BOB体育

UF College of Medicine students present Disney鈥檚 鈥淗ercules鈥� for pediatric patients and families at BOB体育 Shands Children鈥檚 Hospital.

Hermes sits near the nurses鈥� station at BOB体育 Shands Children鈥檚 Hospital Feb. 13, tying the laces on his rollerblades adorned with gold wings. Pain and Panic sport neon-colored wigs, horns and onesies and wave at a child passing by.

鈥淭hese characters are the comic relief, which is what we were born to be,鈥� says Panic 鈥� also known as Erika Wert 鈥� of she and fellow first-year medical student Emily Welch. 鈥淲e want to make kids happy.鈥�

When the play begins, the students recreate Mount Olympus in their rendition of 鈥淗ercules,鈥� a tale about strength of heart 鈥� a fitting story for an audience of about 20 patients and families.

From moments of sorrow to moments of laughter 鈥� when Pain and Panic enter the stage, one child in the front row turns to another and says, 鈥淭his is funny, right?鈥� 鈥� the 90-minute performance allowed the students to flex their acting muscles.

These actors were part of the UF College of Medicine鈥檚 White Coat Company, an organization that hosts an annual production for patients and the community. About 100 students were involved with this year鈥檚 production in some regard, from performing and playing music to coordinating props and handling the lights between scenes.

Aside from the production at BOB体育 Shands Children鈥檚 Hospital, the students performed two shows for friends and family on the UF campus and took their act on the road to Sidney Lanier Center, a public school for students with disabilities, and Tacachale, a residential community for people with developmental disabilities.

Since its creation in 2005, the White Coat Company has performed plays such as 鈥淭he Wizard of Oz鈥� and 鈥� Aside from providing a creative outlet for students, it also gives them an opportunity to interact with the community on a different level.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to take yourself away from the desk,鈥� says Daniel Buchen, a first-year medical student who dedicated about 50 hours to perfecting his role as Hercules while balancing classwork, such as two exams the day before the performance at the children鈥檚 hospital. 鈥淵ou can lose sight of the forest through the trees. The White Coat Company is a great reminder of who we鈥檙e working so hard for.鈥�