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Orlando, Florida

Orlando Arts: Art Scene in Orlando

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Sunny, family-friendly Orlando is one of America’s top tourist destinations, featuring the largest concentration of theme parks in the country. Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World are definitely major draws here, attracting a staggering 80 million guests each year, but the city has more to offer than animal attractions and thrill rides. It also hosts a number of dance, theatrical and visual arts options to satisfy the diverse interests of its numerous visitors.

Orlando Arts Information

Art Museums

Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art – The Morse (Winter Park, FL)

The Morse Museum’s biggest draw is its collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, which includes jewelry, pottery, paintings, art glass, leaded-glass windows and lamps, and the chapel interior the artist designed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. In fact, it’s the largest in the world, and it’s all housed in Winter Park, in several buildings on North Park Avenue that were converted from former bank and office …more…

Mennello Museum of American Art

As its name implies, the Mennello Museum is focused entirely on the contributions of American folk artists, most of whom were primarily active during the 20th century.  The collection began in 1998 with a donation of works of American folk artist Earl Cunningham, by Marilyn and Michael Mennello, to the City of Orlando.  The museum has continued to collect and …more…

Orlando Museum of Art

Located in Loch Haven Park amidst a number of the region’s most important cultural institutions, the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) is one of the foremost museums in Florida. Like a number of art museums across the country, it began (in 1924) as an informal collective of artists whose primary goal was to create an outlet for and dialogue around their art. In the ensuing decades it has …more…

Theater

Mad Cow Theatre

Mad Cow Theatre began in 1997 with the production of two shows by a group of actors/directors in a former blueprint studio in Maitland, Florida. Now located in downtown Orland, the theater presents both classic and contemporary plays and musicals. Past seasons have included such works as Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, Ionesco’s The Chairs, Lanford Wilson’s Burn This, Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart, Jones …more…

Orlando Shakespeare Theater

Nestled in the gorgeous grounds of Loch Haven Cultural Park, the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre is part of the Lowndes Center’s many artistic offerings.  A sterling dramatic compan, OST offers much more than just the words of William Shakespeare. Producing six mainstage and three professional children’s productions each season, OST makes its art a year-round endeavor, with diverse titles ranging from the classical (The Merchant of …more…

Classical Music

Bach Festival Society of Winter Park

The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park is one of the oldest continuously operating Bach festivals in the United States, as well as being Central Florida’s oldest extant performing arts organization. It was founded in 1935 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach’s birth by presenting the composer’s orchestral and choral works for the enlightenment, education, pleasure, and enjoyment of the public.

The society is well regarded internationally and …more…

Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra

Central Florida’s resident artistic organization, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra has been entertaining Floridians since its first season in 1991. Since then, the orchestra has risen to new levels of precision and artistry, performing over 125 performances each year. With a strong dedication to education and outreach, the ensemble performs 30 Young People’s Concerts at area schools for more than …more…

Jazz

Orlando Cabaret Festival

(April-May) Every Spring, Downtown Orlando plays host to the month-long Orlando Cabaret Festival, hosted by Mad Cow Theatre. Each year, MCT transforms its intimate theater space into a lively cabaret nightspot featuring everything from jazz and Broadway favorites to pop revues and unique theatrical experiences. Performers range from local favorites performing hits from the Great American Songbook to nationally recognized acts who blend original material with the great torch songs …more…

Dance

Orlando Ballet

Orlando Ballet is a modest regional company, which has a repertoire that includes standard classics, a bit of Latino flavor, and family friendly productions. They present their own original Nutcracker each year and their sassy, pop-infused “Battle of the Sexes” variety shows have received popular success.

Performances aside, the company is perhaps best known for its award-winning training academy. The Orlando Ballet School is housed in four different locations within Central …more…

Multi-Arts Festivals

Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival

(May)

Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival Information

Venues: All venues are located within Loch Haven Park
Public Transportation: Good (steps from LYNX bus 125 at Princeton Street/Mills Avenue; and a 5-minute walk from buses 102 and 1792 at Orange Avenue/Princeton Street)
Handicapped Accessibility: Good
Performances/Programs: Programming includes theatre, music, dance, art, and much more. Performance schedule varies
Ticket Prices: Must purchase a fringe button for $8. Ticket prices vary by performance. Tickets may only be purchased …more…

Venues

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

The ground upon which the Phillips Center will sit was officially broken in June of 2011; barring any unforeseen setbacks, the Center plans to debut in 2014. Funded in part with a large grant from the Disney Corporation (which will lead to the Center’s largest hall being named after Disney), the Phillips Center aims to replace the aging Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, which has been a staple of Orlando’s performing arts scene since the late 1920s. ...more...

Art Museums

Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art – The Morse (Winter Park, FL)

The Morse Museum’s biggest draw is its collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, which includes jewelry, pottery, paintings, art glass, leaded-glass windows and lamps, and the chapel interior the artist designed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. In fact, it’s the largest in the world, and it’s all housed in Winter Park, in several buildings on North Park Avenue that were converted from former bank and office …more…

Mennello Museum of American Art

As its name implies, the Mennello Museum is focused entirely on the contributions of American folk artists, most of whom were primarily active during the 20th century.  The collection began in 1998 with a donation of works of American folk artist Earl Cunningham, by Marilyn and Michael Mennello, to the City of Orlando.  The museum has continued to collect and …more…

Orlando Museum of Art

Located in Loch Haven Park amidst a number of the region’s most important cultural institutions, the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) is one of the foremost museums in Florida. Like a number of art museums across the country, it began (in 1924) as an informal collective of artists whose primary goal was to create an outlet for and dialogue around their art. In the ensuing decades it has …more…

Theater

Mad Cow Theatre

Mad Cow Theatre began in 1997 with the production of two shows by a group of actors/directors in a former blueprint studio in Maitland, Florida. Now located in downtown Orland, the theater presents both classic and contemporary plays and musicals. Past seasons have included such works as Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, Ionesco’s The Chairs, Lanford Wilson’s Burn This, Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart, Jones …more…

Orlando Shakespeare Theater

Nestled in the gorgeous grounds of Loch Haven Cultural Park, the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre is part of the Lowndes Center’s many artistic offerings.  A sterling dramatic compan, OST offers much more than just the words of William Shakespeare. Producing six mainstage and three professional children’s productions each season, OST makes its art a year-round endeavor, with diverse titles ranging from the classical (The Merchant of …more…

Classical Music

Bach Festival Society of Winter Park

The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park is one of the oldest continuously operating Bach festivals in the United States, as well as being Central Florida’s oldest extant performing arts organization. It was founded in 1935 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach’s birth by presenting the composer’s orchestral and choral works for the enlightenment, education, pleasure, and enjoyment of the public.

The society is well regarded internationally and …more…

Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra

Central Florida’s resident artistic organization, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra has been entertaining Floridians since its first season in 1991. Since then, the orchestra has risen to new levels of precision and artistry, performing over 125 performances each year. With a strong dedication to education and outreach, the ensemble performs 30 Young People’s Concerts at area schools for more than …more…

Jazz

Orlando Cabaret Festival

(April-May) Every Spring, Downtown Orlando plays host to the month-long Orlando Cabaret Festival, hosted by Mad Cow Theatre. Each year, MCT transforms its intimate theater space into a lively cabaret nightspot featuring everything from jazz and Broadway favorites to pop revues and unique theatrical experiences. Performers range from local favorites performing hits from the Great American Songbook to nationally recognized acts who blend original material with the great torch songs …more…

Dance

Orlando Ballet

Orlando Ballet is a modest regional company, which has a repertoire that includes standard classics, a bit of Latino flavor, and family friendly productions. They present their own original Nutcracker each year and their sassy, pop-infused “Battle of the Sexes” variety shows have received popular success.

Performances aside, the company is perhaps best known for its award-winning training academy. The Orlando Ballet School is housed in four different locations within Central …more…

Multi-Arts Festivals

Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival

(May)

Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival Information

Venues: All venues are located within Loch Haven Park
Public Transportation: Good (steps from LYNX bus 125 at Princeton Street/Mills Avenue; and a 5-minute walk from buses 102 and 1792 at Orange Avenue/Princeton Street)
Handicapped Accessibility: Good
Performances/Programs: Programming includes theatre, music, dance, art, and much more. Performance schedule varies
Ticket Prices: Must purchase a fringe button for $8. Ticket prices vary by performance. Tickets may only be purchased …more…

Venues

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

The ground upon which the Phillips Center will sit was officially broken in June of 2011; barring any unforeseen setbacks, the Center plans to debut in 2014. Funded in part with a large grant from the Disney Corporation (which will lead to the Center’s largest hall being named after Disney), the Phillips Center aims to replace the aging Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, which has been a staple of Orlando’s performing arts scene since the late 1920s. ...more...