Josh Garrick: Culture Worthy of Your Calendar

Now through Aug. 5 – The 6th Annual Target Family Theatre Festival

The Orlando Repertory Theatre (the REP) will partner with Target to present the 6th Annual Target Family Theatre Festival on July 28 and 29 in Loch Haven Park. The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. The festival features face painting, puppets, masks, the Orlando Philharmonic’s ‘instrument petting zoo,’ balloon artists, games, sample classes, a costume-dress-up station, strolling actors and backstage tours. The party is free. On additional dates will be free performances by Grammy-nominated Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could; Mr. Richard and the Pound Hounds; Pirate School!; and Nels Ross. Katie Couric’s “The Brand New Kid” and the Youth Academy production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “State Fair” will be offered at $10 and $15 respectively. All shows take place at the Orlando Repertory Theatre at 1001 E. Princeton St. in Loch Haven Park in Orlando. Call 407-896-7365 for tickets, dates and times.

Now through Aug. 5 – Enzian Kidfest means free family films

Movie lovers of all ages may enjoy an exceptional selection of family-friendly movies ranging from silent comedy classics to popular favorites at Enzian’s annual Kidfest Summer Movies Series. With movies as varied from Steven Spielberg’s 1980s classic “The Goonies” to Robert Zemeckis’ trail-blazing fusion of animation and live-action in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” the screenings are free on weekdays, and $5 on weekends. The schedule, sponsored by Disney World, continues through Aug. 5 at the Enzian at 1300 S. Orlando Ave. in Maitland. Call 407-629-1088, ext. 302, or visit Enzian.org

July 27 to Nov. 25 – Mad Science at Museum of Florida Art

There are several ‘openings’ this Friday, July 27, at the Museum of Florida Art in DeLand. They include the paintings of Purvis Young, a series of photographs by Barbara Neijna, and the most interesting of the lot (upstairs) in works by Kyle and Jim Jipson that the two artists are calling “Mad Science.” Kyle’s work is drawn from the news of natural disasters and catastrophes, using broken toys and other ‘found objects’ as potential explanations for the destruction. Familiar to the Central Florida art scene for years, Kyle has included a large new painting that is nothing short of a masterpiece, and that painting alone is worth the trip to DeLand. Jim Jipson's art offers metaphors for how we think, feel and experience life with the ‘Mad Scientist’ showing up in three amazing boxes. The boxes project beautiful moving images in ways that most of us will never understand, so it’s best to simply enjoy the trail of images he has created. MOFA is located at 600 N. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand. Call 386-734-4371 or visit museumoffloridaart.org

Aug. 3-26 – Mad Cow Theatre times two

The Mad Cow Theatre in downtown Orlando invites us to leave the heat of August and step inside their intimate theaters for two very different plays, both of which open on Aug. 3 and run through Aug. 26. The first is the American classic “Twelve Angry Men” set on an August night in New York City as a jury files into the deliberation room to decide the fate of a young man accused of killing his father. The men must face themselves, their biases and their sense of justice knowing the life or death of the young man hangs in the balance.

The second is “Billy Bishop Goes to War” about an unlikely hero (the worst student in the Royal Military College) who goes on to become the most-decorated officer of the Royal Canadian Flying Corps in World War I. Both funny and poignant, the play tells of high-flying escapades and the front lines of battle. This two-man show features a piano player who accompanies Billy as he regales the audience with tales of war while introducing us to the characters he met along the way. Mad Cow Theatre is at 105 S. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando. Call 407-297-8788, ext.12, or visit madcowtheatre.com

Aug. 4 through Oct. 28 — Jimm Roberts Photography Exhibition

For more than 30 years, Orlando-based photographer Jimm Roberts captured Florida's most accomplished personalities in portraiture. The Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) will share a collection of Roberts' portraits in the exhibit “Southernmost Art and Literary Portraits: Fifty Internationally Noted Artists and Writers in Florida by Jimm Roberts” on view through Oct. 28. Roberts traveled throughout Florida to meet, photograph and interview prominent artists living in the state. Among the notable artists and authors featured in the exhibit are Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Annie Dillard and Alison Lurie. Related OMA events include a Gallery Talk by Jimm Roberts on Aug. 15 and a book signing by James Rosenquist on Sept. 22. The OMA is located in Orlando’s Loch Haven Park at 2416 N. Mills Ave. Call 407-896-4231 or visit omart.org