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| Photo by Erin Lartonoix |
Don't
be alarmed, the zombies on the UCF campus aren't real, they are merely actors
playing the role of zombies in Theatre UCF's upcoming production of Zombie
Town: A Documentary Play. The new comedy will run November 15-18,
November 29-30, and December 1-2.
The
play centers around a pretentious San Francisco theatre collective that travels
Harwood, TX, to retell the story of the small town's recent zombie invasion. The
collective is presenting a play and each member of the collective comically re-enacts
the experience through the eyes of several townspeople. The play-within-a-play
has five UCF students portraying the twenty-five characters at a very fast pace.
"This
play gives students a chance to practice playing multiple roles and
personalities that quickly change from one character to the next," says
director Jim Helsinger. "This is difficult to do and an acquired skill."
BFA
Musical Theatre student Jeffrey Peacock plays five characters in the show. He
uses several methods to keep them distinct: each character has his own identity,
they all speak different and carry themselves differently. "The physical props
and costumes help me keep the roles straight--one wears a bowtie, another has glasses,
someone wears a lab coat...," says Peacock.
"The
hardest thing has been finding the character and not the caricature for each
role. We don't want to just go on stage and be schmucks. It's funnier when
there is a real personality behind the humor," he continues.
In
addition to the student roles, audience members might want to keep their eyes
open for surprise guest appearances by community members and university
officials.
Unlike
many of the other plays on the Theatre UCF season schedule, Zombie Town isn't asking theatre-goers
to examine deeper issues. It's a comedy, pure and simple.
Helsinger
encourages community members to attend. "When the zombie apocalypse comes, will
YOU be ready? See this play and know what to do! Zombie Town is a really funny play with wonderful roles for college
students. It's going to be a blast for students and community members to come
see."
