Photo by Makenna Wozniak | The Crow’s Nest
By Reagan Haskell and Zariya Bankston
Theater lovers at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus engaged with the art form on campus with the introduction of the Musical Theater Club in spring 2026.
Anya Gorgas, a senior finance major at USF St. Petersburg, is the founder and president of the Musical Theater Club.
Gorgas told The Crow’s Nest that she has always been a musical theater fan and wanted to bring a different form of expression to the St. Petersburg campus.
“I have played sports my entire life and on multiple teams here, but I was ready for a change, and I’m so glad I was,” Gorgas said.
When brainstorming the possibility of a musical theater club, Gorgas asked students about their interest in the idea. When she gained encouraging feedback, she knew that the club would be successful. Despite having zero experience in musical theater, Gorgas took a leap and began work on the club right away.
Fortunately, her idea inspired many to join, even earning the ‘Best New Club’ at the Rocky Awards, the annual event highlighting student achievement on the St. Petersburg campus.
The Musical Theater Club also put on their first production, a musical titled “The Theory of Relativity,” with music and lyrics by Neil Bartman and written by Brian Nill.
Directing the production is Aubrey Soldo, a freshman theatre major with a minor in education.
Soldo has been interested in theatre since she was young. Hobbies involving acting fueled her passion to be on stage. It was her first time directing a show, which was an exciting and proud experience for her.
“It’s a step in the right direction for my future goals as I aspire to be a theatre teacher/director.” she said.
The musical is about how ordinary people’s lives are interconnected, while exploring the ways in which shared experiences can bring communities of people together.
“It has many different storylines that all eventually connect. It follows normal people with normal problems that everyone goes through. It’s relatable and very sweet with a good message,” Gorgas said.
The idea to perform the musical was brought to Gorgas by Emetchue. It was her first time hearing of the musical, and when listening to the soundtrack, she knew she had to perform it.
Gorgas is the executive director of the musical and acted in two roles.
First, she plays Sara, a girl with an awkward personality with a best friend named Jenny who secretly despises her. After ending her friendship with Jenny, she becomes endeared to her new friendships.
“She’s kind of in her revenge era now,” Gorgas said. “I think people can relate to realizing they’re not friends with the right people and finding their own somewhere else.”
Gorgas’ second role, Julie, is a character who deeply adores her cats and her fiancé, Paul, who is played by her boyfriend Tripp Tucker, a senior science in finance major.
Gorgas told The Crow’s Nest that this role is relatable to aspects of her own life.
“While I can’t knit or crochet, I do love my pets more than anything else. And Paul is played by my long-term boyfriend so I definitely relate to feeling in love and excited to be in a relationship with someone who is just right for me.” she said.
Gorgas’s favorite of the two characters is Julie due to her sweet nature, but she also adores Sara’s feistiness.
Rehearsals for the show proved to be demanding work for Gorgas. She stated how she has been heavily involved in behind-the-scenes activities regarding the musical.
She was in charge of handling bookings, purchasing the rights for the musical, hosting events to help gain traction, food catering, leading vocal rehearsals, overseeing director and producer and collaborating with USC staff to help the musical run smoothly.
As executive director of the musical, many responsibilities had to be managed while also preparing for her own two roles.
“For my role particularly, I practiced my song and honing my skills until I was blue in the face. I really wanted to make myself proud when I went out there on stage,” Gorgas said.
The club as a whole prevailed through hardships faced during rehearsal and continued to work to deliver an exceptional performance.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs, but I think that goes for every single production. Overall, I’m so incredibly honored to be a part of something so big for USF St. Pete,” Soldo said.
The musical was performed three times over the course of a week in the USC Ballrooms, free of charge and open to anyone with a yearn for a play with an emotional message.
Gorgas told The Crow’s Nest that she was excited to finally be able to display her and her team’s hard work on the stage for their audience to see.
She was proud of their performance and grateful to be able to create such a special experience with them, especially with her two best friends, Tucker and Natalia Powers, a senior finance major and USF St. Petersburg SG Sustainability coordinator.
“There are so many talented students here with a love of theater. It’s exciting to see everyone express themselves through the arts.” Soldo said.
Gorgas hopes that the musical reinforces people with the value of community.
“The one thing I think this musical should show people is that we all need one another and good people in your life is really important.” she said.
