The formula is tried and true: Invite local, national and international performers to dazzle the youngsters with cool puppets, imagination-spinning performance art and comedy. Add a good dose of whimsy and Big Ideas. Oh, and fix the name; there’s nothing like an it’s-good-for-you title like Children’s Humanities Festival to start the fidgeting before you even get them in the door. This year, for the second year, it’s Stages, Sights & Sounds. But there’s nothing formulaic about the shows. Velo Theatre has brought its trombones from France with a story about why nighttime isn’t so scary. The how-do-they-do-that physical troupe of Lelavision is back this year by popular demand. We’re bringing you an event guide now, parents, even though the festivities don’t begin until the end of the month. (Although more seats are promised this year; more on that inside.) “Sometimes, when you think about children’s festivals you think adults dressed up in bear suits,” says Chicago beatbox artist and presenter Yuri Lane. Stages, Sights & Sounds doesn’t do that. “Kids, we don’t give them credit for how perceptive they are,” he says. “This is not a kiddie festival.”
Next step in the formula, turn to Page 5.
Stages, Sights & Sounds
When:
April 29 to May 16
Where:
Four venues in the city and Evanston; see the schedule on Page 5
