My recent column critiquing some shortcomings of Universal’s new theme park provoked some pointed responses, so this week I’m pleased to be pointing the spotlight at a pair of people who contributed to one category where Epic Universe undeniably excels: shows and live entertainment.
Anitra Pritchard and Patrick Braillard each started at Universal Orlando as performers over 20 years ago, then shifted into show direction during the mid-2000s. Three years ago, she became senior manager of show direction and he became senior show writer, tasked with helping bring Epic Universe’s long-developing shows and attractions across the finish line. I’ve known them both through Orlando’s theater community since long before they became themed entertainment superstars, so it was wonderfully surreal interviewing them about dragons and monsters while surrounded by celebrities and international press at last month’s grand opening celebration.
When did you start working on Epic and what were your responsibilities?
Anitra Pritchard: I heard about Epic Universe at the same time as everyone else, years and years ago. But then when I was brought onto the team, my first day, I went traveling, and I met a lot of different projects, people with projects and we went from there. … Supporting [Universal] Creative, I worked a lot on entertainment, and I actually did all the auditions and casting for the entire team here at Epic Universe. I was the creative show director for [Isle of] Berk, and I worked closely with the Untrainable [Dragon] show as well.
Patrick Braillard: In ’21 I got signed on as a senior show writer for Epic Universe, handling Wizarding World of Harry Potter Ministry of Magic and How to Train Your Dragon Isle of Berk, and then in ’22 came on full time as a senior show writer for Epic Universe. … The narrative design of a theme park really begins at the very beginning. We are in every single conceptual meeting, and I’m only one of many different show writers that have taken on the challenge of not only doing the conception, but also the development of these parks. I’m one of the last in a very long line of people, and all of those narrative designers are clued into the idea of making sure that every word that you hear in the park, every word that you see, as well as all the signage, the nomenclature of the buildings, the different things on the menus, everything that has words attached to it [and] every bit of text [is checked] for consistency and cohesiveness.
How do you coordinate with intellectual property partners to faithfully represent their characters?
AP: We have a stellar, stellar group of Vikings out there, and people that are just willing to actually work with dragons, because dragons can be a little temperamental. We’ve got all the dragon huts around, so you can tell that we have tons and hundreds of dragons around. It’s mainly wrangling them in and working with Universal Creative and DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures. They really gave us the prowess on how to really wrangle a dragon and work with a dragon.
PB: To collaborate with our intellectual property partners, we have to make sure that we are toeing the line and staying in their sandbox while still expanding out the stories. … What’s wonderful about our relationship with all of our different partners is that we have the opportunity to be able to collaborate and ask them, not only for assets, but also be able to figure out how we can push the bounds of their stories within their rules. So when you get the defined set of rules from them, and they are very particular about certain things, which is great; because when you have those rules, you get to do things like the Battle at the Ministry. That is almost a deleted scene from the film that you didn’t get a chance to see. And that’s really what we’re all about, is trying to figure out a way to give the guests an opportunity to stay grounded and in touch with the things that made it important to them, but give them something new and slightly surprising.
Why are there so many dragon butts in Berk?
AP: Dragons are very proud of their tails and a lot of dragons, it actually defines who they are. And also a lot of dragons, when they eat a lot of fish or chicken, sometimes they have a hard time fitting into their huts. So the best way they can fit in there to take a nap is to have their bottoms hanging out.
How did you approach updating Universal’s Classic Monsters for Epic?
PB: There were some things that were a little bit heavier of a lift. Working with our partners over at Universal Pictures, and getting the Dark Universe where we needed to be, was a really fun experiment. Being able to figure out where the content creation comes in with what’s canon, because that world takes place in 2025. It’s a sequelization to the original films, so you have to figure out what happened to the Bride? What happened to Henry [Frankenstein], what happened to the manor, what happened to Darkmoor? … Being a small part of that was an amazing thing.
What is the status of fountain shows in Celestial Park?
AP: Between day and night, you’re going to see roughly 15 to 17 different fountain shows that are synced to our music. Some of them are shorter than others, because we want to make sure that guests are seeing something new each time they watch a fountain show. But at night, they’ve gathered the fountain shows from all of the worlds, so you’re going to see a bigger show for our closing fountain show. We’re still looking into [fireworks]; we’re still working on it.
What’s your favorite easily overlooked element in Epic Universe?
PB: I love the fact that people walk by the well in Darkmoor [inscribed in Latin with a vampiric warning] without really understanding the significance. That makes me really, really happy that they walk by not understanding what that thing is actually for.
AP: All of the entertainment is a total surprise and delight, but there’s little pockets of experiences in every single world that people could turn a corner and discover something they’ve never seen before, even if they’ve been here numerous times. Like our living portraits over in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Ministry of Magic; you have to go around a corner and really look for them, and once you see them, it is something you will never forget.
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This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2025.