Hoffman Center Blog

Cast members from “Cassie the Crab and Rosita the Island Girl” , the 2009 Drama Camp production.

The Hoffman Center in Manzanita will offer a three-week Summer Drama Camp for children ages 5 to 18. Led by Annie Naranjo-Rivera, the camp will be held 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays, from Aug. 2 through 20 at 594 Laneda Ave.

 Students will audition for, rehearse and perform a full-length stage production of  “A Thousand Paper Cranes.” The play tells the story of young Japanese girl and her magical wish.

 Students will learn about stage acting, projection and movement, in addition to making original costumes and artwork for the production.

 No performing experience is necessary. Tuition for the camp is $100 for the whole session. As the camp runs over the lunch hour, participants should bring a lunch.

 Naranjo-Rivera has over 10 years of experience working with children on the stage. She studied at Lewis and Clark College for her BA in Theatre Arts. She has worked with numerous children’s theaters around the country, directing, stage-managing, designing sets and props, choreographing, and designing stage lighting.

 A limited number of scholarships will be available, thanks to the support of local businesses and art lovers. Parents interested should ask when registering.

 Register now by downloading Kids Camp Registration Form, phoning 503-368-3846 or e-mailing hoffmancenter@nehalemtel.net.

Lynn & the Boom Wackers (Summer 2009)

The Hoffman Center will host seven Summer Art Camps for kids during the week of Aug. 2-6. All sessions will be held at the Center building at 594 Laneda Ave. in Manzanita. The classes will cost $65 per student, with a separate lab fee added on.

“It’s All in the B-A-G,” a class for kids 5-10, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon each day and be led by Lynn Thomas. Students will perform simple tunes on recorders and boomwhacker, learning the difference between rhythm and pitch, and experiment with a variety of sounds while playing traditional folk songs. Lab fee $10.

“Clay PlayShop,” for ages 7-10, will be held 10 a.m. to noon each day and be led by Glenna Gray. Students will learn coil, ball and slab building techniques and explore surface decoration possibilities, and finally glaze and fire their own pieces. Lab fee $15.

“Dreams and Themes,” led by Mia Steury, will run from 10 a.m. to noon each day. Students, ages 5-10, will explore the secret world of dreams on canvas and create paintings inspired by the vibrant works of Mark Chagall. Lab fee $10.

“In Your Own Words,” for ages 5-10, will be led by local poet Travis Champ from 10 a.m. to noon each day. Students will learn to write their own stories, legends or adventures, and end up making a book to fill with their own words. Lab fee $5.

“Make Your Own Puppets,” will be led by Janet Maher from 10 a.m. to noon. She will teach kids ages 8-12 how to sculpt the head for their own puppet with clay and paper-mâché, paint and decorate a face, add hair, feathers or sequins, then design and attach a cloth body. Lab fee $8.

Nichole & Kids show off their art (Summer 2009)

“Multimedia Extravaganza” will be held 1 – 3 p.m. each day. Leader Nichole Poole will help students experiment with a variety of artistic media. “Come fearlessly and ready for fun,” says Nichole. “There are no rules in this class!” Lab fee $8.

“Hot Off the Press,” for ages 12 and up will also be held 1 – 3 p.m. daily. Sarah Skye Archer will lead students as they write journals and learn to print their own works on the Center’s printing press. Lab fee $5.

A limited number of scholarships will be available, thanks to the support of local businesses and art lovers. Parents interested should ask when registering.

To register download the Kids Camp Registration Form , phone 503-368-3846 or e-mail hoffmancenter@nehalemtel.net. Space is still available, so register now.

Spring Break celebrants can enjoy a special ceramics experience at the Hoffman Center Monday, March 22, by participating in a “Paint Your Own Piggy Bank” PlayShop. The event will teach glazing and firing techniques. It will run from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Each student will be provided his or her own bank. When the decorating is done, the banks will be fired in the Center’s kiln and returned to their creators by Friday afternoon – the end of spring break.

The workshop is made possible by a grant from the Bank of Astoria. “We are pleased they agreed to sponsor the PlayShop,” said Center president David Dillon. “Banks and piggy banks sure go together.”

The workshop is open to all ages, but a parent or guardian should accompany any student under 6. Bruce Phillips, a Hoffman Center Open Clay Studio volunteer and mentor, will lead the event.

The tuition for the piggy bank PlayShop is $10. Some partial or whole scholarships are available.  Click here for the Piggy Bank Registration Form.  Class is limited to 20 participants.

Stop by the Hoffman Center on Saturday, February 13 between 11am and 2pm, and have fun making a creative one-of-a-kind card for your Valentine. 

Lisa Fenton, local artist and experienced art teacher, will be on hand to inspire and assist participants in making fun, creative, and one-of-a-kind cards for their Valentine. Art supplies are free and include all sorts of materials: from fabric samples and lace to glitter, pastels and paints. There will even be a ‘writing table’ to help attendees to put their thoughts into words.

All ages are welcome and families are encouraged to attend together. The PlayShop will be held at the Hoffman Center at 594 Laneda Avenue in Manzanita.

Please join the Hoffman Center and Hoffman Center volunteers in supporting our Neahkahnie High School Speech Team. This hard-working creative team is a consistent contest winner, despite having to work outside classroom hours, after school and on weekends, with minimal budget. In order to keep performing, the team needs to raise money for materials, scripts, subscriptions, camp fees, and hotel costs when they travel to compete.

They have heart and deserve our support. So, here’s the plan:

The Center will host a fundraising public-awareness event to demonstrate the talents of the “Speechies” at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 2010. Donations will be requested, with a suggested minimum of $10 per person. Refreshments will be served.

The format, agreed to by Speech Coach Holly Lorincz and the students, is as follows:

∙ Impromptu speech (audience selects the topic)

∙ Dramatic Interpretation speech

∙ Duo Interpretation speech

To top off the evening, a Public Forum Debate will have two team members square off with Nehalem Mayor Shirley Kalkhoven and Wheeler Mayor Walt Trandum on a current international topic. The audience will judge the “winner” of the debate.

The real “winners” will be public awareness and support for the Speechies as they move into college, regional and, hopefully, state competitions.

Please join us for an intellectually stimulating evening, and support our local youth. The success of this event rests with you. Spread the word. January 22, 6:30 p.m. at the Hoffman Center, 594 Laneda Ave., Manzanita.

Cast members from “Cassie the Crab and Rosita the Island Girl” pose for a photo on stage at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita.

Students from the Hoffman Center Summer Drama and Performing Arts Camp topped off their three-week experience by putting on three performances of “Cassie the Crab and Rosita the Island Girl” to appreciative audiences. Center board member Annie Narañjo-Rivera led the camp and directed the play.

Throughout the camp, the kids, ages 4 to 26, learned acting techniques, auditioned for roles and rehearsed their parts.

“Cassie” tells the story of the birth of the Caribbean Islands, with mystical sea creatures, fantastic adventures, and Caribbean and Latin music.

It might have been cloudy outside, but things were very bright in the Hoffman Center during the week of August 3rd.

Local artist Nicole Poole teamed with Skye Archer, home on vacation from art school in Chicago, to teach a combined Painting Exploration and Art of the Book camp. At the same time, Lynn Thomas, local music teacher, led an Art and Music Exploration class.

The week ended with a Saturday evening show and concert by the combined students. Art works were displayed all over the walls, and the music student played three works they had rehearsed.

Their parents and friends showed a lot of pride in the kids’ accomplishments.