Creative Cauldron will mark its 12th year producing and presenting live theater and music in Falls Church with “Reignite, Reimagine!,” its 2021–22 season. Producing Artistic Director Laura Connors Hull calls the season “a celebration of the resilience of our artistic community, both artists and patrons. We are thrilled to be back.”
The season includes a diverse range of programming for adults and families, including a world premiere Christmas Angel, by Bold New Works creators Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith, and Girls of Madison Street, a world premiere by Helen Hayes Outstanding Performer Iyona Blake. The season’s theatrical offerings are complemented by live music throughout the year by two concert series: the “Passport to the World of Music” Festival and the Summer Cabaret Series.
Creative Cauldron’s 2021–2022 Performance Season
Having Our Say (October 7 – October 29, 2021)
Directed by Bryanda Minix
Starring Lisa Hill-Corley and Ayesis Clay
Play by Emily Mann adapted from the book by Sarah L. Delany and Amy L. Delany with Amy Hill Hearth
Sponsored by Janice Crawford
Follow the real-life centenarian Delany sisters as they welcome you to into their home where they share 100 years of American history recounting fascinating events and anecdotes drawn from their rich family history and careers as pioneering African American professionals.
Aesop’s Fables (November 5 – 21, 2021)
Adapted by Laura Connors Hull
Directed by Laura Connors Hull and Will Stevenson
Music and Lyrics by Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith
The lessons learned in Aesop’s simple fables like The Ant and the Grasshopper, The Tortoise and the Hare, and The Lion and the Mouse, have weathered the test of time. Our Learning Theater crew brings them to life with a 21st-century twist and their classic heart. Great for the whole family!
The Christmas Angel (December 9 – 19, 2021) Bold New Works World Premiere
Directed and Adapted by Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith
Music and Lyrics by Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith
Sponsored by The Eden Center
Bold New Works Principal Sponsor: Jon Wiant
Based on a little-known 1910 novel by Abbey Farwell Brown, this tale about an elderly spinster and her heartwarming transformation into the Christmas spirit echos Dickens and the journey of Ebeneezer Scrooge. Our award-winning creative team, Conner and Smith, put their signature stamp on what is sure to become another classic Christmas show.
Passport to the World of Music Concert Series (January 7 – February 5, 2022) Sponsored by Ken Trotter, J.D. Realtor TTR Sotheby’s International Realty
Ken Avis and Lynn Veronneau curate this popular season staple, a live music festival featuring some of the most talented and diverse musical artists in the DMV. Sell out performances and standing ovations are expected once again from this series that earned Creative Cauldron a WAMMIE nomination for best music venue.
Girls of Madison Street (February 10 – March 6, 2022) Bold New Works World Premiere
Written and Directed by Iyona Blake
Sponsored by Diener and Associates CPA’s
Bold New Works Principal Sponsor: Jon Wiant
A tight-knit family of African American sisters confront hidden truths and well-kept secrets as they come together for their mother’s funeral. Conflicts emerge, tensions flare, but they soon learn that the bonds of sisterhood know no bounds. A new play from Helen Hayes Award Winner Iyona Blake.
The Adventures of Mr. Toad (March 18 – April 3, 2022)
Directed by Laura Connors Hull
Adapted from The Wind in the Willows
Music and Lyrics by Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith
Generations of children have roamed the countryside in the company of Rat, Mole, Toad, and Badger, the immortal animal friends in The Wind and the Willows. Our Learning Theater ensemble brings this heartwarming and hilarious classic to life in a show that will capture the imaginations of young and old.
Into the Woods (May 5 – 29, 2022)
Directed by Matt Conner
Book by James Lapine
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Sponsored by Mark Werblood, Esq. Attorney at Law
With an imaginative book by James Lapine that skillfully intertwines the stories and characters from Grimm fairy tales, and a luscious score by Stephen Sondheim, this Tony Award–winning musical has become a timeless masterpiece. A baker and his wife wish for a child, Cinderella wishes to go to the King’s Festival, and Jack wishes to sell his cow, so into the woods they must go in search of their prize. Happily ever after eludes them, however, as they soon learn the tangled consequences of getting exactly what you wished for.
Summer Concert & Cabaret Series (July 9 – August 28, 2022)
Sponsored by Sislers Stone
Following the success of last year’s outdoor, socially distanced, cabaret and concert series, Creative Cauldron will once again offer up a delightful array of performances by award-winning bands and talented musical theater professionals. There will be some summer nights to remember!
Bold New Musical Voices Staged Readings
Principal Sponsor: Jon Wiant
Throughout the season, building on the success of our five-year “Bold New Musicals for Intimate Stages” Initiative with Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith, Creative Cauldron offers a series of live-streamed, professionally staged readings of new musicals written by women or women-identifying writers and composers. Audiences will play a critical role in shaping these new works for future production, by giving their feedback to writers after the readings.
Tickets for the 2021–2022 Season are on sale now and can be purchased online or by calling 703-436-9948. Creative Cauldron performs at 410 South Maple Avenue Falls Church, VA 22042, and offers a season pass option for performances throughout the season. Currently, all seating is socially distanced, masks are required for all patrons at all times, and proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test is required for all patrons over 12.
About Creative Cauldron
Creative Cauldron is an award-winning nonprofit theater and educational arts organization whose innovative programs in the performing and visual arts embody collaboration, experimentation, and community engagement. Creative Cauldron was founded by Producing Director Laura Connors Hull in 2002. In June of 2009, Creative Cauldron acquired a permanent home in ArtSpace Falls Church, a 3,000-square-foot flexible arts space that provides a venue for year-round classes, live performances of theater, music, and dance, and visual art exhibits. Programs are presented in part through grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, ArtsFairfax, the City of Falls Church, the Little City CATCH Foundation the Ross-Roberts Fund for the Arts, the Morgan Fund, and the Robert W and Gladys S Meserve Charitable Trust. Generous corporate and individual sponsors also support creative Cauldron’s programs.
