WasabiNews

Are you a fan of Universal Studios and Walt Disney World?  Want to learn about the behind the scenes, the tips and tricks, and (most important!) the rumors about the newest expansions?  We’re thrilled to have Seth as a featured speaker at this year’s WasabiCon!

Seth Kubersky is an author, artist, and culture commentator currently based in Orlando, Florida. A native of northern New Jersey, Seth has worked for over 20 years as a travel journalist, arts and culture critic, event producer, theatrical director, stage technician, and performer along the East Coast and across the United States.

A contributor to several top-selling guidebooks, Seth is nationally recognized as an authority on theme parks and amusement attractions. Seth is the author of The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando, the newest addition to the best-selling Unofficial Guide series. He is also co-author (with Bob Sehlinger, Guy Selga Jr., and Len Testa) of The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland and the 9th edition of Beyond Disney: The Unofficial Guide to Sea World, Busch Gardens, and the Best of Central Florida, and a contributor to The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas, and TouringPlans.com. Previously, he was co-author (with Kelly Monaghan) of The Intrepid Traveler’s Universal Orlando: The Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Theme Park series, as well as the last editions of The Intrepid Traveler’s Sea World, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica and After Disney: The Other Orlando.  

Every week, you can read Seth’s coverage of Orlando’s art and entertainment scene in his column Live Active Cultures, featured in each issue of the Orlando Weekly, Central Florida’s leading alternative newspaper. In addition to writing theater and theme park reviews for the Orlando Weekly, he is an active contributor to the newspaper’s blog. Seth’s travel commentary and attraction coverage has also been published by Orlando Attractions Magazine, Virgin Airline Blue’s “Voyeur”, VISIT Florida, and Jim Hill Media. Seth reports on and analyzes the theater, travel, and themed entertainment industries, and has been interviewed as a “theme park expert” by broadcast outlets including FOX-TV, Rudy Maxa radio, the Unofficial Universal Orlando Podcast, ParkScope, Coaster Radio, and many more. Seth created the website SethKubersky.com, and posts on-the-spot attraction and culture reports via his twitter account @skubersky and his YouTube channel youtube.com/skubersky.

A native of Livingston, New Jersey, Seth received his Bachelors of Arts in Theater degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, concentrating on stage management and direction. In the summer of 1996, he moved to Central Florida and began employment at Universal Studios Florida. As a theatrical technician, he helped run sophisticated special effects for the Ghostbusters Spooktacular, Terminator 2/3D, and Barney shows.

Beginning in 1998, as an Entertainment Production Coordinator and Supervisor, Seth presented special events in Orlando and around the country for Universal’s major corporate partners including Target, AAA, Wheel of Fortune, TNN and Transcontinental. Seth also supervised parades, haunted houses, and special effects for Universal’s Mardi Gras, Halloween Horror Nights and the “millennium” New Year’s celebration on December 31st 1999. After designing an event management database system for Universal, Seth left the company in 2000 and began a decade-long career in information technology for local government.

Since 2000, Seth has worked as a producer, director, stage manager and designer in many of Orlando’s top entertainment venues. Seth has served as stage manager for the record-setting production of Junie B. Jones at the Orlando Repertory Theater and the annual Red Chair Affair gala (featuring Cirque du Soleil and Blue Man Group), and as production manager for Mad Cow Theatre’s Cabaret Festival (featuring K.T. Sullivan and Karen Akers). Seth has also collaborated with IBEX Puppetry founder Heather Henson, managing puppetry parades and directing a live interactive presentation of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

In 2004 Seth made his major Orlando directorial debut with The Rocky Horror Show at Theatre Downtown. In addition to directing the hit show, Seth also orchestrated the music and designed the set and multimedia projections. In addition to his own productions, he has also created video designs for Mad Cow Theatre, The Vine Theater, Seminole State College, Rivership Romance, and Theatre Downtown. Seth has also directed for Orlando Shakespeare Theatre’s Playfest, Antibabe, and others.

Seth is veteran presenter at the Orlando International Fringe Festival, starting with Parallel Lives: The Kathy and Mo Show in 2004. In 2005 Seth produced, directed, co-wrote, and performed in the controversial Fringe Festival hit Obscenity. Seth went on to produce and direct Stephen Massicotte’s hit comedy The Boy’s Own Jedi Handbook in 2008; and co-write, produce and direct the “Patrons Pick” award winner The Karate Guy in 2009. In 2011, Seth collaborated with Michael Marinaccio and Tod Kimbro as co-producer and technical director of Suckers: A Freaky Little Musical. In 2012, he served as the Festival’s video consultant, scripting a viral video, and was production manager for the world-famous BIG NAZO puppetry performers at the 2012 and 2013 Kids Fringe. For the Fringe All Hallows fundraisers, Seth directed the play 5,4,3,2,1 and the short films Violins and Snuff.

Seth began collaborating with John DiDonna in 2000 at Theatre Downtown on a production of The Rocky Horror Show. Since then they have worked together on over forty productions, beginning with The Ride Down Mt. Morgan. Seth served as Stage Manager and Assistant Director on that show, as well as Killer Joe and The Lonesome West for the SoulFire Traveling Medicine Show. Seth served as the Production Manager and Assistant Director for Memories and Mayhem and Tony & Tina’s Wedding at the SoulFire Theatre and Dinner Experience in Lake Buena Vista.

In 2004 Seth and John founded the Empty Spaces Theatre Co., through which they have presented over two dozen productions. Seth has co-produced every Empty Spaces production, along with directing or co-directing about half of the shows. A skilled video editor and Photoshop artist, Seth has also provided multimedia and poster designs for Empty Spaces productions. Empty Spaces shows have ranged from reinterpretations of classic texts (Oedipus the King, Ubu Roi, Waiting for Godot) and dance performance (Phobias, Fragmented, Unspoken), to original fact-based “docu-dramas” (Stripped, Bathory) and challenging contemporary scripts (Bent, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Jesus Hopped the A-Train, My Name Is Rachel Corrie, 9 Parts of Desire). In 2008, Empty Spaces was named named “Best place to see something edgy” by Elizabeth Maupin in the Orlando Sentinel. With Empty Spaces, Seth helped create Phantasmagoria (PhantasmagoriaOrlando.com), the acclaimed Victorian steampunk-style storytelling group that brings classic horror literature to life though acting, acrobatic, puppetry, and stage combat. Phantasmagoria plays to sold-out houses at Orlando Shakespeare Theatre every October, and has the troupe traveled to Atlanta and elsewhere.

For a decade from its inception in 2002, Seth served as the Producer of The Rich Weirdoes, a Rocky Horror Picture Show reenactment troupe that performs every 2nd and 4th weekend at the AMC Cineplex at Universal CityWalk. The Rich Weirdoes were named to the Orlando Weekly’s “Best of Orlando” list in 2006 and 2008. In addition to Rocky Horror, the group has also performed “shadow-cast” renditions of Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, Reefer Madness, and Clue, among other cult favorites. The Rich Weirdoes have also participated in civic and community events including the Orlando Gay Pride Parade, AIDS Walk, and Zombie Crawl. Also in association with Rich Weirdoes, Seth produced, directed, and performed in shows for Vulkon Entertainment fan conventions. In 2004 and 2006 he directed live stagings of Once More With Feeling: The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Musical in Tampa, FL and Oakland, CA, in which he portrayed the role of “Spike”. Previously, Seth produced the 2001 Orlando “Rocky Horror Vacations” fan convention, and founded Dark Refrain in Orlando and Queen William’s Players in Williamsburg, VA. Seth has performed in New Jersey and New York with the world-famous New York City Rocky Horror cast, and has performed every role in the show at least twice.

In addition to his creative work, Seth is also a computer database systems designer, experienced with SQL, Access, VB, and Crystal Reports. He is also versed in Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Suite. From 2000 to 2010, he was a consultant with Ciber, Inc, primarily focused on building and maintaining systems for Orange County Public Works. His other past clients have included Orange County Convention Center, Universal Studios and Orange County Corrections Department.

Seth lives in downtown Orlando with his wife Genevieve and their cat, Brubeck David.