"Gem of the Ocean" Accepted into Kennedy Center American College Theater Regional Festival
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 will be held at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach at the beginning of February. (The festival is not open to the public.)
The Region IV Festival showcases the top productions from universities and colleges in a nine-state area, and 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 November 17 through December 4 and was highly praised by patrons and favorable reviewed by the press. "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 Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle, which consists of ten 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. It was directed by Julia Listengarten.
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, January 29 at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $8 or two tickets may be purchased for $15. Students from Volusia and Flagler counties and UCF will receive one free ticket with a valid student ID. Tickets may be purchased at 386-226-1927. More information is available at www.DaytonaState.edu/TheArts.
Theatre UCF has been asked to bring productions to the KCACTF Region IV Festival every year since 2005. Prior nominations include Dames at Sea (2011), The Learned Ladies (2010), Marisol (2009), The Piano Lesson (2008), Anna in the Tropics (2007), Margo Veil (2006), and The Woman Who Fell from the Sky (2005).
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.
