Arts leaders have represented Central Florida on a national scale in recent weeks, with the rest of the world showing the region’s cultural vitality.
In January, Tamara Bejarano, executive director of Open Scene, spoke to the New York Conference of ISPA, the International Association of Performing Arts, which has captivated hundreds of delegates. In February, Orlando Family Stage artistic director Jeffrey Rebel served on the Broadway Con panel, a popular convention for Broadway experts and fans in New York City.
Both agreeing to attend events like this is a way of drawing attention to the cultural scene in central Florida.
“I certainly think that future profits will be available for our organization and hopefully the entire city,” Rebels said.
“It was important to be there,” Bejarano said of her experience, but “also representing some of the cultural diversity we have here.” Bejarano founded the Open Scene in 2019. The Winter Park-based nonprofit organization presents the annual Latin American Performance Arts Festival and other creative multicultural programming.
In Congress, Bejarano announced regional updates for the Southern US to ISPA members in more than 150 cities around the world, demonstrating how Southern arts organizations can navigate the challenges while bringing a diverse perspective to their communities.
“We’re here, we’re thriving, we need more investment in the arts,” the way she put her message together.
Bejarano was one of three ISPA “Fellows” in the Southern United States, a society-run program to strengthen performance arts leaders. While she shared the data, she was also gathering information to return it to the Central Florida cultural organization.
“It’s very unfortunate, but the US is behind other countries,” she said, especially with public funds. “It doesn’t seem to compete either. It’s dangerous because we can’t stay outside of the game. Art is permeated by everything: technology, media, business.
And Parliament gave her a new perspective: “From Taiwan to Australia and African countries, there’s a big thing going on there,” she said.
At Broadway Con in February, celebrating its 10th year, Rebel spoke about “creating quality family entertainment and the challenges that come with it.”
He was the only artistic director on a five-person panel, so “I was able to speak from the institutional aspect,” he said. “What you participate in programming, how you serve a variety of audiences.”
He then emphasized the importance of using theaters outside of New York to help develop new works. Orlando Family Stage, specializing in theaters for younger audiences, has commissioned Shepherd for new theatres for years.
In particular, Rebel pointed out Central Florida as the ideal location for new productions for workshops and premieres, for the festival that appeared annually with original work produced with original work, such as Orlando Shakes, Theatre UCF, Theatre UCF, Theatre UCF, Winter Park Playhouse, and Renais theatres.
The arts group is working on the state budget: “We are between rocks and difficult places.”
“The light needs to be shining in this city,” Rebels said. “We have an audience ready for this work.”
While in New York, he also held meetings with the Schubert Organization, the leading theatre production company, and was networked with all sorts of theatre practitioners.
“A lot of people wanted to talk and they got my cards and emails,” he said.
Orlando Family Stage Leader was not the only one on the go in February. Stacey Perez, the theatre’s arts-based learning director, presented at the Kennedy Center’s annual general meeting of the Partner Education Program in Washington, D.C.
Perez highlighted the partnership between Orlando Family Stage and Orange County Public Schools.
“Our partnership is… a true testament to the changeable power of arts education,” Perez said in a statement. “Our unique model has become a popular model here in central Florida. Being able to present this work at the Kennedy Center is a great opportunity to be inspired by the collective work going on around the country.”
Perez serves as a liaison between the Kennedy Center and other program partners, focusing on the southeast. At the annual meeting, almost 100 arts organizations and school districts from over 40 states gathered to discuss how art can be used to enrich the curriculum.
It can also come from Orlando’s Arts Leaders.
In May, Orlando Family Stage Development Director Emily Freeman and UCF Theatre Associate Professor Elizabeth Brendelhorn address the USA National Festival and Conference for Young Audiences for Young Audiences in Washington, DC.
Their presentation is titled “Mind Matters: A Drama-Based Curriculum to Promote New Theatre and Mental Health in Teens.”
“Mental health is a very important issue for today’s teenagers and I’m proud to be part of a project that uses theater as a platform for understanding and dialogue,” Freeman said in a statement.
And Bejarano, along with the Chicago Latin Theatre Alliance, is at the forefront of the National Alliance of Latin Theatre Festival. The hope is for a group of Latinx theatres to create tour networks that make tours easier and more affordable, increasing opportunities for international exchange.
The alliance already includes dozens of members nationwide, she said, and continues to grow.
“It places us in a very good place in the country’s landscape,” Bejarano said. “We have people in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles talking about us.”
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Original issue: March 17th, 2025 5am Edit
