The play is directed by seniors Bryan Ward and Rebecca Thackrey and produced by Theater Arts Director Pamela Ricker.  The Play is set in London’s industrial revolution of the late 1800’s, and tells the story of Joseph Merrick, known as The Elephant Man, who had a bone disorder which caused him to develop terrible deformities.  Merrick was a side show freak until he was rescued by Treves, a surgeon at the London Hospital.  The play examines issues of people’s fear of the unknown and prejudices based on appearance as well as our intolerance of perceived imperfections of all kinds.

The play is a serious drama and will be staged with creative lighting, projections, and short animations to create the settings and communicate the themes. Technical support will be by John Ballou and the George Mason Technical Theater Crew, as well as Mr. Ballou’s classes. Starring roles include Sean Driggers as The Elephant man, Samuel Blagg as Dr. Treves, Emma Pierce as Lady Gomm, Joseph Warren as Ross and Kikki Skotte as Mrs. Kendall.  The supporting ensemble brings the size of the cast up to 40 in all.

This is a very intellectual, symbolic, and challenging script and the George Mason cast is more than up to the challenge of bringing it to life. There should be striking and impressive technical elements to the show as well, which promise to make it a memorable piece of theater.

"Alice in Wonderland, Jr." will be performed Thursday, Friday and Saturday (February 23 - 25) at 7 pm at MEHMS. Shown above are Tweedledee (Jacob Plata) and Tweedledum (Andrew Connelly) with "medium" Alice (Tea Abbraciamento) Photo courtesy of Carol Sly.

The show opens Thursday and runs through Saturday, February 25 in the MEHMS Cafetorium at 7pm. Tickets are $8 per person. The lobby opens at 6 pm, and the seating area opens at 6:30pm. Admission is through the front doors only. Concessions are available each night with a  variety of snacks, treats and drinks.  There is plenty of parking in front, on the side and behind the school.

Travel to Italy this weekend as the Washington, DC based Commedia dell’Arte performance troupe, Faction of Fools presents two performances at Creative Cauldron’s continuing Passport to the World Festival at ArtSpace Falls Church.

On Saturday, February 11 at 7:30 pm, Faction of Fools Artistic Director Matthew R. Wilson will perform “The Great One-Man Commedia Epic,” a one-man show in which he performs 12 different characters drawn from the historical commedia dell’ Arte canon.

The piece was originally commissioned in 2004 for Italy’s 20^th annual Stage Internazionale.  Young lovers have their lives thrown into chaos as their wedding plans are threatened by squabbling fathers, boasting war heroes and a host of well-meaning but dim-witted servants.  The entire town is drawn to the brink of tragedy before love prevails, normalcy is restored and comedy triumphs. This one-man show is a treat for avant-garde theater fans, scholars of dramatic history, and the fun-loving child in all of us.

This one-man show will delight theater and comedy fans Saturday night, February 11 at 7:30 pm at Creative Cauldron. Part of the "Passport to the World Festival" as it travels to Italy.

On Sunday, February 12 at 2 pm, the Faction of Fools troupe will present a fun-filled commedia version of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” In this Helen Hayes Award Recommended show, you will see the Faction of Fools’ high octane version featuring five actors in a one-hour perfromance.  They will bring physical spectacularity to Shakespeare’s poetry, highlighting tragedy by juxtaposing it with humor.

And the finale of this weekend trip to Italy will be an Italian Village Dance Workshop led by Celest DiPietrapolo, Rosina DiPietrapolo and Marie Cocco at 4 pm Sunday, February 12.  Audiences will be introduced to traditional music and dance from small villages throughout Italy and will learn several dances. Family friendly so bring the kids and the grandparents.

Tickets for either of the Faction of Fools shows are $20 for adults and $18 for students and seniors.  The dance workshop tickets are $10 each.  Order online in advance at www.creativecauldron.org or by calling 571-239-5288.

Creative Cauldron at ArtSpace is located at 410 S. Maple Avenue in the Pearson Square building.  Free parking is available in the garages at 410 and 400 S. Maple Avenue.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors and students and can be ordered in advance at www.creativecauldron.org Creative Cauldron at ArtSpace Falls Church is located at 410 S. Maple Avenue in the Pearson Square buiding.  Free parking is available in the garages at 410 and 400 S. Maple Ave.

The finale of this weekend trip to Italy will be an Italian Village Dance Workshop led by Celest DiPietrapolo, Rosina DiPietrapolo and Marie Cocco at 4 pm Sunday, February 12.  Audiences will be introduced to traditional music and dance from small villages throughout Italy and will learn several dances. Family friendly so bring the kids and the grandparents.

Tickets for Romeo and Juliet are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors and students. Dance workshop tickets are $10 each.  Order in advance at www.creativecauldron.org Creative Cauldron at ArtSpace Falls Church is located at 410 S. Maple Avenue in the Pearson Square buiding.  Free parking is available in the garages at 410 and 400 S. Maple Ave.

Tickets are $10.  Creative Cauldron is located at 410 S. Maple Avenue in the Pearson Square building.  Order in advance at www.creativecauldron.org or by calling 571-239-5288

October 9, 2011

Creative Cauldron has launched its 2011-2012 season with the critically acclaimed musical Nevermore that uses Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry and short stories as its base to tell the story of Poe’s obsessions with the women in his life.

Headlining the Nevermore cast is equity actor Sean Thompson in the role of Edgar Allan Poe.  Thompson has appeared regionally in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Philadelphia’s Mauckingbird Theatre Company; at Signature Theatre as Artie in Sunset Boulevard and Charles in And the Curtain Rises; and as Alex in The Little Dog Laughed at Philadelphia’s Flashpoint Theatre Company.  The women in Poe’s life are played by Priscilla Cuellar, Dani Danger Stoller, Mary Payne Omohondro, Katie Culligan and Karissa Swanigan-Upchurch.

Directed by Matt Connor, who also composed the music, the Creative Cauldron production of Nevermore features a live orchestra.

The production runs weekends through October 30 at ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 S. Maple Avenue. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and Sundays at 4 pm.  Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors/students.  Seating is limited.  Tickets can be reserved on-line at www.creativecauldron.org or by calling 571-239-5288.

On Friday, October 7, the anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s death, Creative Cauldron will launch its 10th anniversary season with the critically acclaimed musical Nevermore. This imaginative musical uses Poe’s poetry and short stories as its base and his shifting obsession with the women in his life as its catalyst.

The production will run weekends through October 30 at ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 S. Maple Avenue. Performances are Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 4:00 pm. Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors/students.  Seating is limited so advance purchase is encouraged. Tickets for Nevermore can be reserved on-line at www.creativecauldron.org or by calling 571-239-5288.

Nevermore premiered at Signature Theatre in 2006, winning praise from The Washington Post for its “romantic music, ablaze with feeling.” Matt Conner, who will direct Nevermore, also composed the music, adapting lyrics from the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. Grace Barnes wrote the book.

Guiding a professional cast through what Conner describes as a work about “love, death, and acceptance of one’s self,” he adds “while Poe has more often than not been depicted as a dark, depressed monster, in this work you will see him in all his vulnerability and humanity.  You will be transported back to a time when poetry and letters were supremely valued… when one simple word held immense power and meaning.”

The Nevermore cast features equity actor Sean Thompson in the role of Edgar Allan Poe. Thompson has appeared locally at Signature Theatre as Artie in Sunset Boulevard and Charles in And the Curtain Rises.  His other regional theater credits include Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Philadelphia’s Mauckingbird Theatre Company; the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, Curly in Oklahoma! and Paul in Barefoot in the Park at Missouri’s Maples Repertory Theatre; Alex in The Little Dog Laughed at Philadelphia’s Flashpoint Theatre Company; and Bill Sykes in Oliver! at MediaTheatre.

The women in Poe’s Life will be played by Priscilla Cuellar (Mother), Dani Danger Stoller (the Whore), Mary Payne Omohondro (Muddy), Katie Culligan (Virginia) and Karissa Swanigan- Upchurch (Elmira).

Conner has more than 15 years of experience working as a musical director, performer and teaching artist in the DC metropolitan area. But it was Nevermore that launched his career as a musical theater composer.  In 2008, he was one of six composers to receive Signature’s American Musical Voices: The Next Generation award funded by the Shen Family Foundation.Conner’s newest composition The Hollow, an adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, opened Signature’s 2011-2012 season.

The Nevermore production team includes Creative Cauldron Producing Director Laura Connors Hull, Music Director Amy Massey, Assistant Director Danny Tippett, Scenic Designer Margie Jervis, Lighting Designer Paul Spiegelblatt, and Wig Design by Jonathan Jackson.

The workshop is an opportunity to obtain the skills necessary for producing programming for FCC-TV. It will feature a basic overview of television production in remote locations. Subjects include: lighting in the field; audio; field camera operation; on-camera reporting; storytelling; and tripod use.

Space is limited but additional workshops may be scheduled if there is enough interest.

The registration fee for the workshop is $50 for FCC-TV members and $60 for non-members, payable in cash or checks made out to FCCAC (Falls Church Cable Access Corporation).  Fees will be due at the time of registration.  Space in the workshop cannot be held until fees have been paid.

For more information contact Michael Palmrose, FCC-TV Supervisor, palmrosem@fccps.org or 703-248-5692.

What better way for students to spend summer break than to tap into their creative talent and vie for a cash prize? Students with a still or video camera can do just that and compete for one of two, $250 Bob Morrison Prizes. This annual contest was created by the TV station’s Cable Access Board in memory of longtime board member Bob Morrison.

“Bob was a wonderful talent and a Falls Church icon,” said Cable Access Board President Barbara Cram. “He never left home without a camera, and as a result, he left us a treasure trove of golden memories. Through this contest, we hope to encourage young artists, as Bob often did, to take their best shot and capture the spirit of The Little City.”

The contest is open to students in grades K-12 (during the 2010-2011 school year) who live or attend school in Falls Church City. Students may submit photographs or videos illustrating the theme of “Falls Church City – My Hometown.” Entries will be judged on theme, quality and creativity by a three-person judging panel. The first place winner in each category will be awarded the $250 cash prize during the Falls Church Cable Access Corporation Annual Meeting in October.

Entry requirements can be found on the Falls Church City Television web site, www.fcctv.net. All entries must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30. For more information call Mike Palmrose, 703-248-5692.