CHILDREN’S THEATER REVIEWS : ‘Windigo’ and ‘Coyote’ Miss a Step : Amateur acting mars otherwise superior productions by South Coast Rep’s Young Players and Taper Project.

Both South Coast Repertory’s Young Conservatory Players in Costa Mesa and the Mark Taper Forum’s Improvisational Theatre Project (ITP) in Los Angeles have taken oblique note of the Columbus quincentenary with works for children that celebrate North American Indian culture.

“Windigo,” being presented by the SCR troupe at the Orange County Performing Arts Center through this weekend, centers on the once-upon-a-time trials of a young Ojibway who, to determine his life’s path, must fight what he fears the most.

Production values are superior. Set designer Dwight Richard Odle has created a welcoming, circular environmental space with several painted paths radiating like the spokes of a wheel from a central smoking “fire.” (The space was blessed by an American Indian consultant). Rhonda Winger-Earick’s beaded, feathered and fringed costumes are sumptuous, and Donna Ruzika’s light design adds mystery.

But the earnest teen-age cast, directed by Diane Doyle, is non-pro, and that shows in overly emphatic line readings and inadvertent “mall” accents. Adult actors David Kinwald and Andrea Serrato-Montoya also seem rooted in the 20th Century. Still, the cast gives its all, hitting its marks and its dialogue and even pulling off a well-staged fight scene.

The Taper Project’s touring educational production, “According to Coyote,” about the wily trickster of American Indian mythology, interweaves earthy humor and mysticism in several creation tales.

The production, written by John Kauffman, a playwright of Nez Perce ancestry, and directed by Peter Brosius, has the technical excellence and the respect for its subject expected of ITP shows.

Set designer Victoria Petrovich’s canted circular platform and rough-hewn ladders, light designer Michael Gilliam’s clear wash of color, and Csilla Marki’s stylized costumes intrigue the eye. Sound and music by Trinidad Krystall, Marty Krystall and John Fitzgerald add emphasis and delicacy, as does Gary Mascaro’s clever choreography.

But as is the case in Costa Mesa, performances are a problem. Adult professionals Katrina Alexy, Wolfe Bowart, Peter Kors and Michele Mais lack rhythm as an ensemble; a recent performance at Barnsdall’s Gallery Theatre in Hollywood was weighed down with rough-edged scene transitions and overly loud dialogue that blurred nuances, giving the show a work-in-progress feel.

“The Windigo” will be presented in Founders Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, today at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 4 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 and 4 p.m. Tickets: $8-$10. Information: (714) 957-4033. Running time: 1 hour.

“According to Coyote” will be presented at Plaza de la Raza, 3540 N. Mission Road, Los Angeles, Saturday at 11:30 a.m. (admission: $1) and next Saturday, March 28, at 2 p.m. at the Alpine Recreation Center, 817 Yale Ave., Los Angeles (admission: free). Call for April schedule: (213) 972-7392. Running time: under 1 hour.