When Griffin Theatre decided to present a production of “ELLA ENCHANTED,” based on the revisionist version of Cinderella in which a fairy gives the young girl the gift of obedience, the artistic team knew they had to be disobedient. William Massolia, who was going to write the adaptation, knew that he couldn’t whittle down the award-winning novel to fit into one hour, which is the traditional amount of time allotted for a play for young people. So members of the company decided to break the rules and present a two-hour version that would have an intermission, which is also unusual for a play for young people. As long as they were breaking the rules, they came to the conclusion that “Ella Enchanted” would be a mainstage production with an elaborate set design and costumes and even evening performances. When Massolia couldn’t find a copy of the out-of-print recording of the Hungarian waltz he wanted for the play, he turned to modern technology. He entered the name of the recording on eBay and found it.
“Ella Enchanted,” Saturday-April 23, Griffin Theatre, 5404 N. Clark St., $15 adults, $10 children; 773-769-2228.
The ArtiFact Center at the Spertus Museum gives kids a chance to feel what it’s like to dig for ancient objects in an archeological site and do other hands-on activities that help them learn about the story of the Jewish people who lived 3,000 years ago. Now a new exhibit called “The Search for Scribes: Connecting the Past and Present” has been added. Youngsters will be able to make believe that they are the scribes of ancient Israel, or contemporary ones, by trying their hands at such activities as decoding ancient alphabets and making their own seal stamp.
“The Search for Scribes: Connecting the Past and Present,” opening Sunday, Spertus Museum, 618 S. Michigan Ave., $5 adults, $3 children, $10 per family: 312-922-9012.
The Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum has an exhibition called “Working Class Heroes” that displays the works of Luis Jimenez, whose art is influenced by the social and political climate of the 1960s and his interest in popular culture. Children can attend a workshop where they will explore the way the artist creates his sculptures, such as one called “Border Crossing,” and make one of their own using wire, foil and special, colorful paper.
Family Days, 2-4 p.m. Sunday and April 30, Mexican Fine Arts Museum Center, 1852 W. 19th St., free; 312-738-1503.
The exhibition “Jumpin’ Backflash: Original Imagist Artwork” features the work of 15 Chicago artists that represents the art that symbolized Chicago in the late 1960s. Kids can tour the exhibit to find inspiration to create a print of a comic book character or something else that pops into their minds by using linoleum blocks, carvers and acrylic paint.
Printmaking, 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., free; 312-744-6630.
Sometimes animals can be very creative in the ways they adapt to the environment. Their adaptations are so unusual, in fact, that at times humans are inspired to create inventions patterned after them. At a NatureConnections program called Animal Inventors, kids can meet some animals — such as a corn snake, a box turtle and a homing pigeon — that illustrate this tendency.
Animal Inventors, 2 p.m. Saturday, Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St., free; 312-747-4200.
