PARTY WITH THE OSCARS
Singhaus event to help Orlando’s next generation of artists
While they were alive, members of the Singhaus family threw an annual Oscars-watching bash worthy of its own red carpet. This year, the tradition will go on with a noble goal — to raise money for the arts scholarships given in the family’s name.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Ginger Minj, Orlando’s own Gidget Galore and others will host the Singhaus Oscar Party March 12 at the Winter Park Library Events Center.
Sam Singhaus, who died in 2020, lit up Central Florida stages as his sunny drag persona Miss Sammy. His death came just a few months after that of his sister-in-law Marcy Singhaus, an award-winning costume designer. Her arts-supporting husband, Sam’s brother Steve, died in 2022.
After their deaths, friends established the Singhaus Scholarship for the Performing Arts, for Central Floridians between the ages of 16 and 24 who are part of the local LGBTQ or theater scene. It’s administered by The Center, an Orlando nonprofit that offers education, advocacy and other support to the Central Florida LGBTQ community.
Last year, the scholarship fund awarded $10,000, split among 10 recipients pursuing acting, dance, music, theatrical tech work and costume design. Winners attended colleges including Stetson University and the University of Florida, but also studied as far afield as Pittsburgh, with recipients attending Carnegie-Mellon University and the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point State Park University there.
Among the winners was Christopher Moux, a Valencia College student whose education there has included starring roles in both parts of the epic “Angels in America.”
“It really helped me out,” said Moux of his $1,000 award. “It was a lifesaver at the time I got it.”
As with many youths, Moux was trying to figure out his future when he applied for the scholarship — which college to attend and how to pay for it, he said. One of the features of the Singhaus Scholarship is that it can be used in any way that assists a recipient’s artistic development, not just for college.
Moux said the money helped him get established so he could attend Valencia with less worry.
“I was in a really rough transitional period of my life,” said Moux, who plans to transfer to the University of Central Florida when he finishes his Valencia coursework. “It helped me buy groceries and put a down payment on an apartment.”
He said the money gave him more freedom to focus on his art. Moux also has been seen in “The Normal Heart” for The Ensemble Company in Oviedo and is currently understudying the lead role in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” for Theater West End in Sanford.
Neil Hamilton, a friend of the Singhauses who helped establish the scholarship, said more than 100 donors contributed the money disbursed last year.
“Most have used their award for college tuition, while some have pursued dance and vocal training to further their craft,” he said.
Hamilton was particularly moved by one recipient who told him that the scholarship meant so much “because it was able to provide a sense of value and respect for a part of my identity that isn’t always celebrated, so the diversity that is a central tenet of the Singhaus Scholarship — it’s just a wonderful thing.”
The Singhaus Oscar Party will raise further scholarship funds. Drag artists Ginger Minj and Gidget Galore will be joined by The Center, Art in Voyage Travel, Hamilton and Singhaus friends Eddie Cooper and Karen Brown in presenting the event.
Light bites, raffles, a silent auction and music by DJ Joanie will be part of the evening, along with complimentary sparkling wine for a toast to the Singhaus family.
The deadline to apply for the next round of the Singhaus Scholarship for the Performing Arts is June 23, with the awards announced at The Center’s 11th annual
Diversity Lunch & Awards on July 28. (Find more information at singhausscholarship.org.)
Moux remembers, “It was a really quick and easy submission” and has this advice for anyone considering pursuing the arts: “Just apply.”
SINGHAUS OSCAR PARTY
When: 7 p.m. March 12 (live telecast of the awards begins at 8)
Where: Winter Park Library Events Center, 1050 W. Morse Ave. in Winter Park Cost: $45, or a table of 8 for $360
Tickets: tinyurl. com/3zyh4k3y