The Interference

Faith Alfieri (Understudy) is a first-year student in the BFA Musical Theatre program. She is thrilled to be making her UCF debut. Previously, Alfieri has participated in productions such as The Drowsy Chaperone (Janet Van De Graff), Chicago (Mona/Lipschitz) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck). @faith_alfieri

Matthew Beaton (Jerry, Online Commentator, Panel Member) is a senior in the B.A. Theatre Studies program. He has previously been seen on the Theatre UCF stage in Of Mice and Men (Whit, U/S Lennie), as well as various shows produced by Project Spotlight, including First Miss (Grant), The Ultimate Field Trip (Allan McDonald) and The Lost Cosmonauts (Springfield). Other theatre credits include Love/Sick (Keith/Mark) and Fools (Leon Tolchensky).

Colby Bell (Karen’s Boyfriend, Smith’s Lawyer, Teammate #2) is a first year in the MFA acting program. He recently graduated with his BA in Musical Theatre from Lagrange College. He has performed in shows such as A Few Good Men (Dan Kaffee) and Noises Off (Garry). This is his first production here at Theatre UCF.

Alexandra Borsellino (Another Young Woman, Young Person, Student Handbook, Online Commentator, Newscaster) is a third year transfer student in the BFA Acting program. Past Theatre UCF credits include The Wolves (U/S #7, #00), The Amphibians (Stage Directions, U/S Simone and Bryn), Dear Helena (Stage Directions, U/S Diana and Mia) and Scaramouch in Naxos (Bacchante Ensemble). Other UCF credits include Absolute Power (Diana) and Therapy (Director) with Project Spotlight and #CaseyandTommyGetHitched (Viv) with Moment2Moment Productions. @alexandraborsellino

Janiece Deveaux (Michelle) is a senior in the BFA Musical Theatre program with a Dance minor. Some of her Theatre UCF productions include: Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine (Undine), Welcome to the Moon (Love; Monster) and How to Catch Creation (Riley). Some of her professional credits include: Mamma Mia! (Ensemble; U/S Tanya), Ragtime (Sarah’s Friend) and Aida (Nehebka; U/S Aida). janiecedeveaux.com

Jonathan Gardon (Teammate #1, Marketing Person, Young Person, Online Commentator, Newscaster) is a third year in the BFA Acting program. His previous UCF credits include Indecent (U/S Lemml, U/S Mendel),  Much Ado About Nothing (Messenger/U/S Verges), The Body (Dramaturg) and Pegasus Playlab’s Race to Infinity (Samuel). His other favorite credits include All in the Timing (Bill/Milton/Philip Glass/Leon Trotsky) and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Edmund) He has also worked as a Scareactor at Universal Orlando Resort's Halloween Horror Nights in Wicked Growth: Realm of the Pumpkin. @jonathan.gardon

Arthur Johnson (Teammate #3, Donor, Reporter’s Friend, Coach, Online Commentator, Newscaster) is in his Sophomore year in the BFA Acting Program. He has appeared in commercials, indie and student films. This is his debut for Theatre UCF. Arthur was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. His love of the arts lead him to Theatre UCF to continue his theatrical training.

Rosalind Krabill (Karen’s Lawyer, Cultural Commentator) is a third-year in the BFA Acting program. They have been seen in As It’s Written (Robin) and Moment 2 Moments production of The Crucible (Ann Putnam). She also performed in Mad Cow Theater’s production of See Rock City (May).

Dominique Marshall (Reporter, Marcie, Young Person, Panel Member, Newscaster) is a first-year in the MFA Acting Program. This is Dom’s debut at UCF. She most recently performed as June in HWS Colleges’ production of Marisol. Prior she played Dirk Gently in Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency at University of East Anglia, U.K. HWS theater roles include: The Vaudville Traveling Show (Comedian), Isle of Slaves (Arlequin), (Older Quan/Woman) The Breach, (Sarah) Love/Sick and (Assistant Stage manager) Aria De Capo and Servant of Two Masters.

Mandy Miller (Understudy) is a first-year transfer student in the BFA Acting program. This is her Theatre UCF debut. Her other theatre credits include Shrek the Musical (Fiona), Into the Woods (Baker's Wife) and West Side Story (Graziella). She has also worked as a choreographer at a local charter school and a teaching artist at a local community theatre. @mandy.l.miller

Antony Ojeda (Understudy) is a freshman in the BFA Acting program. This is his Theatre UCF debut. He has previously worked at Miami Arts Charter on Clue, Chicago and The Drowsy Chaperone. He is interested in writing as well (creative and academic), with accolades from College Board for research and from Filmmatic, Scholastic, ESU and more for creative writing. He is thinking about a double major in the field.

Christian Polastry (Understudy) is a first year student in the BFA Acting Program. This is his Theatre UCF debut. While attending Broward College, Christian was seen in Luz (Oliver), Check Please (Guy) and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Roger). In addition to Theatre, he plans to pursue a career in Film/TV and Voiceover.

Zachary Racine (Assistant District Attorney, Caller, Online Banking Person, Online Commentator, Panel Member) is in his first year in the MFA Acting Program. He earned his BA from Flagler College, St. Augustine. This is his Theatre UCF debut, but has been seen in the past as Guy in Once and The Old Man in The Old Man and the Old Moon.

Lauren Schulke (Detective O’Dell, Crisis Manager, Other Girl, Online Commentator, Panel Member, Newscaster) is a first-year in the MFA program. This is her first Theater UCF production. She holds a BFA from University of Minnesota Duluth and was most recently seen in Silent Sky (Margaret), Gruesome Playground Injuries (Kayleen), In a Word (Fiona) and It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (Lana Sherwood). She also apprenticed with Commonweal Theatre Company, where she worked as an actor and in areas of scenic design and scenic painting.

Forrest Stringfellow (Tom, Karen’s Dad, Panel Member) is a second-year transfer in the BFA Acting Program. Previous Theatre UCF credits include: Shrek: The Musical (Shrek), Indecent (Avram) and The Grumpiest Boy in the World (Dad/Grump 2). ForrestStringfellow.com

Cory Sweat (Understudy) is in his third year at UCF in the BFA Acting program. This will be his first Theatre UCF mainstage production. A few previous credits include The Lost Cosmonauts (U/S Autumn), The Crucible (Giles Corey), A Christmas Carol (Young Jacob Marley), A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Ensemble, U/S D’Ysquith Family), Museum (Georgio), Little Shop of Horrors (Mr. Mushnik) and 13 Past Midnight (Talbert Worthington). @corysweat

Talia Tumminello (U/S Karen Henshaw) is a freshman in the BFA Musical Theatre Program. This is Talia’s Theatre UCF debut. Other theatre credits include Chicago (Roxie), Into the Woods (Baker’s Wife) and Radium Girls (Kathryn). @taliarosetum

Aubree Ann Williams (Karen Henshaw) is a senior in the BFA Acting program. Her past Theatre UCF credits include Welcome to the Moon (U/S Girl) and Scaramouch in Naxos! (Ariadne). Some of her other favorite credits include Pride and Prejudice (Jane Bennet) and 26 Pebbles (Carole/Julie). This past spring, Aubree was a performer at Universal Studios in the Mardi Gras parade. @aubree.williams

Roma Zizza (Understudy) is a first-year transfer student in the B.A. Theatre Studies Program. This is her Theatre UCF debut. Other theatre credits include The Wolves (U/S #14, Soccer Mom) and Heads (Rose) at the Chicago College of Performing Arts. @romazizza

Bianca Antonetty (Assistant Stage Manager) is a second-year transfer in the BFA Stage Management program. Theatre credits include Significant Other (Stage Manager) and The Harvest (Stage Manager) at the State College of Florida, First Date (Production Assistant), Shrek the Musical (Production Assistant) and Affinity Lunch Minutes (Stage Manager) at the University of Central Florida.

Victoria Carson (Deck Crew) is a junior at UCF in Theatre Studies program with a minor in Creative Writing. Originally transferring to UCF from Valencia College after getting an AA degree, this is Victoria’s Theatre UCF Debut debut. Victoria has had experience in acting through high school productions, such as Seussical the Musical (Who Citizen/Ensemble), Much Ado about Nothing (Ensemble) and Dreaming of Death in the Drawing Room (Ensemble). Victoria also wishes to partake in film/TV and voiceover work, as well as partake in art and animation.

Audrey Casteris (Co-Scenic Designer) is a senior in the BFA Design/Technology program with a focus in set design. Previous Theatre UCF credits include To Saints and Stars (Scenic Design Response), First Date (Asst. Production Electrician), Welcome to the Moon (Asst. Production Electrician) and Fabulation or the Re-Education of Undine (Props Manager).

Thomasa Hagney (Stage Manager) is a third-year transfer student in the BFA Stage Management Program. This is her third production with Theatre UCF.  Her other Theatre UCF credits include Writes Of Spring 2022 (Assistant Stage Manager), Welcome to the Moon (Assistant Stage Manager), Sombra Del Sol (Stage Manager), Scaramouch in Naxos (Production Assistant) and How to Catch Creation (Assistant Stage Manager). Her professional credits include Apocaplysville (Stage Manager), Orlando Fringe Festival,  Lil and Louis (Production Stage Manager) at JoMo Productions and The Song of Paul (Stage Manager) at Church Of The Palms.

Caroline Hull (Dramaturg) is a first-year MA Theatre candidate at the University of Central Florida. She has been pursuing both playwriting and dramaturgy for the entirety of her academic career. As an active participant in KCACTF Region IV's theatre programs, Caroline won the John Cauble Award for Outstanding Short Play (Break) and Special Recognition for Digital Dramaturgy (UCF'S Kill Move Paradise). Her first full-length play, "As It's Written," was performed at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in April of 2022.

Cory Kennedy (Associate Director)  is a current MFA Graduate Candidate studying Theatre for Young Audiences at the University of Central Florida. Her research as an MFA has been centered around exploring the utilization of devised and immersive work in youth development, and recently presented at the LMDA conference this past summer. At UCF she has assisted the producing team for Spells of the Sea as part of Pegasus PlayLab and directed the Orlando REP annual Writes of Spring production.

Alyssa Marrero (Assistant Sound Designer/Mixer) is a junior in the BFA Design and Technology program with a focus in sound design and a minor in music. Her previous Theatre UCF credits include Sombra del Sol (A2), First Date (Wardrobe Supervisor), Shrek the Musical (A2) and Knights Ghostlight Podcast. @alyssa.c.marrero

Hailey Osborn (Props Manager) is a first year in the BFA Design and Technology program focusing in scenic and projection design. Previous Theatre UCF credits include Fabulation or, the Re-Education of Undine (Asst. Props Manager). Other theatre credits include We Begin in A Tavern (Props Manager), Something Borrowed, Something Blue (Props Manager) and Apocalypseville (Stage Manager and Co-Props Manager). @pllushiie

Helen Strickland (Costume Designer) is a senior in the BFA Design/Technology program with a focus in Costume and Lighting Technology. Previous Theatre UCF credits include Shrek the Musical (Stitcher), First Date (Production Electrician), The Amphibian (Lighting Design) and The Grumpiest Boy in the World (Stitcher).

Delayna Wahlberg (Production Assistant) is a first-year transfer in the BFA Stage Management program. She has received her B.M. from Florida State University in Brass Performance. This is Delayna’s first production with Theatre UCF. Her other professional credits include Willy Wonka Jr. (Music Director) and Elf the Musical (Music Director) at Central Florida Community Arts.

"And then, at the bottom of the article, after I learned about the graphic details of my own sexual assault, the article listed his swimming times."

 – Chanel Miller (Victim Statement, People V. Turner)

Set on the campus of an American university, The Interference follows the story of Karen, a female student, following her sexual assault at the hands of a college athlete who is deemed campus-wide to be an up-and-coming celebrity. Despite the overflow of information proving the validity of Karen’s accusation, she is consistently treated as though she one on trial as a result of of institutional complicity and bias toward protecting the successful future of a promising young football player. A multitude of individuals in positions of power, from the detective assigned to the case to the district attorney are more than willing to simply write off these allegations as a simple “He said, she said.” Radley’s play offers a space to acknowledge the voices others have attempted to silence. It centers on the experience of a young woman who deserves much more than being reduced to a singular label – “victim.” The fact that Karen chooses to continue fighting for her own justice by sharing her story time and time again, even following the perpetrator’s subsequent appeal and a bombardment of online hate comments, is proof enough of that.

While Karen’s exact story may be fictional, the picture it paints is grounded in truth. Approximately 19% of women experience sexual assault while enrolled in college, with 90% of campus sexual assaults committed by perpetrators that the survivor previously knew. The Interference represents the aftermath of media reporting around a high-profile sexual assault case: one that is shockingly similar to the trial of Brock Turner, despite Radley’s script predating the Stanford swimmer’s sentence. This story brings much needed light to the fact that the sensationalization of these tragic incidents at the hands of a media collective that is desperate to obtain increased viewership, even when it is psychologically damaging to individuals at the heart of the case. The sharing of events such as these resonates with generations of assault cases in which the aggressor is given inequitable partiality, resulting in the unwarranted warping of justice. It is because of unjustified beliefs motivated by sexism and harmful stereotypes that approximately 2 out of every 100 rapists will ever serve a singular day in prison.

This production centers on the stories of those who have been hurt, questioned, and let down by a justice system that claims to always have their best interests at heart. As we take this time to share the truth of Karen’s story, it is our hope that the audience takes away just how terribly familiar this human tragedy is. As Radley once stated in a 2016 interview – “The power of having a voice really matters.”

“My dream is that one day everyone will know what the words #MeToo signify. But they will be educated and able to protect themselves from predators like Larry so that they will never ever, ever have to say the words, ‘me, too.’”

 -  Aly Raisman (Larry Nassar Trial)

www.knowyourix.org/issues/statistics

THEATRE UCF PRODUCTION STAFF, FACULTY, AND ADVISORS

Director of the School of Performing Arts: Michael Wainstein
Theatre UCF Artistic Director: Julia Listengarten
Interim Artistic Director: Christopher Niess
Theatre UCF Director of Production: Bert Scott

* Theatre UCF student