Playing in the park Playing in the park (June 25, 2004)

Kids are the stars of outdoor summer shows

By Katie Vaughn

Theater, family and outdoor summer fun are causes for celebration in Mountain View beginning June 25. That's when Children's Theater in the Park begins its 14-performance series in three local parks.

The program, now in its sixth year, is a partnership between the City of Mountain View and Peninsula Youth Theatre. The children's theater company provides the artistic training and the city supplies the performance venues, which this year are the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts' Pioneer Park, Rengstorff Park and the Cubberley Community Center Outdoor Stage in Palo Alto.

"It's great to go out on a Friday night and see 300 people out to see live theater in the park," said Karen Simpson, executive director of Peninsula Youth Theatre. "It's nice for families to do something like that at no cost."

The performances are the culmination of two-week-long summer day camps run by Peninsula Youth Theatre. The 30 students in each camp spend half of their 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. days learning the fundamentals of acting, improvisation and movement and the second rehearsing for their performance and creating their own costumes and props.

Camps are arranged by age, and Peninsula Youth Theater chooses plays appropriate for the age groups. The youngest campers, ages six to eight years old, often perform fairy tales, including "Aladdin" and "The Little Mermaid," while the older 11 to 13-year-olds enact stories such as "Knights of the Rad Table," a tale following teens transported to the days of King Arthur, and "Trial of the Big Bad Wolf," a courtroom drama about the presumably guilty storybook character.

The priorities, as well as the biggest challenges, in selecting plays for the campers are largely pragmatic, said Simpson.

"It's really hard to find scripts with 30 parts," she said. "Our main criteria are that the plays are 30 to 40 minutes long and that every child has at least two lines."

The brevity of the plays and the knowledge that each actor will speak provides great impetus for families to attend Children's Theater performances. Many come armed with blankets to sit on and picnic or take-out food to enjoy while watching the plays.

Even families that don't have members performing attend the productions. That the performances are free and open to the public helps encourage large crowds -- oftentimes numbering in the hundreds.

The programs' informality is also a draw for some audience members. Whereas at indoor productions, children have to sit quietly in their seats, in the parks they can run around and occupy themselves in ways other than watching the plays.

However, exposure to theater at a young age may motivate children to participate in the program when they get older. Many of Children's Theater in the Park's current actors are repeat campers. Some have attended every summer since the program began. The program is certainly popular -- most spots have been reserved since March.

That the productions are relaxed also help the performing children feel more comfortable in front of a large audience. Simpson said the focus of the camps and the productions are not to turn kids into stars but to give them a fun introduction to theater with the opportunity to perform in front of a live, supportive crowd.

"Our emphases in these camps are on fun and having the confidence to perform," she said. "A whole lot of kids having a really good time, that's our goal."

Children's Theater in the Park performance schedule

June 25: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, ages 9-11, Pioneer Park

July 2:
Hansel and Gretel, ages 9-11, Pioneer Park
Knights of the Rad Table, ages 11-13, Cubberley Community Center Outdoor Stage
The Little Mermaid, ages 6-8, Rengstorff Park

July 9:
Aladdin, ages 6-8, Pioneer Park

July 16:
Alice in Wonderland, ages 9-11, Pioneer Park
Beauty and the Beast, ages 6-8, Rengstorff Park

July 23:
Peter Rabbit and Friends, ages 6-8, Pioneer Park

July 30:
Once Upon a Shoe, ages 6-8, Pioneer Park
The Reluctant Dragon, ages 9-11, Rengstorff Park

Aug. 6:
Folk Tales Fun, ages 9-11, Pioneer Park

Aug. 13:
Aesop's Fables, ages 6-8, Pioneer Park
On the Tip of My Tongue, ages 9-11, Rengstorff Park
Trial of the Big Bad Wolf, ages 11-13, Cubberley Community Center Outdoor Stage

All shows start at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, call the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts at 903-6000 or Peninsula Youth Theatre at 988-8PYT, or visit mvcpa.com or pytnet.org.

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