Arts of Summer

Summer is here and that means fun in the sun with long beach days, lounges by the pool, summer blockbuster movies, and vacations galore. Well, why not in the midst of all the traditional summer fun you and/or the family could take in some arts and culture! Of course we want to spend our summer days out and soaking up the rays, but if you live in Florida like I do you may want a break from the heat. And, the theatre or a festival is a great way to do so. I've decided to research some summer alternatives to the usual summer adventures and see what performances are happening in summer 2013. So if you are in the Central Florida area, or find yourself near the area, here is a list of my top five must-see events happening this summer.

1) Art Takes Over Orlando, Public Art Installation - looking to take in some unique artwork then look no further than this event which features local artist work in the Downtown Orlando area. Also, local artist get to enter to have their art showcased at this well-known event. For more information visit Art Takes Over.

2) Dreamgirls, Mad Cow Theatre - this musical rendition of the 1960's musical acts such as James Brown, The Supremes, and The Shirelles come to Central Florida for one night. Dreamgirls tells the story of a musical group's rise and fall to fame. And yes, this the same Tony Award winning musical Dreamgirls that was brought to the big screen by Beyonce, Jaimee Fox, and Jennifer Hudson. Showing on July 7th at Mad Cow Theatre. 

3) Disney's Alice in Wonderland Jr, Princess Theatre - enter the wonderful, quirky, and mystical world of Wonderland and journey with Alice as she navigates her way through this enchanted world. This is one for the kiddies, and adults if you enjoy Disney classics with a twist. For more information and list of other summer productions check out Starving Artist Studios .

4) WordPlay, does your teen have talent and looking for a place to showcase, then this event is for them. Open mic for teen poets, spoken word artists, emcees, new young artists and performers get to showcase their talent at this event held by teens for teens. Click here for more details.

5) Harmony Music & Arts Festival - although this event is outdoors you can still stay pretty cool as this event is at the end of summer just before going into Fall. The event hosts three stages of music and performances, kids shows, and more for all musical/arts enthusiast. Something for families, kids, and all. Details here.

Well, these are just a few of the summer performing arts events I plan to check out. If you have any good events you would like to share, please leave a comment or post here. Look forward to summer arts fun!

Thanks for reading,

LaKesha, xo!