The empty performance area of Fringe ArtSpace, soon to close its doors by February 2025.
The Fringe ArtSpace in downtown Orlando will permanently close by February 2025 due to financial hardships, low ticket sales, maintenance costs, and safety concerns. Despite the closure, Orlando Fringe is committed to supporting local artists through upcoming performances. This marks a troubling trend in the Central Florida arts community as other venues also face similar challenges.
In a heart-wrenching turn of events for the local arts scene, the Fringe ArtSpace in downtown Orlando will be pulling down the curtains for good by the end of February 2025. Just a couple of years after it opened its doors in January 2023, this vibrant hub aimed at empowering artists and offering a space for workshops, classes, and immersive performances has faced crippling financial hardships.
The reasons behind the closure are multi-faceted and deeply concerning. Low ticket sales, coupled with a staggering rise in maintenance costs, have made it increasingly difficult for the organization to stay afloat. On top of these financial woes, safety concerns and flooding issues have surfaced, not to mention the ongoing struggles with a significant lack of parking space that has deterred potential visitors.
Managing director Melissa Fritzinger expressed the organization’s sadness about the impending shutdown, noting its profound impact on local creatives who relied on the venue for their crafts. With the venue’s operational costs racking up almost $30,000 monthly, including a hefty sum nearing $9,000 just for maintenance, it’s no wonder that the numbers just didn’t add up.
Although the team had high hopes when they launched, the mountain of maintenance bills has proven insurmountable. A pressing need for $300,000 worth of repairs for the air conditioning units alone underscores the facility’s crumbling state. The place faced challenges earlier this year when January flooding resulted in additional repair costs to the tune of $30,000.
This venue, which boasts two performance areas—a main stage complete with 166 seats and a cozy black box theater accommodating 40-60 seats—was a central part of the community’s cultural fabric. It played host to various productions and events, including the much-anticipated musical, “The Red String: A New Musical“, and contributed to shared experiences during the IMMERSE Festival.
As the closure looms, Orlando Fringe will see its annual budget shrink dramatically from $2 million to $1.2 million. With a community so rich in creativity and passion, the thought of losing such an important venue has left many artists and patrons feeling disheartened.
The closure of Fringe ArtSpace is not an isolated incident; it reflects a worrying trend that is hitting the Central Florida arts community hard. Earlier this year, The Garden Theater in Winter Garden also closed its doors, further diminishing the venues available for local artists to showcase their work. Additionally, significant cuts in arts funding have compounded these challenges, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoing over $30 million earmarked for the arts.
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