On October 19th, our community lost an amazing actor, teacher and educator. Oran Sandel had served as part of Creative Cauldron's circle of teaching artists since our very beginning in 2002.
Oran’s work with young people in our Arts Adventure Camps and After School Enrichment programs touched the lives of hundreds of children and their families. He was there with us when we were vagabonds, renting outdoor amphitheaters and creating nature themed adventures in story, music and movement. And he was there with us when we finally realized the dream of having a permanent artistic home, opening ArtSpace Falls Church during the height of the 2009 recession. It took a lot of dreaming to make that happen and to sustain Creative Cauldron through the first fragile and tentative years in our programming at ArtSpace.
Oran’s work with young people in our Arts Adventure Camps and After School Enrichment programs touched the lives of hundreds of children and their families. He was there with us when we were vagabonds, renting outdoor amphitheaters and creating nature themed adventures in story, music and movement. And he was there with us when we finally realized the dream of having a permanent artistic home, opening ArtSpace Falls Church during the height of the 2009 recession. It took a lot of dreaming to make that happen and to sustain Creative Cauldron through the first fragile and tentative years in our programming at ArtSpace.
His artistic supervision and development of our world premiere, Tinner Hill: Portraits in Black and White, left us with a lasting tribute to Falls Church’s brave African American Civil Rights pioneers. He spent countless hours with Nikki and Ed Henderson from the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation researching oral histories and reviewing original source documents, working with our writers to craft a finely tuned work of art.
He graced us with inspired performances including his incomparable role as DaVinci in Leonardo’s Workshop. We still remember his brilliant interactions with the “magic window” and the wonderful improvisational dialogue that he engaged in with the audience. He helped create and performed in one of our very first Learning Theater productions, Aesop’s Fables, which featured two young actors from our educational programs. The Learning Theater is now flourishing and features over twenty-five students in adaptations of classics. Finally he took on multiple roles in Tinner Hill: Portraits in Black and White showing us the range and versatility of his talent.
Indeed, Oran brought passion and commitment to every artistic project that he worked on. He made a difference in so many lives and helped us launch a dream that continues to grow.
Indeed, Oran brought passion and commitment to every artistic project that he worked on. He made a difference in so many lives and helped us launch a dream that continues to grow.
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