Orlando Fringe best exemplified the ingenuity shown by our artists in this pandemic year
As we warm ourselves beside the dwindling embers of the dumpster fire that was 2020, it s difficult to remember anything positive about this past year, especially amid the devastation of Central Florida s cultural community. But despite bearing a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 s economic impact, Orlando s artists and entertainers agilely adapted, inventing new ways of connecting to audiences despite social distancing and serving as beacons of hope or at least desperately needed distractions during the pandemic s darkest days.
After the initial shock of last spring s shutdown subsided, I discovered unexpected joy in watching how local performers adapted to our abnormal new normal.
fac.coloradocollege.edu through Jan. 3.
âWeâre putting that together in an hourlong celebration as a moment of joy and with familiar faces they (audiences) love,â says FAC producing artistic director Scott RC Levy.
Levy and Nathan Halvorson, FAC associate director of performing arts, will co-host the show, with performances by Jerry McCauley and his family doing new arrangements of familiar songs; Sally and Mallory Hybl singing âSilent Nightâ; Marisa Hebert reading âThe Night Before Christmasâ to her four toy poodles; and Levy and his family doing a Hanukkah cooking show.
Other performers include Jennifer DeDominici, Susan Dawn Carson and Kelly Walters, Miriam Roth, Kyle Dean Steffen and Kelli Dodd, and Zach and Heidi Guzman and their children.
Community Calendar: Dec 19-22, 2020 thedailystar.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thedailystar.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
9 & 10 News
December 17, 2020
Youth theatre is beneficial for kids in so many ways. I credit a lot of my current imagination and thought process to my time spent performing in front of an audience as a child. When you’re a kid, theatre teaches you that you have a voice that people will listen to, not only other kids but also a roomful of adults. My mom could sense my shyness when I was little and thought that theatre would be a proactive way to get me more comfortable with not only my peers but with myself, and it worked. Being small and standing before bright lights and a crowd of people forces you to understand that being in front of a lot of people might scare you, but it can’t hurt you.