Jim Helsinger News

Time is running out to vote for for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Orlando Awards! The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.

Roberta Emerson, who has worked as an actor and director in many theaters throughout the United States, has been named Director of New Play Development with Orlando Shakes and Visiting Lecturer in the School of Performing Arts at the University of Central Florida, artistic director Jim Helsinger announced.

For the first time since closing its doors due to the pandemic in March 2020, Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF will return to its artistic home inside the Lowndes Shakespeare Center.

Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF gained approval from the national professional actors union, the Actors' Equity Association (AEA), for an enchanting production under the stars filled with laughter and romance.

A romantic evening of music and verse, Kiss Me, Shakespeare! A Valentine’s Cabaret will run February 12 - 14, 2021 in Orlando Shakes’ new outdoor performance space, the Darden Courtyard tent, behind the Lowndes Shakespeare Center. Patrons will be seated at socially distanced, cabaret-style tables. Tickets starting at $15 per person are on sale now.

Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF honors Black History Month with two different works featuring African American icons. First up, the theater will produce a Video on Demand performance of Deborah Brevoort’s My Lord, What a Night, filmed onstage in the Goldman Theater.

Inspired by a true friendship, Deborah Brevoort’s My Lord, What a Night produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF will be available to stream February 3 - 14, 2021. This Video on Demand production of My Lord, What a Night is part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere.

As Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF prepares to enter 2021, the theater is making big changes to the remainder of their 2020-2021 Season. To maintain safety for patrons and artists, all upcoming productions will now be performed either outside or offered virtually.

Just in time for the holidays, Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF brings Central Florida two heartwarming holiday offerings. Return to the theater in person for The Laura Hodos Holiday Cabaret! The Darden Courtyard will be transformed into an outdoor performance space with a new tented canopy for all to enjoy the incomparable Laura Hodos in a charming, holiday cabaret performance. 

For the first time since 2006, Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF will make an enthusiastic return to the Walt Disney Amphitheater at Lake Eola with productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream (March 31 -  April 11, 2021) and Little Shop of Horrors (May 5 - 23, 2021). Orlando Shakes got its start as a cultural touchstone of the Central Florida arts scene by performing an annual season of Shakespeare at Lake Eola beginning in 1989. To promote new safety measures during  the pandemic, the theater is returning to its original home. 

I needed this; we needed this; and if you are reading this, I know that you need this right now too.

A hilarious, holiday treat, The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge by Mark Brown, is the cheeky sequel to a beloved Christmas classic. Produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF, the Video on Demand virtual theater experience runs from December 10 - 20, 2020. 

This deliciously dark and compelling drama, Mark Rector and Mark Brown's Poe: Deep Into That Darkness Peering, is about one of America's most haunting poets, Edgar Allan Poe. Produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF, the Video on Demand virtual theater experience runs from October 22 - November 1, 2020.

Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF releases a new statement, continuing their commitment to the Black Lives Matter movement. The letter to the community features a list of goals for the organization, the execution of which will be guided by the newly formed Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee.

In light of recent developments of the global pandemic, Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF has made the decision to go virtual for the remainder of the 2020 calendar year in order to best protect the health and safety of the theater's patrons, artists, and staff.

Walt Disney World is now fully open, with two of its parks (Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom) having opened their gates over the weekend, and two more (Epcot and Hollywood Studios) opening today, July 15.

Virtual ShakesBeer: Hamlet Edition is a free Facebook Live event produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF, directed by Mark Routhier, and adapted by the cast.

Even during a time when patrons can't gather at the theater, Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF is offering a chance to satiate the palettes of those thirsty for arts and culture.

Virtual ShakesBeer: Hamlet Edition is a free Facebook Live event produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF and written and directed by Mark Routhier. During the comedic, abbreviated Shakespeare performance, the narrator and a?oedrinking guidea?? will guide viewers-and the performers-through a fun and silly drinking game. 

Acting master classes for adult performers now offered by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF's professional teaching artists. Actors of all skill levels are invited to brush up their acting skills by joining professional instructors for a Zoom class.