After the success of its immersive theatrical experience “Down the Rabbit Hole” at Mead Botanical Garden in Winter Park last year, Creative City Project returns with a brand-new show, this time at Orlando’s Harry P. Leu Gardens.
“‘Dragons & Fairies’ is a journey unlike anything audiences have seen before,” said Cole NeSmith, Creative City Project’s executive director, in a press release last December. “It has been our goal to continually create safe, memorable, inspiring, spectacular events for audiences of all ages amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the massive success of ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ earlier this year, we are excited to now transform Leu Gardens from the winter wonderland it is now with ‘Dazzling Nights’ to a fantastical world of adventure with ‘Dragons & Fairies’, which we promise to be an immersive, theatrical experience not to be missed.”
“Dragons & Fairies” is presented by Orlando Health and brought to you by The Memoir Agency and Creative City Project every Wednesday-Sunday from now until March 6.
Just as with “Down the Rabbit Hole” last year, “Dragons & Fairies” makes you a part of the story as you are lead through the magical land of Tir Na Nog, the name of the Celtic Otherworld from Irish Mythology.
“Tir Na Nog is the place where the Fae lived and heroes visited on quests. It was a place just outside the realm of man, off to the west, where there was no illness or death or time, but only happiness and beauty,” writes Patti Wigington, a Pagan author and educator with a B.A. in History from Ohio University, on the website Learn Religions. “Tir Na Nog was not so much an ‘afterlife’ as it was an earthly place, a land of eternal youth, that could only be reached by way of magic.”
This magical place is brought to life at Leu Gardens with the use of largescale lighting installations, Broadway quality costumes, puppetry, smoke machines and more. Not to mention the already existing natural beauty of Leu Gardens.
“We completely changed the path you follow in Leu Gardens to really take you into what our vision of Tir Na Nog is,” says actor Philip Ancheta, who plays Dauntless, a misguided dragon with a heart of gold. “The terrain isn’t just there as an environment, it actually helps to propel the story. You’ll see lighting elements that will move with the audience, that will move with the music. It isn’t static, it’s a living breathing world.”
In “Down the Rabbit Hole” the audience followed the well-known story of Alice as she travelled to Wonderland; however, in “Dragons & Fairies,” while it takes place in Tir Na Nog which is the setting for several Celtic myths, it tells an original story.
“Donald Spencer — who is our playwright, costume designer and show director — has created a brand-new story this go around,” Ancheta says. “And while it doesn’t follow an already existing story, it is a beautifully told story with a lot of themes that will be familiar to everybody.”
The story begins with Freya, a fairy in the land of Tir Na Nog, who is questioning some of the laws put in place by the magical being who is in charge of the land. So she goes on a quest, with audience in tow, to confront this magical wizard. Even though fairies aren’t supposed to cross into dragon lands, Freya does which leads her on a path to other mythical beings — some who try to stop her from continuing and some that want to help her — including trolls that guard the border, a wise and talkative tree with a few dad jokes, the magical phoenix and Dauntless the dragon.
“As a kid, I kept mostly to myself and I fell in love with the realm of fantasy,” Ancheta recalls. “Like most little boys, I played video games quite a bit and the games that always struck a chord with me were roleplaying RPG games that fell into the fantasy realm and that has stuck with me my whole life. As long as I can remember, magic has always been a part of my imagination so getting to play a dragon in this show has helped to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine.”
Dauntless, who will join you for part of your journey, isn’t the only dragon Freya and the audience will come across in the land of Tir Na Nog. The highlight of the show, as you travel through the story you will come face-to-face with nine larger-than-life animatronic dragons. Each dragon, which began as an artist sketch, are carved from foam, covered in a durable latex and hand painted.
In the story, the audience is there with Freya and Dauntless so expect them to interact with you as well as ask you to participate in a few activities.
“It’s nothing too crazy, just things that help you move along in the story,” Ancheta says. “Something the audience should be prepared for is it is the walk through Leu Gardens.”
The show is about an hour long and spans roughly 3/4 of a mile throughout Leu Gardens with several stops along the way as scenes play out. “Dragons & Fairies” is designed as a family-friendly show for everybody from every walk of life, Ancheta says, but audience members should be aware that they will stand the entire time and the show takes place completely outdoors.
“Audiences should keep that in mind as they are planning their trip to Tir Na Nog,” he says. “Make sure to wear appropriate footwear and dress in layers. You know how Florida weather can be.”
“Dragons & Fairies” plays at Orlando’s Harry P. Leu Gardens every Wed.-Sun. until March 6. Showtimes begin every 15 minutes from 6-8 p.m. Please arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of your show. Late arrivals will not be allowed entry. Tickets are $22 for weekday shows and $25 for weekend shows and are available at DragonsOrlando.com.
