UCF - Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble aims for an ambitious first year of plays

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Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble aims for an ambitious first year of plays

Founding member of drama company is a UCF alumna

By Melissa Patterson | Central Florida Future Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, September 29, 2005

In November 2004, one UCF alumna and two fellow actors had a dream. They named that dream the Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble, and planned to host an ambitious four shows in its first year. It looks as though that dream has been realized, as Ghostlight gears up to present its final show this season, The Fantasticks by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones.

The Fantasticks is the story of two smitten young neighbors who discover there is no better place for love than their own backyards. Thrown in are a mute, a bandit and a pair of feuding fathers that create a show full of romance, mystery and adventure.

Running off-Broadway from 1960 to 2002 at the Sullivan Street Playhouse for more than 17,000 performances, it is the world's longest-running show still at its original theatre. It's been performed close to 500 times in 69 countries worldwide.

Ghostlight's three young founders became friends while acting at the Orlando Broadway Dinner Theater in a show called How to Succeed in Business Without Actually Trying. Ironically, both the show and the theatre were shut down mid-run.

"We got a call Friday of our run that not only was the show closing but the theatre was closing," UCF alumna Karla Sue Schultz said. "After the theater closed, we got together for a postmortem party."

It was there the idea for Ghostlight was born. But why "Ghostlight?"

"A ghostlight is a standing lamp ... that provides the next person in the theater a means of seeing their way in the darkness," the ensemble's Web site explains. "This symbol of optimism and encouragement ... represents what theater is to us, and what we hope to bring to everyone with whom we cross paths, onstage and off."

In the beginning, Ghostlight was simply Schultz, Meggin Weaver and Brandon Roberts. Timothy Turner quickly joined the crew after the group's accompanist bailed out days before the first show, and he's been there ever since. With only four people to handle an entire theater company, there was plenty of work to go around.

Schultz performed in Love Crossing, Ghostlight's third production, and portrayed numerous roles in the four-person Romeo and Juliet tour. She also handled backstage matters for the first show, Brilliant Traces, and continues to help with marketing and box office.

Weaver appeared as one of the ensemble singers in Love Crossing, and assumed the role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. She serves also as assistant marketing director, education coordinator, director of research and dramaturgy and even as the company chef.

Roberts took on numerous roles in the Romeo and Juliet tour, assumed the role of director for Love Crossing and Brilliant Traces, and handles the ensemble's graphic design and Web site management.

Turner is Ghostlight's resident music director and indisputably the most experienced member in the ensemble. He has been performing professionally for 25 years on stage and screen, and works as a director, conductor, performer, performance coach, musician, clinician, producer, composer and writer.

The most difficult part of starting a theater ensemble, the group agrees, was the business aspect. Everything from the legal ramifications of their creation to choosing what kind of corporation to become left them scouring the shelves of local bookstores for answers.

"Playing on stage is what we love to do, and finding the business organization behind it has been more of a challenge for us all," Weaver said.

Schultz adds that UCF Theatre definitely taught her how to market herself as an actor, but left much to be desired in the way of managing an ensemble.

"If I were to go back, I would probably get a business degree as well as a theater degree," Schultz said.

If a UCF student wanted to act in a Ghostlight production, Schultz said, all they would need is permission from the UCF Theatre department. They can obtain audition information from the Web site's auditions link at www.ghostlightonstage.com.

On the horizon for next year is a possible spot in the Orlando Fringe Festival with a three-person physical comedy called Sport. Ghostlight also plans to continue its program with four more shows next season: a comedy, a drama, and two musicals.