World Mythology Movie Makers:
Japanese Yokai

2021 Fall Session

​Geared for ages 8-14
Classes on ZOOM
​September 10th - November 26th*:  Fridays from 10-1pm 
​​(with a 20 min lunch break)
*No class Sept. 17th
Come explore into Japanese supernatural Yokai folklore this Fall! In ancient Japan, spirits were thought to be formless and invisible to the human eye.  However, as artistic traditions developed, it became necessary to visually depict the spirits and monsters from stories.  During the Edo period (1603-1868), there was an unprecedented flourishing of culture and art in Japan. Ghost stories and stories about monsters and strange phenomena from all over Japan experienced a huge surge in popularity.

Today, the influence of yōkai can again be seen in all aspects of Japanese culture, from manga and anime, to video games, brand labels, and even on Japanese currency.

Students will work on a large group Movie Maker film production that culminates what they have learned and focuses on a favorite fable, myth, Yokai or bit of lore.  Students will synthesize what they have learned into a student produced final script and have the opportunity to audition for a role, create original artwork, learn about acting through ensemble work and voice-over production, and experience a film production like no other!  Students and families will celebrate all the hard work by viewing the finished film once it’s edited, after the series ends, at a special family potluck movie premiere celebration!

Optional Student Led Zoom “Coworking” project hours - Saturdays 2-4pm
​
COST:  $625 

Young Writers Lab:
Spooktacular Short Stories

2021 Fall Session

Classes on ZOOM
​September 8th - October 27th*: 
​Wednesdays from 4-6pm
*no class Sept 15th
Do you like scary stories?  Mysteries?  Horror?  Or, are you a fan of silly stories with surprise endings or a laugh?!  Do you want to gain more experience and confidence in writing while diving deep into your imagination learning some tricks of writing and reaping the treats of brewing your own original short story?

Join Artistic Director Tracy Randolph and Author Geneva Clawson for a Spooktacular time as we learn to unmask the art of writing short stories by stirring up the creepy, ooky, mysterious, and spooky!  Be warned...writing scary stories can be thrilling and terrifyingly hair raising!  Stories will culminate in a spooky class audio project for Halloween!

​Optional Student Led Zoom “Coworking” project hours - Saturdays 2-4pm
​
​COST:  $625 

Stop Motion Makers:
Gnomes & Fairies

2021 Summer Session

Ages 7-14
Summer camp #2: on Zoom​
June 8th-July 8th: Tues & Thurs, 10:30-12:30pm
​no class week of 6/28-7/2
​
Summer camp #6: in the forest
July 19th-23rd:  Monday thru Friday, 10am-2pm
In person and outdoors in Lafayette, CA
Calling all Movie Makers!  Join us as we explore the forest (summer camp #6), make new friends, play, and create our very own Stop Motion Movies using low and high tech equipment!  Students will explore nature and various mediums they can manipulate to create Stop Motion projects such as: clay, blocks, paint, wire figurines, handmade gnomes and fairies and much more!  

This hands on class will get your budding filmmaker into action from day one, creating everything from claymating their name to one-of-a-kind projects with friends, including Stop Motion Magic!  Our student ensemble of filmmakers will learn and be inspired by cutting-edge film making and gain experience fleshing out their own ideas.  

Our original films will be edited, layered with music and our own voice overs, and have special effects using current Stop Motion software.  It is amazing to watch these young artists create and bring to life their own creative inner worlds.  There will be a special Family & Friend Movie Showing where everyone can reunite and kick back with some popcorn to enjoy their film!  Copies of the film on DVD and a CD of pictures taken during our artistic process will be made and included in the cost of class so that each child can have a keepsake memory of this special time.

COST:  $625 
SPECIAL FAMILY & FRIENDS GALA MOVIE SHOWING: FALL DATE TBD

Movie Makers in the Forest:  
A Grimm Adaptation

2021 Summer Session

Ages 8-14
July 12th-16th, Monday-Friday from 10am-2pm
In person and outdoors in Lafayette, CA
Calling all movie makers!  Have you ever wanted to make and/or be in a movie?  

Come and join us for our 9th Season creating and filming in this exciting Summer Movie Making intensive! We will bring to life a classic Brothers Grimm story, using student written plays!  

Students will take on many roles throughout the week-long process from adapting Grimm stories into original scripts, writing, building a character, learning about voice acting and production, film editing and collaborating on a one of a kind original film like no other!  This is the "reel" deal!  

There will be a special Family & Friends Movie Showing where everyone can reunite from the comfort of home, yet connected together, in the Fall, and kick back with some popcorn to enjoy their film!  Digital copies of the film will be made and are included in the cost of class, so that each child can have a keepsake memory of this special time.
​
COST: $625
Earlybirds:  $599 if enrolled BEFORE 6/12/21
(sibling discount and returning student discounts also available upon request)

Young Writers Lab:
Otherworlds

2021 Spring Session

Classes on ZOOM
April 7th - June 23rd:  Wednesdays from 4-6pm 
Join us on our world mythology adventure as we veer off from our known mortal world. Leap into the unknown realm of the knowledge keepers and play God/Goddess to create your own dynamic/symbolic/metaphorical mythologies in story form.   

Students will access the teachings of Joseph Campbell and join the likes of other epic story creators like George Lucas and J.K. Rowling!  Young Writers will invent new worlds, stories, myths, and legends of their own.  We will pay attention to primal archetypes, symbology, and universal forces as we attempt to give meaning and purpose to life’s big questions, lighting the eternal flame of curiosity wrapped up in our own mysterious stories.

Students will collaborate on a final Otherworld Adventure Anthology with potential for publication.  Although the focus of this class is on writing, students will be encouraged to access their own artistic tools of expression to bring their creations to life visually as well.

  • Students will need to come to class prepared with a journal, art supplies & access to email and GoogleDocs

​Optional Student Led Zoom “Coworking” project hours - Saturdays 2-4pm
​
​COST:  $625 

Young Writers Lab:
A Grimm Adaptation

2021 Winter Session

class on ZOOM:
January 6th - March 24th:  Wednesdays from 4-6pm 

A poor man. A son. A girl. A mother. A king and a queen. Twelve brothers. The Grimm stories are about all kinds of people. From peasants to kings. From murderers to priests. Not to mention imaginative creatures like giants, elves, and water nixies.

​In fairy tales, there are few limits on who we can create or the stories we tell. Our characters don’t necessarily have to look or act a certain way. A young woman can have impossibly long hair, or a man can turn into a lion during the day. And an innocent looking spindle can change the course of a kingdom's history.  
​
Students will do a deep dive into how the Grimms handle key elements of genre, character, setting, plot, fairy tale magic, and theme as we adapt the original stories into reimagined ones of our own!
​
Many of the fairy tales we are familiar with today have gone through a number of changes to become more kid-friendly, and audiences might be surprised to read the often cruel and disturbing endings of the Grimms’ original tales. For example, did you know that in the Grimms’ tale of Snow White, the wicked queen is punished at the end of the story and made to dance to her death wearing a pair of red hot iron shoes? (Pretty grim, right?)

Join us for 12 weeks of storytelling, reimagining, and adapting these classic folklore tales into our own Grimm Tales!  Students will work together to adapt these tales and artwork to go with them in a final Grimm Anthology!

  • Students will need to come to class prepared with a journal, art supplies & access to email and GoogleDocs

​Optional Student Led Zoom “Coworking” project hours - Saturdays 2-4pm
​
COST:  $625 

Young Writers Magazine Lab:
“We Make the World Magazine”

2021​
​Winter, Spring, Summer & Fall Sessions  

Ages 8-14
Literary and Art Classes on ZOOM
Winter Session:  
January 4th-March 22nd, 
Mondays 4-6pm
​THEME:
Hibernating Dreamland
Spring Session: 
April 5th-June 21st, 
Mondays 4-6pm
THEME:
​Blooming Heart
Summer Sessions: 
June 7th-July 7th,*
Mon/Wed 10:30-12:30pm
​&
July 5th-Aug. 27th, 
Mondays 4-6pm
THEME:
We Are Wild Things
*no class week of 6/28-7/2
Fall Session:
Sept. 7th-Nov 23rd,* 
Tuesdays  4-6pm
*no class Sept. 14th
THEME:
​Letting Go​
Have you ever wanted to write a story?  Poetry?  Your thoughts about life, the world, your observations?  Can you imagine picking up a magazine that you’ve written?  The kind of magazine that was written by people your age, with you in mind?  In this Young Writers Lab students will have the time, inspiration, and accountability within an artistic community of fellow young writers to create and self publish a collaborative magazine written by and for young people called “We Make the World”.  Students will work together to weave a series of essays, interviews, short scripts, stories, poetry, thoughts, artwork, and other inspirations.  Let’s take our creativity to the next level!

  • Students will need to come to class prepared with paper, pencils, colors, and access to a digital camera or smartphone, GoogleDocs, and a device to email photographed artwork.  
  • One copy of Fall Issue #2 with enrollment - extra copies at additional cost

​Optional Student Led Zoom “Coworking” project hours - Saturdays 2-4pm

​COST:  $625 

World Mythology Movie Makers:
Celtic Mythology

2021 Spring Session

​Geared for ages 8-14
Classes on ZOOM
​April 9th - June 25th:  Fridays from 10-1pm ​(with a 20 min lunch break)
Come unlock the magical realm of Gnomes, Faeries, Banshees, Changelings and many more wondrous creatures that inhabit the ancient Celtic story world.  Students will work on a large group Movie Maker film production that culminates what they have learned and focuses on a favorite fable, myth, or bit of lore.  Students will synthesize what they have learned into a student produced final script and have the opportunity to audition for a role, create original artwork, learn about acting through ensemble work and voice-over production, and experience a film production like no other!  Students and families will celebrate all the hard work by viewing the finished film once it’s edited, after the series ends, at a special family potluck movie premiere celebration!

Optional Student Led Zoom “Coworking” project hours - Saturdays 2-4pm
​
COST:  $625 

World Mythology Movie Makers:
Armenian History, Folktales & Fables

2021 Winter Session

Geared for ages 9-14
Classes on ZOOM
January 8th - March 26th:  Fridays from 10-1pm ​(with a 20 min lunch break)
Let’s travel to the Ancient land of Armenia.  We will celebrate Armenia’s rich culture, colorful folktales & mythology, and historical story of struggle and survival.  From pagan roots through Christianity, students will learn about the genocide, current politics, and ultimately work on a large group Movie Maker film production that culminates what they have learned and focuses on a favorite fable or myth.  Students will synthesize what they have learned into a student produced final script and have the opportunity to audition for a role, create original artwork, learn about acting through ensemble work and voice-over production, and experience a film production like no other!  Students and families will celebrate all the hard work by viewing the finished film once it’s edited, after the series ends, at a special family potluck movie premiere celebration!

Optional Student Led Zoom “Coworking” project hours - Saturdays 2-4pm
​
​COST:  $625 

The Teen Writers Toolshed: 
How to Build Stories That Matter

​2021 Winter & Spring Sessions  

Ages 12-15
Classes on ZOOM
12 WEEK SESSIONS with PODCAST extension!
Winter Session 1: January 5th-March 23rd, Tuesdays 4-6pm
Spring Session 2: April 6th-June 22nd, Tuesdays 4-6pm
Students will activate their imaginations and inspire one another in this collaborative forum to create original work.  Writers will delight in activities that create a safe container for their ideas to manifest.  Our group of creators will receive positive and constructive feedback to perfect and evolve their stories, all while gaining various tools to construct their ideas clearly.  Students will enjoy having creative writing challenges, dedicated time for free and focused writing, collaborative brainstorming, and the needed accountability to set and reach goals.  Leaders that are interested in shaping a new podcast, will work with Tracy to form an audio extension to this class!  

Young Writers will create a special collaborative anthology of their best work as a keepsake!
Artistic Director, Tracy Randolph and Children’s Author, Geneva Clawson, will challenge and inspire students to find their voice and create stories that excite and matter to them!

​Optional Student Led Zoom “Coworking” project hours - Saturdays 2-4pm

​COST:  $625 (Per 12 week Session)  

FALL: September to December 2021

MONDAYS
Sept 6th - Oct 25th*
Preptember & Preptober Nano

NaNoWriMo Prep Class
​*no class Sept 13th

TUESDAYS 4-6pm
Sept 7th - Nov 23rd*
​​We Make the World Magazine (WMWM)

Letting Go
*no class Sept 14th

WEDNESDAYS 4-6pm
Sept 8th - Oct 27th*
​Young Writers Lab

Spooktacular Short Stories
​*no class Sept 15th

FRIDAYS 10am-1pm
Sept 10th - Nov 26th*
​​​​Movie Makers

Japanese Mythology & Yokai
​*no class Sept 17th

MON & WED 4-6pm
​November 1st-24th
Young Anthology Project

with Camp NaNoWriMo

MON, TUES, WED 4-6pm
December 6th-22nd
​​Movie Makers

A Christmas Carol

SUMMER Camps: June to August 2021

Camp #1

MON & WED 10:30am-12:30pm
June 7 - July 7
​​​​We Make the World Magazine (WMWM) 

Issue #5: We Are Wild Things
no class week of 6/28-7/2

Camp #2

TUES & THURS 10:30am-12:30pm
​June 8 - July 8
​Stop Motion Makers

Gnomes and Fairies
​no class week of 6/28-7/2

Camp #3

MONDAYS 4-6pm
​July 5 - Aug 23
​​​​We Make the World Magazine (WMWM) 

Issue #5: We Are Wild Things

Camp #4

WEDNESDAYS 4-6pm
​July 7 - Aug 25
Young Anthology Project

with Camp NaNoWriMo

Camp #5

MON thru FRI 10am-2pm
July 12-16
​​​Movie Makers in the Forest

A Grimm Adaptation, part 1
Class in person at an outdoor location,
with Covid-19 precautions

Camp #6

MON thru FRI 10am-2pm
July 19-23
​Stop Motion Makers in the Forest

Gnomes and Fairies, part 2
​Class in person at an outdoor location,
with Covid-19 precautions

SPRING: April to June 2021

MONDAYS
​We Make the World 
Magazine (WMWM)

Blooming Heart Beginnings

TUESDAYS
​​Teen Writer's Toolshed

A Hero's Journey

WEDNESDAYS
Young Writers Lab​

Otherworlds

FRIDAYS
​​Movie Makers

Celtic Mythology

WINTER: January to March 2021

​MONDAYS
​We Make the World Magazine (WMWM) 

​Hibernating Dreamland

TUESDAYS
​​Teen Writer's Toolshed

​Choose Your Own Adventure​

WEDNESDAYS
Young Writers Lab​

A Grimm Expectation

FRIDAYS
​​Movie Makers

Armenian Mythology
"You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”

- JANE GOODALL

Unleash the Creative Artist Within

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Details coming soon!
Picture
"Imagination" by Akira Alion