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Watermark Out News •

Descolonizarte TEATRO hosts screening of Colombian documentary ‘Soul of the Desert’

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...
Watermark Out News •

Orlando Family Stage marks centennial with celebratory reunion

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...
Watermark Out News •

Renaissance Theatre Company nears reopening after Orlando shutdown

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...
The Charge •

Austin’s Coffee hosts soft opening at new location on Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park

Soft chatter among employees and customers filled a freshly relocated Winter Park coffee shop and arts landmark early Monday morning. Apologies were offered to customers for the unavailability of chai and espresso, as the espresso machine was being repaired in the background.Eclectic Winter Park third space, Austin’s Coffee & Film, soft opened its new location at 7 a.m. on Monday, with loyal customers stopping by for drinks and staying for the ambience.
About a mile west of its original...
The Community Paper •

Welcoming the wild

The Winter Park Veterinary Hospital keeps its doors open for patients who need care, and not just house pets. The hospital receives wildlife patients periodically, WPVH’s Dr. Eric Los Kamp said in an interview. “After a hurricane is always the worst time for the wildlife because they can get washed out in places they’re not supposed to nest and get trampled by families, get separated, things like that,” Los Kamp said. 
WPVH, a family-owned practice, is open daily. Its wildlife patients include...
The Charge •

Orlando residents, UCF students rally for 'No Kings' protest against Trump administration

As the sun rose just above the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday morning, dozens of people had already gathered across Orange Avenue in City Commons Plaza to join in on a nationwide sequel to June’s "No Kings" protests.Orlando residents rallied outside Orlando City Hall in the cooler weather. Among those in attendance was Mari Tomlinson, a UCF alumnus from the class of 2023, who expressed outrage toward President Trump. 
“Trump has been completely ruining this count...
The Community Paper •

A splash of color washes over Orlando Museum of Art

On walls lined with water-based washes of color, vivid watercolor paintings are taking residence in Orlando from now until Jan. 4. 
The Florida Watercolor Society has opened its 54th annual exhibition, “To Catch a Dream,” at the Orlando Museum of Art. FWS, since its founding in 1972, has grown to more than 1,000 members. 
This year’s exhibition includes 100 watercolors, each hand-selected by award-winning watercolor artist and juror Matthew Bird. 
“The amount of talent in this area is kind of mi...
Oviedo Community News •

Tiny Chuluota food pantry provides 1,000 critical meals and counting

A chorus of greetings from a dozen smiling volunteers ushered three small children inside the suite beside the Chuluota Grocery store, their mother trailing behind them.
“Go on and pick your chips,” one of the volunteers told them, helping the kids stuff grocery bags from boxes filled with potato chip varieties. Noticing how one of the children was unable to choose from the bin, a volunteer handed out a Frito-Lay variety mix box and told her she could take it home. Volunteers helped the mothe...

Guides

Watermark Out News •

Orlando Fringe spotlights LGBTQ+ stories in 35th festival

The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival returns for its 35th installment in Loch Haven Park May 12-25 with another lineup spotlighting LGBTQ+ voices and stories. Since 1992, Orlando Fringe has provided a space for artists and performers to showcase their craft in an environment that encourages the unusual and uncensored. At Orlando Fringe, 100% of ticket sales are given back to the artists. Its mission is to create cost-effective platforms, equitable opportunities and resourc...
Orlando Weekly •

Your 2025 guide to the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival

Summer for arts lovers in the City Beautiful commences in earnest with the return of the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival to Loch Haven Park this week. The Fringe Festival is an Orlando-favorite annual performing-arts fest, with 34 years of presenting unapologetic arts and performances under its metaphorical belt. This year’s festival is all about embracing the arts and their ability to challenge and inspire, evidenced in its 2025 theme: “Let Your Fringe Flag Fly!”

Arts & Entertainment Profiles

Watermark Out News •

SunRail Sluts advocate for expanded public transportation in Central Florida

The Good Page features positive LGBTQ+ news in Central Florida and Tampa Bay, uplifting and inspiring stories highlighting locals in our community. In this issue, we meet the SunRail Sluts based in Central Florida. Dominik Fitz and Giselle Elayne are calling public transport lovers aboard the SunRail Sluts trip, making TikToks promoting usage of the train and advocating for the expansion of its line. Fitz, a queer person residing in Greater Orlando, met Elayne, who identifies as sapph...
Watermark Out News •

Lady Bunny says 'Don’t Bring the Kids!' to Florida shows

International drag icon Lady Bunny will return to Florida with her raunchy, witty show “Don’t Bring the Kids!” March 25 in Tampa and March 26 in Orlando.



She heads down south on her nationwide tour of the show, with all the same big hair. Bunny, known for her extended residencies in New York, hails from the South and considers herself versatile and fluent in communicating with audiences from wherever they are on the coast. 



“I’m from a red state,” Bunny tells Watermark Out News. “I gre...
Watermark Out News •

‘RENT in Concert’ brings symphonic performance to Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center

ORLANDO | Thirty years after the musical originally opened, “RENT in Concert” is bringing “Seasons of Love” and more to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for a symphonic version March 14. Jonathan Larson’s “RENT” is set in New York’s Lower East Side under the shadow of HIV and AIDS. It follows a group of young, impoverished artists and musicians like Angel, Roger, Mimi and Tom. Maureen Johnson, a confident, outgoing performance artist, deals with her infidelity through h...
Watermark Out News •

'Lilly and the Pirates the Musical' sets sail at Orlando Family Stage

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 Weekly •

Electroclash icon Peaches brings transgressive,body-positive music (back) to Orlando

Angry, wet and sexy, Peaches returns to an Orlando stage to feel up the crowd (and herself). After a decade of touring with dance troupes and focusing on the visual and performance arts, Canadian electroclash artist Peaches, born Merrill Nisker, is kicking off a world tour in Florida with the release of her new album, No Lube So Rude. Nisker established herself as a queer, sexually transgressive artist in 2000 in a big way with her salaciously classic debut, The Teaches of Peaches. Her music,...
Orlando Weekly •

Fringe favorite Jon Bennett revives two solo shows at the Dr. Phillips Center

Jon Bennett hails from a pig farm in the outback of Australia, the youngest of four in a religious family. As a vegetarian, pig farming disagreed with his tenets. So Bennett sought the stage instead, traveling and performing around the world for 17 years. The Aussie background does not deter his appeal to American audiences (see Dundee, Crocodile, after all). For one night, Bennett is bringing two of his hit shows to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Ameri-CAN, formerly kn...
The Community Paper •

Skip off the wall

At the back of À La Cart’s new Art² (Art Squared) Park in downtown Orlando, the wall of the main building’s backside visualizes the city’s history. 
The portrait is a tribute to Orlando’s 150th anniversary, the mural’s artist, Justin Skipper, said in an interview. The four subjects in the mural are intended to represent Orlando in the years 1875, 1945, 1975 and 2025. 
“They were looking for art that would help celebrate,” Skipper said. “The concept is a tribute to The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’ album...
Orlando Weekly •

Canadian dream-pop group Men I Trust play two nights at Orlando’s House of Blues

Montreal indie trio Men I Trust are coming down South this week in typical snowbird fashion. 
Three weeks into the North American leg of their Equus tour, dream-poppers Men I Trust are coming to the Sunshine State for five shows in St. Petersburg, Orlando and Miami, after a brief interruption supporting Billie Eilish for a few shows. The Saturday show in Orlando is tragically sold out, but there are still limited tickets available for Friday (as of this writing).
The band is most widely known...
Orlando Weekly •

Orlando, hail your new Christmas music overlords: ’90s rock supergroup Ezra Ray Hart

The likes of Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé have been defrosted for their seasonal reign over radio stations. Yes, it must be the Yuletide season, but now some new players are ready to bring 1990s-style Christmas cheer.  Kevin Griffin, Better Than Ezra’s lead vocalist and one-third of festive supergroup Ezra Ray Hart, reveals his recipe for the perfectly baked Christmas hit to Orlando Weekly.
The Community Paper •

The kids are all right

School-organized after-school programs for the performing arts are commonly geared toward the classical arts: chorus, orchestra and band. Noticing a lack in support for modern music programs while seeing potential talents in her students, Holly Cordero paved a different outlet for young performers. 
“The stuff going on in terms of the arts being shut down and funding and grants being shut down has definitely put a little bit of a damper on most arts organizations,” Cordero said in an interview....
Orlando Weekly •

Orlando drag royalty feature in new ghost-hunting show 'SHOOK! Queens of the Dead'

A new queer, locally grown television project is crossing drop-dead gorgeous drag performers with, well … the dead. SHOOK! Queens of the Dead plunges six Orlando and Central Florida drag queens wig-first into haunted locations around the world. SHOOK! co-creator Brian Reddy, an Orlando native now based in Atlanta, tells Orlando Weekly that the show initially started out as a joke. “A friend of mine, Tobi, also known as Sue Cyde in Orlando, came up and was just visiting me for a weeke...
The Community Paper •

Diving deep and soaring to new heights

A young Jason Chin’s life took a turn when he met famed children’s book author and illustrator Trina Schart Hyman (“Little Red Riding Hood,” “Saint George and the Dragon”), who frequently visited his elementary school in Lyme, New Hampshire. 
Inspired by her, Chin studied illustration at Syracuse University and later developed his love for the children’s book genre while at his post-grad job at independent bookstore Books of Wonder in Brooklyn. 
“I learned from that experience how diverse, creat...
Orlando Weekly •

Orlando visual artist Gisela Romero showcases community faces in new exhibition

In the five years since immigrating to the United States from Venezuela with her husband, Orlando-based visual artist Gisela Romero’s works have centered around her newfound community. 


Her latest exhibition, WE, will be featured at the Orange County Administration Center as part of the Art in the Chambers exhibition program. The opening reception happens Monday night, Sept. 29, at 5 p.m.; the work is on display from Friday, Sept. 25, through Jan. 27, 2026. The Terrace Gallery is open Monday-...
Orlando Weekly •

Alice in Chains guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell is coming to Orlando and he wants blood

Jerry Cantrell is a creature of the night. “My fucking brain is a pain sometimes to shut off. I’m kind of a vampire by nature; I normally exist pretty late. I don’t really go to sleep until about 4 or 5 in the morning. I’ve been living road hours my whole life, so I wake up about the crack of noon. I’ve always felt like those are some of my more creative hours because the brain is still turning at those late hours and if your head is keeping you up at night, maybe it’s a good idea to exercise w...
Orlando Weekly •

Little Radical Theatrics stages ‘Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy’ in Orlando

Holy smokes, these nuns have moves. The feel-good musical Sister Act, based on the 1992 film of the same name, hits the stage at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts this weekend featuring the talents of local theater company Little Radicals Theatrics. Sister Act tells the story of disco diva Deloris Van Cartier, who is placed in protective custody in a convent after witnessing a murder on Christmas Eve. This production of the hit musical features original music by Osc...
Orlando Weekly •

‘Friday the 13th’ actor and rocker Ari Lehman — aka First Jason — talks new music, genre fluidity and water safety

It's been 45 years since the world met "the boy in the lake," when the 1980 horror classic Friday the 13th released in theaters. But Jason Voorhees is now all grown up and touring with his metal band, First Jason.
The band's frontman and leading man is Ari Lehman, the songwriter, keytarist and actor best known for playing the first Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th. Think of a heavy metal version of Weird Al Yankovic and you've got Lehman.
Lehman — "pronounced like demon," he...
Orlando Weekly •

Florida band Flipturn play a two-night stand at the House of Blues this week and they've got new songs to share

Flipturn may have stormed into the mainstream as indie-rock contenders last year, but for local fans, the Floridian five-piece remains a success story of a group of friends who played college shows around the state.
Hailing from Fernandina Beach, a small island up the coast north of Jacksonville, Flipturn have grown out of playing local shows and are currently venturing out on a lengthy tour across North America and Europe.
See, this “indie sweat rock” band is no longer Florida’s little secret. Flipturn have made waves nationally, the former high-school garage band now playing for large crowds at music festivals all over.
Orlando Weekly •

Orlando rockers Magnolia Park play a vampy homecoming show at the Beacham

Rise, Orlando vampires, and enter Nocturne Nexus, a shadowed realm where an ancient darkness stirs.
This fictional urban cityscape sets the scene for Magnolia Park's new album, VAMP.
Orlando-native punk band Magnolia Park play a homecoming show at the Beacham Friday, with support from Hot Milk, South Arcade and Savage Hands. They're out on tour commemorating the album's release.
VAMP is an adventurous new chapter in Magnolia Park's discography, showing off bold songw...
Orlando Weekly •

Senses' first headline tour brings them to Orlando

"Emo-friendly and punk-curious" — their words — rock band Senses are currently on the road in their first headline tour, dubbed "I'm Still Breathing," and it's bringing them to Orlando's Conduit this
week.
With support from MVSSIE and Negative 25, Senses take over Conduit Sunday. The tour commemorates the release of the band's eponymous second EP, which dropped last month.
The Los Angeles-based band initially formed in 2019 when lead singer and guitarist Madison Taylor post...