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Tag: Orlando arts

  • Amid closure, Renaissance Theatre faces near $488K in losses, founder says

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    Credit: Renaissance Theatre Company/Facebook

    Two months after the City of Orlando condemned the Renaissance Theatre Co.’s venue, the troupe this week released an update, citing 34 canceled performances and roughly $488,000 in revenue lost so far. 

    Donald Rupe, Ren founder and artistic director, said in a social media post the shutdown has lasted longer than he expected. His team is now awaiting approval for what they hope to be the final permit that would allow them back into the building.

    The Ren was officially closed on Sept. 19 due to safety code violations just ahead of the theater’s signature Halloween show, Nosferatu. Both Nosferatu and the V-Bar after-show, as well as resident drag night Off the Record, have been staged in modified versions during late September and October at venues like the Plaza Live, the Beacham and the Social.

    Since the closure, Ren employees have collectively lost about $218,000 in wages, while also losing material and labor costs, having to remove the set of Nosferatu, Rupe said.

    But the team still has hope. They are preparing annual comedy The Office Holiday Party Musical Extravaganza Show and after-party in hopes it can open on Dec. 5 as planned. Tickets will not be sold until there is a guaranteed place to perform.

    However, it is unlikely they will go on the road again soon, as sales from roving dates at venues like the Plaza Live have not covered production costs, Rupe said. 

    “If we find that we need to continue to host events outside of our own venue, we will need to revisit the kinds of shows we produce and look at a budget model that is meant for that kind of production,” Rupe wrote.

    City-mandated requirements have also proven costly. The required upgraded fire-alarm system alone costs around $40,000.

    Rupe credited co-founder Chris Kampmeier and more than 350 donors for helping keep The Ren afloat. Supporters can continue to donate directly at rentheatre.com .

    “We don’t believe that our city can afford to risk losing another theatre, especially one that is so essential to our LGBT+ community, and we cannot wait to get back to creating unique world-class artistic experiences,” Rupe said. 

    Rupe clarified that he does not believe the closure is politically motivated and praised city officials for their support in helping get the building back on its feet.

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    A new café is set to fuel Orlando while supporting local artists in the historic downtown building

    Electric Daisy Carnival headbanged its way back into town

    Catch this soul-soothing circus before it runs away without you



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    Emmy Bailey
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  • The Ren Theatre announces final nomadic ‘Nosferatu’ shows amid shutdown

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    Credit: Renaissance Theatre Company/Facebook

    ​​It’s been over a month since the Renaissance Theatre was condemned by the city due to fire safety code violations. The shutdown forced the theater to pause operations and relocate its annual production of Nosferatu, its annual Halloween immersive show. 

    Despite the setback, the Renaissance Theatre has found temporary homes for its performances. Nosferatu, VBar and the company’s weekly OTR drag show have been hosted by local venues like The Plaza Live and The Social, allowing productions to continue while the theater works toward compliance with city safety regulations.

    And now, Ren co-founder and artistic director Donald Rupe has announced three final Nosferatu shows amid the closure. 

    The final Nosferatu and VBar performances of the season take place Saturday, Oct. 25 at The Plaza Live, Oct. 29 at The Beacham, and Nov. 1 back at The Plaza Live. All other show dates have been removed from the theater’s website.

    “On the bright side, we’ve discovered that Nosferatu and VBar look pretty great on a larger stage; maybe we’ll do a tour someday,” Rupe said in a statement. 

    Rupe said the closure has resulted in significant financial losses. The company estimates a loss of more than $300,000 in revenue, including $125,000 in wages for performers and staff.

    “Most non-profits and businesses would have closed by now,” Rupe said. “We’re surviving so far thanks to the generosity of one man, co-founder Chris Kampmeier, who is supplementing our income to keep our staff paid and the lights on. Additionally, we’ve raised $33,178 from 292 incredible donors.”

    Rupe said the best way to support the company is to buy tickets to see the current shows (and to continue to do so once The Ren is back in business in its Orlando building).

    While the future of the Renaissance Theatre’s home remains uncertain, Rupe remains optimistic.

    “At the end of this, I know I will certainly have a deeper appreciation for what we have at the Ren, even more than I did before,” he said. “We’ve learned a lot of things, and we look forward to getting home.”

    Tickets for Nosferatu are available online now.

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    The company cites intense competition from the theme park industry for its closure

    Features special guests Molly McCormack, Tyler Pugh and Ryan



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    Emmy Bailey
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  • ‘Dancing With the Stars’ live tour cha-chas into Orlando this spring

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    Credit: Dancing with the Stars/Facebook

    Put on your dancing shoes and quick-step down to Addition Financial Arena.

    Dancing With the Stars is hitting the road with a live tour this spring, and it’s making a stop in Orlando on March 26, 2026. This year’s tour will feature Dancing With the Stars’ professional dancers performing a mix of exclusive tour productions and standout routines from the currently airing Season 34.

    The tour allows fans to see the show off their screens and enter the ballroom in their hometowns, with pro dancers Brandon Armstrong, Alan Bersten, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Emma Slater, Ezra Sosa, Britt Stewart and Hailey Bills. And, for the first time in five years, pro couple Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson will join the live lineup.

    Emmy award-winning choreographer Mandy Moore, who worked on projects like La La Land and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, will direct and choreograph the tour.

    Season 34 has drawn more attention than past seasons, with a premiere episode that generated more than double the amount of viewer votes cast than that of the previous season, the show says. Celebrities that are still in the running for the win include Robert Irwin, Alix Earle, Jen Affleck, Andy Richter, Scott Hoying, Dylan Efron, Danielle Fishel, Jordan Chiles, Elaine Hendrix and Whitney Leavitt.

    Tickets to see the Dancing With the Stars pros right here in Orlando go on sale Oct. 10 via Ticketmaster. 

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    Art² features outdoor seating, local food vendors, craft beverages and more

    Two days of local vendors and frights



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    Emmy Bailey
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  • Winter Park Playhouse secures permanent Orange Avenue home – Orlando Weekly

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    Credit: via Winter Park Playhouse

    After months of uncertainty, Winter Park Playhouse will remain in the space it has called home for more than two decades.

    After receiving grant funds from Orange County Tourism Development Tax, Winter Park formally purchased the theater’s space at 711 N. Orange Ave. this week. The nonprofit professional musical theater has called the spot home for the past 23 years. 

    Winter Park Playhouse’s future came into question in February 2023, when the building’s owners decided to sell the property. To preserve the nonprofit’s place in the community, the city of Winter Park partnered with the theater to apply for TDT funds, citing the $1.9 million economic impact and 30,000 guests it attracted each year.

    Winter Park was in turn allotted $8 million by Orange County last fall to purchase and renovate the space.

    Now that the permanent home is secured, the TDT funding will also be used to employ major renovations to the building, including a 50 percent increase in seating capacity and upgrades designed to elevate the audience experience.

    While the renovation continues, the playhouse will continue to perform its MainStage Musicals and Spotlight cabarets at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center/Orlando Shakes theater complex.

    Founded in 2002, the Winter Park Playhouse is a local mainstay, known for its lineup of musicals, cabarets and special events. 

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    It comes with an enclosed courtyard pool, a summer kitchen with a pizza oven, a private tennis court and more

    The show is a fundraiser for the Yellow Brick Road Foundation

    We were all, indeed, taken out

    Orlando’s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.



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    Emmy Bailey
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  • The Ren Theatre condemned by fire department – Orlando Weekly

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    Credit: Photo via Ashleigh Ann Gardner

    The Ivanhoe village home of Orlando’s Renaissance Theatre Co. is condemned as of Friday afternoon, after an annual inspection by department officials, co-founder Donald Rupe says.

    The department placed neon-hued “condemned” stickers on the building’s doors late Friday. A notice to vacate was also placed on the building located at 2201 McRae Ave.

    The closure comes as the theater presents its annual Halloween immersive show Nosferatu. Rupe says the changes they request be made are “totally surmountable,” and the company will work with the city to address the issues, although the future remains uncertain.

    The City of Orlando has not yet responded to a request for more information. 

    “Rest assured, the building itself is okay, and the Ren is okay,” Rupe said in a statement Saturday. However, “a temporary closing like this is a threat to Renaissance Theatre Company.”

    “We don’t think building codes really address the kind of theater that we make; we think the immersive nature of our shows requires a different kind of inspection than traditional theatre shows, and we look forward to working with the city on permitting future productions and making sure everything is approved and safe—as it has been every year since we opened.”

    Nosferatu has been presenting an “immersive vampire experience” in Orlando for the past five years, combining macabre performance art and a LGBTQ+-friendly environment with a vampire-themed nightclub employing live performers, drag artists and dancers. The after-hours “V Bar” show features local drag performers doing their vampiric best after the main show ends. This year V Bar started on Aug. 29, and Nosferatu kicked off its run Sept 5.  

    Rupe says the event is by far the theater’s biggest annual money-maker and biggest expense. This year, The Ren spent about $500,000 making the show. 

    “To lose another queer-friendly venue, in a moment where we need them so desperately, would be devastating,” Rupe says. 

    Supporters can help out, Rupe says, by making donations online or buying tickets when the space reopens. There is not yet a reopening timeline available, and the theater says more information will be shared, hopefully, this week, when they meet with city officials. Advocates in city and state government are also working with the Ren to help resolve these issues quickly.

    The current plan is to pay performers this week, and as of late Sunday, over $9,000 has been raised from more than 100 individual donors.

    This is a developing story. 

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    ‘Stripped for Parts’ only becomes more timely with each passing news cycle

    Black previously was a runner-up on Dracula’s third season

    More entertainment reveals to come



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    Chloe Greenberg and Matthew Moyer
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  • Central Florida Ballroom Collective vogued and served face at ‘We’re Your Venus’

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    WE LOVE OUR READERS!

    Since 1990, Orlando Weekly has served as the free, independent voice of Orlando, and we want to keep it that way.

    Becoming an Orlando Weekly Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls.

    Join today because you love us, too.

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    Matt Keller Lehman and Matthew Moyer

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  • The Center Orlando launches queer arts festival Q Fest

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    The LGBT+ Center Orlando on Mills Ave.

    Nearly two months after Orlando Fringe canceled its LGBTQIA+ theater festival Out Fest, The Center is now launching a new endeavor that may fill the empty space. 

    The Center Orlando announced Wednesday it’s launching Q Fest, an interactive LGBTQ+ theater and film festival. 

    Set to take place over four days from Nov. 13 to 16 at The Center, Q Fest will focus on queer artists and stories with a slate of live performances, film screenings and community events, the organization says.

    “Q Fest is more than just a festival; it’s a vital platform for our community to see themselves reflected in art and to engage with the stories that matter to us,” said George Wallace, CEO of The Center Orlando.

    Orlando Fringe in late July announced Out Fest would not return this year, after debuting for its inaugural run in 2024. It comprised three days of shows that celebrated queer stories, history and artists. Despite initial challenges, the festival garnered positive reviews and was previously scheduled to return this September.

    “Unfortunately this year, we have carefully considered all possibilities of producing this event, but the truth is we are still trying to build a Fringe that we can sustain for the long haul,” Orlando Out Fest said in a statement in July. “For us that means being honest about what we can take on right now and making decisions that keep us moving forward in a real and responsible way.”

    Tickets for Q Fest go on sale Sept. 12 at Eventenly or on The Center’s website. A portion of all sales will directly benefit The Center. 

    The show lineup is as follows.

    Films:
    A Day in the Life of Miss Sammy (two screenings)
    Wanzie With a “Z” (two screenings)
    Greetings From Queertown (two screenings)

    Theatre:
    Tymisha Harris, TBD (two shows)
    P Sparkles, TBD (two shows)
    Drag Queen Story Time: After Dark (one show)
    Miah in Love (two shows)
    Professor Love’s Midnight Spectacular (two shows)
    Blacklist Babes Burlesque (two shows)
    Spooky & Gay Vol. II (two shows)
    Just Dempsey! (two shows)
    Nick Comis Magic/Illusions (two shows)
    Big Gay Variety Show (one show)
    Queer Up/Natalie Doliner: What Is Remembered Lives (two shows)

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    “We have just two hours, just really connecting with the music, the moment and each other”

    But it’s almost impossible to take in everything in just one visit

    The Central Florida Ballroom Collective takes over the Mezz on Saturday



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    Chloe Greenberg
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  • Play in a Day gives talented Orlandoans only 24 hours to create a short original production

    Play in a Day gives talented Orlandoans only 24 hours to create a short original production

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    WE LOVE OUR READERS!

    Since 1990, Orlando Weekly has served as the free, independent voice of Orlando, and we want to keep it that way.

    Becoming an Orlando Weekly Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls.

    Join today because you love us, too.

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    Zoey Thomas

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  • The Cup-A-Thon returns to Winter Park’s Crealdé School of Art for a 40th year

    The Cup-A-Thon returns to Winter Park’s Crealdé School of Art for a 40th year

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    Photo courtesy Crealdé/Facebook

    Cup-A-Thon returns to Winter Park’s Crealdé for a 40th year

    What’s better than buying a handmade ceramic cup? Getting it filled for free.

    The Crealdé School of Art, a nonprofit arts organization that offers courses and camps out of its Winter Park studio, is hosting the 40th annual Cup-A-Thon event this weekend (an OW favorite!).

    Visitors can pick from hundreds of ceramic cups, bowls and goblets made by Crealdé instructors and students, all up for purchase. Buy a cup and get it filled with your beverage of choice — all proceeds go back to the Crealdé ceramics studio.

    7 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Aug. 9-10, Crealdé School of Art, free.

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    Zoey Thomas

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  • Orlando Museum of Art to host free program for those with memory, neurological impairments

    Orlando Museum of Art to host free program for those with memory, neurological impairments

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    click to enlarge

    Photo via Orlando Museum of Art

    OMA to launch Art’s the Spark

    Orlando Museum of Art is set to host Art’s the Spark, a free program intended to provide a safe and comfortable environment for those with memory or neurological impairments.

    On select Saturdays, guests can head to the the museum for free interactive tours, small group discussions, art history information, studio activities, coffee and conversation with caregivers and more.

    The program will be available Aug. 3, Sept. 7 and Oct. 7.

    Inspired by a similar program at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Art’s the Spark is the only program of its kind in Central Florida. It will be implemented to ensure patients with memory impairment or neurological impairment and their caregivers are provided with a safe and inviting artistic environment.

    The Orlando Museum of Art is offering this program before regular public hours — 10:30 a.m. to noon — to provide a comfortable environment for guests.

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    Houda Eletr

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  • Fin de capitalism art show ‘No Gods, No Masterpieces’ opens at Stardust Video this week

    Fin de capitalism art show ‘No Gods, No Masterpieces’ opens at Stardust Video this week

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    click to enlarge

    Fabio Goose Incident Busch Gardens 1999 by Cassidy Jones

    The tandem of Cassidy Jones and Daniel Harris Mendoza might be better known to local margin-dwellers as two-thirds of cyber-thrashers C0mputer [or maybe that’s just our bias showing], but they’re also each gifted and outside-the-lines visual artists.

    No Gods, No Masterpieces is their joint show opening this weekend at Stardust Video, boasting new collages and paintings from Jones and Mendoza. Their work is stunning and mordantly funny and thought-provoking all at once; these are visual pieces that chronicle the collapse of society under out-of-control capitalism, and how sometimes brief fragments of beauty and joy can be found under the bottom lines and outside he profit margins.

    “Why not abandon the notion of masterpieces? What happens when we stop striving to create the next masterpiece and simply strive to make art?” shared the two in a statement sent to Orlando Weekly. “We become ungovernable, we become uncuratable — and we think that is beautiful.”

    6 p.m. Saturday, July 6, Stardust Video and Coffee, free.

    Location Details

    Stardust Video and Coffee


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    Matthew Moyer

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  • Hannibal Square Heritage Center Folk and Urban Art Festival offers up local history and creativity this weekend

    Hannibal Square Heritage Center Folk and Urban Art Festival offers up local history and creativity this weekend

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    Photo courtesy Hannibal Square Heritage Center

    Hannibal Square Heritage Center Folk and Urban Art Festival returns this weekend

    An artful display of local creativity and historically diverse culture happens this weekend at the 15th annual Hannibal Square Heritage Center Folk and Urban Art Festival.

    The Hannibal Square Heritage Center is devoted to the contributions of the city’s Black community over the years. The festival celebrates these contributions and the creation and art by highlighting artists, vendors and activities for all ages to enjoy.

    Some of this year’s activities include Hannibal’s Trek: Let’s Go Trekking through Shady Park for kids to enjoy, K2 Mobile Unit, storytelling and Black History Trivia to test your knowledge. Performances of African dancing and drumming, food vendors and a scavenger hunt will also take place throughout the day.

    This event is hosted by the Crealdé School of Art, which originally established the Center back in 2007 with the Hannibal Square community and the City of Winter Park.

    The 15th annual Hannibal Square Heritage Center Folk and Urban Art Festival happens Saturday, May 4, at Shady Park starting at 10 a.m. and is free to attend.

    Location Details

    Shady Park

    721 W. New England Ave., Winter Park Winter Park Area

    999-999-9999


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    Sarah Harwell

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  • Orlando performers across genre unite to tell a ‘Story’ this month

    Orlando performers across genre unite to tell a ‘Story’ this month

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    Courtesy image

    A diverse array of Orlando performers unite for the ‘Story’ performances in March

    Oh Adventurous Orlando performer and director Christian Kelty (Joe’s NYC Bar, The Little Merman From the Black Lagoon) is gathering together a group of local performers across genre and practice for Story — running over the new few Thursday evenings only.

    Taking over Ten10 Brewing’s BSide Space, Kelty and a crew of collaborators — including Banky, Michelina, Jester Cordell, Nigel John and director Sam Hazel— present Story for four successive Thursdays in March and early April.

    Story is a mix of improv theater and live music, dance, spoken word and visual art. Kelty, who has been batting this idea around since 2012, promises a “one of a kind, artistic experiment.”

    Story is performed at BSIde on the next four Thursdays: March 14 (tonight!), March 21, March 26, and April 4. Tickets are available through Ten10 Brewing.

    Event Details

    Story: Banky, Michelina, Kaleigh Baker, Nigel John, Christian Kelty

    Story: Banky, Michelina, Kaleigh Baker, Nigel John, Christian Kelty

    Thu., March 14, 7:30 p.m., Thu., March 21, 7:30 p.m., Thu., March 28, 7:30 p.m. and Thu., April 4, 7:30 p.m.

    BSide 1110 Virginia Drive, Orlando Ivanhoe Village


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    Matthew Moyer

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