Behind the Curtain: Meet the Producers Taking In Their Footsteps to Orlando
In Their Footsteps has always been a show built on the humanity behind the history. Getting this show to Orlando Fringe is its own version of that story. It takes a team willing to problem-solve, fundraise, haul equipment, and figure it out as they go. This May, IVP heads to the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival with two new producers joining the team. Here’s what bringing this show to Florida actually looks like — from the people making it happen.
Amanda
After performing In Their Footsteps in New York, I knew this was a show that deserved to be seen by everyone. The possibility of taking it on the road was incredibly exciting. I met with Ash to volunteer my time to help make that happen — seven months later, here we are, about to perform at one of the biggest fringe festivals in the world.
When I was in college, I had the opportunity to help produce the first-ever Fringe Festival in Salt Lake City — the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, because it felt like what theatre should be:
Pictured: Amanda and her brother cleaning a fringe venue.
Accessible. Artists get a space and the resources to share their work — and get paid to do it. Audiences can support a variety of shows at affordable ticket prices.
Communal. People from all over come to share stories, create art, and support each other on and off stage. Local businesses partner with the festival. It feels like one big block party.
Experience-driven. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Baby Reindeer, Kim’s Convenience, The Drowsy Chaperone — all started at fringe festivals. You could be watching your next favorite Netflix show and not even know it.
Fringe festivals give artists a platform to be seen and heard. That’s exactly what we want to do with In Their Footsteps. Judy, Jeanne, Ann, Lucki, and Lily deserve to be heard by as many people as possible. Orlando, here we come.
Becca
This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this for a show. I’ve primarily been an actor, with some costume design mixed in from college — so this whole producer thing has been a huge learning experience.
Pictured: Becca in In Their Footsteps at the Bronx Music Hall, 2025.
I don’t consider myself naturally strong on the logistical side, so it’s been a good challenge to explore what actually goes into making a show happen before rehearsals even start. Things you’d think are simple — scheduling a rehearsal for five people — take so much more planning than you’d expect. And things you know will be hard, like finding creative ways to raise money so the show can actually happen, take even more. As an actor, you show up and then the work starts. As a producer, you’re doing the work just to make sure people have something to show up for.
That said, it’s also been a lot of fun. I’ve especially enjoyed the marketing side — helping design promotional materials has let me use my artistic instincts in a practical way. Even then, there’s so much more to consider than when you’re just making art for yourself. Does this font match what we’ve used before? Does this image immediately give someone a sense of what the show feels like? Producing has made me appreciate the smaller details in a whole new way — and made me deeply grateful to everyone who has ever produced anything I’ve been a part of.
This is also my first time traveling with a show, which is something I’ve always hoped to do. The fact that I get to travel with these people, doing this show, in a place that may never have seen anything quite like it — and that I helped make it possible — makes it that much more exciting. I was already so proud of In Their Footsteps in New York. Somehow, I’m even more proud heading into Florida.
Kate
Pictured: Kate (center) flyering for In Their Footsteps at the Edinburgh Fringe, 2018.
I’ve been producing for IVP since 2018. And it actually all started with In Their Footsteps — at Edinburgh, no less. Trial by fringe.
Producing theatre has forced me to be economical as an artist. Budget constraints demand creative problem-solving, and that pressure consistently yields more imaginative results than unlimited resources ever would. It’s also genuinely hard — lugging suitcases to an Airbnb in Milan with a jet-lagged cast, only to find there’s no key. It demands equal parts tenacity and grace, and a constant willingness to fund yourself. If you want to keep going, you have to ask for money. That broke something in me that had spent years not valuing this work enough to do exactly that. Now, with $50K+ in grant funding secured for IVP, I ask without flinching.
Orlando is my home turf. New market, new challenges — but for the first time, Ash and I aren’t doing this alone. Amanda and Becca have brought their whole selves to this production, and it shows. We’re ready.
In Their Footsteps runs May 12–25 at the Mandell Studio Theater (Pink Venue), John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center, Loch Haven Park, Orlando. Get tickets.
