the Avenue Theater and Film reporter Aaliyah is a journalism junior at UF and the Fall 2026 theater and film reporter. This is her fourth semester at the Alligator and her third semester on The Avenue. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking and listening to podcasts.
Sunny and Share Stems began during the COVID-19 pandemic after Germany left her full-time social media job and started experimenting with flowers. Inspired by a Tampa flower truck called Posies, she brainstormed ways she could bring flowers to people without a traditional storefront. From there, the Bloom Bar was born.
Sosa-Melo, a UF alumnus, filmmaker and writer, turned three years of college memories into “Alligator Meat: A Memoir,” a collection of six creative nonfiction stories that began as his English thesis. Months later, those carefully reconstructed memories made way for “6 7: Poems,” a collection of 67 poems capturing the uncertainty and absurdity of postgraduate life published in March.
Dressed in all black other than the blue flowers on his bomber jacket, Ken Jeong walked onto the stage Thursday night to a crowd of about 2,000 UF students ready to hear how a doctor became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable comedians.
Released Friday, Netflix’s newest coming-of-age dramedy, “Don’t Say Good Luck,” could’ve easily been another predictable story about a high school theater kid chasing her dream role. Instead, director Julia Hart uses that familiar setup to tell a much more painful story about growing up when life refuses to wait.
After the multiversal scale of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” succeeds by telling a smaller, more personal story. By the time the credits rolled, I’d cried three separate times.
The production, “Catch Me If You Can,” follows the story of Frank Abagnale Jr., a teenager who takes on multiple identities — including a pilot, doctor and lawyer — while being pursued by an FBI agent.
As UF prepares for Spring ceremonies, the university is continuing to expand its use of Tassel, an artificial intelligence-assisted system designed to address a recurring issue at graduation — name pronunciation.
The UF Opera Theatre will present “The Pirates of Penzance” this April at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, featuring an all-student cast and a free outreach performance for Alachua County schoolchildren.
Fans of early 2000s pop gathered Wednesday night at Heartwood Soundstage as sister duo Aly & AJ brought their tour to Gainesville, drawing an audience fueled by nostalgia and longtime fandom.
The two-story venue, which opened this spring, offers a different atmosphere from many of the dance and cocktail bars lining the downtown strip.
Kate Magill and Sloane Henry, both 35, opened their bridal shop, Fleuridian, on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.
Solutions by The State News
