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Fringe: Orlando's Best Kept Secret

 


Tawdry wizards, sizzling dancers, pirates, clowns, drag queens and non-stop sexual innuendos. But enough about the audience, there are also amazing things happening on stage. Orlando is well known for its theme parks, its tourist destinations and even its downtown nightlife. Little known to the outside world is a yearly event called the Orlando Fringe Festival.

Orlando Fringe has been supporting independent artists for the past 33 years. Talent arrives from around the globe to display their skills, humor, acting and pageantry during this two week long event. You can choose from among 100 different acts ranging from children's shows to stand up comedy, from Broadway musicals to brilliant burlesque. There is truly something for everyone.

My personal history with this event started almost 20 years ago. A good friend of mine from Journal group named Ed Anthony persuaded me to give it a try. Ed is a Fringe super fan. He attends every year and sometimes every show. One time he attended 108 performances in one season. That is dedication. His passion for Fringe convinced me to agree to give it a try.

My first show was a one man stand up routine by Canadian storyteller TJ Dawe. Over the course of one hour I was laughing, crying and lost in deep provoking thought. TJ blew me away with his wit and courage. Being a storyteller myself it was the perfect way to open my eyes to what was possible at Fringe.

Rocky Horror Revue-Sical

It turns out that I dove into those kooky waters at a good time. I was able to witness performances from artists who would become staples of the scene for years to come. I enjoyed the musical delights of Tod Kimbro, the production genius of Michael Wanzie and the cosmic choreography of BlueStar. It is hard to imagine a better introduction than to witness the birth of such luminaries.

I lived in Orlando in the early 2000's but moved away for a stretch and then returned a couple years ago. Upon returning I vowed to get more involved in the festival that I loved so much. Luckily the managers of Fringe have made it easy to do so. There are work, volunteer and internship opportunities as well as many different ways to contribute financially. That's how I started donating to Club Fringe.

This year the Orlando Fringe Festival will take place May 16th to May 29th, 2023. There will be multiple venues around The Orlando Shakespeare Center plus outside venues like The Fringe Art Space and The Abbey. There will be free buses that travel between them. All you have to do is buy a Fringe Button and your tickets. Be sure to wear your button when you come to a show and tickets are available on the website so you can use your phone to order and display them.

In addition to the shows there will also be a full display of weirdness in Loch Haven park complete with an outdoor stage, beer tents, food trucks and live performances. Plus for those night owls among us there is also Fringe After Dark: A Flashlight Cabaret and Fringe After Dark: The After Party. At the end of two weeks, should you have favorite shows, there is an awards ceremony that celebrates these artists in several different categories. 

Most recently my girlfriend and I attended the Fringe previews. This eclectic event allowed performers to put forward 2 minute snippets of their show to encourage audience enthusiasm. The shows were split into General Audience and Mature Audience. We used a booklet to mark which shows we are excited about seeing in May.

It can be hard to sort through so many shows so we decided to list our top picks. Warning: They are mostly musical and mostly Adult in theme.

We begin in a Tavern (Comedy DnD Adventure)

Whiskeyland (Musical Parable about Alcohol)

A Bad Romance (Fairy Tale with Modern Music)

The City Beautiful (Original live band Burlesque)

Nashville Hurricane (Amazing Guitarist and Storyteller)

Dick Sweat: Private Investigator (Snarky Sexual Innuendos)

Dungeons and Drag Queens (Self-explanatory)

The Old Man and the Old Moon (Renaissance style Band)

Rocky Horror Revue-Sical (It's a Parody!)

Dick Sweat: Private Investigator


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