Six new musicals, one charming little theater, and the kind of heart you don’t find just anywhere.
Earlier this week, we gave you the scoop on the Florida Festival of New Musicals at Winter Park Playhouse—the only festival of its kind in the Southeast. Now that we’ve been? We’re telling you: go.
For nearly a decade, Winter Park Playhouse has built a national reputation with this one-of-a-kind festival. Writers and composers from around the country submit their original musicals—60 submissions this year—and only six are chosen. Those six scripts are then handed to local directors and Orlando talent to bring to life, often with little to no input from the writers themselves.
It’s raw. It’s real. And for the writers, it’s a thrilling test: how does the work hold up when I’m not there to explain it?
Sonya Hayden, co-writer of the swinging ’60s airline comedy Taking Off!, called it “exhilarating” after seeing her show performed for the first time. Danielle E. Moore, who wrote Ink & Paint—a vibrant retelling of the forgotten women of Disney’s early animation team—was so impressed by our local talent and said they found moments in her script she didn’t even know were there. “Sometimes better than I imagined,” she said.
Another standout? Finding Our Way Back, a raw and beautifully crafted story about two sisters navigating high school, divorce, and racism. The young leads didn’t just sing—they poured. Their voices carried the weight of every word, drawing the audience into every ache and triumph.
After each performance, the audience is invited into a 15-minute talkback with the writers. During Taking Off!, a woman who lived through the 1960s stood up to say how spot-on the writing and details were—and how moved she was by the young creatives behind it.
But honestly, what makes this festival feel like a hidden gem isn’t just the work. It’s the place. There’s a reason Winter Park Playhouse is called the “Cheers of Winter Park.” If you show up, chances are Executive Director Heather Alexander will greet you with a hug—and then, she’ll remember your name the next time you visit. That kind of warmth is rare. Here, it’s the norm.
Each show is just one hour, tickets are $10, and it’s the perfect way to escape the heat and experience something exhilarating this weekend. The festival runs through Sunday.
If you’re looking for something unique, entertaining, and full of heart—this is it.
Trust us. You’ll want to say “I saw it here first.”
For more info and tickets: winterparkplayhouse.org