We told you HERE in October that Orlando Fringe (Website) had officially renamed the former Mad Cow Theatre and that they had plans to reopen as Fringe ArtSpace on January 11, 2023. The timetable is the same, but the Fringe team has also just released a programming schedule for Q1 and Q3 in their new space.
The new (to Fringe) 9,100 SF theater space features a black box performance area with 40-60 seats and a mainstage that seats 166.
Fringe ArtSpace 2023 Programming:
- January 11, 2023 – Grand Opening Celebration: Celebrate the opening of the new space, starting at 5:30 p.m. with a free open house and street party, open to the community. The event will feature a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Mayor, a live DJ, strolling entertainment, drinks, and two special preview performances of the Fringe Winter Mini-Fest.
- January 12-15, 2023 – Fringe Winter Mini-Fest: The 7th annual Winter Mini-Fest is a four-day curated theatre festival with the best of past festivals, new works by fan favorites, and brand new artists scouted from the international Fringe circuit with 18 artists performing several times throughout the weekend.
- January 26-29, 2023 – VarieTEASE GENESIS by BlueLaLa Entertainment: An extension of the last installment of VarieTEASE On The Move, which tells the story of the closing of the unique theatre, THE VENUE, and the four years following, this dance performance was specially created by Blue for the launch of ArtSpace.
- February 3-5, 2023 – CARRIE the Musical by William Daniel Mills Theatre Company: CARRIE The Musical is a thrilling and engaging retelling of Stephen King’s classic thriller novel Carrie. It tells the story of Carrie White, a teenager from a small town in New England, who is relentlessly bullied at school for being different and is harshly controlled at home by her fanatical mother.
- February 17-March 5, 2023 – Middletown by Kangagirl Productions & Ant Farm: A deeply moving and funny new play by acclaimed writer Will Eno that explores the universe of a small American town featuring an all-star cast directed by Orlando Fringe Festival Lifetime Achievement Award recipient David Lee. As a friendship develops between longtime resident John Dodge and new arrival Mary Swanson, the lives of the inhabitants of Middletown intersect in strange and poignant ways in a journey that takes them from the local library to outer space and points between. Middletown, which is modeled after Thorton Wilder’s classic play Our Town, will draw together artists from across the Central Florida community to collaborate on a very special production.
- March 9-11, 2023 – A Quarter of A Century…and then some! by Beth Marshall Presents: By mixing comedy, drama, rap, R&B, spoken word, dance, and songs to share his evolution of growth as a Black queer artist in 2022, Arius tells the story of his 25+ years of what he has learned and unlearned.
- March 17-19, 2023 – Our Lady of the Tortilla/Nuestra Señora de la Tortilla by Descolonizarte TEATRO: This comedy tells the story of an intergenerational, Latinx family in the U.S. struggling with tradition, culture, language, love, and… each other! Everything changes when the pious tia (aunty) sees the Virgin Mary on a tortilla and family ties are put to the test. Written by Emmy and National Hispanic Playwright Award Winner, Luis Santeiro. The play is in Spanglish (Spanish and English) with Spanish and English supertitles, and it features live music.
- May 16-29, 2023 – Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival: A 14-day arts festival, the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival is the longest-running Fringe Theatre Festival in the United States, celebrating 32 years as “Orlando’s Most Unique Cultural Experience.” This year, the Purple and Teal venues will be located at Fringe ArtSpace.
Fringe ArtSpace is located at 54 W. Church Street [GMap] above the former Graffiti Junktion restaurant space.
