A Performer and a Teacher
Kelly Kilgore earned a dual BFA in Acting and Musical Theatre with a minor in Digital Media from Abilene Christian University in Texas. A major factor in her decision to pursue her MFA at UCF was the University’s partnership with the Orlando Repertory Theatre and the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. During her time at UCF, Kilgore performed in many mainstage theatre productions at UCF and Orlando Shakespeare Theater. She wrote her thesis on the OST production of Titus Andronicus, in which she played Lavinia.
Kilgore explains, “In UCF’s Theatre Department, we stress performance as research. In an ephemeral art such as live theatre, our performances are our experiments and our audiences are our test subjects. Our work deals not with numbers but with moments between people: between actors onstage and in the actor-audience relationship. A performance can never be ‘solved’ as a math problem can, and the theatre artist must be continually fascinated with peeling away layers of human behavior and group storytelling.”
Kilgore appreciated the wide range of techniques for approaching voice, movement and acting which she was exposed to through the program. In addition to performing, she enjoyed teaching all levels of students, from Pre-K through undergrad. Kilgore has presented her research nationally at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference and co-authored a mini-publication based on the Preparing for Graduate School panel for the American Sociological Association’s Teaching/Learning Matters.
Kilgore graduated in Spring 2013 and plans to use Orlando as a home base for acting, teaching, writing, and producing.
Share This Article

UCF Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Completion Fellowship Drives Excellence, Provides Aid
As the cost of living has risen dramatically over the past several years, financial assistance has become a vital component of student success. There is no doubt that completing a...
Latest News

UCF Postdoctoral Scholar Draws on Her Island Roots to Champion for Marginalized Populations
Makella Coudray is passionate about advocating for disadvantaged groups. “I personally like championing causes for those that society may overlook, and I try to do that through my work,” she...

UCF Researchers Work to Reduce the Amount of Precious Metals in Catalytic Converters
The precious metals, such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, in catalytic converters make the vehicle devices attractive to thieves, but University of Central Florida researchers are working to reduce the...

UCF Researcher Receives Samsung International Global Research Outreach Award
Debashis Chanda, a professor in UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center, recently received Samsung’s International Global Research Outreach Award for the year 2022 in the Future Camera and Sensor category. This is...

New UCF-Developed Battery Could Prevent Post-Hurricane Electric Vehicle Fires
A University of Central Florida researcher has developed technology that could prevent electric vehicle fires, like those caused by saltwater flooding from Hurricane Ian. The technology, an aqueous battery, replaces...