9 minute read
THE LIST
HIROMI MONEYHUN JARED MCGRIFF
FRANCIE BISHOP GOOD
thelist
sunshine state spotlight
One of the most revered and popular exhibits at the Orlando Museum of Art is back! The Florida Prize in Contemporary Art (through August 14) recognizes the most progressive artists in the state, with 10 invited to participate this year. One artist receives a $20,000 award made possible with support of local philanthropists Gail and Michael Winn. Artists range from emerging to midcareer, often with distinguished records of exhibitions and awards that reflect recognition at national and international levels. These artists are all engaged in exploring significant ideas of art and culture in original and visually exciting ways. omart.org
Runway for Giving
The 59th annual fashion show and luncheon, at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, supports Morning Star Catholic School serving special needs students in Central Florida. The runway featured models and students wearing hot summer styles from Arabella, The Grove, John Craig, Gatorlillys, Tuni and The Collection Bridal.
Photos by Dawn Aiello
TUNI
THE GROVE GATORLILLYS
ARABELLA
TUNI THE COLLECTION BRIDAL
PERFORMING ARTS PREVIEW
SHAKE IT UP THIS SEASON with ORLANDO SHAKES
From high-stepping and fan-favorite musicals to compelling award-winning dramas, Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF, Central Florida’s largest theater company, is shaking things up for its 2022-23 season. With a Signature Series lineup that includes such show-stopping productions as Kinky Boots, Noises Off, and A Christmas Carol, plus the return of its popular Children’s Series, PlayFest, and Courtyard Cabaret Series, Orlando Shakes’ 34th season is certain to have something for everyone.
For the complete schedule and more information on purchasing single tickets and subscriptions, visit orlandoshakes.org.
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2022-2023 30th Anniversary Season includes six concerts in the Classics Series and five concerts in the Pops Series, all to be held in Steinmetz Hall. For the first time ever, the Classics Series will be offered in pairs, including a Saturday evening and a Sunday matinee performance for each concert.
The 2022-2023 season will also include the Focus Series and Symphony Storytime Series at The Plaza Live in Orlando’s Milk District. Returning will be the Summer Serenades concerts (July 10, July 31, August 7 and August 21) featuring programs curated by the participating Philharmonic musicians. Visit orlandophil.org for more information.
SAVE on SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS for OPERA EVERLASTING
Opera Orlando will be back On the MainStage for its 2022-23 Opera Everlasting season, at Steinmetz Hall in Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, with a Mozart masterpiece (The Magic Flute), the remarkable true story of the 1914 Christmas Truce (All is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914), and a Gaetano Donizetti comedy that is sure to bring the house down with vocal fireworks (The Daughter of the Regiment).
Three-show MainStage subscriptions are now on sale with early bird subscriptions available through July 5. Secure by calling 407-839-0119 ext. 0 or visit operaorlando.org.
ORLANDO BALLET PRESENTS ITS FIRST FULL SEASON with ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JORDEN MORRIS
ZAVESCO PHOTOGRAPHY
Orlando Ballet Artistic Director Jorden Morris has created his first full season to celebrate the power of dance. He brings his unique sense of drama to the process of selecting each production for audiences to experience the scope of today’s live ballet with masterful choreography, lush musical scores, stunning sets and costumes, and talented dancers.
“Next season includes an abundance of drama and romance beginning with Michael Pink’s Dracula and ending with Tennessee William’s iconic Streetcar Named Desire,” says Artistic Director Jorden Morris. “We will also perform the full production of Moulin Rouge®The Ballet, which was so very well received when Orlando Ballet performed it last season.”
For complete schedule and to purchase season tickets, visit orlandoballet.org.
The biggest hits on Broadway are headed to Orlando as part of the AdventHealth Broadway in Orlando 2022-23 Season at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway classics and audiencefavorites like Hamilton, Chicago, My Fair Lady and Wicked will return along with a special Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show. Broadway adaptations of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, and Pretty Woman: The Musical will make their debuts in Orlando. Also not to be missed is Tina — The Tina Turner Musical and SIX, where the six wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix 500 years of heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of 21st century girl power.
Due to overwhelming interest, subscriptions for the AdventHealth Broadway in Orlando 2022-23 season are no longer on sale. More information about shows and available tickets can be found at drphillipscenter.org, or at orlando.broadway.com/ subscriptions/.
Jill Vaughan Loves Downtown Orlando
AFTER DOWNTOWN ORLANDO WAS ABRUPTLY SHUT DOWN IN
MARCH 2020 DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, IT WOULD BE HARD TO IMAG-
INE ANYONE WANTING TO TACKLE THE ROLE OF SUPPORTING AND
GROWING BUSINESSES IN THE CITY’S CENTER. YET, THAT’S EXACTLY
THE CHALLENGE JILL VAUGHAN STEPPED INTO WHEN SHE ASSUMED
THE TOP ROLE AT THE DOWNTOWN ORLANDO PARTNERSHIP (DOP)
IN EARLY 2021. AND SHE FORGED TOWARD A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR
THE CHAMBER ORGANIZATION ESTABLISHED IN 1961 AND PROUDLY
SAYS, “2021 WAS THE BEST YEAR WE’VE EVER HAD.”
Anatural cheerleader for the city core, Jill grew up in Michigan but moved here right out of college. Her first job was downtown, so she felt this was a fullcircle moment. “I’ve always loved downtown,” she says.
She admits it was hard to leave a successful career at AdventHealth, but “this was a unique opportunity in the sense that I had medical sales experience, a ton of fundraising experience, and board of director experience, so this role encompasses all of those skills. It’s been fun to oversee the event planning and fundraising. But the bottom line is it’s about relationships. That’s my favorite part. It’s business to business.”
The DOP exists to enhance business and community relationships through collaborative events and initiatives with an emphasis on communications and marketing. Signature events include the annual State of Downtown address, lunch and learns, and the prestigious Golden Brick Awards honoring impactful people and projects downtown. An immersive, educational leadership class, Connect DTO, runs for six months.
“Even though we had the pandemic we really tried to still offer safe, in-person events last year. With some we limited attendance and with others we required masks. As the guidelines changed, we were able to modify those,” she adds. She references the 2021 Golden Brick Awards held outdoors at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts’ novel front yard space. “We had the most applications we had ever had. We had the most attendees we had ever had. It was a banner year that was also our 60th anniversary celebration,” Jill says.
As DOP members were eager to connect in-person, more events were added to meet growing demand including a First Friday Coffee at various downtown locations, Third Thursday Happy Hour, and 60th anniversary golf tournament held last fall at Dubsdread Golf Course.
Membership has continued to increase as well. “We are at more than 225 members currently and we added 45 new members last year. Our sponsorships have grown. For this year’s Golden Brick Awards, we had 21 sponsors and we were sold out, setting another attendance record. So, we are looking forward to continuing to elevate our events for the betterment of downtown and serve downtown businesses and stakeholders. We want everyone to come together to celebrate the people, projects and mission,” she explains.
As for what constitutes downtown, Jill says, “the Downtown Development Board and the Community Redevelopment Agency have smaller boundaries. But ours were a little unclear, so last year our board stated that it would be hospital to hospital [AdventHealth main campus to Orlando Regional Medical Center] and Camping
World Stadium to Leu Gardens. As we grow as a city, areas like Ivanhoe Village will be part of downtown central.”
Since the DOP map overlaps with some of Orlando’s other designated districts, Jill has reached out to all of the Main Street Districts to set up a reciprocity with all DOP events. “All things considered it was important for all the businesses to come together and rely on each other during COVID,” she adds.
The DOP does receive a small amount of funding from the City of Orlando’s Downtown Development Board. In 2019 a 501c3 foundation was established to further the mission of beautification in downtown. “We were planning to have an event, then COVID hit, but we were able to install a mural at 39 South Magnolia Avenue on the wall facing CityArts in March 2021. We still have funds and are committed to raising more funds [for other projects]. As the City creates its new master plan, we hope to be a part of that and work with the Main Street Districts to provide grants for placemaking opportunities and beautification. It’s a great way to collaborate,” she explains.
As Jill is halfway through her second year at the helm, she has evaluated what has been achieved. “I wanted to make sure our business is stable — that was my first and foremost goal. It was about reducing expenses and generating revenue while still doing outreach with members, which was extremely important. It was about finding the best ways to engage with our members, creating relevant content, making sure we’re not duplicating efforts with other organizations in the community, and really finding our voice. I wanted to customize everyone’s membership regardless of a company’s investment level within DOP. That has really been well received,” she says. She credits the strength of the DOP board of directors, with several new members, for their commitment to the organization as well as to downtown.
Life as DOP Executive Director keeps Jill plenty busy, but in her personal life as a College Park mom of three (one just graduated and will follow the other two to the University of Florida) she enjoys reading, and has a real thrifting bug, especially for mid-century modern finds. She feels fortunate downtown has a wide array of venues and assets, relishing her professional role in sharing them. “I want to make sure if I do something it’s successful,” she concludes.
