Major upgrades mean a temporary relocation for Winter Park Playhouse as it prepares for a new season. The 2025-26 performance schedule will be presented at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center while the current playhouse building at 711 N Orange Ave. is renovated.
The Shakespeare Center’s Mandell Theatre will host the productions and can accommodate the same number of guests that the playhouse currently welcomes. “We feel very fortunate that Orlando Shakes has a theatre that accommodates our productions,” said Playhouse Executive Director Heather Alexander.
Playhouse renovations are funded by Orange County Tourist Development Tax dollars and are expected to be complete by mid-2026. The Shakespeare Center was among several temporary locations considered by Alexander and her staff while the search was on for a new home after playhouse landlords announced in 2023 their intention to sell the building. The TDT grant of $8 million was awarded to the City of Winter Park for the $3.875 million building purchase with the remainder going toward the construction project. The city will then lease the venue back to Winter Park Playhouse, a 501(c)(3) organization, at a nominal rate.
Building upgrades will include up to 50 additional theater seats and an expansion into neighboring offices that playhouse administration will take over this summer. Alexander said a larger stage and expanded lobby area are also part of the plan. “It should be easy to find us should anyone need to come in and buy tickets or find our staff,” she added.
Winter Park Playhouse will be limiting its 2025-26 schedule to five productions instead of the usual six as it needs to leave Mandell Theatre before the Orlando Fringe Festival begins in May of 2026. The playhouse will operate a box office by the Mandell Theater entrance on days when performances are scheduled, but advance purchases are still available by phone and via the playhouse website.
The 2025-26 Mainstage series begins in August and features the following productions:
Jerry’s Girls, August 8-31: A Broadway musical revue celebrating the work of composer, Jerry Herman. The show centers on material he wrote for female performers and includes musical numbers from Mame, Hello Dolly!, Milk and Honey, Mack and Mabel, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine and La Cage Aux Folles.
Forever Plaid, September 26 – October 19: The Off-Broadway musical comedy celebrates the “guy groups” of the 1950’s. A quartet of high-school friends return from the afterlife for one last shot at fame. The setlist includes “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Chain Gang,” “Heart and Soul,” and more favorite hist from the era.
Honky Tonk Angels Holiday Hoedown, November 14 – December 20: The first of three consecutive southeastern regional premiers, this upbeat musical is about an all-girl musical group as they reunite for a show in Nashville. The production includes popular holiday classics, a Motown Christmas medley, country hits, and holiday comedy tunes.
From My Hometown: A Celebration of the American Dream in Classic R&B, January 23 – February 21, 2026: This critically acclaimed Off-Broadway musical follows three young men from Philadelphia, Memphis, and Detroit as they perform at the Apollo Theatre. The musical celebrates the 3-man R&B groups of the 60’s and 70’s and features twenty-four classic soul songs made famous by James Brown, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, and more.
The Pin-Up Girls: March 20 – April 25, 2026: While singing at the local VFW hall, a vocalist group stumbles upon a stash of letters from soldiers that date back 100 years. Inspired by the find, they produce a show that celebrates the men and women who fight to defend our country.
Five-show and three-show packages are now available to current Winter Park Playhouse annual subscribers. Five-show subscriptions will be available to the public on February 11 and three-show subscriptions go on sale March 18. Single tickets go on sale April 1, and one evening show and one matinee performance for each production will be scheduled prior to opening night. Student tickets will go on sale 10 minutes before a performance for $10, based on availability.
Subscriptions are available from the box office by calling 407-645-0145. Single tickets and information are available online at winterparkplayhouse.org.
