates the Arts Dance Concert 2022. Past credits include Chicago (Assistant Choreographer), Sweeney Todd (Young Lucy), as well as many film and television roles. @caroline_cutillo
Caroline Hull (Participant) is a second year MA Theatre student at UCF, and is an avid playwright, dramaturg, and performer. Her most recent ten-minute play, Foul Lines, recently received two awards from KCACTF Region IV – Excellence in Playwriting in the Short Form, and The Citizen Artist Award. Later this month, Caroline will be seen in the role of Stella in the Timucua Arts Foundation production of A Streetcar Named Desire. She is a member of both the Dramatists Guild and the New Play Exchange. www.carolinemhull.com
Rotem Miara (Participant) is a fourth-year student in the BA Theatre Studies program and also majoring in BS Psychology. At UCF, she has previously been in Project Spotlight’s Act Naturally (Ted). Other non-UCF theater credits include Mary Poppins Jr. (Winnifred Banks), Once Upon a Mattress TYA (Minstrel), and James and the Giant Peach (Ladybug).
Elyse Mundelein (Participant) is a UCF graduate with a general studies degree from UCF She’s been in many theatre and dance performances in her past. Being a member of Best Buddies she is so excited to be a part of this production.
Emany Volcey (Participant) is a hospitality from IES in 2024. Their favorite artist is Drake. They are autistic, talented, passionate, confident and a creative genius. They grew up in a poor family and are self-made and independent. They like talking to friends, listening to music and helping their peers.
Creative Team Bios
Andre Braza (Musician), filipino American actor and musician, is excited to be a part of Pegasus PlayLab once again! He received his BA in theatre performance from Appalachian State University and is hoping to finish his MFA in Acting from the University of Central Florida this Summer. Some of his favorite roles include Ens / Swing in Kinky Boots (Orlando Shakes Theatre), Duke of Bedford in Henry V (OST), Young Scrooge / Future in A Christmas Carol (OST), Avery / Homer / Sheep in Charlotte's Web (OST), Farris Frankfurter / Pirate Captain in Spells of the Sea (Pegasus PlayLab), and Ensemble/Accordion in Indecent (UCF). Local music directing credits include Legally Blonde Jr. (ME Performing Arts), The SpongeBob Musical (ME Performing Arts), and Brightstar (West End Prep).
Elliott Bertrand (Stage Manager) is a first-year student in the BFA Stage Management program. His Theatre UCF credits include TECHnique: A Dance Concert (Production Assistant). Other theatre credits include Little Shop of Horrors (Puppeteer).
Caroline Cutillo (Asst. Facilitator) is a BA Theatre Studies Major with a Dance Minor. Most recent credits include the Orlando Fringe Production of We Begin in a Tavern (Heroine/Bard 3). UCF credits include The Games We Play (Robin), Manor of Death (U/S The Entertainer/The Mistress) and choreographing the Mannequin for UCF Celebrates the Arts Dance Concert 2022. Past credits include Chicago (Assistant Choreographer), Sweeney Todd (Young Lucy), as well as many film and television roles. @caroline_cutillo
Dr. Elizabeth Kinchen (Faculty Advisor) is an Associate Professor in the UCF College of Nursing, and a board-certified Advanced Holistic Nurse. Her research is focused on holistic nursing as a philosophy and mode of care that considers all aspects of a person’s existence (body, mind, and spirit) in promoting health and healing, and that honors the importance of patient-centered, relationship-based and comprehensive care.
Olivia Perez (Production Stage Manager) is a first-year transfer in the BFA Stage Management program. Her recent theatre credits include UCF Celebrates the Arts 2023 (Stage Manager), Junie B. Jones the Musical (Production Assistant) at the Orlando REP, and In the Heights (Production Stage Manager) at Polk State College.
Sam Sherrard (Lighting/Costume Designer) is a BFA Design and Technology student. Her other UCF credit is Home of the Brave (Light Board Operator).
Addy Wood (Stage Manager) is a first-year student in the BFA Stage Management program. Her recent theatre credits include UCF Celebrates the Arts 2023 (Stage Manager) and As You Like It (QLab Operator).
Dramaturg's Note
Responding to the theme “There’s No Place Like Home,” TheatreUCF students partnered with community members with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to explore memories about home, community, and belonging.
This workshop was made possible through an arts and wellness grant that connected Theatre UCF with the College of Community Innovation and Education and Best Buddies of Central Florida, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for inclusive living. The project was designed to bring students with and without disabilities together to grow as artists and build community by learning from each other. In addition to constructing a performance, participants ate lunch together and scheduled social events outside of rehearsal, broadening our view of UCF as a shared home.
While most Pegasus PlayLab workshops develop a new script, “Building a Shared Home” participants began without any text and collaborated to create a devised theatre piece that weaves their personal experiences together. The creative process explored the full emotional landscape of home through writing prompts, visual art exercises, object theatre investigation, sensory activities, and embodied memories. The final piece merges the experiential memories shared through the devising exercises with physical spaces of home. As we bring the audience through each room of our shared house, we hope to celebrate the individuality of our unique histories while discovering communal experiences that make our homes universal.
Go Like Saints
By Skye Robinson Hills | Directed by Chloe Edmonson
In 1951 Hollywood, at the height of the second Red Scare, a group of friends grapple with the fear and anxiety that sets in when your entire livelihood could be snatched away at any moment. When noted screenwriter Eliza Everett is called before the House on Un-American Committee to testify, her response to questioning sends shockwaves through the industry, including the people closest to her. As she negotiates how to move forward, she must decide what’s most important – her career or her family.
The script includes moments of strong language.
June 16-17, 2023 at 7 PM | $15, $10 student
Full Production | Black Box
Bite Me
By Eliana Pipes | Directed by Edmarie Montes ’14 (Guest Artist)
Melody is a Black girl at an all-white suburban high school, overachieving academically and privately struggling to battle the isolation. Nathan is a misfit of another kind, a white boy in her grade with a juvenile drug habit and unceasing angst. They collide in a storage closet and form an unexpected bond that transforms and shatters them both, leaving them to pick up the pieces at their high school reunion 10 years later.
The show involves discussions of substance abuse, race, class, and sexuality.
June 14-17, 2023 at 7:30 PM | $25, $10 student
About the Festival
What is Pegasus PlayLab?
Pegasus PlayLab is a festival dedicated to developing plays by emerging playwrights. Playwrights are invited to UCF's campus for a two-week residency to develop their new play with students and faculty. Audiences are to hear staged readings and experience a full production of a new play first workshopped at Orlando Shakes’ PlayFest. Follow these plays into the next stage of development and be part of the creative process with playwrights, casts and artistic teams!
When is Pegasus PlayLab?
Pegasus PlayLab spans six weeks starting mid-May through the end of June. Selected playwrights are expected to commit to a two-week residency within that timeframe.
What Should I Expect at a Workshop?
What you will see on stage is the culmination of 8 days of rehearsals, script changes and discussions between the actors, playwright, director, dramaturg, and designers. Actors will bring the new work to life in front of the audience with scripts in-hand and minimal staging.
After the performance, discuss what you saw and heard with the playwright, director, cast and the rest of the creative team. You play a crucial role in the work’s development through your feedback.
What Should I Expect at a Full Developmental Production?
This is a play that has already been through workshops and readings and is ready for a fully-staged production with a set, costumes, lighting and a full rehearsal schedule.
This does not mean that this is the final version of the script. After developmental productions, the playwright will use what they saw and the feedback you give to continue to revise the script.
How do I get involved as a UCF student?
All UCF students can audition to be in the readings and workshops. Auditions for Pegasus PlayLab are typically held in March. Check the Theatre UCF Production Audition page for the most up to date audition information. Design, technology and stage management students may also be assigned roles on the performances.
How Do I Submit My Play?
Please upload a draft of a full-length play and complete the required questions on the Pegasus PlayLab Google Form.
We are seeking four full-length plays, including devised works and Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) pieces, which we will rehearse for two weeks in collaboration with the playwright and subsequently present as workshop productions. There is a possibility that one play will be fully mounted into a production.
As an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, UCF encourages all qualified applicants to apply, including women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and members of traditionally underrepresented populations.
If you have any questions, please email ucfpegasusplaylab@gmail.com.