The promises of solidarity made after Pulse five years ago have no expiration date
It s been five years half a decade since the Pulse nightclub massacre on June 12, 2016, and it still hurts. More than likely it always will.
On that night five years ago, a gunman opened fire on revelers at the LGBTQ+ nightclub s Latin night and 49 lives were lost, mostly Latin and people of color. The city rallied around the survivors, their families and loved ones, and the LGBTQ+ community at large, demonstrating that, yes, sometimes love wins . or at least can stand a fighting chance.
In so many ways, Orlando is still reeling from the events of that night, like having the wind knocked out of you after a vicious punch to the stomach. For years.
Orlando remembers: Pulse five-year memorial events
From music and art to blood drives and candlelight vigils, here are some of the events that honor Pulse victims, survivors and first responders in Central Florida.
THROUGH JUNE 12
Acts of Love and Kindness
In honor of the lives lost on June 12, 2016, One Orlando Alliance encourages everyone to act, love and give. Share your Act of Love and Kindness on social media, tag @OneOrlandoAlliance and use the hashtag #ActLoveGive.
JUNE 5-13
Community: Five Years After the Pulse Tragedy
This exhibition examines how local and global communities were touched by the Pulse shootings; see more on page 21. Although the History Center normally charges admission, entry is free for this week. Orange County Regional History Center, 65 E. Central Blvd., thehistorycenter.org
What happens when you take a 16th-century prose romance and turn it into a musical with a score by the most successful all-female rock band in history, The Go Go’s? You get HEAD OVER HEELS, a musical that took Broadway by storm in 2018 and that will have its Central Florida premiere June 10 – 13th by Encore! Performing Arts at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Orlando. Directing this production is Encore’s Creative Director, Michael Rodgers, and Choreographing the production is Adonus Mabry. I had the pleasure of sitting down with both Michael and Adonus to talk about the show, what it’s like creating a musical during a pandemic, and what audiences can expect from this exciting and new theatrical experience.