Best Place to Let Your Kids Express
Their Creative Self

OK, it might not be the ultimate best place (there are many dynamite kids' arts programs in the North Bay), but it is outstanding. Studio Be's Creation Conservatory offers a wide range of fabulous classes that allow young children and teens to just be themselves. Spring classes--which started this week and run through May--feature a bunch of old favorites (classes in storytelling, playwriting, and solo performance) and a slew of new favorites (classes in improv comedy, modern dance, tumbling, vocal improvisation, and creative expression--and we're all for that). The program's director is Michelle Pelletier (above, back row), whose teaching and direction credits include the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. Summer classes begin June 18 and include the ever-popular Shake & Bake: Shakespeare in the Heat of the Summer, where kids can learn the fine art of throwing Shakespearean insults and a bit of handy stage fighting.

Studio Be, 206 Fifth St., Santa Rosa. 707/569-8206, ext. 2. --G.C.