STAGE : ‘THE FROG PRINCE’ : Ribit Revue : Illusions Theatre teaches about ecology in its new production. But for kids, it’s just hopping good fun.

Betti Ridenour lives on a 2 1/2-acre property, and it’s a good thing. Just outside Meiners Oaks and surrounded by orange groves, the Ridenour house teems with activity today as frogs turn into princes--and vice versa.

Ridenour’s home is the headquarters of Illusions Theatre, a company founded 10 years ago and whose current production, an original adaptation of the fairy tale “The Frog Prince” opens Saturday at Libbey Bowl in Ojai.

Inside, Kim Stroud (one of Ridenour daughters) and Lisa Sauvageau head a team of seamstresses, busy sewing and fitting costumes. Outside, the action is spread over three adjacent areas. Choreographer Karen Monscharch is leading six actors and actresses through some rather intricate dance steps under a shading oak, as a spaniel looks on. Nearby, a five-piece rock band is running through the Traveling Wilburys’ “End of the Line.”

And forming the third corner of the triangle are several circles on the ground, standing in for lily pads, upon which 13 very human-looking frogs are practicing hopping in place and crouching on the pads.

A prince, played by 37-year-old Craig Smith, glosses over a line as he and a young confederate sneak up on the frog pond, hoping (as the less-than-traditional plot would have it) to kidnap a likely candidate for an upcoming frog jumping tournament.

“We don’t want to spook ‘em,” Prince Preston (Smith) cautions Prince Edmund.

“Spook them, “ Ridenour corrects. “Remember, you’re royalty.”

Moments later, Ridenour steps into character as The Spirit of the Pond, chanting a new, original song, “Everything’s Broken,” as she threatens to turn the princes into frogs.

One of the most obvious distinctions of this production--as it has been of virtually every one of Illusions’ shows--is the easy intermingling of adults and children. Three generations are represented in the 35 members of the “Frog Prince” cast.

“Usually, you find grown-ups acting for children or casts that are all children,” Ridenour says, catching a breath between scenes. “Ours is about half and half.”

A brunette with seemingly boundless energy, Ridenour, 57, is the mother of seven and the grandmother of four. That’s enough for a company in its own right, and her family was, in fact, the genesis of Illusions.

With a background in traditional and alternative education, Ridenour looks at Illusions as “teaching through drama.”

“It’s all education,” she explains. “In addition to the kids, we stack the deck with a lot of professionals who are willing to teach--we have doctors, lawyers, gardeners and artists.

“For example, my kids grew up using power tools. Now, they do most of the set and costume designing and construction--together with the local artists, of course, who have their own input.”

She says this is a very ecologically conscious version of “The Frog Prince.” “And remember that ‘Snow White,’ which we’ve already done, deals with issues including child abandonment and child abuse.”

Which is not to say that Illusions productions are didactic, Ridenour adds. If the “Frog Prince” rehearsal is any indication, education’s the last thing on anybody’s mind. The show is somewhere between Shelley Duvall’s “Faerie Tale Theatre” cable TV productions and ‘60s rock musicals like “Hair” and “Godspell.”

The theater produces plays from March through December. Past Illusions productions have included “Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves” and “The Three Little Pigs” and adaptations of “Winnie the Pooh” and “Charlotte’s Web.”

“I come up with the original concepts,’ says Ridenour, “and present them to the others. If everybody says ‘Yeah’ to an idea, I know we’ve got a winner.”

Smith, who has worked in other community theater groups and appears briefly in the upcoming Paramount film “The Two Jakes,” says that the informality and group creativity of Illusions appeals to him.

“Sometimes we invent lines as we go, improvising a lot. I’ve also had a lot of songs that I’ve incorporated into Illusions plays, including ‘I Kiss Like a Frog and I Don’t Like It’ in this one.”

The upcoming Illusions season includes productions of “The Wizard of Oz,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and a new installment in the company’s series of retold Chumash Indian legends.

Many of Illusions’ Chumash tales are drawn from the works of two local authors Matt Boardman’s “Badger Claws of Ojai,” and Thomas Blackburn’s “December’s Child.”

There are lessons to be learned, as well, she notes.

“Two years ago, we did an Irish story, ‘Seven Wild Geese.’ And then we discovered that there’s a similar Chumash legend, ‘The Seven Boys who Turned Into Geese.”

The most surprising aspect of Illusions’ success may be that the company is able to survive, even thrive, against the increasing competition of television and movies aimed at the same audience--can a locally mounted production of “The Frog Prince” vie for attention with a group of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

Ridenour says yes.

“I remember seeing two boys at one of our productions last year. The younger one turned to the older, and asked, ‘Is this a movie?’ ‘No,’ the older one replied. ‘This is real.’ ”

“The Frog Prince” will be presented at Libbey Bowl in Ojai, on May 12, 13, 19 and 20. Saturday performances are at 2 p.m.; Sunday’s shows are at 2 and 4 . Tickets are $6 for adults and $3.50 for seniors and children under 12. For information, call (805) 646-3533.