Feature Story & Photos by Larry H. Oskin
The Indigo Chameleon Dungeons and Dragons group was started here in South Lake in 2018 by William and Tracy McCoy with a home game set. What started as a simple local tabletop game and a chance to hang out with friends in a home setting has transformed into an online virtual streaming community with followers and subscribers spread throughout the world. Their goal has always been to tell stories and create a safe inclusive place for players and game masters to learn and play the game of Dungeons and Dragons.
The Indigo Chameleon Group now regularly streams on Twitch TV. They have one-off games, persistent campaign game series, charity streams and classes for newbies who are looking to learn. Their production team has individuals from across Florida, the USA and the globe. Tracy McCoy notes, “It takes a lot of moving parts to cover gameplay with theatrical productions, advertising and marketing while managing all of the social media accounts. The spark of creativity found within our channel is fostered and nurtured by bringing in individuals from very different walks of life with diverse viewpoints to ensure that we have multiple voices. Our game players are all volunteers that have one goal. We strive to enjoy telling stories. From lovers of classic stories like Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan to more traditional gamers that played the first edition in the 1970s, we welcome everyone to sit at our virtual games table.”
Tracy McCoy has performed across Central Florida since she was a teenager, in plays, musicals and improvisational shows. She has been seen as a stilt walker at various events and major theme parks throughout South Lake, Orlando and Florida. She has had a successful career in professional entertainment at Universal Studios from 2004 until 2015 with a few years off for teaching in Australia. Besides facilitating Indigo Chameleon and raising her two children, she currently works as an Elementary School Teacher at South Lake Montessori School. William ‘Billy’ McCoy has worked in professional entertainment at Disney, Epcot and Universal Studios since 2005, yet the pandemic challenge shut down many of his opportunities last year. Billy is currently an independent contractor, writer, computer repair technician, teaching assistant and presenter for various projects, besides co-running Indigo Chameleon Dungeons and Dragons with his wife, Tracy. He loves to create special science presentations for kids. Tracy and William McCoy met as performers at Moonlight Players here in Clermont. They have two boys, three cats, one dog and one bearded dragon. Tracy adds, “We also play a lot of D&D!”
Tracy McCoy shares, “As times change, more and more people will be looking for new ways to socialize and to be with their friends while still being in the comfort of their own home. Indigo Chameleon will be equipping people with the tools needed to do that. Whether you are a veteran games player, someone new to the game, an audience member or just looking interested in finding out what we’re all about… there will always be a spot at our games table for you!”
Ten years ago, the McCoys were newly married and performing in theme parks and theaters all over Central Florida. Tracy notes, “Once we had our two boys, our late-night rehearsals and weekend performance shows had to take a backseat. For two self-proclaimed nerds, it was only a matter of time before we found Dungeons & Dragons. It channeled our love of character building and storytelling. It became a way to move our social time to the dinner table. After the kids got to be in bed, we didn’t lose the joy of creating interesting, dynamic worlds and characters. This circle of friends quickly expanded to playing with microphones, a soundboard, and video cameras online. By 2018, we had our own little corner of the internet with a collection of social media accounts under the moniker of Indigo Chameleon. This includes an active Discord Community and our appearances as invited guests at Jekyllcon in Georgia.” https://www.jekyllcon.com/
This past year, they have had the opportunity to take everything they love about theater, improv and D&D to begin to more progressively melding everything into something truly unique. There are plans to open their studio for in-person games as soon as the CDC safety guidelines are met. Continued adventurers in Neverland, new Steampunk setting campaigns, Clermont community outreaches and festival appearances are just a few of the projects in the works.
Later this month in May, they will be performing on stage at the Orlando Fringe event in the Yellow Venue at the Goldman Theater located at Orlando Shakes. Even though Dungeons & Dragons was never meant to be a short 60-minute performance, they have been modifying and adapting this game into the required timeframe as a unique new experience. We have a new story planned for each night, created with the interactive help of their audiences. Each performance will take a journey through fast-paced storytelling, humor, magic and adventurous presentation. No two shows will be the same and no two casts will be the same. A core group of their costumed Indigo Chameleon Dungeons and Dragons performers will bring in new guests every night with backgrounds in theater, improv, D&D or a combination of the three to create a new story on the spot and all with a clock counting down to each epic finale.
Annual Orlando Fringe Festival Performances: The Indigo Chameleon group will perform on Friday, May 21st, 10:30 PM; Sunday, May 23rd, 2:15 PM; Monday, May 24th, 6:15 PM; Thursday, May 27th, 10 PM; Friday, May 28th, 6 PM and Saturday, May 29th at 9:15 PM. For tickets to their shows, visit: https://orlandofringe.showare.com/core/eventperformances.asp?evt=645.
Twitch.tv: You can watch them online from home, on a computer or a cell phone as their little TV channel has continued to grow. They have been able to do charity event streams to help raise money for groups such as Give Kids the World, the Trevor Project and US Hunger. They have been able to keep games going over the past year by increasing the number of games that are played remotely with participating players in their own homes. They recently partnered with Wizards of the Coast’s popular game, Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realm! You will soon be able to find all of their performances archived on YouTube.
For more information, contact the Indigo Chameleon Dungeons and Dragons group at 352-988-8379, by email at: TheIndigoChameleon@GMail.com. Visit their website at: https://www.twitch.tv/indigo_chameleon. Follow the Indigo Chameleon on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/IndigoChameleonDnD.
