When you’re craving a night out at the theater, you don’t have to go to Broadway. Stay at home in sunny Florida, where it’s easy to enjoy outstanding musical shows and performances with performing arts centers close to home!
Whether you’re looking for a light-hearted comedy show, a live concert, a classic play, or a unique dance performance, there’s something for everyone. From traditional to modern, these venues showcase a variety of performances. Plus, many of these locations have educational programs and classes for those interested in learning more about the performing arts. So, if you’re looking for a great evening of entertainment, try one of these shows, coming up this summer!
Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts – Orlando
In the heart of central Florida, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is located in downtown Orlando. They feature several series with events occurring year round, including a Broadway Series, Orchestral, Ballet, Comedy and more.
Here are a few of their upcoming shows:
Reflections: 50th Anniversary Special – September 21 – 24, 2023
Reflections is a celebratory launch of Orlando Ballet’s 50th season and offers a look back as well as ahead in terms of how the organization has evolved from its very humble start to become one of Central Florida’s leading performing arts organization. We begin with the premiere of our own anniversary film that tells a story about love for the art form and the risk-taking that helped build the organization, including missteps and victories that occurred along the way. We’ve harvested conversations from many of the talented artists and community leaders who were involved from the beginning while we celebrate today’s highly respected professional dance company.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – October 8, 2023
London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is uncompromising in their excellence and at the forefront of orchestral music in Europe. Performing over 200 concerts a year, including a residency at The Dr. Phillips Center, the Orchestra draws audiences, live and online, of more than 60 million people a year. The Royal Philharmonic is recognized as the UK’s most in-demand orchestra both at its home Royal Albert Hall and in performances across the globe.
Annie – October 23 – 29, 2023
Holding onto hope when times are tough can take an awful lot of determination, and sometimes, an awful lot of determination comes in a surprisingly small package. Little Orphan Annie has reminded generations of theatergoers that sunshine is always right around the corner, and now the best-loved musical of all time is set to return in a new production – just as you remember it and just when we need it most.
Straz Center for the Performing Arts – Tampa
On the west coast of Florida you can visit the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, close to several Westminster communities. They feature a touring Broadway Series, Opera, Plays, and so much more.
Here are a few of their upcoming shows:
LIZZE: The Musical – Now through August 6, 2023
Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the 1892 ax murders of her stepmother and father, but creepy legends and schoolyard rhymes insist on her guilt. (They also exaggerate – whoever dispensed with the elder Bordens did so with 18 and 11 whacks, far less than the 40 and 41 of the playground anthem.) In LIZZIE: THE MUSICAL, young Miss Borden’s tale is related by four ferocious women fronting a six-piece rock band playing songs with snarling attitude and gleeful gallows humor.
TWILIGHT – Los Angeles, 1992 – August 16 – August 27, 2023
The acquittal of police officers accused of beating Rodney King set off five days of rioting, an outpouring of rage Los Angeles hadn’t seen since the 1965 Watts riots. Playwright Anna Deavere Smith’s stunning one-woman play, TWILIGHT: Los Angeles, 1992, recounts that time from 27 different perspectives. Jobsite’s Andresia Moseley takes on the challenge of portraying 27 characters to capture what BroadwayWorld called the “cacophony of voices at the city’s heart” following the King trial’s verdict.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead – September 13 – October 8, 2023
Before winning an Oscar® as a writer of Shakespeare in Love, Tom Stoppard delivered a comic retelling involving the Bard of Stratford-upon-Avon — he dove into Hamlet retelling it from the point of view of two bumbling support players. The entire world is a stage, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern play their part as the unwitting pawns in history’s greatest tragedy. This is the story of what “really” happens behind the scenes as events pass them by.
With these performing centers close to several Westminster Communities of Florida communities, it makes it convenient for residents at one of our communities to enjoy a night of fun at the theater!
How can you fall in love with performing arts? Find the Westminster community near you to learn more.
