Despite hard economic times rippling across Central Florida, Downtown Orlando's Mad Cow Theatre continues to raise funds to relocate to its new home at 54 West Church St. next fall.
Its staff just announced a $400,000 donation from local philanthropist and champion of the Central Florida art community, Harriett Lake.
To date, Mad Cow Theatre has fundraised approximately $1.35 million for the new, state of the art, two-theatre complex. The eccentric, independent theatre company has been a staple in the Central Florida performing arts community for more than 15 years.
The local theater joins a wave of new businesses popping up around Church Street Station in recent years like Hamburger Mary's, The Dessert Lady and MoJo Bar & Grill. The once-ailing, entertainment complex has also attracted major construction projects like the 55 West condominium building and The Amway Center, home of the NBA basketball team Orlando Magic.
While some Central Floridians are thrilled with Mad Cow's relocation and the revitalization of Church Street, others view Mad Cow's move as more evidence of the City of Orlando's on-going cronyism with out-of-town developers to snuff outlow-income, communities of color in the neighboring Paramore district.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Church Street Station was one of Florida's premiere tourist destinations. It drew 1.7 million visitors in 1985, making it the fourth-largest tourist attraction in the state after Walt Disney World, Sea World and Busch Gardens. Visitors fondly remember Rosie O'Grady's Good Time Emporium, The Exchange, and the haunted house â┚¬Å”Terror on Church Streetâ┚¬Â during the Halloween season. Church Street Station later became plagued with mismanagement and threats of foreclosure after founder Bob Snowe sold the complex to new owners.
Harriett Lake's gift to the Mad Cow Theatre includes the naming of the new theatre's main stage in her honor, the 170-seat Harriett Theatre. Featured on Orlando Magazine's 2011 â┚¬Å”50 Most Powerful List,â┚¬Â Lake is considered one of Central Florida's most generous philanthropists with other contributions including $1 million to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, $500,000 to the breast cancer center at Florida Hospital, and $500,000 to the University of Central Florida theater program.
Mad Cow's eclectic and somewhat outrageous style mirrors the fashionable personality of its most recent major benefactor. Harriet Lake is affectionately known for her trademark hats, bejeweled purses and quirky sense of humor. Once when she was asked by the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center staff if they could name one of the buildings in her honor, Lake quipped that they should name the first-floor ladies room for her.
According to an interview with Orlando Magazine, Lake has also donated $10,000 a year for more than 12 years to the AIDS black-tie fundraiser, the Headdress Ball.
Harriet Lake first moved to Central Florida with her husband Hy, a lawyer, in 1956 from South Florida. Lake's husband had his eye on Central Florida real estate and eventually amassed a fortune through the sale of two square miles of swamp land around Sand Lake. The area later became the home of the engineering firm Lockheed Martin.
The new 54 West Church Street location will be the largest venue in Mad Cow's nearly two-decade history. For its grand opening next year, the company will present the Stephen Sondheim musical Sunday in the Park with George.
