Tod Kimbro

...A fixture of Central Florida's theater scene for nearly a quarter-century, Kimbro has composed scores of original scores, scripting and starring in several of my all-time favorite locally grown productions. But now he's taken his final bow in Orlando (at least for now) and is bound for the Emerald City...

...Kimbro emerged from the UCF undergraduate theater program in the late '90s and quickly earned admirers by presenting a string of edgy, original shows — with titles like Electra at the Wiener Stand and Zombie Doorman — through the Fringe Festival and Impacte Productions, his short-lived storefront theater.

"I feel like we really did our best to bring locally grown alternative theater to Orlando," Kimbro says of those early years. "I think that we were doing some really interesting work. We weren't afraid to be really provocative and challenge people, and ask some questions that maybe people didn't want to answer."

When asked to single out one of his productions, Kimbro points to cult-hit musical LOUD at the 2000 Fringe Festival as "probably my favorite. I was very proud to have gotten to write a full-blown musical at such a young age, and really explore the human condition and talk about sexuality and mental health."

Of his more recent efforts, Kimbro cites Josephine (starring Tymisha Harris) as the project that he's most proud of. "It's just an honor to help bring the story of this incredible woman to life and collaborate with my contribution," he says. "Many people do not know her story, and she is probably the most fascinating figure, I think, of the entire 20th century."

...Hours after our phone call, I got to see Kimbro perform in person one last time as he played his final set at Pat O'Brien's, where he's played the dueling piano for two decades. "That room is very special, and I'm very, very lucky to be in such a wonderful room that's made of such wonderful people," Kimbro says of the Universal CityWalk venue, where I coaxed him into breaking the rules on his last night by playing 'Pushover,' my favorite song from his original musical Wasteland. "Our staff and the players, they are just the best, so it's tough to leave."

"There are a lot of things about Florida that I will miss, and primarily it's people," Kimbro concludes, hinting that he hopes to return here for events a couple of times each year. "The Central Florida arts community has been a home for me for so long, and it's tough to leave."

Kimbro's parting advice for the folks who are staying behind is to stay strong, keep rising up, and keep being true to yourself. He added:

"Use your voice, and lift up others. And I love y'all." - Orlando Weekly