Have you been tempted to take a class with FST, but aren’t quite sure where to start? With 15 classes starting the week of July 13, it can be tough to choose!

We’re here to help you discover the online or in-person class that speaks the most to your unique creative journey. Keep reading for an insider’s peek into some of the classes coming up on The FST School roster.

For Those Who Love to Read

Do you have a passion for theatre, but find yourself more comfortable appreciating it from the page rather than center stage?

Readers Circle Online is a popular class – similar to a book club – but instead of books, you read plays. Students get a sneak peek into FST’s play selection process and how FST goes about developing brand-new work for the stage.

“I’ve taken the class for about six or seven years,” shares Ken Pierce, who is currently enrolled in Readers Circle. “I like keeping up with the ideas and talents of living playwrights. The people – both FST staff and class participants – are interesting. We have a lot of fun.”

The class currently meets through Zoom and reads a different play each time they meet. Sometimes the plays have been published and widely produced. Other times, the plays have never reached the stage in a fully-realized production.

Each class concludes with a feedback session where the group is invited to discuss what they liked about the play, anything that they found unclear, and any questions the play sparked for them.

And the cherry on top? There’s no homework!

If you’re looking for an enriching, interactive virtual class where you can appreciate the art of playwriting with a group of theatre lovers, be sure to check out Readers Circle Online.

Writing Your Life: What’s So Funny?

Have you been told you’re a good storyteller? Do you have a story within you that you’re eager to share?

Comedic Storytelling is a new class that guides students in revisiting their own life experiences to see – in retrospect – “What was so funny?”

Session Three will meet in-person, socially-distanced at FST. (Click here and select the “For Your Safety” tab for a full list of measures FST is taking to ensure your educational experience is both safe and creatively enriching.)

“I love seeing people uncover old memories,” says Teaching Artist Will Luera. “As they dig further, other moments start to come back. While the final product is intended to be a funny story, the journey there can inspire moments of self-reflection that involve sad, scary, funny, and poignant moments in their lives. Each one of us has lived an extraordinary and unique life full of stories that want to be shared.”

In this class, students tell tales ranging from the origin story of a 30+ year old marriage to a former military officer’s adventurous weekend before being deployed. Each speaker receives feedback on their story from classmates and the teacher on elements such as pacing, style, and emotional impact.

If you’re ready to spin your life experiences into an artfully-crafted story, click here for more info or to enroll for Comedic Storytelling.

Flying Solo

For those interested in developing their own material and transforming it into an original solo performance, look no further.

Do you have an idea for a play burning within you? Or perhaps not yet, but are hoping to discover one soon?

In Flying Solo Online, students are inspired to create their own 5-10 minute one-person performances, working through their pieces section-by-section each week. This class currently meets virtually through Zoom.

“Even when I’m exhausted from work or the week, once Flying Solo starts, the students’ creativity, vulnerability, and generosity charges me right up,” says Teaching Artist Jason Cannon.

Each week, students are given a new creative writing prompt, such as “You leave home and you see a note on the windshield of your car…” From that single prompt, students are inspired to think outside the box, opening up a world of newly imagined stories and original material to unfold.

Does your own creative inspiration and passion go beyond the prompt? Go for it.

“Students have the freedom to work on their own pieces or follow the prompt,” shares Jason. “We meet students where they are, and encourage them to make their time effective for them and their projects.”

The sky’s the limit with Flying Solo. Former students, like Scott Mann, have even gone on to adapt the material they developed in class into full-length plays.

If you’re intrigued by the idea of theatricalizing a tale from your own life or just letting your creative imagination run wild, click here to join the fun with Flying Solo.

We invite you to give yourself the gift of a weekly creative outlet – a place where you can unwind and recharge. A place where you can connect and stretch into new artistic possibilities with the support and guidance of an experienced, professional Teaching Artist. Join us in unlocking the creative potential that lives within us all.

Click here for a full list of FST School classes, now enrolling as part of Session Three. We look forward to having you join us soon – wherever you are – on your creative journey.