Through a National Endowment for the Arts Big Read grant, with matching support from the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation, Orlando Shakes is partnering with the Zora! Festival, Eatonville institutions, and Central Florida cultural organizations to activate a regionwide celebration of Their Eyes Were Watching God—beginning in Eatonville and expanding outward through performance, education, and community storytelling.
Orlando Shakes’ NEA Big Read initiative recognizes Eatonville as a living cultural anchor, not a historical footnote, and reflects the Theater’s commitment to building a meaningful, ongoing relationship with the town that shaped Zora Neale Hurston’s voice.
This is not a single event, but a sustained collaboration designed to build relationships with Eatonville, deepen understanding, and invite audiences across Central Florida to engage with Hurston’s legacy in meaningful and lasting ways.
About NEA Big Read
NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. The National Endowment for the Arts Big Read is a program that awards grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 to organizations. These grants support community reading programs designed around a single NEA Big Read book. As our nation moves into its 250th year, the goal of this program is to honor America’s rich artistic and cultural heritage, inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, and build stronger connections in each community.
Past Events
Their Eyes Were Watching God: The Legacy of Zora Neale Hurston
Panel discussion on Their Eyes Were Watching God
May 16th, 1-2:30 PM
This collaboration is in partnership with Orlando Shakespeare Theater and UCF. Supported in part by the National Endowment of the Arts.
Creative Writing Workshops
Click to Read Participants SubmissionsThis series of three workshops invites participants to explore creative writing through the lens of nature, memory (both communal and personal), and humanity. Drawing inspiration from Central Florida’s landscape, unique history, and literary voices—especially Zora Neale Hurston’s—we’ll experiment with poetry and prose to discover and discuss how personal and regional stories shape creative expression. Our readings will focus on readings from historically marginalized & intersectional identities.By the end of the course, participants will have a small portfolio of new writing, a reading list of excerpted longer works, and a deeper understanding of how to use sensory detail, figurative language, character, and self-reflection to bring their work to life. Selected student work will be exhibited online in conjunction with the NEA’s Big Read: Their Eyes Were Watching God celebration.
Taught by Ayofemi Demps
Workshop #1: Humanity vs. Nature: Writing Our Living World
Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E Rollins St
Monday, March 9, 6 – 9 pm
Workshop #2: Memoir Poetry & the Voice of Memory
Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E Rollins St
Monday, March 16, 6 – 9 pm
Workshop #3: Zora Neale Hurston & the Culture of Central Florida
Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E Rollins St
Monday, March 23, 6 – 9 pm
Between the Wines Book Club Discussion
March 28
UCF Celebrates the Arts
UCF Celebrates the Arts is an immersive and dynamic cultural extravaganza that fuses creativity, innovation and community engagement. This annual festival showcases the artistic prowess of UCF’s faculty and students and invites the broader community to enjoy performances, exhibitions, presentations and interactive experiences. With a focus on accessibility, partnership and diverse offerings, UCF Celebrates the Arts is a unique opportunity for the community to experience the creative side of UCF’s innovative spirit.
Dr Phillips Center, 445 S. Magnolia Avenue
Friday, April 10, 7 pm