Lola Louis' Creative & Performing Arts
The chairs are empty.The stage is not.
For thirty years we taught the Northeast Bronx to sing, dance, and take the stage. Then we lost our space. We're raising the curtain again—and every seat we fill brings us closer to opening the doors.
Scroll · the house is waiting
Why we're free
Free isn't a discount.
It's a door.
In the Northeast Bronx, a year of private dance or music lessons can cost more than a month's rent. For most families here, that isn't a hard choice—it's no choice at all. Talent doesn't skip these blocks. Access does.
So we don't offer scholarships, sliding scales, or discounts that still ask a family to prove they're poor enough. We offer an open door. When we reopen, every class will be tuition-free, for every age, from four to eighty-eight.
A note on eligibility: we prioritize families earning under $150,000, verified once at enrollment on the honor system. No paperwork trails, no annual re-proving. Ask, and you're in.
Who's waiting
Four neighbors. One borough. The same door about to open.
Every face here is a Northeast Bronx neighbor, not a stock photo. These aren't testimonials yet—we haven't reopened. They're the promises your gift keeps.
When CAPAS reopens…
a shy eleven-year-old who hides behind the sofa when company comes will step to a microphone and sing. Her grandmother will stop pretending she isn’t crying.
When CAPAS reopens…
a man who cleans the 2 train overnight will take a 6am acting class on no sleep—and finally stand up at his union meeting and be heard.
When CAPAS reopens…
a grandmother who forgets her grocery list will sit at a keyboard and remember every hymn her mother taught her. Her daughter will visit Saturdays just to listen.
When CAPAS reopens…
a retired man who packed away his violin decades ago will unwrap it, tune it, and teach the block’s kids the old theatre songs he thought had died with his generation.
One day, all four walk onto the same stage and perform for their neighbors on folding chairs. That is the whole plan. Help us build the room.
What your dollar does
You're not funding a program. You're unlocking a room.
We're pre-launch and fully transparent: no classes are running yet. Every dollar goes toward a leased space, insured floors, and a working piano—the plain, unglamorous things that turn an empty room into a stage.
30 yrs
teaching the Bronx
before we lost our space
200
students we can seat
the day the doors reopen
$1
funds a minute of instruction
every gift buys back time
The road to reopening
We don't have a studio yet. That's exactly why we need you.
We're 0% to opening the doors
$96,500 of $250,000
Live total, updated with every gift. When the bar fills, the doors open.
- NowFundraising
An empty room and a promise
No space, no classes—just a plan and the neighbors who believe in it. Every dollar goes toward first, last, and a security deposit on a real Bronx studio.
- SoonAt $250K
Doors open · 200 students
A leased space with insured floors, a working piano, and a full evening and weekend schedule. Two hundred neighbors take their first free class.
- ForeverThe long game
A permanent conservatory
A theatre, a recording studio, and a community gallery the Bronx owns outright—so no one can take the stage away again.
Behind these doors
Every door is locked. Together we hold the key.
No classes are running yet. Each door below opens the day we reach $250K and sign a lease. Tap one to see what's inside—and hold your free spot on the waitlist.
Corporate partnerships
Build with us, not for us.
We're a pre-launch nonprofit with a thirty-year track record and no building yet. Partner early and your name is drawn into the blueprint—not stapled on after the fact. Every tier is a hand on the same pencil.
Chair Holder
$5,000
Fund a section of seats
- Your name on a row of the founding wall
- Quarterly progress notes
- First invite to opening night
Door Opener
$25,000
Unlock a class for a full season
- A named class on the schedule
- Team visit to a pop-up rehearsal
- Logo on season materials
- Impact recap with your staff
Stage Builder
$100,000
Build a room in the studio
- A named rehearsal or recording room
- Dedication plaque on opening day
- Annual studio visit for your team
- Named seat at the founding gala
Legacy Producer
$250,000+
Anchor the permanent home
- Founding cornerstone recognition
- Naming rights on a lasting space
- Seat at the table as we grow
- A partnership measured in decades
“We didn't want to sponsor a finished thing. We wanted to help build it from an empty room.”
— An early partner
The founding audience
Take the first seat. Fund the first chair.
We reopen when the room fills. Every gift, from $1 up, is a name on the founding wall and a minute of instruction waiting for a Bronx student the day the doors open.
The founding wall
Updates live · pulses on each new gift- T$1
The Reyes Family
Tremont · 10457
- M$25
Marcus
Wakefield · 10466
- T$100
The Okafor Family
Fordham · 10458
- Y$5
Yaritza
Pelham Parkway · 10462
- M$1
Mr. Persaud
Co-op City · 10475
- P$50
Priya
Norwood · 10467
- S$10
Sam & Jo
Bedford Park · 10468
- R$1
Rosa
Mott Haven · 10454
- T$250
The Lin Family
Morris Park · 10461
- E$1
Elijah
Soundview · 10473
- B$20
Besnik
Belmont · 10458
- A$5
Anonymous
Highbridge · 10452