Orlando Fringe unveils October shows
Orlando Fringe has revealed new shows coming to Fringe ArtSpace in October.
Ghost Light Theatricals will present “The Laramie Project” and its sequel, “The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later,” while Orlando Artist Guild will revive “The Spider Queen,” a hit at the 2022 Orlando Fringe Festival.
Orlando Fringe announced the shows Thursday morning, a little more than a week since the cancellation of the previous programs planned for ArtSpace, 54 W. Church St. in downtown Orlando. An extended residency of “Winnie’s Rock Cauldron Cabaret” by Orlando-based Velvet Toreador Co. was called off by mutual decision, representatives from Fringe and the production company said without elaborating.
At the time Fringe executive director Alauna Friskics said the organization was lining up replacement shows. Orlando Fringe manages the prime downtown location on behalf of the city, which requires that the space be used at least 150 days per year.
This is the first full season of programming in Fringe ArtSpace, which officially opened in January.
“The Laramie Project” programming will honor the memory of Matthew Shepard, a 21-yearold gay college student who was beaten, tied to a fence post and left to die near the city of Laramie, Wyoming, on Oct. 6, 1998. He died Oct. 12 in a nearby hospital.
In 2000 Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project created “The Laramie Project” by conducting interviews of Laramie citizens; their words make up the text of the play. The sequel, as the title indicates, was based on more interviews conducted a decade later — to see what, if anything, had changed.
“With a cast composed of local actors, artists and community leaders, this reading will bring a whole new perspective on the work by putting community at the center of the storytelling and offering space for conversation and reflection,” said Ghost Light Theatricals founder and artistic director
Joseph C. Walsh. “This emotionally searing production asks us to listen to the citizens of Laramie and see ourselves.”
Readings of “The Laramie Project,” followed by post-show talkbacks, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 12 and 2 p.m. on Oct. 14. A reading of “The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later” will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 14.
Orlando Artist Guild’s “The Spider Queen” will run Oct. 20-29. The comedy was awarded the Critics’ Choice Award for best ensemble at the May 2022 Orlando Fringe Festival and went on to be part of the New York Theater Festival’s WinterFest later that year.
The show is a comic behindthe-scenes look at one of Broadway’s biggest debacles: the making of the doomed musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.”
The most expensive production in Broadway history, known for injuries to its cast and fighting among its creative team, featured music by Bono and The Edge of U2 fame and was led by acclaimed director Julie Taymor of “The Lion King” fame — until she was replaced, a move that resulted in her suing the producers.
The show, derided by critics, lost millions of dollars before closing in 2014.
This version of “The Spider Queen” is a brand-new, fulllength production of the saga, the Fringe’s announcement said.
More information and tickets for all ArtSpace events will be available at OrlandoFringe.org/ artspace.