KIDS/SNEAK PEEK : FOLK TALES ON WHEELS IS THIS FAMILY'S FORTE.Dennis Goza and his family truly do take their show on the road. Goza, 43, of Burbank; his wife, Kimberly, 29; and their son, Zephyr Zephyr or Zephyrus: see Eos. , 6; travel in their motor home to schools, libraries, museums and other small venues around the country to present folk tales and other stories through dramatization dram·a·ti·za·tion n. 1. The act or art of dramatizing: the dramatization of a novel. 2. A work adapted for dramatic presentation: , music and dance. ``For the most part, we consider ourselves very lucky we're able to be together all the time,'' Goza said. ``It does make us a lot closer.'' The couple and their son will present American Indian American Indian or Native American or Amerindian or indigenous American Any member of the various aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere, with the exception of the Eskimos (Inuit) and the Aleuts. nature stories Saturday at the Platt Branch Library in Woodland Hills. Goza and his wife began performing together nine years ago in theaters in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden . They've been married nearly seven years. They call their company L'Eau Theque Productions. Most of their business is presenting folk tales from different cultures and literary classics through their ``Act!vated Storytellers.'' ``It is the type of entertainment that all other kinds developed from,'' Goza said. ``If you look at movies and television, they have their roots in folklore. Folklore is much more elementary-level. It is more immediate and plugs into our heritage as well.'' Goza admitted he takes liberty with the tales. ``I'll add little plot twists,'' he said. ``That's really what storytellers have done through the ages.'' A favorite request is ``Humdingers,'' which involves the stories of Paul Bunyan, Davy Crockett and Pecos Bill Pecos Bill giant folk hero famed for cowboy exploits. [Am. Lit.: Hart, 643] See : Wild West . ``It deals with characters people are familiar with,'' he said. The Gozas also have put on larger-scale productions. Two years ago, they toured seven states in the Midwest performing ``A Christmas Carol.'' They have performed in 35 states, Goza said. Last summer, they did 52 performances. And they also add to the family income by working as extras in the movie business. ``We'll go just about anywhere (that) will hire us,'' he said. Their son, who is home-schooled, has been performing with his parents since he was 3, Goza said. ``We've been to Niagara Falls Niagara Falls, waterfall, United States and Canada Niagara Falls, in the Niagara River, W N.Y. and S Ont., Canada; one of the most famous spectacles in North America. The falls are on the international line between the cities of Niagara Falls, N.Y. , the NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. museum in Houston and the Alamo Alamo Eighteenth-century mission in San Antonio, Texas, site of a historic siege of a small group of Texans by a Mexican army (1836) during the Texas war for independence from Mexico. ,'' Goza said. ``He has a lot of educational experiences that a lot of kids don't have.'' ``Totem and Tales'' will be presented from 2:30 to 3 p.m. The library is at 23600 Victory Blvd., Woodland Hills. Admission is free. For information, call (818) 340-9386. Film series The Children's Film Series, a program of films with related art workshops, will present ``The Tailor of Gloucester'' and ``The Velveteen vel·vet·een n. A cotton pile fabric resembling velvet. [From velvet.] velveteen Noun a cotton fabric that resembles velvet Noun 1. Rabbit,'' both narrated by Meryl Streep, on Saturday at the Gallery Theatre in Barnsdall Art Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. On April 5, ``Paul Bunyan,'' narrated by Jonathan Winters, and ``Finn McCoul,'' narrated by Catherine O'Hara, will be shown. The series, sponsored by the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days. Admission is free. For reservations and further information, call (213) 485-4581. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Burbank residents Dennis and Kimberly Goza and their son, Zephyr, travel throughout the area dramatizing folk tales and other stories at schools, libraries and museums. |
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