Weekend Top 6 Picks for August 17 and 18, 2019

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TSaturday August 17, 2019

Noon to 6pm Free. Mexican Gastronomic Festival “Ven a Comer”. Lake Eola 512 E Washington st, Orlando, Florida 32801. Come
out and celebrate the best Mexican food festival known to Florida! The
Mexican Consulate in Orlando and LCHA host our 5th Annual Mexican
Gastronomic Festival! We will have all your Mexican favorites Tacos,
Elotes, Aguas Frescas, Guacamole and so much MORE! This is our 5th year
show casing the best Mexican food in Florida, represented by many of the
beloved Mexican restaurants here in central Florida! We want you to
come celebrate with us! You won’t want to miss the Guac contest and
Margarita contest!

4pm to 6pm Free. Hoodstock Saturday Market. The Barefoot Spa 801 Virginia Dr, Orlando, Florida 32803. The Hoodstock Saturday Market is no ordinary art stroll. 

7pm to 10pm Free. Black Cow Jumps into the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation. Heller Hall Winter Garden Heritage Foundation 21 East Plant, Winter Garden, Florida 34787.

Black
Cow Jumps – Orlando’s Experimental Theatre Project in association with
the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation explores theatre through reality
in a mindful and sometimes comedic portrayal of the characters we play,
as we try on the shoes of maturity. Human Improv. Life’s Soup.
Complimentary wine, cheese and crackers!

Sunday August 18, 2019

10am to 4pm Free. Lake Eola Farmers Market. Lake Eola Park, 512 E Washington St, Orlando, FL 32801.  

Noon to 3pm Donation based. Music at the Casa. Christine MacPhail. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. Members
of the public are invited to visit our historic home museum on a Sunday
afternoon to listen to live music and take a tour of our historic home
museum and the James Gamble Rogers II Studio by trained docents. 

10pm to Midnight Free but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out and laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Black Cow Jumps at Fringe

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Banks Helfrich founded Black Cow Jumps which uses theater as an exploration of reality through life. Banks was alone walking around the stage area after the Fringe recorded announcements were finished. The rest of the cast must have been sitting in the audience. For instance Banks started talking to a woman behind me and it sounded like they had recently been in a relationship. He brought her on stage and they started to talk. They had clearly not been destined to be together for long. Banks wasn’t ready to settle into a long term relationship. he was all over the map. She had met someone new and things were working out. It was hard to tell if this was fact or fiction the line was blurred.

Another woman described her pregnancy with twins and the pain in loosing one child at birth. She didn’t abandon that life which had never stepped foot on earth but she honored how much the child had meant to her. She honored the life that might have been. The other twin lived and she raised him with the memory of his lost sister. It was an incredibly heart wrenching story. Later her son asked her what traits would make for a good president. In describing those traits to him, she realized that she was describing her ability to negotiate and reason with people. She decided that her voice was needed and she decided to run for president. With so many Democratic candidates running right now she may well be in the running. She has my vote.

Another woman talked about how she grew up wanting to have children. That was her childhood dream and she met the man of her dreams and made that dream a reality. She raised her son but soon realized she wanted to feel the rush of new life inside her again. Her family was large enough so she decided to be a surrogate mother for another couple who could not have children themselves. What she didn’t plan on was a miscarriage which left her and the couple devastated.

One volunteer from the audience was brought on stage and Banks sat across from her and developed a friendship, and rules for their relationship. I had the deepest respect for the volunteer since she had no idea what the boundaries were for this new relationship as it developed. Reality and theater were closely entwined. Banks defined Black Cow Jumps simply as “Life Soup.”

Upcoming performances are:

June 22, 2019 @ 7pm Jack Kerouac House (free event, bring something edible to share.

September 14, 2019 @ 7:15 Winter Park Public Library (free event, wine and cheese – must RSVP)

November 9, 2019 @ 7:15 Winter Park Public Library (free event, wine and cheese – must RSVP)
December 7, 2019 @ 7:15 Winter Park Public Library (free event, wine and cheese – must RSVP)

Weekend Top 6 Fringe Picks

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Saturday May 18, 2019

3 PM to 4 PM $12.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. Black Wood. Gold Venue in the Orlando Museum of Art 2416 Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803.

Carpenter Aunt Productions, Orlando, FL

It’s 1967, and Caroline
Logan has just joined the cast of TVs top supernatural soap opera. But
will nervous network censors and a vampire with line trouble derail her
career before it’s begun? Probe the dark shadows of dysfunction in a
hilarious and poignant new comedy written by Fringe fave Steve Schneider
(Escape From Baldwin Park, Ominous George) directed by Dave Russell
(president, SAK Comedy Lab), and starring a cast of top O-Town talent.

13 and up – Strong Language, Adult Content

8 PM to 9 PM  $12.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. A Showgirls Musical. Orange Venue in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803.

JMEG Theatrical, Winter Garden, FL

Sequins. Sabotage. Sex in the
pool? Based on every one’s favorite career killing cult classic, JMEG
Theatrical takes you to the 90’s with a parody musical that is sure to
have more than just your eyes popping. Nomi Malone arrived in Las Vegas
with just a suitcase and a dream. So pack your ice cubes, hitch a ride,
and wear your best Versayce!

18 and up – Nudity, Adult Content, Strong Language

This show includes strobe lighting effects.

10:30 PM to 11:30 PM  $12.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. Corsets and Cuties: #Celebrate. Black Venue in The Venue 511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL 32803. 

Corsets and Cuties, LLC, Casselberry, FL

Fringe veterans Corsets
& Cuties have made their home at The Venue since their sold-out
debut August 2014. Sponsored by Premier Couples Superstore, the Cuties
personally welcome guests and attendees to their shows and the troupe
intends to light up the night this May in the Black Venue. With a
different guest star each night you never know what’s gonna happen with
this troupe. Be a part of the Cutie’s party and “have a good damn time.”

18 and up – Strong Language, Nudity, Adult Content

Sunday May 19, 2019

3 PM to 4 PM  $12.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. Black Cow Jumps. Purple Venue  in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803. 

Banks Helfrich, Clermont, FL

Multi-vignettes that place the
human back into humanity. Visceral reflections of how we perceive
ourselves when we remove our veils, and shift into authenticity. An
observation of reality in a performance space to create a clarity and
frankness that we all crave, if only we are willing to see ourselves in
others. An invitation to pause long enough to experience our Ah-ha
moments in a room full of people desiring connection. Life soup.

18 and up – Strong Language, Adult Content

5:30 PM to 6:25 PM  $11.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. The Hammered Dog. Red Venue in the

Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803.

Freeline Productions, Orlando, FL

Starring Fringe favorites Sarah
Lockard, Steven Johnson and Todd Allen-Long! From the creative team of
2016 Purple Patrons Pick Murder Sleep. Shy, insecure and emotionally
fragile Sandra meets the handsome, sexually possessive Ted at a
nightclub where a chance interaction quickly leads to an intense,
volatile relationship. Under the strain of her obscure past and Ted’s
emotional manipulation, her life takes a fateful turn. Some wounds never
heal.

13 and up – Adult Content

9:45 PM to 10:55 PM $10.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. How to Eat a Bear. Brown Venue  in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803.  

Crafty McVillain, Orlando, FL

Best friends Dave and Mark
decide that they will stop at nothing to satisfy their inexplicable
craving for bear meat and find out the hard way that their quest will
lead them down every path except victory.

13 and up

Black Cow Jumps – Immersive Theater of the Heart

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I went to The District Market At Mills 50, (1221 North Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803) to sketch Black Cow Jumps. In association with KC Malhan, Banks Helfrich brought immersive theater of the heart to this eclectic fashion event. Black Cow Jumps is an immersive, reality-based theater which explores relationships, philosophy and absurdity through short vignettes.

The District Market at Mills 50 is a Local Artisan Market and Co-Op
Marketplace featuring a Vegan Bodega Gourmet Grocery, Coffee, Handmade Cards, Gifts and Artwork, Vintage / Soaps and Pop-Up
Dining. I was fascinated by the cat bag hanging on the wall, and the various African animals scattered around the room. It was a quaint place and I am glad I got to discover it with Pam.

 The show started off with a cello solo. Black Cow Jumps featured intimate on on one performances which often had the theme of connection. An upcoming show at the Winter Park Library on March 9, 2019 is sold out, so it is clear that this direct and intimate form of theater has a place in our fast paced digital lives. Theater that is accessible in the back rooms of community markets and libraries can attract a whole new audience of people who might not otherwise go to theater. This is theater that is simple real and raw. There are no sets and no scripts. The performances are about simple direct interactions and feelings.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for August 11 and 12, 2018

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Saturday August 11, 2018

5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free. McRae Art Studios 8 x 10 C-Note Fundraiser Art Sale. McRae Art Studios 1000 Arlington St, Orlando, Florida 32805. Purchase 8 x 10 art work by McRae present and past members for only $100
each. All proceeds benefit and support McRae Art Studios.

7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free. Black Cow Jumps – Orlando’s Experimental Theater Project. Winter Park Public Library 460 East New England Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789. Black Cow Jumps in association with the Winter Park Library bring an
intimate evening of theater; parlor dramaturgy of the mind, immersive
and immediate, relational, philosophical and often absurd.

Created by Banks Helfrich, this connective experience is unlike any other.

Come enjoy theater of the heart– along with complimentary wine, cheese and crackers.

10:30 p.m. to Midnight Free but get a drink and bite. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL. Hot blooded Flamenco dancing set to acoustic guitar.



Sunday August 12, 2018

10 a.m. to Noon Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources.

Noon to 1 p.m. Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park, near the red gazebo.

2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Script Reading Workshop. Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show, 8267 International Drive, Orlando, FL. Read and workshop plays.