Florida Culture for the Week of November 19 by Josh Garrick

Now through December 23 – Junior Claus at Orlando Rep

Junior Claus is a joyful new musical for young audiences presented by the Orlando Repertory Theater.  In the musical, Junior is Santa’s only son, and he must ‘save the day’ when a depleted Christmas ‘belief-o-meter’ puts the jolly old man into a deep sleep. In grand musical form – with the help of an elf, a penguin, and a youngster who fully believes in the Christmas spirit, Junior manages to save Christmas. Call 407.896.7365 or visit orlandorep.com

Now through January 1 -- The Christmassy DreamWorks Experience

Gaylord Palms Hotel offers a Holiday experience with The Christmassy DreamWorks Experience! including favorite characters from Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar. Accompanying this unique Holiday entertainment is ICE! – an indoor wonderland where your family can explore holiday scenes created out of two million pounds of ICE!, which has been hand-sculpted by 40 international artisans and kept at a chilly 9 degrees! Visit gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-palms

November 23 to December 28 – Free Friday Nights at the Morse Museum

For six Friday evenings – beginning November 23 – visitors to the Morse Museum can enjoy free admission and live music from 4 pm to 8 pm. In addition, the Morse will offer tours of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Laurelton Hall, the major exhibition in the Museum’s new wing. The December 14 program includes a family tour of selected galleries with a free take-home art activity for children. Admission to the Museum is also free on December 22 and 23. For a complete schedule of Morse Museum holiday events, visit morsemuseum.org

November 23 to January 13 -- Art & History Museums – Maitland – Holidays

The Waterhouse Residence was built in 1884 by pioneer settler William Waterhouse as a home for his family, and Holidays at the Waterhouse takes us back to see how William and his wife Sarah prepared for their Christmas celebration.  Each room features Victorian-era holiday decorations and historical facts about the Season. Call 407.539. 2181or visit ArtandHistory.org

November 23 to January 6 -- Christmas at Bok Tower Gardens

The traditional home tour at Pinewood Estate exhibits 20 decorated rooms in this Mediterranean-style mansion on the Bok Tower Gardens property. Open daily; the tours include Bok Tower Gardens’ acclaimed carillonneur Geert D’Hollander performing Christmas carols from around the world at 1 pm and 3 pm Thursday through Sunday. The 30-minute live concerts are included with admission. Bok Tower Gardens is in Lake Wales, Florida. Call 863-676-1408 or visit boktowergardens.org

November 24 at 2 pm & 8 pm – Orlando Philharmonic’s Home for the Holidays

The Orlando Philharmonic – with Conductor Albert-George Schram – will present their concert of Holiday favorites in two performances on November 24. Vocal selections will include Baby, Its Cold Outside, O Holy Night, and The Twelve Days of Christmas featuring the Holiday Singers, and Christmas Memories featuring the Children’s Choir. Offered with ‘seasonal surprises,’ the two performances will be at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center in Orlando. Call 407-770-0071 or visit OrlandoPhil.org

November 28 to December 30 – A Dickens of a Spoof of … ‘A Christmas Carol’

This outrageous version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol uses the play-within-a-play scenario to show us what can happen when the ladies of the ‘Farndale Dramatic Society’ get their hands on this classic Christmas play. Unfortunately, they create one awful production with bad acting, missing actors, and actors who remember their lines (BUT NOT in the order in which they were written). It’s a Dickens of a night your family will never forget at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater at Loch Haven Park.  Call 407-447-1700 or visit orlandoshakes.org

November 29 – Producing 101 with Beth Marshall

Beth Marshall is an award-winning Producing Director, Theatre Artist, and ‘recovering’ Arts Administrator. Ms. Marshall will present a workshop called Producing 101 on November 29 from 6 to 9 pm. The workshop, catered to the needs of those in the class, will include: Bankrolling, The Role of The Producer, Budgets, Fundraising, Marketing & Publicity, and Producing a Fringe show. The workshop will be held at Starving Artist Studios in Altamonte Springs. To register visit starvingartiststudios.com/events or call 407-370-4909

November 30 – Winter Park’s Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony

The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce will host the ‘official’ kick off to the holiday season at the Tree Lighting Ceremony in Central Park in downtown Winter Park on November 30 at 5:15 pm. The entire family is invited into the Park for this free event as Park Avenue is transformed into a Winter Wonderland for this festive evening. Enter Central Park at 251 S. Park Avenue (in Winter Park).

Josh Garrick is the Florida Arts Editor for Wandering Educators