{"id":145258,"date":"2026-02-05T21:56:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T21:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/145258\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T21:56:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T21:56:27","slug":"orlando-family-stage-marks-centennial-with-celebratory-reunion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/145258\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Family Stage marks centennial with celebratory reunion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer (C) holds the proclamation for the 100th anniversary of Orlando Family Stage on Feb. 3. (Photo by Juno Le)<\/p>\n

ORLANDO | Orlando Family Stage<\/a> celebrated its centennial with a commemorative breakfast Feb. 3, reuniting the theatre company\u2019s current and former leaders, board members, artists, donors and community partners.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis organization, to get to 100 years, couldn\u2019t get here without commitment from leaders, volunteers, public and private partnerships that exist,\u201d says Dave Riccardi, President of Orlando Family Stage\u2019s Board of Directors. \u201cAnd there\u2019s no greater partnership that we have in our history outside of what was talked about than the city of Orlando, and having leaders like Mayor Dyer, who\u2019s here today, is critical for this organization\u2019s success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer<\/a> and Orange County Administrator of Arts and Cultural Affairs Vicki Landon were in attendance and presented the theatre\u2019s executive director, Chris Brown, and artistic director, Jeff Revels, with proclamations declaring Feb. 3, 2026, as the 100th anniversary of Orlando Family Stage in both the City of Orlando and Orange County.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would not be here celebrating this milestone if it weren\u2019t for every single face in this room,\u201d Brown says. \u201cThis is how we make a real impact in the world. We can\u2019t do it alone. It\u2019s not about me, it\u2019s not about Jeff [Moore]. It\u2019s about the 40,000 kids who come through here on field trips every year, right? We\u2019re making our community stronger and that\u2019s why [Orlando Family Stage] survived.\u201d<\/p>\n

The theatre company has been known by different names over the last century, opening as the Orlando Little Players at its first performance on Feb. 3, 1926, then as the Central Florida Civic Theatre starting in 1968 and then as the Orlando Repertory Theatre in 2002, as its focus shifted to school programming and its young audience in partnership with the University of Central Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leaders, including Revels, also reflected on the challenges members faced in the theatre company\u2019s 100-year history.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1999, it was a very uncertain time,\u201d Revels shares. \u201cThe Civic Theatre was struggling and looked like it might be closing. But even in those uncertain moments, the one thing that remained clear was the strength of the children\u2019s program. I had worked my way up to Education Director by that time, so I had a front row seat to see just how vital and how deeply that work mattered to the children, families and schools in this community.\u201d<\/p>\n

A century of performances and youth programs later, Orlando Family Stage and its partners continue to promote their support of youth involvement in the performing arts. <\/p>\n

\u201cTheatre is a reflection of ourselves,\u201d Moore explains. \u201cWhen you\u2019re talking about theatre for young audiences, there are questions and challenges that young people go through in their development. Theatre gives it a chance to present some of those challenges in an inviting environment so that they can objectively observe these challenges and how people react to them, and maybe the best ways and not-so-good ways to address things.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information, visit OrlandoFamilyStage.com<\/a>. Watermark Out News attended the 100th anniversary of Orlando Family Stage and you can view our photos below.<\/p>\n

Photos by Juno Le.<\/p>\n

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