Art meets Pride at Orlando's Renaissance Theater Co.
Walking into the Renaissance Theater Co. on Princeton Street in Orlando is like being surrounded by art – costumes, stages and music are everywhere. Not only that, but the place is constantly changing its setup to accommodate whatever production they have.
'We've been trying to find those voices and uplift those voices in everything that we do. I'm really proud of the work we've done and I think we continue to do that today,' said Donald Rupe, co-founder of The Renaissance Theater Company.
The theater officially opened its doors back in 2021. Since then, its performers, members and visitors alike have found a way to advocate for their community while consistently celebrating diversity through art.
'We've got an incredible response ever since we opened. It's been amazing,' Rupe said. 'We noticed right away that the people coming to this show are not the kinds of people that you traditionally see in many theaters across the country.'
The Ren also offers a chance for younger performers to jumpstart or develop their careers.
'We're creating a space here to showcase the amazing talent that's in Orlando,' said Abby Cash, a choreographer from Texas who has been calling Central Florida home for years. 'It's been really cool. Experience and a growth experience for me.'
As part of Pride Month, The Ren is debuting another new show: the Tony Award-winning musical 'Hair.'
'The story follows this group of hippies in the 1960s that are protesting against the Vietnam War, specifically against men being drafted,' said Bruno DeSouza, who plays Berger in the show. 'Then one of our best friends decides who wants to go for the sheer hope of it protecting us.'
Throughout the year, the creative brains behind the operations at The Ren work on ways to bring brand-new shows and performances to the stage while also fostering an environment where each voice is heard and considered.
'It represents love and acceptance and diversity, especially in this production [Hair], and those are all things that The Ren takes very seriously,' said Rupe. 'I am proud every single day of what The Ren has become and what Renaissance Theater Company means for people.'
The Renaissance Theater Company has performances scheduled all year long. See what's next right here.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
43 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Doja Cat defends rap skills after Outside Lands debut: ‘I'm incredible'
Doja Cat clapped back against online criticism about her Outside Lands performance over the weekend, defending her rap skills and declaring that she is 'incredible.' The Grammy-winning artist, who headlined the San Francisco music festival on Friday, Aug. 8, engaged in a back-and-forth with X user @playeration after they called out her musical style on the platform. "Hopefully after Doja drops pop disco album of the century her fans can stop trying to force her into female rap conversations," the X user initially posted on Saturday, Aug. 9, referring to Doja Cat's forthcoming fifth studio album, "Vie." The genre-bending singer and rapper teased the project, performing her new single 'Jealous Type' during her Outside Lands headlining set Friday. She also hosted a surprise listening party at the soon-to-close queer nightclub Oasis immediately after her Golden Gate Park set. She had previously told V Magazine that 'Vie' is 'pop-driven.' The @playeration continued by adding that Doja Cat 'can't be taken seriously as a rapper without ever prioritizing bars, punchlines, wordplay, and storytelling.' That's when the artist chimed in. "You don't listen to or read enough of my writing to be able to make this claim. I'm alright at what I do and sometimes I'm incredible," she responded on Sunday, Aug. 10. "Please stop trying to downplay my ability it feels like you're doling out criticism with no constructiveness based on something that's deeper than just the topic of music." When the @playeration replied to Doja Cat, noting that the criticism is 'not personal,' the two engaged in a brief conversation in the thread. The X user explained that they have listened to the 'Paint the Town Red' artist's full catalogue, but doesn't rate her as highly as rappers like Rakim, Jay-Z and Jeezy. 'That's not hate, it's just a difference in what I look for in rap,' @playeration wrote. Doja Cat replied that she respects their perspective. 'If you haven't been able to find a bar that you can connect with, that's more than okay,' she wrote. 'That's your right.' The conversation came two days after Doja Cat's Outside Lands debut, during which she showed off her new '80s-esque aesthetic and new track. Though she didn't draw as large of a crowd as fellow Grammy-winning rapper Doechii, who performed on the Lands End stage just a few hours before her, Doja Cat got thousands of her fans moving with hits such as 'Woman,' 'Agora Hils' and 'Boss Bitch.' Her subsequent appearance at Oasis came at a trying time for the beloved South of Market drag hot spot, which plans to close at the end of the year due to ongoing financial challenges. 'Her people approached us. She wanted to drop her three new songs in a queer venue,' Oasis owner D'Arcy Drollinger, who also serves as San Francisco's drag laureate, told the Chronicle about how the event came to fruition. 'It was such a joyous feeling in the room' During her post-festival show, Doja Cat previewed portions of 'Vie,' which has no release date yet, and chatted casually with fans from the stage of the 531-capacity venue. 'She was so gracious. Not a single diva moment,' Drollinger said. 'So kind and easy and effortless.'
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Michael J. Fox makes rare appearance to celebrate 'Back to the Future' 40th anniversary
Forty years after "Back to the Future's" release, Michael J. Fox isn't done delighting fans. The Emmy-winning actor, 64, on Aug. 10 attended a Southampton, New York, IMAX screening of the film that jump started his career on the big screen. The crowd at the sold-out stayed afterward for his conversation with Southampton Playhouse's artistic director, Eric Kohn, with topics ranging from the twists in Fox's life and career over the past four decades – including his life with Parkinson's disease – to his work with his Michael J. Fox Foundation. "Michael's insights into his relationship to acting, and how it changed — first via blockbuster success and then through his diagnosis — made for a conversation that was by turns emotional, endearing, and inspirational," Kohn wrote in an Aug. 12 Instagram post. The Oscar-winning film from Robert Zemeckis was made on a $19 million budget and released in theaters on July 3, 1985. It went on to earn $224 million at the worldwide box office and has since become a Hollywood classic, even getting inducted into the Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 2007. Fox reprised his role as teen Marty McFly, alongside Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown, in two more "Back to the Future" movies. Lloyd, 86, has also continued to appear in films and TV shows, most recently the second season of "Wednesday" and "Hacks." He made a rare public appearance alongside wife Lisa Loiacono at the Hollywood premiere of his latest project, the Bob Odenkirk-starring "Nobody 2," on Aug. 11. A 'tsunami of misfortune' Michael J. Fox talks broken bones due to Parkinson's symptoms Michael J. Fox doesn't 'fear' death Since publicly revealing his Parkinson's diagnosis in 1998 – seven years after his diagnosis – Fox has continued to act in Hollywood while also advocating for and funding Parkinson's research through his foundation. In January, President Joe Biden awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom as he "warms hearts and captivates audiences as a fearless advocate for those with Parkinson's disease." The fastest-growing neurodegenerative condition in the U.S., Parkinson's is an incurable brain disorder, a progressive disease "that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination," according to the National Institute on Aging. Over the years, Fox has sustained multiple broken bones, including both arms, his shoulder, his orbital bone and cheek and his hand, which resulted in a serious infection. Fox combats his symptoms, such as paralysis of his facial muscles, through medication and trains to preserve his ambulatory skills. "One day I'll run out of gas," Fox told Town & Country magazine in 2023. "One day I'll just say, 'It's not going to happen. I'm not going out today.' If that comes, I'll allow myself that. "Certainly, if I were to pass away tomorrow, it would be premature, but it wouldn't be unheard of. And so, no, I don't fear that."
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Legendary Long Island wrestling coach immortalized by ‘Seinfeld' dies at 85
The legendary Long Island wrestling coach immortalized in an iconic 'Seinfeld' scene has died — and everyone from celebrity former students to athletes recalled Tuesday how he went to the mat for them. 'They're telling me I only have 2 to 2 to 3 minutes to give a eulogy,' said Christopher Bevilacqua, the son of beloved late 85-year-old coach and mentor Al Bevilacqua, to The Post. 'I don't know how you can describe his life in 2 or 3 minutes.' Advertisement 6 Al Bevilacqua, the legendary Long Island wrestling coach immortalized in an iconic 'Seinfeld' scene, has died. Courtesy Billy Baldwin Al Bevilacqua, who passed away Sunday, got his 15 minutes of TV fame when superstar funnyman Jerry Seinfeld famously name-dropped his former teacher in an episode of his wildly popular series — even though Al never really watched the 'show about nothing,' his family said. 'He would go, 'Seinfeld?' What is that? A comedy?' ' said the former coach's son Michael. Advertisement But Al didn't need the extra spotlight. He was a coach overseeing the mats at the town's high school for nearly 15 years since the early 1960s and later at nearby Hofstra University in the late 1970s. The Massapequa man was also a 2012 inductee to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, garnering its highest honor, the Order of Merit. And all of his sports accomplishments were just part of the story. Advertisement 'Wrestling was really his vessel for who he was as a person,' Christopher said. 6 Bevilacqua was 85 at the time of his passing. 'He thought of himself first as an educator who was teaching kids and youth on the subject of life. … He had humanity about him, and his soul was all about, 'How do I create better people?' ' Al, who brought the Massapequa Chiefs their first-ever county title in the 1970s, left a lasting impact on some of the school's most notable alumni. Hollywood in Massapequa Advertisement He taught driver's ed to Seinfeld, according to family. Seinfeld name-dropped his former teacher in a 1994 episode of his show called 'The Race,'' as Jerry's character readied to re-do a controversial high-school run in which he, admittedly, got a head start. 'Mr. Bevilacqua' was called in to officiate a rematch of the race. 6 Bevilacqua, who was name-dropped in the 1994 'Seinfeld' episode 'The Race,' had tributes poured in from celebrity former students to athletes. NBC Al's son Michael recalled, 'I was a contractor one time, I was in my bed with plans open, and 'Seinfeld' on in the back, and I go, 'Did they just say Bevilacqua?' 'Then, my phone just started ringing.' Al Bevilacqua thought of Jerry as 'a nice kid,' Michael said. Then there was Al's former wrestler the 'Born on the Fourth of July' author Ron Kovic. Advertisement 'He taught about never quitting. … He was the best motivator,' said Kovic, who wrestled for Bevilacqua before becoming paralyzed in the Vietnam War and becoming the subject of the Academy Award-winning movie by the same name. After Kovic tragically lost use of his legs, he crossed paths with his former coach on Hofstra's campus, where Al Bevilacqua once again did what he was belovedly known for. 'It was quite emotional. He kept saying encouraging things to me that day, he showed it on his face that he was really sad that one of his boys had been hurt,' recalled Kovic, who wrote about Bevilacqua in his book. Advertisement 'I'm still here because he taught me to never give up, and I think that was instilled in me and instilled in all the boys he coached…I'm sure when he did pass away, he was fighting until the end.' 6 Ron Kovic, who was Al's former wrestler at Massapequa High School, said, 'He was the best motivator,' and that quitting wasn't an option, as the two later crossed paths in life after Kovic lost the use of his legs. Facebook/Park Avenue Grill When the film's director Oliver Stone and star Tom Cruise came to the Bevilacqua home to do research for their film adaptation of 'Born on the Fourth of July,' Al wasn't afraid to go a few weight classes above his belt, either. 'My dad goes to Stone, 'Let me ask you a question: 'Why do you hate this country so much?' ' Christopher said of the controversial director, adding that Bevilacqua rejected the idea of being portrayed in the film as a violent-minded coach. Advertisement 'He's going to tell you what he thinks of what he believes — and I thought that was a pretty powerful testimony,' the son said of his dad. Al Bevilacqua also left a deeply resounding impression on actor and former wrestler Billy Baldwin, who described the coach as 'definitely a second father to me.' 6 Kovic says his wrestling coach's words were inspirational and a reason why he is still here. Courtesy of Nora Bevilacqua The Baldwin brothers, including actor Alec, were dear family friends who lived near the Bevilacquas, and their dad, Al Baldwin, worked with Bevilacqua at Massapequa High. Advertisement Billy Baldwin described Al as 'the one' great inspiration outside of his own family who steered him through the world. 'We would have conversations that would lead to philosophical exchanges … and that would help to guide me,' Baldwin said of the devout Yankee fan who forgave him and Christopher for accidentally buying nearly $100 in scalped tickets for a game from the night before when they were little. 'He was the one for me, and he was the one for thousands of others.' 6 Bevilacqua also left a lasting impact on the Baldwin family, as Billy Baldwin called him 'the one' great inspiration outside of his own family. Courtesy of Nora Bevilacqua Going to the mat Fame meant nothing to get into Al Bevilacqua's good graces. After the tragic loss of his father, Al brought Jim O'Rourke, Massapequa class of 1977, under his wing during his school days on the mats. 'He was an amazing character,' O'Rourke recalled. 'He has the most fantastic legacy.' Al's daughter, Nora, said her dad's crowning achievement was launching Beat The Streets Wrestling, a program that brought the sport into the inner city and revolutionized their programs with resources and coaching. 'It shows you the power of one person and then ultimately one person doing what they believe in can achieve great things,' she said. 'I think my father passed that on to each of us.'
