Glitter & Razz Blog

Since 2004, we have led one-of-a-kind birthday parties where kids create and perform their own plays in honor of the birthday girl or boy.  We are very proud of our Make A Play/Change The World Methodology inspired by our creative camps and afterschool classes.  And we are particularly proud of the reputation our parties have earned over the years as “magical,” “fun,” “intelligent,” and “an exercise for the imagination.”

This is why it is much difficulty that we announce that we are no longer in the business of hosting birthday parties in our Dramatic Play Space.  Instead, we are focusing our time, energy, and passion on the creative learning experiences (camps, classes, special events) that are at the heart of our mission.

However, this is not the end of Glitter & Razz as an option for your Special Event.  We still believe that our Make A Play/Change The World Methodology is a great way to celebrate community and connection , family and friends.  We still have talented teaching artists on hand to come to your Special Event to lead folks of all ages through the process of creating your very own peaceful and powerful plays.

Your event could be a birthday party in your home.  But it could also be:

• A Holiday Party
• A Wedding
• A Family Reunion
• A Corporate Picnic for Families

Or any event where the magic and power of theater can help you come together to laugh, play, be creative, and change your part of the world just a little bit.

Make a Play.  Change the World.

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Okay.  It’s Monday afternoon but the alliteration can’t be beat.  So, I’m going for it.

Every Monday morning, we will share with you a little bit of magic…quotes, pics and any other lil’ bits of inspiration to start your week off right.

For this first one, we will be inspired by an 8 year old boy.

Mia, a 6 year old girl, had her birthday party with us here on Saturday.  At the end of the party, I lead the “celebrations” section where everyone gets to share their special celebration of the birthday girl or boy.

This dear, sweet 8 year old boy who had just played a bloody skeleton in the play said, “I celebrate Mia because she is so pretty and I love her so much and she is my cousin.”

Dear, right?

What do you want to do for your birthday?
I want to make a play and have all of my friends in it.

This is the conversation that went on between Gabriel (almost 5) of San Francisco and his mom.  She asked him,”Oh, do you want to want your dad to help you make it up?”  Gabriel’s dad is a playwright.

“No.  I want someone else to come and help us.”

Gabriel had no idea that Glitter & Razz existed.  Luckily, his mom knew.  Her older daughter had come to one of our camps years ago and she remembered that we lead birthday parties where young children create and perform their own plays.

“I never would have known where to start looking if I hadn’t already been connected to Glitter & Razz.”

Good thing for us that Gabriel is such a visionary.

So, we did the party yesterday and it was quite the adventure.  A group of other almost 5 year olds at first thought that they were there to see a play, not be in one.  When they eventually caught on, we had a great time, we were making up a play where a bumblebee was having a backwards birthday party where the whole thing was out of order.  They opened the presents first, then had cake, then lunch, then all the guests went home to get ready for the party.  Get it?  That’s cute, right?

Until…a little more than half-way through the experience, one of the 4 year old girls decided, “I don’t want to be in the play anymore,” as 4 year old girls are wont to do.  Keeping with the 4 year old girl vibe, the other 4 year old girls said,”Me too!” and every last one of them ran upstairs.

I looked at Cinda, my assistant for the party, and said, “Okay, we have to make this play happen, now.”

I ran upstairs and found all of these girls hiding and giggling in the bedroom of Gabriel’s older sister (or I assume it was because of the High School Musical poster over the bed).  In a stroke of brilliance (if I do say so myself), I said, “So, all of sudden, all of the fairies and the princesses disappeared from the bumblebee’s party and hid from him!”

The girls LOVED IT.  They loved it so much that they were with me once again and so excited to show their parents the play we made up.  We warned the audience before we started that this was to be Glitter & Razz’s first ever site-specific play that required them to travel with us from the living room to the second floor bedroom in order to see how the story ends.

How did the story end? Well, the bumblebee, the fireman and his assistant found them and they all went back to the party.  For hot dogs.  Of course.