Stephen Gregory Smith News

Creative Cauldron, in partnership with Duquesne University, LA TI DO Productions, and KDKA Radio will premiere a radio broadcast of its critically-acclaimed Bold New Works musical ON AIR, written by Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith.

Creative Cauldron presents its 18th summer camp schedule, and for the first time, it's all virtual. No worries about screen exhaustion, this is an engaging and interactive program with all of the same elements that campers have come to know and love at Creative Cauldron!

In what has become a holiday tradition, Creative Cauldron reprises its crowd-pleasing production of Madeline's Christmas for the holiday season. With Book and Lyrics by Jennifer Kirkeby, and music by Shirley Mier, this musical based on the beloved Ludwig Bemelmans' classic was hailed by critics as 'a perfect holiday treat, sure to bring smiles and laughter sprinkled with nostalgia and sparkle for all.' Professional actors Anna Phillips-Brown, Chris Rios and Producing Director Laura Connors Hull join a cast with fifteen student actors enrolled in Creative Cauldron's Musical Theater training program.

For its fall Learning Theater Production, Creative Cauldron will present The Jungle Book, adapted from Rudyard Kipling's classic by Laura Connors Hull and Ellen Selby and featuring ten original songs by Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith.

Creative Cauldron announces an open call for submissions for its new a?oeBold New Musical Voicesa?? Festival, to be held from April 27th through May 6, 2020. The festival seeks new and innovative musical works by women and women-identifying writers and composers. Queer women and women of color are encouraged to submit.

The 2019 Theatre Week Kickoff Party celebrates the launch of the 2019-2020 theatre season and the start of Theatre Week in the Washington region. The event will take place on Saturday, September 7, 11am-4pm at Arena Stage Mead Center for American Theater. It is a free event and tickets are available through the TodayTix app and website.

2019-20 Season marks Creative Cauldron's eleventh season of programming at ArtSpace Falls Church.  The diverse season offerings include live theater, concerts and cabarets. The season kicks off in October with the regional premiere of Disenchanted, a hilarious musical that takes a second look at the real world fates of fairytale princesses.  Madeline's Christmas returns once more to ring in the holiday season and Crowns, the inspirational gospel musical celebrating the resilient, hat-wearing sisters of the south, takes the stage in February. 

Creative Cauldron closes out its 10th season of award-winning theater with Disney's Beauty and the Beast. In the same spirit of its highly acclaimed Wizard of Oz, Creative Cauldron will tackle the iconic Disney musical Beauty and the Beast, with creativity and simplicity, knowing what is most essential is the story at its heart.

Creative Cauldron's On Air needs tinkering with its storyline and songs in order to broadcast its message loud and clear.

Celebrating its fifth and final installment of "Bold New Works for Intimate Stages," Creative Cauldron presents the world premiere of On Air. Set in Pittsburgh, PA during the 1920s, On Air tells the story of Frank and Flora Conrad, who were on the edge of discovering mass broadcasting. These two unsung radio pioneers established the first radio station in America in their unassuming garage. On Air follows their untold love story, and how radio became a constant companion, messenger and soundtrack of our lives over the past century of American life. Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith, the critically acclaimed creative team for Creative Cauldron's past Bold New Work premieres (Turn of the Screw 2015, Monsters of the Villa Diodati 2016, Kaleidoscope 2017, Witch 2018,) are mining the nostalgia of a bygone era and shedding light on a relatively unknown piece of American history with this newest work. On Air runs May 2 - 26, 2019.

Continuing a celebration of its 10th season of award-winning theater, Creative Cauldron will present Alice in Wonderland from March 22 through April 14, 2019. The production features 13 original songs created for the show by Matt Conner, with lyrics by Stephen Gregory Smith.  Twenty-four young people participating in Creative Cauldron's Learning Theater program will perform the iconic characters that have made this story a beloved classic.  Madeline Aldana joins the cast as Alice and Izzy Smelkinson stars as the White Rabbit. Creative Cauldron veterans Will Stevenson and E. Augustus (Gus) Knapp appear as the Queen of Hearts and King of Hearts respectively. Press night is Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 pm.

There is nothing outright wrong with Thunder Knocking on the Door, the blues-filled musical which opened at Creative Cauldron this past Saturday. But there isn't much that is right with it either. Overall, the production is a firmly middle-of-the-road endeavor where the mismatched cast are unable to elevate the subpar source material. At the end of the day, this is a show that thinks it has more to say that it actually does.

The mysterious guitar playing shapeshifter knocks on Creative Cauldron's doors again in Thunder Knocking on the Door, a blues musical fable written by Keith Glover, with lyrics and music by three-time Grammy award winner Keb' Mo' and Anderson Edwards. The acclaimed artists behind Creative Cauldron's Bold New Works productions, Stephen Gregory Smith and Matt Conner, are directing and choreographing the production. Smith received praise for his gorgeously and lovingly directed Thunder Knocking at the Door production, which played a sold out run at Creative Cauldron back in 2013. The show runs from February 14 March 10 at Creative Cauldron in Falls Church, 410 South Maple Avenue. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30PM, Fridays at 7:30PM, Saturdays at 7:30PM, and Sundays at 2:00PM & 7:00PM. Press Night is Saturday, February 16th at 7:30 pm.

If your interest is piqued by the words "Edgar Allan Poe" and "musical" and "October", you're likely to enjoy the Matt Conner-directed NEVERMORE at Creative Cauldron. It returns seven years after its first production with a set of top-notch actors delivering verses of Poe's poetry set to Conner's haunting melodies.

Creative Cauldron opens its 2018-2019 season with Nevermore, the hauntingly beautiful musical written by resident composer and director, Matt Conner and writer, Grace Barnes. Nevermore draws from the poetry and short stories of the iconic Edgar Allan Poe. After its premiere at Signature Theatre in 2006, The Washington Post hailed Nevermore for its 'romantic music, ablaze with feeling.' Following its 2011 run at Creative Cauldron, Nevermore earned Creative Cauldron its first Helen Hayes Award recommendation. This imaginative musical delves deep into Poe's psyche and explores his gripping obsession with the pivotal women who seemingly haunt his tortured existence. The production will run through October 28 at Creative Cauldron, Falls Church, 410 South Maple Avenue. Performances are Thursdays at 8:00PM, Fridays at 8:00PM, Saturdays at 8:00PM, and Sundays at 2:00PM & 7:00PM. 

Virginia's Signature Theatre opens its doors for its annual Open House on Sunday, August 5, for an all-day extravaganza full of live performances and arts events across six different stages. Free and open to the public, this special summer event runs from noon until 8:30pm, with numerous performances throughout the Signature complex starting every fifteen minutes, as well as a one-day-only discounted ticket sale at the Box Office for select performances of mainstage shows in Signature's 2018/19 season. A complete schedule for the day is listed below.

The 2018-19 Season marks Creative Cauldron's tenth year producing and presenting live theater and music. This season includes a diverse range of programming for adults and families alike. Highlighting the season will be a world premiere musical, On Air, written by internationally produced duo Stephen Gregory Smith and Matt Conner. On Air is the final installment of Creative Cauldron's five-year "Bold New Works for Intimate Stages" initiative.

Creative Cauldron's Annual Summer Cabaret and Concert Series will be held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from July 6th through September 15th at Creative Cauldron, 410 South Maple Avenue. The Summer Cabaret and Concert Series treats audiences to performances by some of the finest musical theatre talent in the Washington, DC-Metro area.

Witches are not sexy. They are a representation of centuries of oppression women did (and still do) experience for doing things they shouldn't. Creative Cauldron's new production of Witch, part of their Bold New Works for Intimate Stages initiative, simultaneously educates audiences of the injustices 'witches' throughout history face while paralleling the tales with modern struggles for equality. The evening is largely a success, revealing the ways this once deadly moniker can be a beacon of girl power for the 21st century. With America at a crossroads for gender equality, works like this are essential in sparking conversations necessary for our society's advancement.

On March 19, 2018, Virginia's Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre honored legendary Broadway composer John Kander with the company's ninth Stephen Sondheim Award. The Stephen Sondheim Award was presented at a black-tie Gala Benefit at the Embassy of Italy and will benefit Signature Theatre's artistic, education, and community programs.