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<\/p>\nFlorida musical theatre students prepare to bring “West Side Story” to life at Dr. Phillips Center<\/p>\n
High school students from across Florida are preparing for three performances of “West Side Story” at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts as part of its inaugural Florida Musical Theatre Intensive<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSOME OF THE SUNSHINE STATE\u2019S BEST PERFORMERS ARE BRINGING WEST SIDE STORY TO CENTRAL FLORIDA MUSICAL THEATER. STUDENTS FROM ACROSS OUR STATE ARE POURING HOURS OF HARD WORK, TALENT, AND DEDICATION INTO THEIR CRAFT. IT\u2019S ALL PART OF THE DOCTOR PHILLIPS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INAUGURAL MUSICAL THEATER INTENSIVE. AND LOOK AT THOSE YOUNG ARTISTS. THEY ARE DOING THEIR THING. DAYS AWAY FROM TURNING ALL THAT TRAINING INTO A FULL SCALE PRODUCTION. YEAH, WE\u2019RE GOING TO SEE THE CLASSICAL MUSICAL WEST SIDE STORY ON STAGE HERE WITH ME NOW, THE SHOW\u2019S DIRECTOR. TONY, GREAT TO SEE YOU, TONY. NICE TO SEE YOU TOO. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. YEAH. AND I MEAN, FOR THOSE WHO DON\u2019T KNOW YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU YOU\u2019VE GOT A LONG STORIED HISTORY THERE AT UF. SO YOU ARE YOU\u2019RE BRINGING DECADES OF EXPERIENCE TO THESE YOUNG PEOPLE. YES. IT\u2019S BEEN SUCH A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, BECAUSE I WORK WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS, BUT THESE STUDENTS ARE REALLY SOME OF THE VERY, VERY BEST. AND WHEN I HEARD THAT WE HAD TO DO WEST SIDE STORY IN FOUR DAYS BEFORE OUR DESIGNER TECH, I SAID, WHAT. AND BECAUSE WE LITERALLY CAST THE SHOW ON SUNDAY AND STARTED REHEARSALS ON MONDAY, AND THE ACTORS LITERALLY GOT THE LINES. AND IN FOUR DAYS THEY WERE READY TO GO. AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE HOW FAST THEY PICKED UP. SO AND WE\u2019RE TALKING NOT JUST LINES, SONGS. SO THEY\u2019VE GOT TO LEARN ALL THE CHOREOGRAPHY, CHOREOGRAPHY, FIGHTING, BECAUSE THERE\u2019S A LOT OF A LOT OF VIOLENCE AND FIGHTING AND KNIFE, YOU KNOW, I DON\u2019T WANT TO GIVE IT AWAY. BUT YEAH, IT\u2019S IT\u2019S, IT\u2019S A VERY, VERY INTENSE SHOW. IT\u2019S ONE OF THE HARDEST SHOWS TO MOUNT AND TO DO. AND THESE STUDENTS ARE BRINGING IT LIKE YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE. NOT TO MENTION THE, THE SETS, THE COSTUMES ARE ALL REALLY BEAUTIFUL IN THE THEATER NOW. SO IT\u2019S ALL COMING TOGETHER. YEAH, WE, WE WILL TELL YOU JUST A MOMENT ABOUT HOW YOU CAN COME ARE ABOUT TO START ANOTHER DAY OF REHEARSALS HERE IN TEN MINUTES. IS THIS THE FINAL DAY? NO, WE OPEN ON FRIDAY. OKAY. SO YOU HAVE WE HAVE A COUPLE MORE DAYS TO FINISH TECHING AND DRESS REHEARSALS AND ALL THE FINE TUNING THAT WE HAVE TO DO FOR A BIG MUSICAL. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. AND YOU KNOW, THIS TALENT THAT WE SEE ACROSS THE SUNSHINE STATE, YOU THERE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA? YES, BUT THESE ARE HIGH SCHOOLERS. AND SOMETIMES YOU SEE THIS TALENT. YOU GO, YOU HAVE THE SOUL OF A, YOU KNOW, A PERFORMER WHO\u2019S BEEN DOING IT FOR DECADES. YEAH. THEY THEY REALLY ARE BRINGING PROFESSIONAL STATUS TO WHAT THEY\u2019RE DOING AS FAR AS LIKE HOW DEDICATED THEY ARE, HOW QUICKLY THEY PICK UP. SO I\u2019VE BEEN REALLY IMPRESSED. THEY HAD SO MANY PEOPLE AUDITION FOR THIS PROGRAM, AND THEY SELECTED ONLY THE VERY BEST, I THINK, AND I THINK THAT WHAT THE DOCTOR PHILLIPS CENTER IS DOING BY GIVING THESE STUDENTS THAT OPPORTUNITY AS A PRE-PROFESSIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM IS SOME OF THE BEST, BECAUSE THERE\u2019S MANY TRAINING PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY, BUT NONE LIKE THIS. AND I THINK WHAT DOCTOR PHILLIPS IS DOING WITH THE EDUCATION CENTER IS THAT THEY\u2019RE DEVELOPING THIS PROGRAM TO GIVE THE STUDENTS THIS PROFESSIONAL QUALITY PRODUCTION WITH PROFESSIONAL DESIGNERS, CHOREOGRAPHERS, DIRECTORS IN THIS GORGEOUS THEATER. AND THE STEINMETZ, WHICH IS JUST SO GLORIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL. THERE\u2019S NOT A MORE BEAUTIFUL THEATER TO BE IN. ACTUALLY, I SAID LAST NIGHT, I SAID, LOOK AT HOW GLORIOUS THIS SPACE IS. IT\u2019S REALLY BEAUTIFUL. AND WE ARE TALKING THREE PERFORMANCES OVER TWO DAYS RIGHT THERE. YEAH. STEINMETZ. YES. THE ACOUSTICS ARE AMAZING. IT\u2019S BEAUTIFUL. AS YOU SAID, IT COULDN\u2019T BE A BETTER VENUE. AND THEN YOU STARTED WORKING WITH THEM. AND IN SUCH A SHORT TIME, HAVE YOU EVEN SEEN GROWTH FROM FROM WHERE THEY BEGAN ON THIS JOURNEY? I THE GROWTH IS EVERY DAY I SEE MORE GROWTH AND I\u2019M I\u2019M ASTONISHED AGAIN AT HOW QUICKLY THEY PICKED UP THE DIALOG, THE CHOREOGRAPHY, THE FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY, THE CUES. I MEAN, THEY THEY REALLY ARE WORKING AT A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL FOR BEING 16 AND 15 YEAR OLDS. YOU SEE THEM ON STAGE AND YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THAT\u2019S WHAT THEY ARE BECAUSE THEY\u2019RE SO INCREDIBLY GOOD AND TALENTED. SO BUT THE TEAM IS INCREDIBLE THE WAY EVERYTHING IS RUN AT DOCTOR PHILLIPS, IT\u2019S FIRST CLASS, FIRST RATE ALL THE WAY. SO IT\u2019S MY HONOR TO BE A PART OF THIS INAUGURATION. AND AND AND BE INVOLVED WITH THESE WONDERFUL STUDENTS, THIS TALENT. YEAH. THAT CAN SOMETIMES BECOME FEEDERS FOR SO MANY MUSICAL THEATER PROGRAMS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. AND IN FLORIDA SPECIFICALLY. YEAH. AND, AND WE WANT OUR COMMUNITY TO COME OUT. ABSOLUTELY. TICKETS ARE ON SALE RIGHT NOW, AND YOU WANT TO FILL ALL THOSE SEATS? YEAH, WE ABSOLUTELY DO. SO PLEASE GO TO DOCTOR PHILLIPS CENTER.ORG. AND AND GET YOUR TICKETS. PLEASE, PLEASE TONY MAKE IT SUPER EASY. WE ALSO POST THE LINK ON WESH.COM. SO YEAH, YOU CAN JUST FIND THIS STORY RIGHT THERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK THAT YOU\u2019RE DOING HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA THERE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. CONTINUED SUCCESS. OKAY.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Florida musical theatre students prepare to bring “West Side Story” to life at Dr. Phillips Center<\/p>\n
High school students from across Florida are preparing for three performances of “West Side Story” at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts as part of its inaugural Florida Musical Theatre Intensive<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tUpdated: 9:36 AM EDT Jun 24, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n