The 2023-24 Season will mark Creative Cauldron’s final season at its current home in Pearson Square, before moving to a new black box theater in the Broad and Washington project. Commenting on the season lineup, Founding Artistic Director Laura Connors Hull said: “It is a season filled with the stories of dreamers and doers. It has exciting ‘Bold New Works’ and regional premieres, but also some revivals from the musical theater canon, shows with appeal for every generation, and of course, there will be music!”
Monarch: The Mexican American Musical (October 5 – 29, 2023) East Coast Premiere. With a book and lyrics written by local writer, Mayu Molina Lehmann, and Music and Lyrics by critically acclaimed Mexican composer Alfonso Molina, Monarch follows the journey of dreamers and undocumented immigrants who live and work in this country, but still must remain in the shadows. After 20 years of running a successful workshop in the US, beloved handyman Luis becomes the relentless focus of ICE Officer Castelo. Fearing for his future, Luis seeks sanctuary in a local church where memories abound of the Monarch sanctuary in Mexico where he met his wife. Like the Monarch butterfly, Luis is determined to follow his fate-defining journey.
The Adventures of Pinnochio/Aventura de Pinocho (November 3 – 19, 2023) A Learning Theater Production. This inventive adaptation of the classic Collodi tale features music and lyrics by Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith, and Spanish language elements. The tale begins with Pinocchio as a real boy in the throes of a nightmare where he is being chased by a giant shark. His cries awaken the other puppets that are sleeping on the shelf in Gepetto’s workshop. He is afraid that he is still a puppet, but they assure him that he is indeed a real boy and help him remember all of the adventures that he went through to become one.
Madeline’s Christmas (December 1 – 17, 2023) Book and Lyrics by Jennifer Kirkeby, Music by Shirley Mier. Based on the Book by Ludwig Bemelmans. A Revival with New Cast. “In an old house in Paris, covered in vines, lived 12 little girls in two straight lines.” And with that familiar phrase, author and illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans sets in motion the adventures of the brave and resourceful Madeline! In this musical adaptation, Madeline’s schoolmates and tutor are all sick in bed on Christmas Eve, unable to go home for Christmas to be with their families. So it’s Madeline to the rescue! And with the help of a magical rug merchant, she takes her friends on a Christmas journey they will never forget.
Holiday Cabarets (December 11 – 20, 2023) Creative Cauldron tops off its 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 Festival (January 11 – February 3, 2024) Creative Cauldron’s annual music festival has become one of the most diverse and eagerly anticipated events of the season. Featuring some of the most talented and diverse musicians in the DMV and beyond, it is always billed as an opportunity to “tour the world without ever leaving Falls Church.” Curated by WAMMY award-winning artists Ken Avis and Lynn Veronneau, it features musical styles and genres from folk, Latin, jazz, blues along with global musical traditions.
The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (February 8 – March 3, 2024) Book, Music, and Lyrics by Kirsten Childs. What’s a black girl from sunny Southern California to do? White people are blowing up black girls in Birmingham churches. Black people are shouting “Black is beautiful” while straightening their hair and coveting light skin. Viveca Stanton’s answer: Slap on a bubbly smile and be as white as you can be! In a humorous and pointed coming-of-age story spanning the sixties through the nineties, Viveca blithely sails through the confusing worlds of racism, sexism and Broadway showbiz until she’s forced to face the devastating effect self-denial has had on her life.
The Princess and the Pea (March 8 – 24, 2024) A Learning Theater production. Adapted from the Classic Story by Hans Christian Anderson with Music by Matt Conner and Lyrics by Stephen Gregory Smith. The King and Queen have decided that it’s high time for their son Prince Dillon to find a wife. They task the Court Jester with finding a suitable bride, but what he unleashes is a never-ending line of young women with serious flaws – one is an egomaniac, one is a maniac, and one has an unnatural attraction to ketchup. Finally, one stormy night, a young woman knocks on the castle door seeking shelter. Is she the match he is seeking? His mother’s ridiculous test of worthiness involving a pea, and some magical help from the local wizard, will reveal the answer.
Chicks in Heaven (April 11 – 28, 2024) Book and Lyrics by Carol Campbell. Music by Carol Campbell and David Graziano. When four hippy friends come together in rural southern Virginia town for a previously planned 30-year reunion, it’s a happy gathering filled with remembrances and ritual. But when a local boy sets fire to one of the women’s van, clashes magnify and challenge old declarations of magic and friendship. At its heart this is a tale of reconciling differences, Chicks begs the question, can women finally come together to fight both racism and misogyny at the same time?
Working (May 16 – June 9, 2024) From the book by Studs Terkel. Adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso. Songs by Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers and Susan Birkenhead, Stephen Schwartz, James Taylor. Based on Studs Terkel’s best-selling book of interviews with American workers, Working paints a vivid portrait of the workers that the world so often takes for granted: the schoolteacher, the phone operator, the waitress, the millworker, the mason and the housewife, just to name a few. Nominated for six Tony Awards, this classic has been updated for a modern age, featuring new songs by Tony Award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as favorites by Stephen Schwartz, Craig Carnelia, James Taylor, Micki Grant, and more.
Tickets for Creative Cauldron’s 2023/24 season will go on sale soon, and individual ticket prices will range from $15 to $50. For more information, call the box office at 703-436-9948 or go online.
About Creative Cauldron
Creative Cauldron is an award-winning non-profit 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 Founding Artistic Director Laura Connors Hull in 2002. In June of 2009, Creative Cauldron took up occupancy in its current home in the City of Falls Church where it provides year-round classes, live performances of theater, and music. In 2024, Creative Cauldron is slated to move to a new black box theater and permanent home in the Broad and Washington project in Falls Church.
