Ukraine Ballet Benefit, GOPAR, and new Orlando Fringe space
Here are updates on the successful Ukraine Ballet Benefit, progress made by the GOPAR relief organization and Orlando Fringe’s plans for its new theater space at 54 W. Church St. in downtown Orlando.
Ukraine ballet benefit: Last month’s Ukraine Ballet Benefit has raised more than $800,000 in humanitarian aid for those affected by the war in Ukraine, according to the Ginsburg Family Foundation. The sold-out Aug. 27 performance in Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts featured the National Ballet of Ukraine and local arts groups.
“We were all there because we love and want to support the people of Ukraine,” said Sibille Pritchard, vice chair of the downtown Orlando arts center’s board. “What better way to do it than to show the resilience and culture of its people by having their national ballet perform in their honor and for their benefit in an amazing concert hall.”
The proceeds will benefit Ukrainian citizens, refugees, veterans and their families through donations to Razom for Ukraine, UNICEF and the Euro Asian Jewish Congress.
“These funds are being deployed in real time, helping Ukrainian citizens in need,” said Marc McMurrin, president and CEO of the Ginsberg Family Foundation. “For example, Razom for Ukraine deployed the funds this week to provide humanitarian aid and medical supplies to the recently liberated areas in the east.”
Contributions are still being accepted at ukraineballetbenefit.com through the end of September. GOPAR: GOPAR, Greater Orlando Performing Arts Relief, gave an update this summer on its assistance to local entertainment-industry workers. Founded during the COVID-19 shutdown, GOPAR relies on donations to provide emergency financial aid and other services.
The organization has now received its 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit status and established a board of directors. Local playwright-producer Michael Wanzie is the board’s chair.
The organization will continue to partner with St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, which helped get the organization off the ground, Wanzie said. GOPAR already has dispersed more than $82,500 in bill assistance for utilities, autos, housing and medical needs.
To request assistance, or to make a donation, go to gopar.org.
Orlando fringe: Orlando Fringe’s first round of listening sessions about how best to use its new space at 54 W. Church St., proved fruitful, according to executive director Alauna Friskics.
“They were invigorating and exciting, and we gathered a lot of information from all parts of the community,” she said.
The city has put Orlando Fringe in charge of an arts-incubator program that will be based in the space.
At one of the listening sessions, community members addressed everything from programming to pricing. Among the suggestions: free seats for high school students, a monthly pass to see all shows in the theater, and a selection of pay-what-youcan seats for each performance.
Accessibility issues also were at the fore of the discussion, with participants considering American Sign Language interpretation, audio descriptions and sensory-friendly performances.
One of the more interesting suggestions: A rideshare program, in which patrons would be shuttled to the theater from a free parking lot some distance away, to avoid the cost and possible difficulties of parking downtown.
Performers at the listening session wondered if the 54 West space, previously rented by Mad Cow Theatre, could be used to strengthen the arts community through workshops on producing, auditioning, creating a resume and filing taxes as a gig artist.
“The No. 1 thing that really stood out to me was the need for artist connection, a sense of home where artists can come together and create,” Friskics said. “That was really exciting to me to hear that in multiple sessions.”
Another round of discussion sessions will take place in the fall, she said. The hope is to have the 54 West space up and running early in 2023.