While many people know him for his work with the Orlando International Fringe Festival, George Wallace has a lot more going on behind the scenes.
“When I look back at 2015, there were so many more positives than there were negatives, so I think that it was a fabulous year,” Wallace says.
Not only is Wallace the executive director of the Orlando Fringe Festival — the longest running consecutive Fringe Festival in the U.S. — but he is also a board member for The Center, the owner of Supports of Central Florida, and an on-air personality for WPRK 91.5FM’s “Local Heroes” show.
With Orlando Fringe’s upcoming 25-year celebration, Wallace has had his hands busy with the rebranding of the festival and moving into their new permanent home in the old Orlando Philharmonic space on the second floor of the Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Loch Haven Park.
“The move was very trying,” Wallace says. “We went without internet and phones for three weeks, but we’re in this beautiful 5,000-square-foot space.”
And while Wallace has been involved with Orlando Fringe since 2003 in some capacity, he is dedicated to helping all aspects of the entire Central Florida community.
President of The Center’s Board Timothy Vargas says Wallace is someone you can count on to talk to and to be an idea generator.
“His relationship with me, with our organization, his role with The Center and, even further, his role with Fringe, I think is invaluable to the entire Central Florida community — and not just the GLBT community, but the entire arts and cultural community in Central Florida,” Vargas says.
Wallace was also recognized by the Orlando Sentinel as one of this year’s “O-Mazing Unsung Heroes” in Central Florida.
“Whenever you sit down with George, whether you’re having a business meeting or having a cocktail, you always feel like you’ve known George for 20 years,” Vargas says. “You can talk about anything and find common ground with George on just about any level, and I think that makes him extremely remarkable.”
