ORLANDO, Fla. – This week marks the second week of performances for the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival.
The yearly festival is considered the longest-running Fringe theatre festival in the U.S., and it features more than 100 shows.
Singer and pianist, Jennifer Gray, is among the lineup.
Her show, “Life as My Favorite Obstacle Course,” shares her journey of becoming a professional musician and living an independent life, despite the world not always being accessible for a wheelchair user.
She said during her show, she explains how she became disabled as an adult with adult-onset muscular dystrophy. She used to perform on the side and was a software engineer full-time. She said her disability opened her up to new opportunities.
“Instead of that being, ‘Oh I lost a career,’ I was like, ‘I wonder what would happen if I launched my music business, and be able to control my own schedule and control the jobs I do?’ and that’s how that started,” said Gray.
“Life as My Favorite Obstacle Course” features Gray alongside her service dog, Tonka. She said they’ve been together for close to 5 years thanks to New Horizons Service Dogs. Gray shared about the moment they first bonded during training.
“I’m sitting on the floor and he comes right here, looks into my soul, and then he comes up and puts his forehead on mine. Of course, I’m bawling at this point. I’m just letting it happen. He comes up and puts his forehead on mine and he’s like, ‘You’re my person, you’re my person’ and the rest of that day, he always left a paw on me,” Gray said.
Her show includes some favorites from the Great American Songbook, Broadway, Disney, gospel, and pop.
She talked about how her performance is paving the way for others with disabilities to get outside and get on the stage.
“My mission statement is to use my voice and my music and my story to bring inspiration, empowerment, and hope to as many people as I can. Honestly, it fits in with all I’ve ever wanted to do my whole life was help people,” Gray said.
She has two more shows this weekend inside the John & Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center. Click here for ticket information.
We also put together a complete guide to help you navigate Orlando Fringe Fest. It wraps up this Sunday.
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