Jim Helsinger News

As school, work and social interactions go online, Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF announces a series of free online classes for adults. From Storytelling for Seniors to Interview skills to Shakespeare technique, these stand alone classes are ideal for adults seeking to broaden skills and develop new ones in the safety of their own homes. Participants will be able to livestream the class with Orlando Shakes professionals via webcam.

Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF's building may be closed but that hasn't stopped its creative reinvention of how the show must go on. Each week, actors from past productions are featured in 'throwback' videos on the company's Facebook page. Actors are submitting their own fresh takes of their previous performances from living rooms and backyards following stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The series of videos are a peek into the life of an actor while the country is on lockdown and a celebration of the undaunted spirit of the artist.

Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF will suspend performances March 16 - March 31, 2020. The theater will continue performances through Sunday, March 15. The novel coronavirus situation is rapidly evolving and Orlando Shakes will update plans as necessary.

A few weeks back, I attended the opening night of The Three Musketeers at Orlando Shakes. I marveled, in particular, at a rotating stage and staircase designed by Bert Scott. The way the production team used that stage always impressed me. Imagine my delight when I came back to Orlando Shakes for the opening weekend of HENRY IV, PART 1 and saw that same exact stage now being used to represent 1492 England rather than 1628 France. Part of it is my fault, I didn't know they'd be using the same stage and assumed another theatre space at Orlando Shakes would house HENRY IV. But now knowing that this same space was used for two plays got the wheels in my head turning. It's a genius move on Orlando Shakes' part, creating a very fitting double-feature of entertainment. The same cast, the same stage, but two wholly different stories unfold.

Shakespeare's epic Fire and Reign series continues with a dynamic production of Henry IV, Part 1, produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF. This production will run in repertory February 19 - March 21, 2020 along with Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers, as adapted by Catherine Bush. Tickets (starting at $30) are available now by phone (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, online at orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

From the theater's greatest endeavor, staging Shakespeare's turbulent epic, to a comedic, sci-fi musical, Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF is offering a diverse array of classic, contemporary, and children's plays for their 2020-2021 Season.

Ask anyone to describe the Three Musketeers, and you'll get the usual answers: three heroes, bound together in brotherhood, inseparable in the most dire circumstances. They were a holy trinity of masculinity and friendship, the #SquadGoals of the 19th century. But unless one were intimately familiar with Alexandre Dumas' novel or its many adaptations, five will get you ten the average Joe today would be remiss to actually name all of them. That's not the fault of the average Joe, but rather the reputation that precedes these fictional characters. Most would be familiar with what they are, not necessarily who they are.

Swashbuckling sword fights and romance lie at the center of this thrilling take on Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers by Catherine Bush, produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF, runs from February 5 - March 22, 2020. This bold production will run in repertory with William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1. Tickets (starting at $30) are available now by phone (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, online at orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

Shakespeare's epic Fire and Reign series continues with a dynamic production of Henry IV, Part 1, produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF. This production will run in repertory February 19 - March 21, 2020 along with Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers, as adapted by Catherine Bush. Tickets (starting at $30) are available now by phone (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, online at orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

Swashbuckling sword fights and romance lie at the center of this thrilling take on Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers by Catherine Bush, produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF, runs from February 5 - March 22, 2020.

Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF's season-opener, Evita, featuring music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics and book by Tim Rice, runs from September 4 - October 6, 2019. Tickets (starting at $35) are available now by phone (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, online at orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF's season-opener, Evita, featuring music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics and book by Tim Rice, runs from September 4 - October 6, 2019. Tickets (starting at $35) are available now by phone (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, online at orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

After an extensive search by a search committee comprised of Board members, staff, and community leaders, Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF announces the hiring of Douglas Love-Ramos as its new Managing Director. Love-Ramos will succeed PJ Albert who is leaving the organization after 18 years; the past six years as Managing Director. Love-Ramos will join Artistic Director Jim Helsinger as the co-leadership team as the theater begins it's 31st Season.

Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF announces the departure of Managing Director PJ Albert.

William Shakespeare's Richard II produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF runs from March 27 - April 28, 2019. Tickets (starting at $30) are available now by phone (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, online at orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

William Shakespeare's Richard II produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF runs from March 27 - April 28, 2019. Tickets (starting at $30) are available now by phone (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, online at orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

William Shakespeare's Richard II produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF runs from March 27 - April 28, 2019. Tickets (starting at $30) are available now by phone (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, online at orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF announces the upcoming productions for their 2019-2020 Season. The theater celebrates classic, contemporary, and children's plays with a season featuring an Andrew Lloyd Webber hit musical, three Shakespearean classics, a new Christmas staple, two new works that shed new light on history, and three children's stories brought to life.

Serving as a prequel to Hamlet, Gertrude and Claudius brings a new point of view to the classic tale of guilt and revenge. The infamous couple serve as the villains in Shakespeare's work, but are offered a new exposition in this tale of good intentions and family dysfunction. With ominous hints at the familiar story to come, Gertrude and Claudius is a play that shakes up what you thought you knew about Elsinore.