Raising the Curtain Again: Our Plan to Reopen
By Ann Lemond-Hume · August 1, 2026
For thirty years, the chairs in our studio were never empty for long. Children filed in after school, seniors arrived for afternoon piano, and on weekends the whole building hummed with scales, monologues, and the thud of dance across a wood floor.
A pause, not an ending
When we lost our founder, Lola Louis, in October 2023, we also paused our regular programming. It was never meant to be permanent. This year, we are laying the groundwork to reopen — and to do it in a way that honors Lola’s deepest belief: that no child should ever be turned away for inability to pay.
When we reopen, tuition will be free for families with household income below $150,000, on an honor system. If you can give, you fund another seat. If you can’t, there are no questions and no shame.
“The chairs are empty. The stage is not.”
— Our reopening campaign
Follow along here on the blog as we share renovation updates, teacher call-outs, and the first class schedules the moment they are ready.
Help us reopen the doors.
Every gift fills a seat for the next generation of CAPAS students. Fund a chair for as little as $1.