CATCH NOHO IN THE ACT FESTIVAL OFFER A SAMPLE OF AREA'S BLOSSOMING THEATER SCENE.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Writer

To anybody who lives in the vicinity of Lankershim and Magnolia boulevards, the concept of 75 performances on 20 stages might seem like just another weekend in theater-rich NoHo.

In fact, the proliferation of live stage this weekend - the majority of it free - signals the annual arrival of the NoHo Theater and Arts Festival. Up to 40,000 visitors are expected to tromp through the city's arts district over the next two days, and the theaters' performers, directors and designers will do everything in their collective power to drag them off the streets and into the theaters.

``The idea of the festival this year is to stimulate 12 months of activity,'' says Don Eitner, in his second year as the festival's director. ``People will come to the theater tent, and we hope they'll get subscriptions and have an experience that makes them come back all year long.''

Offerings target viewers of all ages. You might park the young ones at ``A Bug, A Frog, A Dog, a Log and Aesop'' at the Road Theatre Company and take the mature set to Live Arts Theatre Group's ``Mrs. Dally Has a Lover'' at the Whitmore-Lindley Theatre.

This year, the festival moves from under the umbrella of the North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to the nonprofit North Hollywood Community Partnership, a change that expands the sponsorship possibilities, according to Eitner. Pamela Hall, wife of Valley Theatre League president Edmund Gaynes, returns as the event's theater chairwoman.

``Pam got a wide range of diverse productions that I'm very proud of,'' says Gaynes. ``It's very multicultural. We have seven or eight African- American productions, several Spanish-language productions, one of which is entirely in Spanish, an American Indian production and you can't get any edgier than the work at Zombie Joe's Underground.

``If you look at the schedule and can't see anything that interests you, then you're not breathing,'' Gaynes continues.

The event title does promise theater ``and arts,'' meaning music and dance on the Concert and NoHo Rhythm stage. Youngsters can participate in an art workshop at the Kids' Kourt Art Box.

During the daylight hours, many of the NoHo host venues are simply lending out their stages for other groups' performances. Come evening, they'll be back presenting their own shows, in some cases offering discounted tickets at the festival's Theatre Pavilion. Anyone for Shakespeare? The Company Rep wraps up its season at the American Renegade Theatre with ``The Comedy of Errors.'' Something scary? The Road's Theatre Company's chiller ``The Woman in Black'' is now in its eighth month. Offbeat? Zombie Joe's Underground offers its tragic dance play ``Skin and Teeth.''

Looking for solid L.A. theater? Look to NoHo, say its artists.

``I had an experience last week,'' recalls Taylor Gilbert, artistic director of the Road. ``I was on the Westside, having a banana split with my son, and in the booth next to me, four people were talking about going to the Road to see 'The Woman in Black.' Then they started talking about other theaters in the area, like Interact and what was happening there. I certainly think there's a much bigger buzz about NoHo than we even know.''

Festival or no festival, variety and diversity have been hallmarks of NoHo-based theater since the district's formation. But with so many venues, nearly all of which are operating under the Actors' Equity 99-seat plan (meaning little or no pay for actors and artists), quality can be spotty.

``I do see theaters up and coming,'' says Eitner, a NoHo resident as well as a theater booster. ``Actors Workout is doing a lot of work. Theatre Unlimited is working hard. The Theatre Tribe is relatively new but doing good work. I know the struggles of trying to get a theater up and solid.

``That's why the festival is so key,'' he adds. ``I view this as a marketing opportunity for the theaters.''

Frequent visitors to the district have come to expect regularly strong work from long-established companies like the Road and Interact Theatre Company. Last year, Deaf West Theatre made a splash by remounting its production of the musical ``Big River'' at the Mark Taper Forum. ``Big River'' closed in December, and with company administrators concentrating on bringing the production to New York, Deaf West hasn't produced a new show since.

Not that the Deaf West space will be vacant. With its own theater occupied by a long-running hit, the Road - Deaf West's next-door neighbor - will open its next production, ``The Seventh Monarch,'' on Deaf West's stage in June. Come September, the Company Rep moves into the venue to begin its 2003-04 season with the musical ``The Fantastiks.'' This will be TCR's second venue relocation since the former Actors Alley troupe renamed itself, reorganized under artistic director Hope Alexander and moved out of the El Portal Center for the Arts.

The Company Rep staged its first full season around the corner at the American Renegade. In addition to using the Deaf West stage, both TCR and the Road plan to collaborate with Deaf West on new projects.

``There's a lot of cross-pollination in NoHo,'' says Gaynes. ``That's because we all know each other so well.''

NOHO THEATRE AND ARTS FESTIVAL

Where: Vicinity of Lankershim and Magnolia boulevards.

When: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Information: [phone]; www.nohoartsdistrict.com.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) Free productions during the NoHo Theatre and Arts Festival include ``Out Wide, Wide Sea,'' at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the NoHo Actors Studio.

(2) Entertainment by and for youngsters will dominate the Kids' Kourt Stage.

(3) ``The Quiet Room'' will be on the Actors Forum Theatre stage 5 p.m. Sunday at the festival.