The realization hit him one day on the job. This project鈥檚 legacy and impact were going to outlive him.

鈥淲hen I think back on every cool thing I鈥檝e gotten to do so far in my career, it does all kind of lead back to Orlando Family Stage,鈥� Lowe says.

Lowe was 6 years old when his cub scout troop attended a show at the stage, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary 鈥� the last 25 of those years in partnership with 麻豆原创.

He eventually went through its Youth Academy, interned as a 麻豆原创 theatre student on site, made industry connections and now regularly contracts work at the stage as a full-time lighting designer for Clair Global, a tech company that specializes in live production services.

Lowe鈥檚 story is just one example of the countless ripple effects that have materialized from 麻豆原创鈥檚 longstanding, collaborative partnership with a nationally recognized leader in the theater industry.

鈥淚鈥檝e watched kids come in and they鈥檙e so shy and they can鈥檛 do anything. But by the time they leave, they鈥檙e not only signing up for the next show, they鈥檙e leading the next show,鈥� says Paul Lartonoix, assistant dean for the College of Arts and Humanities and longtime Orlando Family Stage board member. 鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 amazing at what it does. There鈥檚 no reason to not be proud of it. It鈥檚 doing great things for families. It鈥檚 doing great things for kids. It鈥檚 doing great things for our students, and it鈥檚 awesome that it鈥檚 being run by Knights.鈥�

A Partnership That Builds Community

Orlando Family Stage, founded in 1926 as part of the City of Orlando鈥檚 Recreation Department, has evolved over the past 100 years while persevering through historic challenges including the Great Depression, World War II, the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

麻豆原创 entered the picture in 2000 when former Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood and 麻豆原创 President John C. Hitt formed a community coalition to bring the stage under 麻豆原创鈥檚 oversight. At the time, the theater needed a major overhaul 鈥� both to its physical home at Loch Haven Park and in programming 鈥� to ensure it could thrive in the new millennium.

鈥淚 know with great confidence we would not be sitting here today without 麻豆原创 on board. We wouldn鈥檛 have survived.鈥� 鈥� Chris Brown 鈥�05, Orlando Family Stage executive director and 麻豆原创 theatre alum

鈥淲e wanted it because we thought that space was an exceptional,聽it had tremendous potential, and 麻豆原创 should be a part of it.聽That聽really was the driving force,鈥� says Lartonoix, who served as executive director on-loan and was instrumental in leading the early years of the partnership. 鈥淎nd when things worked, it was fantastic.鈥�

The intervention proved to be a major catalyst for its impact in the community today, and for the world at large through the countless children and 麻豆原创 graduates who have been affiliated with its programming and education.

鈥淚 know with great confidence we would not be sitting here today without 麻豆原创 on board. We wouldn鈥檛 have survived,鈥� says Chris Brown 鈥�05, Orlando Family Stage executive director and 麻豆原创 theatre alum. 鈥淭o think that leaders came together and said, 鈥榃e don鈥檛 want to lose a vital theater organization in our town, and we want to create an active and engaged partnership with the university where we can collectively do good things to serve young people in the world.鈥� It鈥檚 very special.鈥�

Florida鈥檚 Only Professional Theatre for Young Audiences

A major part of that partnership is 麻豆原创鈥檚 MFA in theatre for young audiences program, which launched in 2004. The program has operated for the past two decades as Florida鈥檚 only professional theatre for young audiences and is one of the most distinctive programs in the country with its unique graduate-training residency.

In addition to learning from the university鈥檚 esteemed faculty, students gain practical experience with opportunities to work with professional artists and teach in Orlando Family Stage鈥檚 award-winning Youth Academy, which offers camps, classes and experiences for every age level from infancy through teens.

The MFA program has seen graduates go on to work at some of the most prestigious theaters in the country, become educators at universities as far as Dublin and help run community theaters across the United States.

In addition to his leadership role, Brown teaches theatre management courses on 麻豆原创鈥檚 campus. He says he believes an important part of his responsibility as an educator is to expand his students鈥� idea of where a career in the arts can take them.

鈥淲e鈥檙e helping them recognize that arts administration is creative work,鈥� he says. 鈥淲riting a grant narrative, crafting a brand voice, planning a touring route or stewarding a donor relationship all require the same storytelling skills they bring to performance and production roles.鈥�

Instilling Bravery in Children

The stage鈥檚 mission is to empower young people to be brave and empathetic.

Sure it sounds good, but more importantly, there鈥檚 truth to the claim. Recent research by the 麻豆原创 Department of Psychology provides evidence to support it.

The Orlando Family Stage鈥檚 education team collaborated with associate professor Valerie Sims and senior lecturer Matthew Chin and more than a dozen undergraduate students from the Applied Cognition and Technology Lab along with associate professor of musical theatre Tara Deady 鈥�07MFA on a study, which they are currently working on publishing. The study aimed to determine if the stage鈥檚 programming delivers on its promise to promote creative engagement and bravery in children ages 1-5.

Because of the young age of the participants, traditional survey tools and written questionnaires wouldn鈥檛 work. The team needed to get creative in a research approach that matched how children experience theatre.

The research team meticulously observed second by second footage of children and parent engagement during performances of Yo, Ho, Ho! Let鈥檚 Go! 鈥� an interactive, multi-sensory original production created by the stage鈥檚 senior director of education Jennifer Adams-Carrasquillo 鈥�11MFA.

鈥淲e have evidence that theater participation really is beneficial to these very young kids.鈥� 鈥� Matthew Chin, 麻豆原创 psychology senior lecturer

They logged and quantified data through body language and audience responses. Early on, Sims and Chin say, children needed to be prompted by their parents to participate. However, as the show progressed, you can clearly see children initiating the participation on their own and parental involvement decreasing.

鈥淲ith this study we are able to say that it isn鈥檛 just this thing that we think is true 鈥� we have evidence that theater participation really is beneficial to these very young kids,鈥� Chin says.

In 2024-25 alone, more than 4,770 audience members attended Theatre for the Very Young productions like Yo, Ho, Ho! Let鈥檚 Go!. Multiply those numbers year after year and the impact to the youth in our community is monumental.

The Next 100 Years

As the stage commemorates this special milestone in its history, it also acknowledges the scope of possibilities and impact ahead.

This year, when Gershwin Entertainment Group, who owns the theatrical rights for A Charlie Brown Christmas, needed a national touring partner to bring the show to life on stage around the country, they turned to the Orlando Family Stage to deliver. It became the highest revenue-generating show in the history of the organizatoin鈥檚 performances in Orlando 鈥攚ithout counting the 32 cities it visited from New York City to Vancouver, Canada.

A partnership with the 麻豆原创 Department of History is enabling the stage to create an archive of its materials from the last century as part of the RICHES Mosaic Interface, an online resource dedicated to collecting and sharing the stories of Central Florida.

Another is the inaugural Florida Children鈥檚 Book Festival in partnership with Writer鈥檚 Block Book Store and W麻豆原创, which they hosted in February and plan to host annually to celebrate literature and the link between books, storytelling and live theater.

鈥淲e all need to be aware of how special this place is. And we need to be so proud that our community has something like this.鈥� 鈥� Chris Brown 鈥�05, Orlando Family Stage executive director and 麻豆原创 theatre alum

They look to expand the reach of Mind Matters, a program the stage initiated with 麻豆原创鈥檚 psychology department and national playwrights to produce 10 original short plays about geared for teens about depression, anxiety, loneliness, isolation and other mental health challenges they face today. The plays serve as an educational resource for teachers to spark honest conversations on these topics with their students.

Brown envisions one day expanding the footprint of the building with more theater space, new classrooms and offices to help alleviate their bursting-at-the-seems infrastructure, so they can keep delivering on all the dreams they want to turn into reality and continue creating meaningful experiences for children and the audiences of tomorrow.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 get past the energy and the faces of busloads of kids coming in here every day,鈥� Brown says. 鈥淲e all need to be aware of how special this place is. And we need to be so proud that our community has something like this.鈥�

Celebrates the Arts Programming

You can catch live performances from the Theatre for Young Audiences program during April鈥檚 麻豆原创 Celebrates the Arts festival at the Dr. Phillips Center in downtown Orlando.

Thursday, April 2 鈥� 7:30 p.m.
Hosted by Ashley Eckstein (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Her Universe, HypeFriend!), this concert features performances that span musical styles and theatrical traditions, reflecting the many creative paths that begin at Orlando Family Stage.

*Featuring Micheal James Scott (Disney鈥檚 Aladdin on Broadway), Leslie Carrera-Rudolph (Emmy Award-winning performer for Abby Cadabby, Sesame Street), Jack Griffo (Nickelodeon鈥檚 The Thundermans), Davis Gaines (Broadway鈥檚 longest running Phantom of the Opera), Michael Andrew (Composer and one of America鈥檚 greatest interpreters of the American Songbook), Paul Vogt (Broadway鈥檚 Hairspray and Chicago). Video appearances by Mandy Moore (This Is Us), Jasmine Forsberg (Broadway鈥檚 Six and Here Lies Love), Clayton and Bella Grimm (Blippi), Broadway legend Norm Lewis and more.

*Artist lineup is updating and is subject to change.

Tuesday, April 7 鈥� 10 a.m.
When best friends Squiggle and Square move away from each other, they must find creative ways to keep communicating! Told through clowning, puppetry and music, Pen Pals is a 30-minute interactive play designed for 5 to 10-year-olds.

Saturday, April 11 鈥� 10 a.m.
Yo, Ho, Ho! Let鈥檚 Go! is a 30-minute adventure designed especially for children ages 1 to 5 as a multi-sensory experience that invites them to help a pirate navigate the high seas. Together, they follow a treasure map, solve clues and chart the course forward.

Since joining 麻豆原创 in 1986, Clark became a cornerstone of the university鈥檚 history department, known for his engaging lectures, sharp wit and passion for storytelling. Throughout his nearly four decades at 麻豆原创, Clark taught thousands of students, from large introductory courses to intimate honors seminars.

According to his former department chair John Sacher, 鈥淛im was an excellent colleague and an outstanding teacher. He was passionate about the success of his students, the history department and 麻豆原创. He was a people-person who genuinely cared about others. And, he did all of the above with an unrivalled sense of humor.鈥�

A scholarship fund has been created in Clark’s name. Make a gift at .

In addition to teaching at 麻豆原创, Clark spent over 30 years in journalism, including at the Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Magazine. He was also a familiar face on News 6, offering political analysis with characteristic humor and insight. His articles have appeared in The Washington Post, Washington Monthly, The Nation and the Miami Herald. His work has been honored by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors, the Florida Magazine Association and the Florida Historical Society.

His face was familiar to many for his work with W麻豆原创, where he helped bring Central Florida鈥檚 history to life through his contributions to both Central Florida Roadtrip and Florida Road Trip. Clark allowed the community and future generations to see Central Florida through his eyes through his contributions to Central Florida Roadtrip and Florida Road Trip, says Jennifer Cook, executive director of W麻豆原创.

鈥淔rom the very first season of W麻豆原创鈥檚 Central Florida Roadtrip, Dr. Clark brought history to life with energy and depth that made every story memorable,鈥� Cook says. 鈥淣early a decade later, his relationship with W麻豆原创 continued through to the most recent season of Florida Road Trip, where he remained a trusted voice sharing his knowledge on the people and places that shaped our community.鈥�

Clark authored 11 books on Florida history, including Red Pepper and Gorgeous George: Claude Pepper鈥檚 Epic Defeat in the 1950 Democratic Primary, A History Lover鈥檚 Guide to Florida and, most recently, Lost Attractions. His work made him a popular speaker across the state. In his last few months, he served as the keynote speaker at a Tallahassee celebration of the 125th anniversary of Claude Pepper鈥檚 birth, and he had been invited to deliver the main address at the Florida Council for Social Studies. He was also a very popular lecturer for the Florida Humanities Council.

Careers often follow an arc, says Jeff Moore, dean of the 麻豆原创 College of Arts and Humanities, and in Clark鈥檚 case, his impact only grew with time. He never lost the spark of engagement or the joy of learning. He was always asking questions, always publishing, always teaching at the highest level.

鈥淗e was a people person in every sense of the word, and that translated beautifully into his teaching.鈥� 鈥� Jeff Moore, dean of the 麻豆原创 College of Arts and Humanities

鈥淛im Clark was my friend for over 30 years and a model of what you hope for in a faculty member. His depth of knowledge as a Central Florida historian was extraordinary. But what truly set Jim apart was how that knowledge was rooted in his connection to people. He was a people person in every sense of the word, and that translated beautifully into his teaching. He positively impacted everyone he met, usually with a bit of his trademark humor mixed in.鈥�

麻豆原创 plans to honor Clark with a campus tribute, inviting his many friends on campus and in the Central Florida community to share memories and reflections. As the university community mourns his loss, it also celebrates the indelible mark he left on Florida鈥檚 historical landscape and the hearts of those who knew him.

Celebration of Life

Join us as we celebrate the life and legacy of James C. Clark on Thursday, April 16 from 5鈥�8 p.m. at the Live Oak Event Center on main campus.

A scholarship fund has been created in his name. Make a gift at .

In this series, musician and W麻豆原创 FM producer Jesse Morgado gets an in-depth look inside the lives of professional musicians. Side Player Stories offers other conversations with musical guests such as guitarist/bassist Carol Kaye (You鈥檝e Lost that Lovin鈥� Feelin,鈥櫬燤ission Impossible, La Bamba, etc,), keyboardist Carey Frank ’13 (Tedeschi Trucks Band and Social Distortion); and bassist Eva Gardner (Pink, Cher, Mars Volta), whose unique talents and musical abilities create opportunities to make their living playing for many different bands.

鈥淎s Central Florida鈥檚 Storytellers, we are proud to give our listeners an inside look at the life of professional musicians, some of the best in the industry, with our new podcast Side Player Stories,鈥� says Phil Hoffman, W麻豆原创 executive director. 鈥淟isteners will learn the fascinating details on touring, recording, and what鈥檚 in between, all through the words and experiences of some of the music industry鈥檚 elite artists.鈥�

In the first episode, Billy Joel鈥檚 former drummer for 30 years, DeVitto tells all in his new memoir. Later in July, bassist, recording artist, songwriter and Los Angeles bar owner Eva Gardner, who has toured with Pink for 14 years and has made a name for herself as a first-call musician for countless artists, talks about her inspiration and the talent in her household. After that will be Jeff Coffin, saxophonist in the Dave Matthews Band.. Coffin has also been a part of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones 鈥� racking up three Grammy Awards along the way.

New videos feature a mental-health counselor, youth helper, line worker and scientist who discusses the importance of vaccines. Previous videos in the series explained the importance of firefighters, police officers, teachers, doctors, paramedics, meteorologists and 9-1-1 operators.

The videos, aimed at children 3 to 8, air on W麻豆原创 TV between programming, and are available on and the . They are also available free to public media stations across the country for broadcasting in their communities.

鈥淭he Meet the Helpers initiative continues to tell the stories of the heroes in our communities across the country,鈥� says. Phil Hoffman, W麻豆原创 executive director. 鈥淭hese videos and activities show children and families the importance of helpers and how to be a helper to others.鈥�

In addition to community helpers, W麻豆原创 also produced videos in the series to help families understand the coronavirus and wearing masks.

Meet the Helpers is developed by W麻豆原创 and national experts in early childhood development from the 麻豆原创 College of Community Innovation and Education, and crisis communications from the 麻豆原创 Nicholson School of Communication and Media.

The project is part of W麻豆原创鈥檚 outreach following the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016. Meet The Helpers is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Duke Energy, and the Paul B. and Constance D. Hunter Foundation.

To learn more about the latest videos from Meet the Helpers visit .

GRR-IFIC Neighbors with Daniel Tiger! will air Feb. 27 and 28 at 8:30 and 10 a.m. Viewers can join Daniel Tiger and his friends as they celebrate what it means to be a caring neighbor.

All month, fans can download or pick up a kindness kit that includes at-home activities for celebrating kindness and what it means to be a caring neighbor. Kits can be printed at home or picked up at a local library while supplies last. Visit to print the kit or find out a location for pickup.

W麻豆原创 will host two interactive Virtual LIVE PBS KIDS events that explore the world using the senses on Feb. 11 and 13 at 10 a.m. Both sessions include videos and hands-on activities. A downloadable participant kit is available that includes gather-at-home materials and printables for the event. Registration is required by signing up at .

鈥淓ven if we can鈥檛 be out interacting with the community for Be My Neighbor Day as we normally do, W麻豆原创 is happy to continue sharing Daniel Tiger鈥檚 message on how to be a caring neighbor and sharing kindness through our locally produced show, virtual events and activities,鈥� says Phil Hoffman, W麻豆原创’s executive director. 鈥淎s Central Florida Storytellers, W麻豆原创 continues to encourage curiosity and learning through our virtual Be My Neighbor Day event.鈥�

Daniel Tiger鈥檚 Neighborhood is one of PBS鈥� most popular animated programs and airs weekdays at 10 a.m. and weekends at 7:30 a.m. on W麻豆原创.

In this one-hour weekly program, Rupert, a saxophonist, composer, record producer and recording artist, will present the stories of how jazz is deeply connected to conveying the history of America and will demonstrate how jazz tells those stories.

鈥淲麻豆原创 is Central Florida鈥檚 Storyteller as well as providing Orlando鈥檚 jazz soundtrack,鈥� says Phil Hoffman, W麻豆原创 executive director. 鈥淲e are honored to work with Jeff Rupert on Jazz and the American Spirit as it embodies our mission of preserving and advancing the jazz art form to our Central Florida audience.鈥�

Listeners can view the radio schedule at .

Florida has had a far-reaching effect on the presidency dating all the way back to George Washington, before the region was even a state.聽The film, written and produced by W麻豆原创 veteran television journalist Buddy Pittman 鈥�74 and senior lecturer Clark, looks at the long-standing connection between the state and the White House.

The 50-minute documentary examines the environmental efforts spearheaded by several president, the space program, and landmark political moments that occurred here, including Richard Nixon鈥檚 Watergate 鈥淚 am not a crook鈥� speech and George W. Bush鈥檚 Sept. 11, 2001, press conference following the World Trade Center attack. The film also uncovers some of the little-known Florida stories that have involved presidents.

Clark wrote the book in 2016 as the presidential campaign got underway.

鈥淚 had worked with Buddy Pittman on the [W麻豆原创] Road Trip series for several years and when I suggested a documentary, Buddy embraced it,鈥� Clark says. 鈥淲e realized we had tremendous resources on campus.鈥�

Appearing in the documentary with Clark, who is the author of nine books, are 麻豆原创 faculty members Amy Foster, Barbara Gannon, David Head, David Morton 鈥�14MA 鈥�19PhD, and Lori Walters.

The film is narrated by long-time CBS News radio reporter Peter King, who is known for his coverage of NASA and the space industry.

鈥淲麻豆原创 has dedicated itself to telling community stories as Central Florida鈥檚 Storytellers. It鈥檚 our commitment to the community to educate, engage and inspire through our content,鈥� says Phil Hoffman, W麻豆原创 executive director. 鈥�Presidents in Florida comes at an interesting time in history, with Florida taking a major role.鈥�

, in partnership with local organizations will provide an update from community leaders on the lasting effects of the pandemic.

During the show, W麻豆原创 executive director Phil Hoffman speaks with representatives of Central Florida arts, culture, history and science organizations about plans to operate in the post-COVID-19 era.

鈥淐entral Florida organizations have demonstrated their resilience and creativity during this historic time in our community鈥� says Hoffman. 鈥淎s Central Florida鈥檚 storytellers, W麻豆原创 wants to make sure they are seen and heard while navigating this new way of doing business.鈥�

Series guests include Cole NeSmith, founder and CEO of Creative City Project; Jim Helsinger, artistic director of Orlando Shakespeare Theater; Terry Olson, chief instigator at Fusion Fest; Lindsay Taylor, theatre producer at Orlando Fringe Festival; and Lisa Bachman, assistant director of Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida.

In Reach will air Sunday mornings at 11:30 a.m..

During June, July and August, W麻豆原创 celebrated the Summer of Space with programming and community events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Programming included 鈥溾�� and its own one-hour documentary 鈥�.鈥�

鈥淲e are truly grateful to be recognized by NETA for our work during the Summer of Space,鈥� says Phil Hoffman, W麻豆原创 executive director. 鈥淎s Central Florida鈥檚 Storytellers, the Summer of Space was the collaborative efforts of the W麻豆原创 team to tell the stories from our own backyard. We are honored to be recognized for our work within the Central Florida community on a national stage.鈥�

The NETA Awards honor public television鈥檚 best work in education, community engagement, marketing/communications and content. Awards are judged by a group of expert panelists within the public media system, as well as industry professionals outside of public media.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Nicholson School of Communication and Media and W麻豆原创-TV partnered with Central Florida鈥檚 WMFE 90.7FM to bring the program to Orlando from April 29-May 3. Four of the six students selected to participate in Orlando鈥檚 鈥渂oot camp鈥� were from 麻豆原创: journalism majors Hern谩ndez Caraballo and Monica Sealey;聽interdisciplinary studies major Rhyan Grant; and聽English major Emily Lang. The other two students were from Valencia College and Full Sail University.

NextGenRadio is a week-long 鈥減op-up鈥� digital journalism training experience. It is designed to give competitively selected participants interested in podcasting, audio storytelling, radio reporting and visual journalism the skills and opportunity to find and produce their own multimedia story. Each selected participant is paired with a professional journalist, and together they find, report and produce a non-narrated story as well as use stills and video to fill out their story.

The theme of the week鈥檚 stories was immigration, specifically 鈥淔irst Days in America.鈥�

鈥淲e are fanning out around Central Florida to locate, capture and tell the stories of immigrants who have arrived here and are making a new life.鈥� 鈥�Rick Brunson ’84, associate instructor in the Nicholson School

Rick Brunson ’84, associate instructor in the Nicholson School, represented the university in the partnership and is mentoring one of the students.

鈥淲e are fanning out around Central Florida to locate, capture and tell the stories of immigrants who have arrived here and are making a new life,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he training is highly structured with tutorials in audio reporting, web production, social media production, photography, video and more. Our stories will be richly layered, textured and multimedia in nature.鈥�

Hern谩ndez Carabello, a junior, recounts that she had been in a car crash that left her unable to walk during the NextGenRadio application process. When she found out she was a finalist, she had a very short window of time to submit her story proposal.

鈥淭he program is intense and I knew the deadline had to be met 鈥� these are professionals. I had to step it up.鈥� 鈥� Lillian Hern谩ndez Carabello, journalism student

鈥淭here I was, no car (just got wrecked), no way to walk or hardly move, no way to get up, put the work into it and get my story. But I wanted it,鈥� Hern谩ndez Carabello says. 鈥淚 hired a driver and went in my wheelchair and crutches and hobbled around downtown Orlando for hours until I found my story. I was outside a closed Starbucks leaching on their WiFi on my dying laptop trying to submit my pitch in on time. It was due at 11:59 p.m., I got it in at 11:41. The program is intense and I knew the deadline had to be met 鈥� these are professionals. I had to step it up. And, I guess, accident or not, that is the major challenge of the program, as well as its reward. Learning to be professional, timely, and focused enough to fit into the team and produce a story of the caliber of NPR.鈥�

The stories are available to view and hear at聽. They will also air daily May 13-17 on WMFE 90.7FM at 6:44 a.m. and 8:44 a.m.

鈥淚鈥檓 pleased and proud to be part of it鈥攁nd more to see our students part of it,鈥� says Brunson.