SCR wants kids in subscription crowd

Lolita Harper

Family fun day meets family fine arts days, as South Coast Repertory

officials announced Thursday plans to present additional children’s

programming in its 40th season.

South Coast Repertory will add a new series to its 2003-04 season,

sharing the Julianne Argyros Stage to perform theater aimed at young

audiences -- and their families, media spokesman Cris Gross said.

The series is aptly titled “Theater for Young Audiences ... and

Their Families,” and seeks to attract children to popular theater

productions such as the musical version of “The Emperor’s New

Clothes,” by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

Producing Artistic Director David Emmes said the enterprising

series is designed to do more than bring kids to the theater. It also

aspires to create a family atmosphere. In providing that, Emmes said

SCR can introduce young and old to innovative entertainment.

“We are not only interested in presenting, but expanding the body

of literature available for younger theatergoers,” Emmes said.

SCR plans to riddle its new series with star talent and hopes to

attract top American writers to the venue, officials said.

The theater has commissions out to Anne Garcia-Romero, Donald

Margulies, Tazewell Thompson, Quincy Long and Carol Hall, Gross said.

Gross said the new series is a large undertaking for the theater,

one that has officials excited and eager all at once.

“We are adding a whole ‘nother leg to our season,” he said.

In addition to sharing the stage as part of the center’s 40th

season, Theater for Young Audiences will work with schools to attract

many children at discounted rates, or for free, through a grant from

the Whittier Foundation, Gross said.

The new season breaks down into three-week runs, each of which

begins with discounted weekend previews and follows with weekday

school performances and includes five general public weekend shows at

regular cost.

The inaugural show is the “Emperor’s New Clothes” -- a youthful

spin on the traditional tale, and is scheduled to run from Oct. 31 to

Nov. 16. The emperor in this story is a 14-year-old who is trying his

best to learn to rule and swordfight at the same time.

Ahrens, the writer, said she was thrilled SCR was using her

adaptation to inspire family togetherness. Ahrens contributed songs

to the popular “Schoolhouse Rock” series of educational musical TV

spots before starting her own production company. She went on to

create a number of successful programs, many of which earned her Emmy

Awards, Gross said.

Other slated performances are “The Wind in the Willows” and

“Sideways Stories From Wayside Schools.”

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

and covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275

or by e-mail at [email protected].