Ten UF fine arts students will perform two shows at the 2013 UF Actor Showcase on March 4 in the Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York City.
The showcase features select students who will graduate with bachelor’s or master’s degrees in Fine Arts performing different scenes and songs.
Tim Altmeyer, an assistant professor in UF’s School of Theater + Dance, coordinated the trip, which is funded by the college.
He said the showcase started in 2001 and is an opportunity for students from the college’s acting and musical theater programs to perform in front of agents, managers, casting directors and producers in the New York City area.
“We’ve got some recent grads who showcased in New York and it launched their careers,” Altmeyer said.
Lyndon Smith, Alex Hernandez and George Salazar are UF graduates who participated in the New York showcase, Altmeyer said. Smith is now an actress on the CW’s “90210,” Hernandez acts in the Broadway production of “Peter and the Starcatcher” and Salazar performs in the off-Broadway musical “F#@king Up Everything.”
Marissa Toogood said she hopes she will be as successful as her predecessors.
Toogood is a 22-year-old musical theater senior, and she is one of ten students who were chosen to travel to New York for this year’s showcase.
“It’s just excited nerves,” she said. “It’s kind of like the feeling right before Christmas.”
Anastasia Placido, a 22-year-old acting senior, will also perform in the showcase. She said she’s looking forward to the trip and feels confident in the group.
“We’ve had so much time to run these scenes and get them into tip-top shape,” she said.
Placido said she and the other nine students were selected based on an audition in front of New York casting director Alan Silverman. Silverman recommended the ten actors who stood out to him.
In addition to the performance industry guests who will attend, the event is open to the public. UF students and alumni in the area are encouraged to RSVP and attend.
This year most of the scenes have comedic themes.
“There are moments of contemplation, but there are also moments of just ridiculous humor,” Placido said. “So, I would just say if you’re in New York at that time, come see us.”
