UWF Department of Theatre presents “Nine”
The University of West Florida Department of Theatre presents the musical “Nine.” Performances will be held February 17-19 and 24-26 with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. All performances will take place in the Mainstage Theatre of the Center for Fine and Performing Arts, Building 82, on the Pensacola campus.
“Nine,” with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and script by Arthur Kopit, is based on Federico Fellini’s 1963 film “8½.” It tells the story of film director Guido Contini, who dreading his imminent 40th birthday and facing a midlife crisis, must navigate his way through a creative block and a web of romantic difficulties. Guido’s wife, Luisa, has threatened to divorce him unless he gives more attention to their marriage, which is difficult to do when his saucy mistress, Carla, keeps showing up at the most inconvenient times! In an attempt to find peace and inspiration, Guido takes his wife on a trip to Venice. As Guido struggles to find his creative muse, he starts to lose track of what is fantasy and what is reality! It doesn’t help that Carla arrives in Rome to provide naughty distractions. Guido must come to terms with all the women in his life, both past and present. As he tries to create a new masterpiece, Guido must face the ultimate decision of life and death.
Director, Sara Schoch, leads the team of UWF students in this production. She is an assistant professor teaching musical theater. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the State University of New York at Fredonia and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Brandeis University.
Schoch is an award-winning actress who combines her 15 years of musical theater experience with her passion for teaching students the techniques of the profession.
In 2015, she was recognized by the city of Boston as a certified artist, a designation given to artists who have substantial talent and whose vast body of work contributes significantly to the arts in Boston and state as a whole. She is also a two-time winner and four-time nominee for the New Hampshire Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Musical, which she won in 2012 for her performance as Mother in “Ragtime.”
As a professional actress, Schoch is continuously honing her craft. She has appeared in more than 150 professional productions and worked with many Broadway veterans, including Marc Kudish, Kerry O’Malley, Rob Gallagher, Raymond Sage, Robbie Sella and the legendary Jack Dabdoub. She played Jenny Hill in the premier of Andrew Lippa’s “Big Fish,” rewritten by Lippa and screenwriter John August for a smaller cast in regional theaters. Her other production highlights include playing Cathy in “The Last 5 Years” (Artie nomination), Roxie in “Chicago,” Kate/Lilli in “Kiss me, Kate!” (New Hampshire nomination), Christine in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” (New Hampshire nomination) and Julie in “Some Enchanted Evening” (Joseph Jefferson nomination).
Some of her students and mentees have appeared in the Broadway productions of “Aladdin,” “Finding Neverland,” “Les Miserables” and the revival of “The Color Purple.”
General admission ticket prices are $20 per person for adults, $16 per person for senior citizens and active military, $14 per person for non-UWF students and UWF faculty and staff, and $7 for high school students. UWF students are admitted free with their Nautilus cards. Tickets can be purchased at the CFPA Box Office, Building 82, by calling 850.857.6285 or online at uwf.edu/tickets. Due to the configuration of the seating area, once the play has started, no one will be allowed to enter the space until intermission.
