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Arts & Entertainment

Cabaret & Comedy Workshop With The Capitol Steps at Falls Church Venue

Members of the Capitol Steps team up with Creative Cauldron to teach workshops to young performers

July marks the first ever collaboration between the nationally-acclaimed Capitol Steps and Falls Church’s own Creative Cauldron. Capitol Steps member Mike Thornton approached Creative Cauldron founder and director Laura Hull with the idea of setting up a cabaret and comedy workshop for young performers that would allow them access to professional performers. Hull was thrilled with Thornton’s suggestion.

“This is a fabulous program for young performers who want to get some professional creds,” Hull said. “Particularly, those who think they want to audition for their upcoming high school shows or college auditions.”

Young performers between the ages of 16 and 19 will hone their acting, comedy and musical performing skills through stand up, improv and musical theater. Microphone technique, presentational skills, comedic timing and cabaret development will be covered in the sessions.

The workshops will be held July 11-15 and July 18-22 at ArtSpace Falls Church, fondly referred to by locals as “The Little Center for the Arts in the Little City.” Creative Cauldron is the non-profit arts organization that manages and operates ArtSpace.

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Each session will wrap up with a Friday night performance open to the public. The cabaret show will include improv, stand up and musical theater. “We’ll shape the cabaret around what the kids come up with in the classes,” Thornton said. “We’re all really excited about it and Laura is really excited to get the Capitol Steps in the building working with kids.”

Thornton, who is the workshop director, has been an active member of the Capitol Steps for over 10 years and has worked professionally as an actor, director, writer and musician for more than 30 years. He will be joined by fellow Capitol Steps members Mike Carruthers, Kevin Corbett, Morgan Duncan, David Kane and Emily Bell Spitz, as well as veteran educator and former Mclean High School Drama Department Chair Denise Perrino.

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“The idea of the workshop is to use some of the pros at the Capitol Steps to really give the kids an experience that they wouldn’t have had otherwise,” he said. “I find that a lot of theater students in high school get to perform in a lot of plays and musicals but often they have separate talents in comedy, stand up or improv. So we’re really basing this on the idea of trying to teach techniques in those areas.”

Thornton said that the workshops are a brand new concept for the Capitol Steps, whose members will be teaching classes for the first time. He recommends the sessions to any student that wants to get really serious about his or her skills in the discipline of musical theater, cabaret or comedy.

“Those disciplines aren’t often taught specifically in schools,” he said. “I highly recommend it to someone who really wants to go into the business or has an idea that they want to pursue it. You’re going to learn a lot of good stuff.”

Click here to register. 
Monday - Friday, 6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.; $375
410 South Maple Ave.; (571) 239-5288 

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