Orange Blossom Award: Taking the Wheel Mid-Turn

Roxanne Faye and Alan Mahoney Jr., lead artistic associate and managing director of Off-Central, respectively. This year, the pair stepped into leadership roles and delivered one of the company’s most ambitious and artistically bold seasons in recent memory. Photo courtesy of Off-Central Players.

by Avery Anderson

There’s a particular moment in the life of a theatre company that determines everything that comes next. The founder steps away. The safety net disappears. The question becomes painfully simple: Do we play it safe—or do we decide who we are, right now?

This year at Off-Central, Roxanne Faye and Alan Mahoney Jr. didn’t choose safety. They chose intention.

Stepping into leadership roles with less than four months to assemble a season, they inherited a company in transition—unfinished plans, real financial pressures, and a 43-seat black box that doesn’t allow for coasting. Alan took on the role of Managing Director. Roxanne stepped in as Lead Artistic Associate. Together, they picked up the pieces and placed a bet on risk, relevance, and trust in their audience.

The result was a season that didn’t just fill a calendar—it made a statement.

White sold out. Art got people talking. And Off-Central reasserted itself not as a comfort-food theatre, but as a space where ideas matter, intimacy is unavoidable, and audiences are asked to lean in. In a cultural moment when many companies retreat toward the familiar, Off-Central doubled down on work that pokes, questions, and occasionally stings.

It’s incredibly hard to lead a company. It’s even harder to inherit one midstream—without a long runway, without guarantees, and without room to hide. That’s exactly what Roxanne Faye and Alan Mahoney Jr. did. And instead of pausing, they moved the company forward with clarity and confidence.

As Off-Central looks toward 2026, there’s a palpable sense of momentum—an audience that’s curious again, and a company that knows exactly what kind of risks it’s willing to take.

For steady leadership, bold programming, and proving that transition can be a creative act, Roxanne Faye and Alan Mahoney Jr. receive an Orange Blossom Award. 🌸

What Are the Orange Blossom Awards?

A month-long series from The Arts Passport celebrating the people and organizations whose quiet, steady work strengthens Tampa Bay’s arts ecosystem. No applications. No campaigning. Just community-driven recognition, released daily in December.