Orlando Family Stage Centennial

Written By Zac Alfson

Centennial Campaign Strategy, Marketing Leadership, Cross-Functional Alignment

Creative Agency: Headword!
Communications Consultant: Holden Curated Content Advising

Overview

In 2026, Orlando Family Stage celebrates 100 years theatre in Central Florida.

As Senior Director of Marketing, I led the strategic positioning, messaging architecture, and cross-departmental coordination for the Centennial, ensuring it is but a platform for growth, national visibility, and long-term fundraising momentum.

The Centennial became a unifying narrative for artistic programming, development campaigns, brand evolution, partnerships, and community engagement.

The Challenge

The organization stood at a historic milestone. The opportunity was significant:

• Elevate national leadership in Theatre for Young Audiences
• Launch major new works and commissions
• Strengthen philanthropic momentum
• Expand media visibility
• Align education, development, artistic, and marketing teams around one cohesive story

The Centennial needed to serve multiple audiences at once — families, donors, civic leaders, national peers, artists, educators, and funders — while maintaining warmth and accessibility.

Strategy

  • Developed a Centennial messaging platform that connected:

    • 100 years of producing theatre, across multiple organziation names and missions

    • The commissioning of new work

    • Literacy and community outcomes

    • Future-facing investment opportunities

    Positioned the Centennial not as a look back, but as a launch forward.

  • Partnered closely with Development to ensure:

    • New cohesive sponsorship structure and communications

    • Clear case statements tied to Centennial priorities

    • Donor-facing language aligned with artistic vision

    • Consistent messaging across grant applications, appeals, and major gift conversations

    • Integration with the No Empty Seat campaign

  • Led alignment sessions across:

    • Artistic

    • Education

    • Production

    • Development

    • Front of House

    Ensured that marketing language accurately reflected programmatic goals and philanthropic opportunities, and that all staff members could serve as Centennial Ambassadors, from greeting guests to serving as media spokespeople.

  • Supported positioning efforts that:

    • Elevated Orlando Family Stage as one of the 10 largest theatres for young audiences in the U.S.

    • Highlighted the embedded UCF MFA in Theatre for Young Audiences

    • Emphasized co-commissions and new work development as contributions to the national field

    • Florida Children’s Book Festival debut

    • Community, Donor, and Alumni Events

    • Commission of new works

    • National touring productions originating at Orlando Family Stage

    • Multi-channel fundraising campaign integration

Results

• Strengthened donor pipeline alignment around five- and six-figure opportunities
• Elevated media visibility tied to Centennial milestone | See Coverage
• Integrated artistic commissioning into case for support
• Created unified internal language for multi-year growth planning
• Positioned the organization as both a local anchor institution and national field leader

Skills Demonstrated

• Cross-functional executive leadership
• Major gift narrative development
• Campaign messaging architecture
• Brand evolution during milestone year
• Donor experience strategy
• Education and arts advocacy positioning
• National field leadership framing

Zac Alfson