Young Lilly of Mundelaine sets off for the Shipwreck Islands until March 20 at Orlando Family Stage, conquering her fears and teaming up with unlikely pirates. Directed by Christian Barillas, known for his recurring role as Ronaldo on “Modern Family” and theatre work with Center Theatre Group and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, among others, “Lilly and the Pirates the Musical” features original music and lyrics by his partner of 20 years. Brett Ryback is also an actor, composer, lyricist, wri...

ORLANDO | Descolonizarte TEATRO, an Orlando-based Latinx social change theater organization, hosted a screening of “Soul of the Desert” on Feb. 24 as part of its Community Conversations program. The internationally acclaimed documentary follows Georgina Epiayú, an Indigenous Wayúu trans woman, as she navigates the systematic erasure challenging her efforts to obtain documents that recognize her as a woman. The Community Conversations program encourages diverse audiences to engage in c...

ORLANDO | Orlando Family Stage celebrated its centennial with a commemorative breakfast Feb. 3, reuniting the theatre company’s current and former leaders, board members, artists, donors and community partners. “This organization, to get to 100 years, couldn’t get here without commitment from leaders, volunteers, public and private partnerships that exist,” says Dave Riccardi, President of Orlando Family Stage’s Board of Directors. “And there’s no greater partnership that we have in our hi...

ORLANDO | After city officials required the Renaissance Theatre Company to shutdown in mid-September, the fan favorite venue is just about ready to return home.
“It’s been a pretty tough couple of months, but I am really proud of the way that we’ve handled everything,” says Co-Founder Donald Rupe. The main change to the Ren during the building’s closure is an upgraded fire alarm that now alerts guests to evacuate the building, Rupe describes, a $40,000 upgrade. This was a requirement...

WINTER PARK, Fla. | The inclusive “Everyone is Welcome Here” banner outside of the First Congregational Church of Winter Park was removed and lit on fire Jan. 20, church leaders have shared.



The church shared the news via Facebook on the morning of Jan. 25.



“This act of hate and attempted arson was the result of our church, simply showing through our words and actions that we love and accept everyone,” they shared in a post. “Sadly, this type of hatred and violence is being normalized...

State Rep. Johanna López and Samuel Vilchez Santiago have raised thousands of funds just two weeks after filing for their respective campaigns for Orange County Commission District 4 and Florida House District 43. López has become the highest-fundraising candidate for the Orange County Commission so far in 2026, with over $70,000 raised between her campaign and two affiliated political committees, Friends of Johanna López and Pa Lante Together. Filing on Jan. 5, López entere...