It’s the last call for West Marin youth interested in theater this spring. The Dance Palace is offering a class that will bring to life a musical adaptation of “The Last Wild Witch,” an ecology-minded children’s story by Starhawk. If the last few open spaces are filled, the class will be led by Bolinas music educator Anny Densmore and Maica Folch, who teaches aerial dance, drama, clowning and trapeze.
“Once there was a perfect town, in a perfect world, where there were rules for everything and a right way and a wrong way to do everything, and nobody ever broke the rules—except sometimes,” the story begins.
Ms. Folch said it’s an eco-fable in which children take a stand for the environment despite admonitions from their parents. “The kids are the dreamers, the ones who give us the hope,” she said. “They’re the ones who take ownership and make good decisions. The children lead the way.”
The story’s themes, which center on forest protection, are especially relevant in West Marin as it wrestles with its own forest-management challenges, she said.
Ms. Folch and Ms. Densmore have worked together before, including in a production of “Stone Soup” last summer. They decided to follow it up with “The Last Wild Witch,” with permission from Starhawk, a San Francisco pagan activist and author. “I’ve rewritten a lot of folk stories for little kids,” Ms. Folch said, “but this is my favorite one.”
The class begins Monday and will culminate with two performances on May 10. The tuition is $180, and scholarships are available. To sign up, or to learn about other new classes at the community center, call (415) 663.1075 or visit www.dancepalace.org.