(Orlando, FL) The 35th Annual Orlando International Fringe Festival is officially underway, bringing two weeks of bold, unjuried, and uncensored performance art to Central Florida. While there’s far too much Fringe to cover in a single article, we’ve been spotlighting some of our favorite productions throughout the festival.
For this installment, we’re heading beyond the main Fringe campus once again and making our way to the Starlite Room at SAVOY Orlando for a tea-filled, unexpectedly heartfelt, and deeply relatable one-woman show: Intimi(Dating): A Cabaret About Sex and Dating by Katie Thayer.
A HUGE THANK YOU to Katie Thayer for having us out to her incredible show!
About Intimi(Dating): A Cabaret About Sex and Dating
Written and performed by Katie Thayer (also known as Bikini Katie), Intimi(Dating): A Cabaret About Sex and Dating is a one-woman millennial musical dark comedy that is exactly what its subtitle promises. Over the course of the show, Katie takes you through her dating history with unflinching candor – the polyamorous strippers, the ex-cons, and yes, a seemingly inexhaustible supply of Canadians (you will absolutely want to hear these stories for yourself).
About Katie Thayer
A writer, performer, and director, Katie is the mind and body behind Bikini Advertising Space and the Bikini Katie Variety Hour. Her Fringe credits include Beneath the Bikini (2018 Best Solo Show – Cabaret winner), Ladies Room: The Musical (yes, a musical performed in the ladies room), and A One Woman Titanic Parody in 59 Minutes or Less, which is heading to Edinburgh this August. Outside of Fringe, she is one of the founding members of Whiskey Theatre Factory.
The Intimi(Dating) Experience
Captivating her audience with just her presence and a ukulele, Katie takes us through a variety of stories from one night stands to serious heartbreaks. Her storytelling balances scandalous details, sharp humor, and surprisingly tender emotional moments in a way that feels both wildly entertaining and deeply personal.
What makes the show especially compelling, though, is Katie herself.
There is a quiet power in the way she tells these stories. She never minimizes herself to make others more comfortable, never softens her emotions for the sake of likability, and never apologizes for the intensity of her experiences. Instead, she owns every moment with confidence, wit, and remarkable self-awareness.
One standout moment for me was her song titled “Controlled Burn” – a number that perfectly captures the frustration of being labeled “too much” simply for having a justified reaction and expressing it honestly. It was funny, cathartic, and unexpectedly relatable in a way that lingered long after the song ended.
Freaky Thoughts: Intimi(Dating): A Cabaret About Sex and Dating
Intimi(Dating) is bold, heartfelt, and deeply resonant. Whether you’re single, dating, married, recovering from heartbreak, or simply trying to survive modern romance with your sanity intact, there is something in this show that will speak to you. And at $15, it is worth every penny of the ticket price!
Getting Tickets to Intimi(Dating): A Cabaret About Sex and Dating
Tickets for Intimi(Dating) and any Orlando Fringe production can be purchased at orlandofringe.org. Because 100% of the base ticket price goes directly to the respective artists, you’ll also need a reusable 2026 Fringe Festival button. Buttons are $10 and grant access to all performances at this year’s event along with your individually purchased show tickets, and you only need one button per person for the entire festival. Purchase online or at the main Fringe campus.
Know Before You Go:
- A 2026 Fringe Festival button and show ticket are required for entry. Purchase both at orlandofringe.org.
- Intimi(Dating) is a BYOV show and does NOT take place on the main Fringe campus.
- You can find this production at the Starlite Room at SAVOY located at 1913 N Orange Ave in Orlando.
- Parking along Orange Ave can be tricky. Arrive early to allow plenty of time to find a spot before the show begins. Pro tip: the garage next to the Renaissance Theater usually has plenty of space and is only a few minutes walk from SAVOY!
