Creative Cauldron has received funding from from the Arts Council of Fairfax County and The Hanlon Family Fund at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia to support a new Technical Theater Training Program for at-risk youth, in partnership with Homestretch, Inc.

The Arts Council of Fairfax County awarded the project a 2 to 1 matching grant of $2,500. The Hanlon Family Fund at the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia awarded the project an additional $2,500. Through The Technical Theater Training Project, beginning this month, Creative Cauldron will give Homestretch students grades 7-12 the opportunity to participate in an intensive lighting design and technical training workshop where they will learn the fundamentals of design for theatrical and concert lighting.

“Creative Cauldron has always believed in the transformative power of the arts,” said Laura Connors Hull, producing director with Creative Cauldron. “But in this case it’s not just about the art. The Technical Theater Training Project is an investment in the economic future of our booming industry. It will teach these teens that the arts can be followed as a passion – but also can provide a career path.

Participants in the Technical Theater Training project will learn about lighting equipment, safety, electricity usage and how to program and operate a computerized lighting board. Some graduates of the program will then be hired as part-time lighting technicians during Creative Cauldron’s 2016-17 performance season, and will be connected with the burgeoning DC metro area theater community for future employment opportunities. For more information, visit creativecauldron.org.