Our Core Values

• The Power of Play: We believe every child deserves access to unbridled play. Theatre-based play promotes creative problem-solving, curiosity, socialization, and emotional intelligence. But most of all, it’s fun! We encourage play across generations, abilities, and disciplines by engaging both children and caregivers in our programming.
• Child Agency: In accordance with The Pediatric Bill of Rights, we support a child’s autonomy and free will. We maximize flexibility and provide choice within structure, all designed to meet a child where they are in the present moment. Occasionally, that means our well-planned activities are tossed aside in favor of child-led free play. We consider these to be moments of great success!
• Adaptive Arts: By working in a hospital setting, we bend standard definitions of theatre. We use digital programming, immersive installations, asynchronous “to-go kits,” and bedside performances to provide a plethora of programming to young patients with varying degrees of mobility and isolation needs.
• Depth over Breadth: Beyond tracking numbers, we measure impact through observation, focus groups, and student reflections. We prioritize lengthy and meaningful engagements with individual patients and aim to disrupt the “revolving door” effect during hospital stays.
• High Impact Education: We strive to be an anchor experience UCF students recall beyond graduation. Using university-sanctioned practices in service-learning and integrative learning, we motivate students to connect to course content on a personal level, to set intentions for academic and professional goals, to experience our collective humanity, and to consider civic responsibility within their respective disciplines.
• Transformative Experiences: We recognize that a hospital stay is a difficult time for children and families, and take seriously the memories we create in this space. Our goal is for children to view their current surroundings differently after we leave. We encourage replaying moments—or imagining new ones—through post-show activities and digital content. Through this, we use the magic of theatre to turn institutional spaces into worlds of whimsy and possibility.

LEADERSHIP

Program Director, Elizabeth Brendel Horn

Elizabeth Brendel Horn, MFA ’10 (she/her/hers) is an Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Central Florida and a proud UCF alum. Elizabeth teaches in the Theatre for Young Audiences MFA program in partnership with Orlando Family Stage (formerly Orlando Repertory Theatre), and teaches undergraduate courses in Script Analysis, Creative Drama, and Theatre for Young Audiences. In addition to serving as Program Director of the Jeanette M Gould Traveling Theater, Elizabeth is a director, playwright, author, and applied theatre artist. Her other arts and wellness creative activity encompasses intergenerational and mixed-ability community-based devised theatre, and “Mind Matters,” a theatre-based mental health initiative for high school students.

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Program Coordinator, Elle Koch

Elle Koch, B.A. ’25 (she/her/hers), is an undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida pursuing dual bachelor’s degrees in Theatre Studies and Film Studies. Her involvement with the Jeanette M. Gould Traveling Theatre began as a student performer in 2023 and has since grown into her current role as Program Coordinator.Beyond her work with the Traveling Theatre, Elle is a stage manager, director, writer, dramaturg, and performer for Theatre UCF and various projects in the greater Orlando area. Her passion for storytelling spans both theatre and film, with a particular focus on child development and a commitment to innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to performance and media.

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Past Student Leadership

• Christian Anderson
• Gabby Lawlor
• Kirby Lee
• Bethany Post
• Julia Veiga