THERE’S CAUSE FOR APPLAUSE B
etween the Winter Park Playhouse, the Annie Russell Theatre and the Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts, Winter Parkers don’t have to go far to see a professional musical comedy, a top-notch college production or a live concert in just about any genre you can name.
It’s been 17 years since the song-and-dance team of Roy Alan and Heather Alexander brought some show-biz sizzle to Winter Park. And patrons of their Winter Park Playhouse are grateful for the unapologetic escapism provided by the musical productions staged in the unassuming Orange Avenue venue, which is the only professional theater in Florida that specializes in musicals and cabarets. “You can see how they’re transformed from when they come in and when they go out,” says Alan, the artistic director. A native of Texas, he’s been tap-dancing for 60 years. After high school, he lived in Manhattan for 13 years, finding work in such Broadway hits as Pirates of Penzance and Nine. Alan and Alexander met in Jacksonville in 1991 when both were performing in a dinnertheater production of Singin’ in the Rain. Alexander adored theater but her father insisted that she study something more practical. She earned a business degree from the University of North Florida — which proved to be a smart move. Alexander manages the theater while Alan coordinates the productions. After marrying, they relocated to New York City for a year — but it was a difficult place to raise children (they have four). They were lured to Winter Park by its beauty, culture, schools and proximity to theme-park jobs. In 2000, they founded the Master Class Academy to provide instruction in dancing, acting and singing. Two years later, Alan and Alexander sold the school and leased a small space from the new owners to establish the nonprofit Winter Park Playhouse. By 2003, when their production of the offBroadway musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change packed the house, they knew they’d found a winning formula with musicals. In 2009 the theater moved next door, increasing the number of seats from 73 to 123, and expanded again in 2014, doubling in size to 10,000 square feet with a new lobby, bathrooms and dressing rooms. More than 18,500 people annually attend performances at the venue, while another 11,500 — primarily underserved populations such as disadvantaged children and mobilityimpaired seniors — are reached through classes or community performances. The theater’s Mainstage Series kicked off earlier this year and continues with Crazy for Gershwin (July 30 through August 23), The
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Stage veterans Roy Alan and Heather Alexander (above) offer unapologetic escapism with fun and frothy musical productions at the Winter Park Playhouse. Guitarist and empresario Chris Cortez (below) hosts top-notch concerts representing every genre imaginable at the Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts.
COURTESY (ALAN AND ALEXANDER) OF THE WINTER PARK PLAYHOUSE/COURTESY (CORTEZ) OF BLUE BAMBOO CENTER FOR THE ARTS
THE WINTER PARK PLAYHOUSE
