ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando Shakes, like many other fine arts companies in Central Florida, was shaken to its core when the coronavirus pandemic hit.

What You Need To Know

  • Orlando Shakes will hold performances at Lake Eola in the spring

  • The city of Orlando waived most of the fee to use the amphitheater to allow the shows to happen

  • The Shakespeare company has not said when and where tickets to the upcoming shows will be available

Now, they say thanks to the Orlando City Council, they will have a chance to come back to their roots.

Jim Helsinger has firsthand experience with theatrical magic at Lake Eola Park.

 “I performed here on this stage, I met my wife performing on this stage," he said. "When you talk about 'Shakespeare in Love,' that’s my story. And I know so many people in Orlando who got married, who met right here at Lake Eola watching a show.”

He says the scenery alone sets the stage for beautiful productions, but since the onset of the pandemic, the company has been confined to mostly virtual productions.

Now comes a new beginning, from old beginnings.

“We have a 30-year history of performing Shakespeare and we get to go back to the very place we started it and do it again," said Helsinger.

The Orlando City Council signed off on a plan to to allow Orlando Shakes to perform at the amphitheater this spring, and waived the majority of the fee to use it.

One of those performances will be a Midsummer Night’s Dream which was last performed at Lake Eola in 2003.

Helsinger says he smiles to think of the magic of pairing that show with this venue, and seeing the stage filled with people who are working once again.

“People have lost their jobs," said Helsinger. "This means enjoyment at Lake Eola, it means love at Lake Eola, but it also means jobs at Lake Eola. Over 100 people will be employed because we get to do this.”

Helsinger knows better days are ahead, because if there's one thing he remembers well from Shakespearean history, it’s that this pandemic is a first for most but not for the Bard.

“Shakespeare performed in an outdoor theater, and the plague came, and they closed the theaters," said Helsinger. "The plague went away and they opened the theaters."

Orlando Shakes says later this week they plan to announce more details on their spring performances here and when ticket sales will open.