UCF Celebrates the Arts \u2013 the university\u2019s annual showcase of student and faculty presentations \u2013 will return April 7-14 to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando.<\/p>\n
The eight days of music, performances and visual displays, which are open to the public for free, will feature a production of the musical Oklahoma!, <\/em>concerts, student-created plays and films, a fine arts showcase, panels and other events.<\/p>\n \u201cThis shows the growth and maturity of our student groups, and shows the public what we can do,\u201d said Steven Chicurel-Stein, interim director of the School of Performing Arts and artistic director of the festival.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have two goals: We want to highlight what UCF has to offer, and we want to take UCF to downtown to spread the word of how UCF celebrates the arts.\u201d<\/p>\n The festival will showcase the university\u2019s involvement in a variety of ways through theatre, dance, orchestra, choirs, big band, chamber music, cabaret, concert bands, opera, visual arts, studio art, gaming, animation, photography and film.<\/p>\n Kicking off the week is Oklahoma!<\/em>, the award-winning musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The duo won a Pulitzer Prize for the play, and a subsequent film adaption won Academy Awards for best music, scoring of a musical picture and best sound recording.<\/p>\n The UCF version will be a collaboration of the theatre and music departments, including an orchestra. There will be two evening showings of the play April 7-8.<\/p>\n \u201cWith this we\u2019re able to show a really large contingency of students,\u201d Chicurel-Stein said.<\/p>\n A couple events during the festival will be geared toward raising awareness about hunger in the community.<\/p>\n Puddin\u2019 and the Grumble<\/em>, a play about how hunger affects a young girl, will be at a 1 p.m. matinee April 8. The performance is suitable for viewers of all ages and will be in collaboration with the School of Performing Arts students and Second Harvest food bank, which will collect food for those in need.<\/p>\n The school also will present a reading from John Steinbeck\u2019s The Grapes of Wrath<\/em>, the story of a family\u2019s flight from the dust bowl in the 1930s. The 3 p.m. April 8 performance will have a cast of more than 30 students, alumni, faculty members and guest artists, and is part of the National Endowment for the Arts\u2019 Big Read program.<\/p>\n Here are some of the festival\u2019s other highlighted events:<\/p>\n While the public can see all the festival events for free, this year for the first time a limited number of $20 reserved tickets are being offered.<\/p>\n Tickets and lobby passes will be available beginning March 1. There will be three types of tickets available:<\/p>\n