Orlando Fringe 2023 Recap – Part 2

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

The 32nd annual Orlando Fringe Festival has officially concluded and I am reluctantly and begrudgingly returning to the real world. This year’s Fringe was one for the history books, so here is a brief recounting of my mischief and mayhem from the second week of the festival.

Visual Fringe artists hosted a very special fundraiser on Friday, May 26th to generate some cash for next year’s VF endeavors – a night of Pet Portraits! For a small donation, a group of gifted local artists would capture your beloved pet’s likeness in a matter of minutes. I was fortunate enough to have esteemed local artist, art advocate and general all-around fantastic human being, Anna McCambridge-Thomas, draw Chipper the Regal Beagle and the results are incredible!

Here’s the photo I gave Anna for inspiration…

… and here’s what she created!

Anna drew our Chip using pen and marker in 6 minutes! Can you believe it?! Thank you, Anna!

To learn more about Anna and her artwork and her contributions to the Central Florida non-profit and creative communities, please visit…

https://annamccambridge.com/about

One of the super cool things I love about Fringe is the community involvement. Fringe really is a celebration of all things local, whether it’s small businesses, food vendors or musicians and artists. For example, this year’s Fringe had a new addition – the Fringe Feels table hosted by Joybird Books!

Joybird Books is a used bookstore located in Audubon Park and for this year’s festival they generously provided a table full of old school typewriters so that guests could share their Fringe feelings.

I attempted to show the Fringe (or should I say, “Frunge!”) my gratitude and while the sentiment was there, the execution left something to be desired.

What’s really awesome about the Fringe Feels table is that Joybird Books provided Fringe participants the opportunity to say “thank you” and share their gratitude. The result was dozens of heartfelt notes to everyone who makes the Fringe possible year after year.

You can follow Joybird Books on Facebook and Instagram! Plus, you can learn more about their shop and their inspiring and creative events and activities by visiting this link…

https://www.joybirdbooks.com/

Of course, the driving force behind the Fringe is the vast array of incredible shows. From original musicals to emotional straight plays to magic and mentalist shows, there is a theatrical performance for every type of person at the Orlando Fringe. Here’s what we saw this year…

This is exactly what you think it is… a spoof of the hit HBO show “The White Lotus” set in Orlando!

Designated Debaters is an improvised debate of topics suggested by the audience. For this performance, the debaters were Batman and Superman moderated by Wonder Woman! Of course, there’s a twist – the loser of each debate has to drink!

This original musical draws its inspiration from the entire Lady Gaga catalogue and rewrites a few fairy tale happy endings in the process.

My husband got to see this show while I was taking a class over at VFHQ. He was so moved by the performance that he could barely speak afterward!

Designated Debaters won one of the Patron’s Picks for the Gold Venue! Their encore performance featured Alexander Hamilton debating the Phantom of the Opera hosted by Little Orphan Annie.

Did you participate in this year’s Orlando Fringe Festival? If so, share your thoughts! Did you see any shows or visit the Visual Fringe Gallery at the Orlando Shakes? Did you hang out on The Green Lawn of Fabulousness or see any outstanding performances on the outdoor stage? As we await next year’s festival, share your Fringe feelings with me!

2 thoughts on “Orlando Fringe 2023 Recap – Part 2”

  1. I am always so sad when Fringe is over; it’s my favorite time of year.
    I saw some fabulous shows: “Generic Male”, “Eat, Pray, Walk”, “Easy as Pie”. On Monday I saw an encore performance of “How I Met My Mother”, Jon Patterson’s tribute to his mother; proceeds of the show were donated to The Alzheimer’s Foundation. My husband joined me on Sunday for a show. The show was truly awful (!) but we had a great time on the lawn and listened to Austin Palmer perform. He was fantastic and you can frequently catch him at Attic Door in Winter Garden.
    I love the feeling of Fringe, everyone is friendly and it is great talking to strangers about show recommendations. I ran into Adrienne and her hubby, so nice to see you in person after so long.
    Happy Fringe everyone!

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The Wandering Art Historian's avatar
I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.