Tomas Principe, sophomore bachelor’s of fine arts acting major (left), and Spencer Krick, freshman theatre major, face off on stage during Project Spotlight’s performance of “Death of an Author” at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday.
Emmy Bailey
Project Spotlight presented its student-written comedy “Death of an Author” Tuesday at the Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater during UCF Celebrates the Arts at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Written by Shira Garber, senior film and mass media major, the show follows Oliver Fingershorn — a pretentious, struggling author — and his longtime friends as they fake his death to ensure his book’s success. As the story captures the internet’s attention, chaos ensues, exploring themes of friendship, feminism and the media’s influence on societal expectations.
For the cast, bringing a student-written script to life meant connecting with characters that were still taking shape. Tomas Principe, sophomore acting major who plays Oliver, said the role offered more complexity than it first appeared.
“On the surface, he seems like he’s just chasing fame at any cost, but it was so interesting to see why he was doing this,” Principe said. “He’s riddled with insecurity, feels like he’s wasted his life so far, and wants to turn this around as quickly as possible to feel good about himself.”
Principe credited director Maddy Poston with pushing him past an early instinct to play it safe. Poston pushed the cast to find the intention behind every line.
“After she did this, I went home and worked for days trying to give my words more specificity,” Principe said. “A greater backstory to Oliver Fingershorn with childhood horror stories, and wins, and all the bits and bops that drive a real human being.”
What set this production apart was the freedom of staging a brand-new, student-written script. With no fixed text, the cast had a rare opportunity to help shape the story.
“I enjoyed how open the writer was to the characters’ opinions about the character and the story,” Principe said. “Normally, you have no say in it because scripts are set in stone, but this one allowed lots of freedom. For example, we devised the ending.”
That collaborative spirit extended behind the scenes as well.
Tomas Principe, sophomore BFA acting major, portrays the main character Oliver Fingershorn during Project Spotlight’s performance of “Death of an Author” at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday. Standing spotlighted on stage, he captivates the audience in the show’s final moments.
Emmy Bailey
Erin Osborne, junior accounting and theatre studies major, served as the liaison between playwright Garber and the cast. As the dramaturg, the literary and historical advisor for the show, dove deep into the life of the play and brought out themes and connections that weren’t easily identifiable.
“The biggest difference between this show and other shows that I have worked on is being able to work directly with the playwright,” Osborne said. “Normally, you don’t get to ask questions and work directly on the themes of the play. We spent a lot of time reading the play, digesting its themes, looking for inconsistencies and fleshing out the world of the play and its characters.”
Project Spotlight was founded in 2004 and is the only student developmental theatre organization at UCF. The organization aims to allow students to take part in playwriting, production and performance throughout the semester.
“I want audiences to see how important having good friends around you is,” Principe said. “I also want audiences to leave with a sense of joy from watching us have fun on stage. What’s the point of acting if no one’s having fun?”
“Death of an Author” will be performed at UCF’s Black Box Theater April 16–19 and is free to attend.