‘Good as Television’ : Children Give High Ratings to Arts Festival

The “flying saucer” that landed in an Agoura oak grove Saturday turned out to be a spinning trash can lid. Its “Martian” passengers were nothing more sinister than glued-together pieces of bleach jugs and bathroom tissue rolls.

But the landing was exciting enough to win the ultimate small-fry endorsement during an unusual outdoor children’s arts festival.

“This is as good as television,” said Kaveh Khonasri, a 7-year-old Simi Valley second-grader watching a show put on by a group called the L.A. Moving Van & Puppet Co.

Entertainers Are Professional

The puppeteers were among 100 professional entertainers from 25 Los Angeles-area groups performing at a two-day event that ends today at a Santa Monica Mountains park.

More than 1,000 children turned out Saturday to watch magicians, mime artists and dancers recruited by a pair of Canoga Park performers who hope to turn the “Theatre Arts Festival for Youth” into an annual outdoor event.

Pam and John Wood have dubbed their production “TAFFY”--and they dispensed handfuls of taffy candy to children in hopes of making the name stick.

“We’ve wanted to put together something that families can be involved in because families these days don’t do enough together,” said Pam Wood, who with her husband performs a music-and-storytelling act called J.P. Nightingale.

Appeal to All Ages

The couple sought help from their competitors in Los Angeles’ cadre of professional children’s entertainers, figuring that sophisticated acts would appeal to adults as well as children.

“The children will enjoy what their parents enjoy,” Pam Wood said.

As their six-hour festival unfolded at Peter Strauss Ranch at 30000 Mulholland Highway, the Woods stayed in the background and kept their rivals’ acts opening and closing smoothly on four stages.

Although music from the different stages sometimes blended unexpectedly--Japanese music being used by Fujima Kansuma Kai dancers was occasionally drowned out by nearby electric guitar twanging--the event was pronounced a success by Penny Suess, manager of the site operated by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

“It’s great fun, a very beautiful, comfortable atmosphere,” said Marvin Caesar, who brought his family from Sherman Oaks for the show.

Admission to today’s performances is $10 for children and $15 for adults, although free tickets have been distributed to some inner-city and handicapped children’s groups.

Pam Wood said that most of the money collected would be used to cover expenses and that the paying turnout for the event will determine whether the professional entertainers get paid. Revenues of about $10,000 are needed, she said.

“They are aware of that,” she said of the players. “But they are here anyway because they want to perform for the underprivileged and handicapped.”