October 28, 2013
FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF
On Friday, November 1, Creative Cauldron’s Learning Theater will premiere Tales from the Brothers Grimm an original adaptation of both classic and lesser-known Grimm folktales. Conceived and developed by Laura Connors Hull and Matt Conner, the production features professional actors Dani Stoller and Helen Hayes Award winning actor Stephen Gregory Smith along with student performers enrolled in the Learning Theater Program. The production runs from November 1 through 24 at ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 South Maple Avenue. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets for Tales from the Brothers Grimm can be purchased on-line at www.creativecauldron.org or by calling 703-436-9948.
Tales from the Brothers Grimm focuses on seven Brothers Grimm tales: “Hansel and Gretel,” “The Wolf and the Seven Kids,” “The Fisherman and His Wife,” “Snowdrop,” “Brementown Musicians,” “The Elves and the Shoemaker,” and “Dummling and the Golden Goose.” In Creative Cauldron’s production, the audience will find itself in a forest dreamscape where a multitude of characters dwell, just waiting for their chance to find their stories. The tales are threaded together with an original musical score written by Matt Conner. Conner is an accomplished musical composer whose works have been regularly featured at Signature Theater including the critically acclaimed Nevermore, The Hollow and Crossing, which opens this week. He has been a Creative Cauldron teaching artist for twelve years, and has created four original musicals for the organization including last season’s Oliver Twist and Peter Pan and Wendy which he co-directed with Hull. Scenic Designer Margie Jervis has created a stylized forest and emblematic costumes and John Sami enhances the storybook world through imaginative lighting and sound design elements.
Creative Cauldron’s Learning Theater program provides a unique opportunity for young performers who participate in a 7-week workshop process in which an original production is shaped around their talents and abilities. The production is then anchored by professional actors who serve as their mentors throughout the 16 performances in the run.
Tales from the Brothers Grimm features Dani Stoller who has appeared in past Creative Cauldron performances including the Helen Hayes Awards Recommended© Marry Me a Little and Nevermore, Peter Pan and Wendy, Unforgettable: a Cabaret, Voices of Vantage and her one-woman show That Girl.
Helen Hayes Award winning actor Stephen Gregory Smith has been a Washington, DC area theater artist and performer for the past 14 years, and a teaching artist with Creative Cauldron for the past six years. His directing credits include last season’s Helen Hayes Awards Recommended© productions of Cole Porter: You’re the Top! and Thunder Knocking on the Door. His recent acting credits include: Miss Saigon, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Brother Russia, Hairspray, The Boy Detective Fails, Sunset Boulevard (Signature Theatre), First You Dream (Kennedy Center), and Adding Machine: a Musical (Studio Theatre).
