From Queer to Here: Studying and Creating Queer Performance
with Sara Felder
Tuition: $375. Low income folks: $275 (Two spots left.) High roller: $475. (Appreciated!) Full tuition is due at the time of registration for all classes
Winter/Spring 2026 Schedule
The Marsh Berkeley Meeting Room – Sundays | Feb. 8 – Mar. 15, 2026 | 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Class Performance – March 15, invited audience
6 sessions. 3 hours per class.
Class Description
In this fun and rigorous class, we will use classic texts of our mentors and ancestors as jumping off points to create our own pieces. Studying excerpts of plays by Cherie Moraga, Diana Son, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Lisa Kron, Larry Kramer, Kate Bornstein, MJ Kaufman and other LGBTQ playwrights, performance artists and clowns, we will use their techniques to enter into words and worlds of our own creation. We will sprinkle in a little clown, a little “Theatre of the Oppressed,” lots of solo performance techniques and plenty of time for playing and discovery. We will be verbal and non-verbal, do writing and moving, and engage in some inner and outer spelunking. By the end of our sessions, you will have a few short works that you can use as stand-alone pieces or weave together into a bigger show. This class is for seasoned performers, those who have yet to enter a stage, and everyone in-between. Queer and especially Trans artists and their allies, and those of all colors, shapes, pronouns and abilities are welcome to theatrically perform your stories. This is a queer space; all are welcome. Now is the perfect time. Come play!
Bring/Wear: Loose clothing to move around, some water and snacks, notebook for writing, some curiosity, your fears, a measure of openness, a bit of generosity, your full self.
Testimonials from Former Students:
“I’m still basking in the glow, still soaking up and digesting all that happened, and still amazed that I was inspired to create pieces using material I’d been wrestling with for years.” – Ralph H.
“I can create something. WOW. I kept thinking – this is hard, I hate this…and in reality, I loved every minute of it.” – Dorian. G.
“As a teacher, Sara challenged us to craft rich performance pieces under tough limitations of time and media. She showed us how to build from the simplest movements and beginnings. It was an eye-opening and mind-opening experience for students who came from both non-theater and extensive theater experience. “ – Joanna S.
“Sara is amazing. What we learned went beyond performance skills. We learned about humanity.” – Motoko D.
“Got my creative juices dripping off every part of me. AND, I am back in my body with joy!!!” – Heidi E.
About Sara Felder
Sara Felder (she/they) is a performer and educator, who, over three decades, has created a body of work that juggles personal narrative, social justice and circus shtik. A creator of five solo shows, one of her earliest pieces, June Bride, toured to 35 cities in the U.S. and Europe and helped start a grassroots discussion of same-sex marriage before the topic hit national headlines. Sara’s career began in the Pickle Family Circus and as a juggler, she has toured with Joel Grey’s Borscht Capades, the Klezmatics, the Women’s Circus and Jugglers for Peace. They have taught juggling/performance in prisons and half-way houses through the California Arts Council and have “animated democracy” through the Ford Foundation, interviewing Alaskans and creating theatre to combat the evil Measure 2 in Alaska. She has earned many fellowships and commissions from places like the Headlands Center for the Arts, S. F. Arts Commission and the Leeway Foundation’s “Transformation Award,” honoring women and Trans artists with a body of work committed to social justice. She has led workshops and classes at the Ko Festival in Amherst and at Berkeley Rep School of Theatre. They taught in the Theatre Dept. at San Francisco State for twenty years, including a class on “Queer Theatre and Performance.” Sara presently teaches at Diablo Valley College and lives in a treehouse by a lake in Oakland.
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel before the first session, you will be refunded any tuition amount over $50 that you have paid. Service fees are non-refundable. If you cancel after the first session, you will be refunded half the tuition. If you cancel any time after the second session, you will receive no refund. Cancellations must be made with a Marsh staff person by calling 415-282-3055