Jim Helsinger News

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.

Mark St. Germain's Gertrude and Claudius, based on the novel by John Updike, commissioned and produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF runs from February 20 - March 23, 2019. Gertrude and Claudius will play in repertory with Shakespeare's Hamlet. 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).

The Fire and Reign series produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF will take audiences on an epic journey of Shakespeare's own version of "Game of Thrones."  

Mark St. Germain's Gertrude and Claudius, based on the novel by John Updike, commissioned and produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF runs from February 20 - March 23, 2019. Gertrude and Claudius will play in repertory with Shakespeare's Hamlet. 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's production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and adapted by Jim Helsinger runs from November 28 - December 30, 2018. 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).

Coming this November to the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage, The Hound of the Baskervilles promises audiences a thrilling, hilarious, and nimble retelling of the classic crime novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle starring the iconic Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Vampire attacks, werewolf sightings, and the resurrection of an Egyptian princess make for an exciting start to married life for Lady Enid, Lord Edgar's second wife. Set in mystical Gothic England, audiences will die laughing at this melodramatic farce - a quick-change marathon in which two actors play all the roles.