“All Is Calm” performance to benefit Winter Garden Heritage Foundation

Opera Orlando will bring “All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” to the Garden Theatre, ultimately giving back to Winter Garden Heritage Foundation through ticket purchases. 

The famous Christmas Truce of 1914 is a real-life story based on soldiers from World War I befriending each other through Christmas music. 

Today, the story is told through musicals and operas, touching the hearts of those who watch it. 

Kristi Gomen, executive director at Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, has a deep love for the Garden Theatre and has been trying to get it active again. 

She met Gabriel Preisser, Orlando Opera’s general director, through a mutual friend and after going out for lunch and chatting about “All is Calm,” she knew she had to bring the performance to Winter Garden’s theater. 

After their lunch, Gomen went back to speak with board members at WGHF, where she was met with full support. 

They then spoke with the city of Winter Garden to rent out the Garden Theatre, and again, they were met with full support. 

“The city was extremely helpful, kind and supportive,” Gomen said. “They obviously saw what the performance was about, knowing that this is a true story of peace and kindness. They were very supportive.” 

Proceeds from ticket sales will go directly back to WGHF. 

“By us doing this program, we're able to raise monies to continue to do things for free for the community,” she said. “We are able to continue to keep our museums free to the public, educate, make sure our archives continue to be in the best condition they can as we accept more and more artifacts from our community. So it was all around just a perfect fit.” 

Beyond that, ticket sales also will allow WGHF to make improvements to its exhibits, continue to offer free lunch and learns, as well as continue to do more educational outreach. 

“It’s really just making sure that we keep the legacy in the history of West Orange County,” Gomen said. 

To Preisser, bringing “All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” to the Garden Theatre means the world to him. He grew up in West Orange. 

“This is like a dream come true to be able to put a show back in there,” Preisser said. “We were thrilled to partner with her on it. It was a no-brainer.” 

Preisser was inducted into the West Orange High School Hall of Fame a few years ago for music. He participated in chorus and theater throughout his high school career and continued that route after graduation. 

“I feel like I need to be doing something in Winter Garden to live up to that reputation,” he said. “It's an honor to be able to do something right where I live. It was so sad when the theater company closed and I knew that the theater was just kind of sitting there empty, in the heart of the city where I live. Hopefully we can get the theater going again.” 

He is especially excited about bringing “All is Calm” to Winter Garden, a community full of veterans. 

“It's just really beautiful to share those stories and really kind of connect with our veteran community,” he said. “There's no humanity in war, but there is humanity in the warrior, in the person, the soldier.” 

In the future, Preisser hopes to bring Opera Orlando back to the Garden Theatre and collaborate with the WGHF again. 

“The hook is to do at least two programs a year, ideally in the theater if we can make that work with the city,” he said. “And one would be a patriotic concert around Fourth of July, patriotic songs, patriotic music and then maybe doing another Christmas show. I don't know if it's going to be ‘All is Calm’ again, but some type of Christmas concert every year, just because it's selling so well. We only have a few seats left, so we definitely want to keep it going, make it an annual thing.” 

Gomen hopes for the same even though WGHF doesn’t own the Garden Theatre. 

“I know this sounds all just perfect and wonderful, and to be honest with you, it truly has been,” she added.