Find Your Creative Voice This Fall at JDS Creative Academy

A new school year always feels like a fresh start. New classrooms, new goals, new people, and the opportunity to discover something new about yourself.

At JDS Creative Academy, we’re excited to invite you to our Fall 2026 semester of create classes starting this month!

We offer more than visual, performing, and digital arts classes. Yes, our students learn to act, sing, make movies, write scripts, build sets, design costumes, and perform on stage; but along the way, something even more important happens. They learn how to communicate, collaborate, and solve problems, all with newfound confidence to share their ideas, knowing that their creative voice matters.

This fall, there are so many ways to find that voice!

Our Musical Theater students will spend their Wednesday evenings (5-7:30pm) singing, acting, moving, and preparing to bring Fiddler on the Roof to life for our annual Winter Showcase. Directed by JDS Creative Academy Co-Founder, theater director, and Master Acting Coach Scott Strand, this class welcomes performers of all ages and abilities. No experience necessary; everyone gets a part!

But we all know the magic of theater doesn’t happen only ON-stage. Also happening on Wednesdays (4:30-6:30pm) our Artistic Director, Katie McColm, leads the Backstage Production class focused on set design props, costuming, lighting, and stage management.

Maybe your creativity starts with a blank page. Our virtual Scriptwriting class meets Monday evenings (5-6:30pm) with award-winning writer and producer Johanna Lack. Students explore screenplay formatting, story structure, dialogue, character development, editing, and writing for film, television, documentaries, theater, corporate media, and more. They create portfolio-ready work, and this semester students can even have a promotional script considered for production on JDSCA’s social media platforms!

For those who want to take stories from script to scene, we offer a Filmmaking class on Thursdays (5:30-7pm). Award-winning filmmaker, director, and actor Pryde Pierce takes students through the filmmaking process with hands-on experience in directing, cinematography, editing, sound, production planning, and more using professional-grade equipment in an active studio environment. At the end of every semester, filmmakers get something every creator wants: the opportunity to see their finished work on the screen in front of an audience.

Want to focus on the craft of performance? JDS Actors Studio offers year-round professional acting classes for youth, teens, and adults led by Master Acting Coach Scott Strand.

At JDSCA, there is no single definition of “creative.”

JDSCA remains committed to creating inclusive learning opportunities for the community. Fall classes begin the month of September. All abilities welcome, no experience necessary. Scholarships and payment options are available.

Learn more and register at JDSCreativeacademy.org/classes.