Creative Cauldron Teaching Artists Theater Laura Connors Hull  (Creative Cauldron Producing Director/Founder) Laura began her three decade theater career in Northeastern Ohio performing, directing and teaching drama to children and adults. She served as Artistic Director for the G.B. Repertory Theater for nine seasons. Under programs funded by the N.E.A. and Ohio Arts Council, she teamed with language arts teachers in public schools utilizing exercises in creative dramatics to enhance the curriculum.  After moving to Washington, Laura worked in theater administration for 14 years and served as the Director of Communications at Arena Stage.  In 2002 she returned to her passion for teaching theater arts, gathered a coalition of like-minded artists, and launched Creative Cauldron. Matt Conner Matt is a talented veteran of Washington area stages who holds a BFA in Musical Theater from Shenandoah University with a minor in piano.  His triple talent as a singer, dancer and actor has won him featured roles at Signature Theater, Olney Theater, Source Theater, Synetic Theater, Actor's Theater of Washington, Open Circle Theater, West End and Toby's Dinner Theaters.  Matt has been playing piano and composing music since he was a young child, and has a wonderful wellspring of creative ideas.  His original musical “Nevermore” based on the poems of Edgar Allen Poe was commissioned by Signature Theater and given  an acclaimed world premiere in January of 2006.  He is currently working on a new musical for Signature based on the Underground Railroad. Oran Sandel  As a 23-year veteran and former Artistic Director of the Living Stage Theatre, an educational outreach company of Arena Stage, Oran received national recognition working with at-risk youth and disenfranchised adults.  A versatile and dynamic artist on the Washington area theater scene since 1975, he currently works as a freelance consultant, teacher, writer, director and performer at venues such as The Shakespeare Theater, Horizons Theater, The Washington Revels and the Library of Congress.  Oran’s teaching credits include: The Smithsonian, The Shakespeare Theater and C.A.T. (Center for Creative Artistry in Teaching). He recently received a grant from Theater Communicattions Group to develop an improvisational theater troupe for the African Continuum Theater. Stephen Smith Stephen Gregory Smith has been seen on numerous local stages including Arena Stage, Ford's Theatre, Wolf Trap, The Kennedy Center, Metro Stage, Signature Theatre, Round House Theatre, and Olney Theatre.  Stephen has been performing since the age of 8.  In 2004, he received the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Resident Musical for his portrayal of jimmy Curry in 110 in the Shade at Signature Theatre. Stephen was educated at Shenandoah Conservatory, and resides in Arlington. Lauren Williams Lauren is a gifted musical theater artist who has been performing professionally since she was a young child.  Locally she has appeared in leading roles at the Studio Theater, Signature Theater and the Kennedy Center's Theater for Youth Program.She also performed  in summer stock productions with the Maryland Arts Festival.  Lauren holds a B.A. in Music from Catholic University and teaches an early music program at the Friendship Heights Pre-School and in an outreach program with Martha's Table. Dance Meisha Bosma   Meisha was named this year as one of “25 to Watch For” by Dance Magazine.  She is an accomplished dancer, choreographer and educator who holds an MA in Dance from American University.  She is the Artistic Director of Bosma Dance and has received numerous awards from Metro Dance DC including the 2005 award for “Outstanding New Work” and “Outstanding Individual Performance.”  Before settling in Washington, Meisha performed with the Kombina Dance Company in Israel. The Virginia Commission on the Arts and the Alexandria Commission on the Arts have awarded her numerous grants for her original choreographic works. Last year she collaborated with Creative Cauldron on the development of a VCA commissioned work entitled “Shelter.” Amanda Layton Amanda Layton has been teaching dance in the DC area for the past ten years, including choreographing for the Reston Community Center’s Young Actor’s Theatre program the Northern VA Center for Dance and Theatre. She is is venturing into her second year as a Wolf Trap teaching artist where she integrates the performing arts with student's physical development and cognitive learning.  Amanda is the artistic director of a youth modern dance and acting company in residence out of Sterling, VA,  which was created to cultivate young performers as artists and collaborators in the artistic process. She holds a BFA in Dance and a BA in Integrated Studies with a specialization in dance therapy from George Mason University. Amanda has performed locally at Dance Place and Joy of Motion and internationally traveled with the Cutumba Ballet Folklorica in Santiago, Cuba.  In 2003, she co-founded a modern dance company, Anomosmotion, which performs locally. Visual Arts Margie Jervis Margie, our collaborating scene designer, is a Falls Church native. Her career spans 30 years of art making, beginning with Fine Art exhibited internationally, to Theatrical Design.  Her journey in theater began on the west coast as a Scenic Painter and Sculptor at both the Seattle Repertory Theater and Seattle Opera in the 1980s and 90s. The latest decade features design assisting for Seattle Opera and The Washington National Opera.  At WNO, her favorite assignments were the shows she designed for the Children's Opera Program, the original works "The Thunder of Horses" and the "Enchantment of Dreams". Margie enjoys "the freedom in creating beautiful simple iconic places, for the spirit and imagination" and is happy to bring this to Creative Cauldron. Eileen Levy  Eileen draws her creativity from a lifetime's experience working as a visual artist, teacher, performer and writer.  In her native England, she studied visual arts at the London College of Art and Design and drama at the Unity Theatre. After arriving in America, Eileen completed masters studies at Empire State College and taught visual arts in the Rochester, NY public schools for twenty years. While in Rochester, she made regular appearances on "Skipper Sam" a popular television program for children.  On the program, she led young viewers in creative craft and visual art activities. Eileen is an accomplished painter whose works are frequently exhibited through shows curated by Falls Church Arts.  Bill Abel             Website: www.WhereArtHappens.com Bill Abel has painted professionally and taught watercolors to all ages for the past 12 years.  His formal training has been self-directed, consisting of college level course work in painting and drawing, as well as, numerous workshops with internationally known watercolorists, such as Mary Alice Braukman, Judi Wagner, Carl Dalio, and Tony van Hasselt.  Painting is a true labor of love for Bill, and his learning has always been fueled by his desire to grow as an artist and help others do the same.  Creative Writing Chuck Cuyjet Charles "Chuck" Cuyjet is a poet, essay and short story writer and past workshop director of the "Voices of Our Nations Summer Writer's Workshop," an annual workshop held at the University of San Francisco.  He is a leadership and creativity coach in the metropolitan Washington, DC area and has conducted a variety of workshops and learning experiences for over thirty years in corporate, government, educational and non-profit organizations.   Guest Teaching Artists compliment this circle throughout the year.

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