Best of ORL 2022: Fun & Leisure
From musical theater to I-Drive, take a look at our readers' top picks.
(COURTESY OF WINTER PARK PLAYHOUSE)
Best Performing Arts Group
Winter Park Playhouse
“The forget your troubles theatre.”
Heather Alexander and Roy Alan, the founders of the Winter Park Playhouse, met where you’d imagine two actors would meet: onstage.
“Roy and I met in 1991 doing a production of ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre in Jacksonville and married a year later,” explains Heather.
While owning a theater was always a dream for Roy, it never crossed Heather’s mind. “In 2001, while visiting NYC, we saw an Off-Broadway show called ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.’ We laughed ourselves silly and knew we had to bring the show to Central Florida audiences. So, we built a small stage in the back of the performing arts school we owned at the time and opened the theatre in January 2002 with that very show.”
(COURTESY OF WINTER PARK PLAYHOUSE)
Heather Alexander and Roy Alan founded the Winter Park Playhouse in 2002 as a non-profit, professional theatre affiliated with the Actors’ Equity Association, the professional union of actors and stage managers. It’s a busy space featuring a Mainstage Series of six fully-staged professional musicals, a monthly Spotlight Cabaret Series featuring a local artist, and an outreach program to the underserved Title l school children and facility-bound elderly in our community.
The Playhouse has been proudly serving the Central Florida community for 20 years. Commonly referred to as “The Cheers of Winter Park,” “The Forget Your Troubles Theatre,” and “My Happy Place,” to name a few, Heather and Roy take pride in their Arts Outreach programs that touch the lives of many underserved children and senior citizens in the area.
“As we celebrate 20 years of serving the Central Florida community,” says Heather, “we are excited about the next 20 and many joyful times ahead.”
Performing Arts Group
1 The Winter Park Playhouse
Winter Park
2 Orlando Ballet
Orlando
3 The Orlando Repertory Theatre
Orlando
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. (ROBERTO GONZALEZ)
Performing Arts Venue
1 Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Orlando
2 Garden Theatre
Winter Garden
3 Annie Russell Theatre (Rollins College)
Winter Park
Art Gallery
1 CityArts Orlando
Orlando
2 Mills Gallery
Orlando
3 Snap! Orlando
Orlando
Business Hotel
1 The Delaney Hotel
Orlando
2 The Alfond Inn
Winter Park
3 AC Marriott
Orlando
Kids Beating Cancer Hats & Heroes Ball. (COURTESY OF KIDS BEATING CANCER HATS & HEROES BALL)
Charity Gala
1 Kids Beating Cancer Hats & Heroes Ball
Orlando
2 Runway to Hope
Orlando
3 Golden Gala
Orlando
Entertainment Experience
1 The Escape Effect
Orlando
2 Cirque du Soleil
Lake Buena Vista
3 Mango’s
Orlando
Festival
1 Paws in the Park
Orlando
2 Winter Park Sidewalk Arts Festival
Winter Park
3 Fringe Festival
Orlando
Get Married
1 Imperial Design Banquet Hall
Orlando
2 Maxine’s on Shine
Orlando
3 Holy Trinity Reception Center
Mainland
holytrinityreception-center.com
Live Music Venue
1 Will’s Pub
Orlando
2 JAZZ TASTINGS
Mainland
3 Hard Rock Live
Orlando
Movie Theater
1 Enzian
Maitland
2 Disney Springs AMC 24
Lake Buena Vista
3 Regal Winter Park Village & RPX
Winter Park
Orlando Science Center. (COURTESY OF ORLANDO SCIENCE CENTER)
Museum
1 Orlando Science Center
Orlando
2 Orlando Museum of Art
Orlando
3 Morse Museum
Winter Park
Non-Theme Park Attraction
1 The Escape Effect
Orlando
2 Winter Park Boat Tour
Winter Park
3 Wild Florida
Kenansville
Private Golf Course
1 Bay Hill
Orlando
2 Country Club of Orlando
Orlando
3 Isleworth Golf & Country Club
Windermere
Enzian Movie Theater. (ROBERTO GONZALEZ)
Public Golf Course
1 Oak Trail at Disney
Lake Buena Vista
2 Celebration Golf Club
Celebration
3 Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge
Winter Garden
Staycation
1 Loews Portofino Bay Hotel
Orlando
2 The Ritz-Carlton
Orlando Grande Lakes
3 Marriott’s Cypress Harbour Villas
Orlando
Trivia Night
1 Curtis Earth Trivia
Orlando
2 Barrels and Boards
Groveland
facebook@barrelsandboards
3 Foxtail Coffee Co. UCF Bookstore
Orlando
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