Kody Grassett News

Based on Joe Simpson’s bestselling memoir turned BAFTA-winning film, David Greig’s thrilling adaptation charts this astonishing feat of human endurance. Life-affirming and often darkly funny, Touching the Void takes the audience on an epic adventure that asks how far you’d be willing to go to survive.

Four actors take on 9 characters for 15 nights of high octane fun with Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest! Join us for this meta-comedy as some of Apollinaire's favorite actors bring you on their wild ride through this Wilde production. 

A staged reading of Steve Yockey's Blackberry Winter, presented by Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando Shakes) in Partnership with UCF as a part of UCF Celebrates the Arts, will appear April 9, 2018 in the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater. This production of Blackberry Winter originally appeared at Orlando Shakes in 2017, after the script was featured as a reading at the Theater's PlayFest 2014. To raise awareness of caregiving in its various forms for Alzheimer's, dementia, and other conditions, the reading will be followed by a post-show talkback with the playwright, caregivers, and performers. Tickets ($20) are available online now at http://arts.cah.ucf.edu/event/blackberry-winter.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando Shakes) in Partnership with UCF is thrilled to present William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra featuring Michael Dorn as Antony and Caralyn Kozlowski as Cleopatra.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando Shakes) in Partnership with UCF is thrilled to present William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra featuring Michael Dorn as Antony and Caralyn Kozlowski as Cleopatra. Dorn, best known for starring as Lieutenant Commander Worf in the syndicated television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Kozlowski, long-running stage actor with over 40 professional theater credits, will perform in Antony and Cleopatra from March 29 - April 30, 2017 in the Goldman Theater. Tickets ($25 - $60) for Antony and Cleopatra are available now by calling (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, visiting www.orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

My mother is…. For many, these three little words evoke things such as "interesting," "crazy," or even "getting old." But when you hear "My mother is suffering - no not suffering - living with Alzheimer's disease," these three little words take on a whole new meaning. When your own mother starts to forget you, do you even know your mother anymore? Do you even know yourself? These are the questions Vivienne painstakingly tries to answer in Steve Yockey's BLACKBERRY WINTER.

Years of success, meticulous planning, and an eye for detail have in no way prepared Vivienne Avery for her mother's slide into the grip of dementia. Vivienne recounts memories of her aging mother and the difficult decisions regarding her care. Interwoven with these stories is an evolving, wondrous 21st century Alzheimer's creation myth-an origin story about a White Egret who tries to protect forest animals as they lose their memories to a blind, oblivious Mole. Blackberry Winter is a moving, occasionally humorous, and deeply human new work.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando Shakes) in Partnership with UCF presents Steve Yockey's Blackberry Winter.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando Shakes) in Partnership with UCF presents Steve Yockey's Blackberry Winter. Yockey's new play tells the story of a daughter doing her best to shepherd her mother in safety and comfort through the memory loss and dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease. Blackberry Winter appears from January 4 - February 5, 2017 in the Goldman Theater. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in character below!

Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando Shakes) in Partnership with UCF presents Steve Yockey's Blackberry Winter.

This season's PlayFest lineup will be dedicated to new works that have a direct correlation to themes relating to the Pulse shooting that took place in Orlando on June 12, 2016. The groundbreaking new works will include Israel Horovitz's The Day Before Yesterday, Karen Zacarias'Native Gardens, Allison Gregory's Motherland, Lee Blessing's Minneapolis/St. Paul, and John Biguenet's Ever After.  

Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando Shakes) in Partnership with UCF invites audiences to take a risk on new plays at PlayFest presented by Harriett's Charitable Trust from November 3 - 6, 2016. This year's four-day event titled PlayFest: After Pulse will feature six new plays that explore issues surrounding the Pulse tragedy. Tickets to individual PlayFest readings ($10) may be purchased online at www.orlandoshakes.org, by phone at (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street). PlayFest Passes ($49) and PlayFest VIP Passes ($100) are on sale now and may be purchased by phone or in person.

West Side Story tells the epic love story of idealistic young lovers Maria and Tony as they find themselves caught between rival street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence, and prejudice is one of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching, and relevant musical dramas of our time. West Side Story's legendary jazz, Latin, and classical-inspired score features the treasured songs 'Maria,' 'Tonight,' 'I Feel Pretty,' and 'America.'

Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando Shakes) in Partnership with UCF is thrilled to present the internationally acclaimed American musical, West Side Story from September 7 - October 9, 2016 in the Margeson Theater. Featuring a talented mix of international theater players, Central Florida favorites, and a live orchestra, West Side Story will kick off the Theater's upcoming 28th Season Signature Series. Tickets to West Side Story are available now by calling (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, visiting www.orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

The Breakthrough Theatre of Winter Park presents the Tom Eyen comedy, 'Women Behind Bars', at the Orlando Fringe Festival from May 18-29, 2016, in the RED VENUE

We've all heard the saying, 'They don't make 'em like they used to.' Now, thanks to Theatre UCF's REELING, running through February 28th, they actually do still make 'em like they used to, complete with banana peels, pratfalls, and not a single spoken word. This one-of-a-kind play recreates the zany charms and enthusiastic silliness of the classic silent films of Buster Keaton. Written by Barry Kornhauser, REELING features an original, era-appropriate soundtrack by Michael Koerner that underscores all of the madcap action. While REELING won't make you forget the brilliance of Keaton, Fatty Arbuckle, or Charlie Chaplin, it will make you nostalgic for a time when there was no greater revenge than a pie in the face.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF invites audiences to take a risk on new plays at PlayFest this week, November 5 - 8, 2015.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF invites audiences to take a risk on new plays at PlayFest from November 5 - 8, 2015.

While it has been nearly 20 years since I was a Catholic school student, I have to admit that I don't quite remember it being much like St. Veronica's in Theatre UCF's production of Charles Busch's bawdy comedy THE DIVINE SISTER. Directed by UCF Associate Professor Kate Ingram, the play runs through October 3rd in the campus' Black Box Theatre. The 2010 Off-Broadway comedy lampoons Hollywood's obsession with nuns, riffing on THE SOUND OF MUSIC, THE BELLS OF ST. MARY, AGNES OF GOD, and more; Busch even mixes in his take on the recent surge in Catholic mythology fiction, a la THE DAVINCI CODE. While the humor might be something that would normally get your hand smacked with a ruler, the show does have an ultimately sweet, faith-affirming message; despite the sacreligious and sophomoric humor that, if you suffer Catholic guilt, will likely have you running for the confessional booth.