All Courses

Many aspiring novelists write with the hope that inspiration will come. The result is time wasted on a flabby novel with no clear shape and a sagging pace. On the other hand, story structure gives your novel a skeleton; it forms the bones of your story. And…

This holistic approach to movement, voice, and speech aims at liberating and enhancing the performer's natural capacity for moving, sounding and speaking as applied to performance on camera. Using techniques developed by Alexander, Spolin, and Sills, learn to…

Gain experiential understanding of improvisational acting and develop a strong improvisational perspective essential to scripted work. Through theater games and improvised scenes, develop tools to make you more trusting of your own impulses and more generous…

Constantin Stanislavski, master teacher, director, and author of An Actor Prepares (1936), revolutionized the way actors access the internal life of a character. He is the father of acting technique, the primary source for every process that followed. The…

This course is designed to develop the writer's individual theatrical style through the writing of scenes and a one-act play. You explore the dimensions of writing for the stage through key areas of craft, including language, dialogue, the essentials of…

This four-week workshop explores psychologist Carl Jung’s writings about dreams as examining x-rays of the spiritual state. Dreams are powerful engines to turn complex or unconscious ideas into vivid images. This workshop teaches writers and other creatives…

This course is designed to facilitate conversational practice and cultural enrichment in French. Before each class session, we watch a specified film in French. Then, we come to class to share our impressions, practice conversational skills, and further…

In 2009, journalist Sharon Boorstin wrote a Family Circle article about Christine Brady, an engineer who had walked away from her corporate career in San Diego to build and run a school for the neediest children in Tijuana. With the help of donors,…

Mindfulness, often looked to improve our attention, starts in the body. Based on the latest findings in neuroscience, the Feldenkrais Method® utilizes gentle, intentional movements to deepen self-awareness. In this course, we learn mindfulness in motion,…

In this course, we look closely at William Faulkner’s 1929 landmark novel, The Sound and the Fury , considered a masterpiece of modernist literature. The work challenges readers with its highly experimental style, shifting perspectives, and non-linear…

The Hero’s Journey describes a universal pattern of transformation: an individual leaves the familiar, faces uncertainty and challenge, undergoes a decisive trial, and returns changed. This narrative structure—often called the monomyth—appears across…

In this course, we learn to sketch and paint landscapes using gouache. Gouache is a vibrant, opaque, water-soluble medium that offers the fluidity of watercolor with the rich, matte finish of an oil painting. Unlike oils, it is incredibly versatile, portable,…

One of the most influential literary works of our time, One Hundred Years of Solitude , remains a dazzling achievement by the masterful Gabriel García Márquez, winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature. The novel is considered the defining example of…

The representation of the human body is a defining pillar of the art history canon. This course tracks the journey of the sculpted form, examining how artists have balanced realistic observation with idealized perfection and expressive abstraction. We…

The Baroque style was the first international art style of the western world. Originating in Rome, it quickly spread across continental Europe and into England, adapting its dynamic, dramatic energy to unique geographic regions and local patrons. In this…

From the monochromatic downtown of the silent era to the colorful late-1960s road trip in Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point (1970), this course journeys through the lost and imagined landscapes of a city often better known for its demons than the angels for which…

In this course, we view and discuss seven films from across cinema history that, while largely overlooked by American audiences, deserve to be seen—especially by a live audience. Though these films range from lighthearted to serious, they all offer a…

We are living in a golden age of photography, with near-universal access to high-quality, portable cameras. Yet, the bridge between a casual snapshot and an artful creation often feels elusive. This course offers an accessible, unintimidating introduction to…

In this course, we explore the ancient power of Qi emission, adapted specifically for self-therapeutic application. We learn to identify blocked and turbulent energy in the body and remove or transform this unneeded energy that may be sourcing the physical…

Shui-Mo Hua is a traditional Chinese ink wash painting style that emphasizes expressive brushwork and the spiritual essence of subjects rather than realistic depiction. In this course, we explore the foundations of East Asian ink painting through the Chinese…

The ideal group for those who love acting, theatre, language, and Shakespeare. Each week, we read scenes from the play aloud, then analyze and discuss them from an actor's perspective (scripts in hand, no memorization required). We explore the different ways…

Before Hollywood officially became the filmmaking capital of the world, downtown Los Angeles served as a magnet for fledgling silent filmmakers seeking creative independence and diverse locations. In this course, we discuss the incentives that pulled…

The rich history of Asian design reveals centuries of cultural and socio-political narratives expressed through objects of beauty. In this course, we explore the decorative arts of China, Japan, Korea, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam; including painting,…

When governments lose the trust of their people, revolutions become the primary engine of political change and remain one of the most powerful forces in modern history. In this course, we follow the evolution of revolution across four centuries. We begin with…

Claude Debussy was a foundational French composer and pianist of the fin de siècle who captured the essence of French Symbolist culture. His revolutionary harmonic idiom broke from the dominant Wagnerian influence of the 19th century, establishing a distinct…

Hollywood boasts a plethora of beautiful homes and glamorous retreats where legends of the film industry lived, worked, and played. As the Hollywood movie industry took hold, the stars and their directors cultivated a glamorous lifestyle through their homes,…

In this course, we explore the powerful connection between music, rhythm, and the aging brain—discovering how active engagement with sound can strengthen memory, elevate mood, and support a meaningful sense of self in the later chapters of life. Drawing on…

Many artists maintain rich writing practices—letters, journals, and personal reflections—that are rarely discussed alongside their visual work. Yet these writings often reveal how artists process, question, and give meaning to what we see on the canvas. In…

Cuba’s architecture evolved from its Spanish colonial past to the bold experimentation of the 20th century. In this course, we explore how the island nation’s unique history—from elegant baroque, neoclassical buildings, and grand plazas to iconic modernist…

Most people who want to cultivate their creativity rely on the same expected techniques, such as a regular routine, class instruction, or group accountability. This course instead identifies two secret side doors into your creativity. Techniques deployed…