CREATIVE AGING CLASSES
The Wallis offers courses for older adults designed to stimulate creativity, connect to others, and tell your personal stories. Courses are held either in-person at The Wallis or virtually through the ZOOM platform. Class sessions start several times per year and sell out quickly!
Staged Stories 1
Instructor: Paula Weston SolanoDo you have a story to tell? Staged Stories jumpstarts your creativity and invites you to start writing YOUR story. Through a series of short assignments students explore various themes and excavate memories and life events, learning the power and importance of finding and sharing your voice. The class culminates with a public sharing of a selected piece at The Wallis.
Staged Stories 1
Wednesdays 1 – 3 P.M. January 8 - February 19, 2025Staged Stories 1 is open to all students. This is an in-person course offered for adults ages 55+.
Cost: $125
Instructor: Paula Weston Solano
Paula Weston Solano, professional actor, writer, solo performer, and Community Based Theater artist has performed in numerous theatre productions and television.
As a teaching artist, she’s worked with Center Theater Group, Cornerstone Theater Company, CSU Summer Arts, Fringe Benefits, Watts Labor Community Action Committee, and others. Plays produced by Cornerstone, Highways, Shakespeare Festival L.A./WPY and Cal Poly Pomona. Published work includes contributions to “Staging Social Justice, Collaborating to Create Activist Theatre”, “Cootie Shots: Theatrical Inoculations Against Bigotry for Kids, Parents, and Teachers, and “Conducting a Life: Reflections on the Theatre of Maria Irene Fornes.” Lecturer for Cal Poly Pomona’s Department of Theatre and New Dance since 2005. Paula is thrilled to be working with the Creative Aging Program and is looking forward to all the stories to come.
Staged Stories 2
Instructor: Paula Weston SolanoStaged Stories 2 builds on the community and storytelling from Stage Stories 1, offering students opportunities to deepen and expand their writing practice. The class focuses on short assignments and culminates with a public sharing of a selected piece at The Wallis.
Staged Stories 2 (Prerequisite)
Wednesdays 10:30 – 12:30 P.M. January 8 - February 19, 2025Staged Stories 2 is open to students who have completed Staged Stories 1. This is an in-person course offered for adults ages 55+.
Cost: $125Instructor: Paula Weston Solano
Paula Weston Solano, professional actor, writer, solo performer, and Community Based Theater artist has performed in numerous theatre productions and television.
As a teaching artist, she’s worked with Center Theater Group, Cornerstone Theater Company, CSU Summer Arts, Fringe Benefits, Watts Labor Community Action Committee, and others. Plays produced by Cornerstone, Highways, Shakespeare Festival L.A./WPY and Cal Poly Pomona. Published work includes contributions to “Staging Social Justice, Collaborating to Create Activist Theatre”, “Cootie Shots: Theatrical Inoculations Against Bigotry for Kids, Parents, and Teachers, and “Conducting a Life: Reflections on the Theatre of Maria Irene Fornes.” Lecturer for Cal Poly Pomona’s Department of Theatre and New Dance since 2005. Paula is thrilled to be working with the Creative Aging Program and is looking forward to all the stories to come.
Beyond Staged Stories
Instructor: Debra PasqueretteBeyond Staged Stories continues the journey of writing your story with the option of adding fiction and provides new ways to add to your creative toolbox. The class focuses on short assignments and culminates with a public sharing of a selected piece at The Wallis.
Beyond Staged Stories (Prerequisite)
Tuesdays 1 – 3 P.M. January 7 - February 19, 2025*Please note there will be no class on February 11, this session will be rescheduled to Monday February 17 from 11 - 1 P.M.
Wednesdays 10 – 12 P.M. January 8 - February 19, 2025
*Please note there will be no class on February 12, this session will be rescheduled to Friday February 14
Wednesdays 1 – 3 P.M. January 8 - February 19, 2025
*Please note there will be no class on February 12, this session will be rescheduled to Friday February 14
Thursdays 10 - 12 P.M. January 9 - February 19, 2025
Beyond Staged Stories is open to students who have completed Staged Stories 1. This is an in-person course offered for adults ages 55+.
Cost: $125
Instructor: Debra Pasquerette
Debra Pasquerette is the Director of Creative Aging Programs at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. She has been with The Wallis since 2014 and was previously Manager of Community Engagement. Debra has worked in theater and arts management for over 30 years, including serving as the Director of Education at The Geffen Playhouse. Debra is a master teaching artist, writer, director, and mixed media artist. She holds a degree in Performance Studies from Arizona State University and continued MFA studies at New York University.
Scripting
Instructor: Will NedvedHave you ever wanted to write a play, TV pilot, or screenplay but didn’t know where to start? Or have you begun a script you haven't been able to finish? SCRIPTING will teach you the fundamentals of story building so that you can make it to “Fade Out. The End.” This popular script writing workshop, open to any type of script project or genre, focuses on dramatic structure: the sequencing of character-driven scenes for maximum emotional effect. Come to class with some ideas, an open mind, and the script writer’s most essential tool: index cards.
Scripting 1
Mondays 9 – 11 A.M. - January 6 - February 10, 2025SCRIPTING I: IDEA TO OUTLINE
Available to writers new to this course, as well as returning writers. There is no prerequisite for enrollment.
This is a remote course offered online for adults ages 55+
Scripting 2
Tuesdays 9 – 11 A.M. - January 7 - February 11, 2025SCRIPTING II: OUTLINE TO DRAFT
Available to returning writers who have established the major beats of their story and are developing their outlines. To enroll, please send a draft of your outline to williamnedved@gmail.com.
This is a remote course offered online for adults 55+.
Scripting 3
Wednesdays 9 – 11 A.M. - January 8 - February 12, 2025SCRIPTING III: WRITING IS REWRITING
Available to returning writers who have completed at least the first draft of their projects. To enroll, please send a draft of your script to williamnedved@gmail.com.
This is a remote course offered online for adults 55+.
Instructor: William Nedved
William Nedved is a writer and writing teacher living in Los Angeles. He is the co-founder of the gift theatre company of Chicago, a 21-year-old equity ensemble. Recent collaborations include the original musical wanderlust at Cal-State Fullerton; the audio play the ravages with theatre of note; medusa: the musical with deaf west theatre at the Getty villa; and the opera the passion of McQueen at Boston court Pasadena. He frequently adapts international films and television series into English for Netflix. He studied dramatic writing at the university of Iowa, the university of new South Wales, and the university of southern California. He is also the former associate director of communication for the Wallis.
Introduction to Writing Fiction
Instructor: Dan OliverioTuesdays 10 – 12 P.M. January 7 - February 19, 2025
Part of being human is making up stories. We tell fairy tales to delight children, we read novels to lose ourselves in other lives, we watch movies and television to find friends on the other side of a screen. Our lives are enchanted by fiction. In this class you’ll play with the elements of fiction—creating characters and imagining what happens to them. Guided exercises will help you write a 300-word story step by step. You’ll have the option of writing a new story each week or polishing one story until it shines.
Cost: $125
Instructor: Dan Oliverio
Dan Oliverio has written books, plays, translations, and articles, as well as directed and produced plays in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Having taught for over 30 years, he’s led courses in theater history at American Jewish University and writing at the University of Southern California. His seminars about sexuality and relationships eventually led to his award-winning book, The Round World: Life at the Intersection of Love, Sex, and Fat. He is currently one of the co-hosts of the Big Fat Gay Podcast. Dan earned his bachelor’s from Cornell University and received an MFA in Stage Directing from the University of Texas at Austin
Comprehending Life Through Poetry
Instructor: Gubnit Ní DhúinnWednesdays 2 – 4 P.M. January 8 - February 19, 2025
This course will encourage students to consider Poetry as a philosophical and practical tool for life. While 'penning' Poetry may be an outcome, it is not mandatory to take the class. Emphasis will be placed on the process and effect of each selected poem. The class will embody an appreciation of Poetry as a means of self-expression. This combination of poetry, creativity and philosophy will offer students instant community, focused on self-expression through their response to, and through, poetry.
Instructor: Gubnit Ní Dhúinn
Gubnit Ní Dhúinn, an Irish Poet, holds respective degrees from Trinity College, Dublin, and Oxford University, England. She enjoys over a decade's worth of both creative and academic experience lecturing at Ivy league Institutions. A multi-linguist, words are her passion, and the combination of Poetry and Philosophy to deepen our understanding of life a primary objective.
Spoken Word
Instructor: Brian Sonia-WallaceTuesdays 10 – 12 P.M. January 7 - February 19, 2025
From the Harlem Renaissance to the Beats, Spoken Word is a form of poetry that goes back to our oldest oral traditions, and emphasizes the music of language to get out powerful messages. In this class, you'll explore where your personal story interacts with the issues you care most strongly about -- and craft powerful 3-minute pieces that give them voice!
Instructor: Brian Sonia-Wallace
Brian Sonia-Wallace is the fourth Poet Laureate of West Hollywood and an Academy of American Poets Fellow, with poems appearing in American Poets, The Guardian, Rattle, and more. He is the Poet-in-Residence at the LA LGBT Center and is the co-founder of the award-winning West Hollywood Slam Team.
Afro Cuban Dance with BODYTRAFFIC
Instructor: Joan RodriguezFridays 9:30 – 10:30 A.M. January 17, 31, & February 7, 14, 2025
Join BODYTRAFFIC company dancer Joan Rodriguez in a movement workshop series connecting storytelling and dance. In these classes, you will learn movement fundamentals of Latin and Afro-Cuban dance styles. No dance experience required. For ages 55+.
Cost: $125
Instructor: Joan Rodriguez
Joan Rodriguez was born in La Habana, Cuba where he graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Arte with the “Best Graduate of the Year” award. His professional career began with DanzAbierta, and he went on to join Malpaso Dance Company. He became a political refugee in 2017 and relocated to Arizona, where he focused on creating, teaching, and producing multimedia projects. He has also served as a Guest Artist in Residency for universities and arts centers throughout the U.S. and has received awards in several dance competitions. In 2019, he joined Parsons Dance and choreographed an original work for the company as part of the 2019 GenerationNow fellowship program. Throughout 2020 and 2021, Joan has focused on freelancing in dance, teaching and videography. Joan has also showcased his own collaborative works at the Blacktinx Dance Festival, the Solo/Duo Dance Festival, and at NYC art galleries as part of mixed media performances. He has taught guest classes at The Juilliard School, New York University, Gibney Dance, Yale University, Hunter College, Akron University, and RWU. He was recently commissioned as a choreographer by Connecticut Ballet for their “Ballet Under the Stars” 2021 summer program.
Ballet Brain Circuit
Instructor: Ingrid GrahamThursdays 11 – 12 P.M. January 9 - February 19, 2025
Physical and mental fitness should be connected. It’s one of the smartest things you can do to ensure you are healthy and lucid in your later years. Ballet Brain Circuit ® is comprised of conditioning and stretch exercises based on ballet training principles. The class is designed to improve cognitive function while increasing muscular endurance, cardiovascular health, balance and coordination. It decreases chronic stress and promotes an uplifting mood. No experience with ballet needed, all are welcome.
Cost: $125
Instructor: Ingrid Graham
Ingrid is a classically trained dancer, choreographer and educator. Her performance and choreography affiliations include the Edinburgh Festival, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Brooklyn Academy of Music and the California African American Museum. As a guest artist she performed at Stephen Sondheim’s Gala Benefit in NYC.
Rewriting Destiny - with the Feldenkrais Method
Instructor: Ami ShulmanThursdays & Fridays 9:30 – 10:30 A.M. February 6,7 & 13,14 2025
The body is the archive of our lived experience. These life experiences are scribed in us and form the foundations of our habitual ways of being. Through the interplay between our patterns of thinking and our patterns of action, this series will inspire a curiosity within as we delve into a world of problem-solving. The Feldenkrais Method is a learning modality that uses movement and awareness to expand our habitual tendencies, giving us more possibilities from which to respond. In this series, the movement itself is very simple and you will be encouraged to work within a range that is comfortable to you. The Feldenkrais Method promotes neurological benefits; enhances the sense of balance; improves posture and helps reduce pain.
Please note: The classes will be either sitting in a chair or lying down on a yoga mat.
Instructor: Ami Shulman
Ami Shulman has worn many hats in the realms of the Performing Arts. She is a Performer; Choreographer; Movement Director; Educator and Somatic Therapist. Ami choreographed for the National Theatre of London, UK; the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington DC where she received a Helen Hayes Award and she co-created works with the Cirque Du Soleil; the National Ballet of Canada and Ballet British Columbia. Ami has staged works internationally and has been a Rehearsal Director to the GoteborgOperans Danskompani, Sweden. Ami has taught throughout Europe, Canada and the USA including for the Netherlands Dans Theater; Venice Biennale; Cirque Du Soleil and the Juilliard School amongst others.
Her invested passion in the healing arts has brought her to present at conferences internationally. A certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, Ami’s work is published in the Feldenkrais Journal and Dance Magazine, she co-authored for the anthology Back to the Dance Itself with Dr Hillel Braude.
Playmakers
Instructor: Will NedvedThursdays 10 - 12 P.M. January 9 - February 13, 2025
Whether you're an actor, writer, and/or designer - or have always wanted to explore that side of yourself - join us for this in-person workshop. We will devise short theatrical scenes - written, performed, and designed by all of us - culminating in a staged reading during the last week of the workshop. The objective is to activate everyone's creativity. So if you're wondering whether or not this is for you - the answer is yes! Other questions? Email williamnedved@gmail.com.
Cost: $125Instructor: Will Nedved
William Nedved is a writer and writing teacher living in Los Angeles. He is the co-founder of the gift theatre company of Chicago, a 21-year-old equity ensemble. Recent collaborations include the original musical wanderlust at Cal-State Fullerton; the audio play the ravages with theatre of note; medusa: the musical with deaf west theatre at the Getty villa; and the opera the passion of McQueen at Boston court Pasadena. He frequently adapts international films and television series into English for Netflix. He studied dramatic writing at the university of Iowa, the university of new South Wales, and the university of southern California. He is also the former associate director of communication for the Wallis.
Act 3
Instructor: Cindy TrostThursdays 1 – 3 P.M January 9 - February 19, 2025
This course takes the exploration of the Acting R.O.P.E.S. to new heights. Actors will delve into characterizations, complex relationships, and challenging scenarios throughout this program. They will continue to explore the nuance of behavior using the foundational techniques of Sandford Meisner, which leads an actor to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances. The culmination of this journey will be a showcase of final scenes at the end of the session.
Cost: $125
Instructor: Cindy Rucker Trost
Cindy Rucker Trost is the Creative Director of the Meisner Institute, which sponsors acting programs worldwide. She is a producer, director, actor, and acting teacher with 35 years of experience in Radio, Television, Film, and Live Events. Cindy began her study of the Meisner Technique in 1995 at Playhouse West and began teaching at Playhouse West in 2012. While teaching at Playhouse West, she served as assistant director and cast member of Welcome Home Soldier, one of the longest-running non-musical productions in American Theater. In addition to acting, Cindy is also a writer and poet. “The Pandemic Rat Race,” written in response to a Staged Stories class prompt, was published in the online literary magazine Drunk Monkeys (June 2021-Vol.6, No.6). She is a staunch supporter of education programs in Beverly Hills and is a past president of the Beverly Hills Education Foundation. Cindy serves on the Friends of Greystone Board of Directors and is the Friends of the Beverly Hills Public Library Board Secretary.
SHAKESPEARE OUT LOUD (Very out loud edition)
Instructor: Jake BroderWednesdays 10 – 12 P.M. January 8 - February 19, 2025
This is the third session of our exploration of Hamlet. In the first two courses, we worked through the entire play doing work around the table, and speaking it out loud. Now, we are ready to try and put a selection of the play up on it's feet - where we take a crack at different characters and scenes, and start to put our understanding into action: by standing the work up (or sitting down) but the focus is on creating a short version of the whole play, or selected scenes that we feel reflects our understanding the play. This is a chance to build on and share what you have found inside the script with each other, and eventually an invited audience, who will be more than happy to hear this story, told by people who understand it and can share that understanding.
Cost: $125
Instructor: Jake Broder
Jake Broder lives in Los Angeles with his wife Lucy and children Ella & Louis. He is currently an Atlantic Fellow at the Global Brain Health Institute (at UCSF and Trinity College, Dublin), He was the Hellman Visiting Artist in 2019, which resulted in the script for his play UnRavelled www.unravelledplay.com. His play Our American Hamlet premiered at the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, and was nominated for best new play, IRNE (Boston). His musical, Miravel, won the LADCC for best score, composed by Jake. He co-wrote and originated the role of Louis in Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara, winning Jake Ovation, LADCC, Garland and LA Weekly awards for Best Actor and Best Musical the Geffen Playhouse, directed by Oscar-winner, Taylor Hackford, and since toured Chicago and SoCal. As an actor, Jake recently shot The Patient, with Steve Carrell, was on The Morning Show on Apple TV+. and has a recurring role on HBO’s Silicon Valley He received his BA from Tufts University and trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. www.jakebroder.com
ENROLL TODAY
If you are not yet a registered Creative Aging student, click HERE to register and a Wallis staff member will contact you.
If you are already a registered Creative Aging student please email Charleen Molina,CMOLINA@THEWALLIS.ORG with the name of your desired course, or call (310) 295-1918
TESTIMONIALS
