MAKE IT PLAY NOHO FESTIVAL HAS WAYS TO INTEREST KIDS IN THEATER, MUSIC, CRAFTS AND MORE.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

Make it short, sweet and interactive: That's the advice for parents taking a child to a first live theater experience.

Young attention spans wander, so a short interactive program that involves shouting, clapping or perhaps even getting on stage usually has a greater potential for enjoyment.

You might want to sample several options. If one performance doesn't appeal (no matter what the age, everyone's a critic, after all!), try something different.

And, above all, give the young audience member a chance to construct a handmade souvenir to take home.

You can find all these opportunities this weekend at the 14th annual NoHo Theater and Arts Festival. Produced by Pageantry Productions, the event is expected to draw some 60,000 people.

During the festival, practically everything is free (or, if you're catching an evening performance, offered at substantial discounts through the fest's Theatre Square). Organizers also want visitors to remember that if their kids like what they see, there's more quality entertainment for families even when NoHo isn't putting on a festival.

``We're looking at so many cutbacks in arts in the school system that, if you're not of a certain income level, many families don't have the luxury of taking their children to the theater or for art instruction,'' says Nancy Bianconi, the festival's director of theater and arts. ``I look at who the theater patrons are, and I get really nervous. Our audiences are getting grayer and grayer.

``Through some of our discounts, going to the theater can be less expensive than going to a movie, and this is something I would love parents and families to know,'' Bianconi continues.

Live theater may be the hallmark of the two-day fest in the heart of the stage-rich NoHo Arts District. But this is a multidiscipline event, so there will be bell choirs, folklorico performances, magicians and hip-hop dance. Each day ends with an hour-long street dance hosted by DJ Gary Justice.

Of course there will be plenty of theater. Visitors can get a family-geared introduction to the history of Shakespeare on the Kids Court stage at 5 p.m. Saturday. If they like what they see, they can catch an equally kid-friendly production of the Bard's ``A Midsummer Night's Dream'' the following day at noon at the nearby Raven Playhouse.

If hands-on art is more their fancy, children can make a Tibetan peace flag, a Middle Eastern good luck amulet called a ``chamsas,'' poetry on a stick, or a bookmark for a special ``gently used'' book.

This being a festival centered around the theater, mask-making is always a draw.

``The purpose of the whole Kids Court is to give young people the experience of art,'' says Kids Court co-producer Gloria Gold. ``Of doing arts and crafts themselves, of watching young people their own age or maybe a little older doing incredible things and thinking, `Hey, I can do that, too.'''

According to Gold's fellow co-producer Leslie deBeauvais, the free art programs will contain a tie-in to literacy whenever possible. This is a special interest of deBeauvais, who also produces the annual NoHo Children's Art and Poetry Festival in October.

``We do an ongoing outreach to children with our book giveaways,'' says deBeauvais, the director of community services for the National Council of Jewish Women. ``When they invited me to help produce the Kids Court, I was going to put my own spin on it. I include a literacy component in lots of things I do with kids.''

Gold, who created the Kids Court 10 years ago, has seen the family component of the festival grow and diversify from year to year. Gone are the days when the family fare was limited to a single tent and a small riser for live performances.

`In the beginning, when we didn't have a big stage to perform on, I started working with California State (University) Northridge's art department. They brought in these masses of clay, and the kids would build and decorate things,'' recalls Gold. ``Another year, we had a set designer from the studios build a model of Amelia Earhart's plane and we papier-mached it.

``As we've gone along, we've tried to find what really works and what we can handle in terms of traffic. And with our great big stage, it's wonderful to know how much youth talent is available to us right here in the Valley.''

A selection of local schools will, indeed, get into the act, with the Fair Avenue School Choir, Pacoima Singers Musical Theatre and Walter Reed Middle School Folklorico all taking the Kids Court stage at various times throughout the festival.

The family fun is not confined to the Kids Court. The Avery Schreiber Theatre features continuous improvisation for participants ages 10 to 18. Deaf West Theatre hosts American Sign Language storytime and a visit by the music and comedy group the Bubalaires.

The little ones might take to the Giggle Gaggle show at 3 p.m. both days at the Raven Playhouse. Those with an eye toward nurturing a child's interest in acting might check out the ``Little Rascal Showcase With Commercials,'' the output of the Lankershim Arts Kids Acting program.

Evan Henerson, [phone]

[e-mail]

The NoHo Theater and Arts Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the intersection of Lankershim and Magnolia boulevards. For a complete schedule, visit www.nohofest.com, or call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, map

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Child's play 

Family-oriented theater and arts festival brings drama, crafts and plenty of fun to NoHo

(2 -- 4 -- color) The multidisciplinary NoHo Theater and Arts Festival features arts and crafts, dance, drama, poetry and more for families. The event runs Saturday and Sunday, and most of the activities are free.

Map:

NoHo Festival