ARTS FESTIVAL WITH CHILDREN IN MIND

There may be something about an arts festival--perhaps a suggestion of the esoteric--that discourages parents from bringing their children to the event. But Sunday’s “Arts on the Green”--a free outdoor festival sponsored by the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce--was not for adults only.

Set on the rolling green of Town Center Park, the five-hour cultural sampler offered plenty of diversion for the more than 4,000 people in attendance. Striped awnings, colorful banners and balloons, and the tantalizing smell of barbecued hamburgers and hot popcorn added to the relaxed, picnic-in-the-park atmosphere. Audiences sprawled on the grass in front of outdoor stages or moved indoors to South Coast Repertory’s Second Stage.

Performances were short--no more than 20 to 30 minutes. If one event didn’t particularly appeal--and quality did vary--it was soon over, though it was possible to miss half an event getting to the various locations on time.

“I wanted to expand my children’s artistic horizons,” said one mother, explaining why she had brought her two children, Jennie, 5, and Josh, 8, who were waiting for the start of the Peterjohn Puppet Show, one of three events aimed at children. (A fourth scheduled event featuring the Pegasus Repertory, a group of young people performing selections from Broadway musicals, was canceled due to the abrupt resignation of the Repertory’s director, John Plastow. “He had his reasons. I just wish the timing had been different,” said program director Laura Katz.)

Myrna Peterjohn, of the Orange County Puppetry Guild, performed the story of a rabbit who wished for red wings. Unfortunately, because of tight scheduling, there was no time for curious children to get a closer look at the large string puppets after the show.

Meanwhile, mime Caprice was performing on the Second Stage, and since there was no late seating, kids who saw the puppet show missed a class act.

“I’ve been making faces since I was a little girl and getting punished for it--now I’m getting paid,” said Caprice Roth.

Roth does more than make faces. She is remarkably expressive, combining her classic clean line with a demystifying sense of humor and warmth, inviting her audience to get involved. She chose 6-year-old Talya Laden of Mission Viejo to assist on stage, and when asked later about her moment in the spotlight--she blew into a magic hat, took bows and received a heart sticker “kiss” on the cheek--Laden responded in true mime fashion: with a shy shrug and a smile.

Caprice, a member of the Silent Treatment mime troupe and founder of the Laguna Mime Theatre, has taught and performed in Orange County and Los Angeles district schools and in the fall will begin her second year of teaching at South Coast Repertory’s Young Conservatory.

Earlier in the day, the Young Conservatory was well represented--with an abbreviated version of its production of Delia Ephron’s amusing expose of the vagaries of childhood, “How to Eat Like a Child,” directed by Diane Doyle.

The Orange County Opera, which introduces opera to children and has been performing in county schools for 10 years, offered a scene from Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” with artistic director Christopher Webb as Figaro and Nancy Moyer Wilson as Rosina.

“We’d rather perform for kids than adults,” Webb said later. “They can sit there and look down their noses and say oh, yuk. It’s a challenge to get them involved.” A nonprofit company, the Orange County Opera is funded by Las Campanas, a philanthropic organization, and the California Arts Council.

Other groups included Orange County-based Dance Kaleidoscope, whose program included a modern dance interpretation of Erik Satie’s “Gymnopedie No. 1” and a ‘50s-style rendition of “The Boy From New York City,” and the exquisitely costumed dancers of the Bando Mitsuhiro School of Japanese Classical Dance.

Also showcased were the drums and flutes of the Orange County Buddhist Taiko, the Celtic Society Irish pipers and dancers, and the Inter-Cultural Committee for the Performing Arts singing highlights from black musical theater.

A rousing rendition of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by the South Coast Symphony and Chorale and the release of hundreds of balloons into the late-afternoon blue sky concluded the festivities.