The 2022-23 season will mark Creative Cauldron’s 20-year anniversary and its first season of producing entirely original works. Producing Artistic Director Laura Connors Hull reflects on Creative Cauldron’s journey: ”Our 20th year marks the perfect opportunity to celebrate creativity by supporting the work of individual artists. Building upon our prior work through our Bold New Works initiative, this season promises to be one of our best.”
Creative Cauldron’s 2022-23 season features a diverse range of programming. Professional productions include a world premiere musical, Ichabod: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by resident artists Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith; Diagnosed, the follow-up to 2022’s Girls of Madison Street, by Helen Hayes Award-winning performer Iyona Blake; and the regional premiere of Audrey: The New Musical, celebrating the life of film and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn, with book, music, and lyrics by Danielle Moore. For the holiday season, Creative Cauldron will revive its original Christmas musical The Christmas Angel, by Conner and Smith.
Creative Cauldron’s educational arm, the Learning Theater Ensemble, will produce a new adaptation of the classic story The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, and a revival of Creative Cauldron’s original Learning Theater adaptation of The Snow Queen. The season’s theatrical offerings are complemented by live music throughout the year in three concert series: a Holiday Cabaret in December, the annual “Passport to the World of Music” Festival, and the Summer Cabaret Series.
Ichabod: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (October 6 – 30, 2022)
Music by Matt Conner, book and lyrics by Stephen Gregory Smith
Directed by Matt Conner & Stephen Gregory Smith
Musical Director Paige Rammelkamp
Featuring the Musical Theater Ensemble
Journey back in time to a quiet glen called Sleepy Hollow, where the denizens of the town are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane. An adaptation of Washington Irving’s classic tale of lore, love, and the legendary Headless Horseman, this world premiere musical by the critically acclaimed creative team Conner and Smith arrives just in time for autumn leaves, pumpkins, and ghost tales around the campfire.
The Princess and the Goblin (November 4 – 22, 2022)
A Learning Theater production
Adapted from the classic novel by George MacDonald by Laura Connors Hull and Lenny Mendez
Directed by Laura Connors Hull, Lenny Mendez, and Will Stevenson
Music and lyrics by Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith
When the curious Princess Irene discovers a secret stair to the top turret of the castle, it leads to a wonderful revelation that she has a fairy grandmother. At the same time, the miner’s son Curdie overhears a fiendish plot by the goblins who live below the mountain. It will take all their skill and courage, and the help of Irene’s magic ring, to foil the goblins’ schemes. Adapted for the stage with music, humor, and wit that has become the signature of Creative Cauldron’s Learning Theater productions, this show has appeal for every age!
The Christmas Angel December 2 – 18, 2022
A Bold New Works Musical
Music by Matt Conner, book and lyrics by Stephen Gregory Smith
Directed by Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith
Based on a little-known 1910 novel by Abbie Farwell Brown, this tale about an elderly spinster and her heartwarming transformation into the Christmas spirit echoes Dickens and the journey of Ebeneezer Scrooge. Our award-winning creative team, Conner and Smith, put their signature stamp on this new classic Christmas musical that critics deemed “a charming, gentle parable about what really matters, not just at the holidays, but always.”
Holiday Cabarets December 12 – 20, 2022
Creative Cauldron tops off our holiday celebration every year with this special Holiday Cabaret Series. Enjoy some of Creative Cauldron’s favorite performers, as well as some talented newcomers. They’ll perform in our intimate cabaret setting with special table seating options that include wine, beer, or your favorite beverage. Don your holiday finery and be prepared to sing along to your favorite songs. This series is sure to put you in the holiday spirit. Get in the festive spirit or shake off some holiday blues with these seasonal cabarets that blend creativity and classics! Final lineup TBA, curated by Matt Conner.
Passport to the World of Music Jan 7 – Feb 7, 2023
Featuring some of the most talented and diverse musicians in the metro area and beyond, this annual series, now in its 12th year, is one of the most popular events of the Creative Cauldron season. Curated by Ken Avis and Lynn Veronneau from the WAMMY award-winning jazz samba group Veronneau, the concert series offers musical styles for every taste: Latin, jazz, blues, folk, and world music. Presented in a cozy club format that has been described by musicians as “one of the best listening venues in the DMV.”
Diagnosed February 9 – March 5, 2023
A Bold New Works Premiere
Written and directed by Iyona Blake
Lydia is an African American woman who inherits a family-owned boutique. While searching for her own inner peace, she creates a safe space for women to share their stories of hurt, trauma, and healing. Guided by the spirit of her ancestors, Lydia and the women are able to come face to face with their childhood and present-day demons. They will soon see that a boutique filled with women’s fashion, standout accessories, and envy-inducing handbags isn’t the only common ground the women share. Will they heal? Written by Helen Hayes Award-winning actress and writer of last season’s critically acclaimed Girls of Madison Street.
The Snow Queen March 17 – April 2, 2023
A Learning Theater Production
Adapted from the Hans Christian Anderson Tale by Ellen Selby
Music by Matt Conner Lyrics by Stephen Gregory Smith
Directed by Laura Connors Hull, Lenny Mendez and Will Stevenson
Our Learning Theater Ensemble revives Creative Cauldron’s original adaptation of the acclaimed Hans Christian Andersen tale that has inspired numerous films and adaptations from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to Disney’s Frozen! This classic tale of bravery and friendship follows the journey of young Gerda as she attempts to rescue her best friend Kai from the clutches of the Snow Queen.
Audrey: The New Musical May 11 – June 4, 2023
A Regional Bold New Works Premiere
Book, music, and lyrics by Danielle Moore
Directed by Laura Connors Hull
Winning both the Tony and the Oscar in her first year on the Hollywood scene, Audrey Hepburn went on to become one of the most iconic stars in motion picture history. She commanded the screen opposite nearly every leading man of her day, from William Holden to Mel Ferrer, Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, and even Fred Astaire. Her own life was far less charmed than the lucky-in-love heroines she portrayed. Audrey follows a reluctant icon from her days as a ballerina-turned-spy in Nazi-occupied Holland, to her heartbreaking attempts to create the family that the war robbed from her. Spotlighting her accidental revolution of style, sexuality, and singledom for a generation of women in a certain little black dress, Audrey reexamines the life of a legend through song, dance, and the technicolor lens of her most iconic screen performances.
Summer Concert & Cabaret Series (June 30 – August 19)
Every summer weekend at Creative Cauldron features a cabaret or concert by some of the most spectacular talent the DC area has to offer! Grab a table for two or a table for four and enjoy your favorite musical standards from the Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, folk, jazz, pop, and classical canon and be entertained in our up-close and personal cabaret space.
Tickets for the 2022-23 Season are on sale now, and can be purchased at creativecauldron.org or by calling 703-436-9948. Prices vary, with options for students, discount days, season passes, and live streaming viewing for select performances. Creative Cauldron performs at Creative Cauldron, 410 South Maple Avenue, Retail 116, Falls Church, VA.
COVID Safety: Currently masks are required for all patrons at all times, and proof of vaccination or a 24-hours negative COVID test is required for all patrons. These policies will be reviewed regularly and updated following CDC guidelines.
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.
