FOR KIDS : Aesop’s Fables Reflect Audience Suggestions : The Magic Mirror Players let their improvisational show in Burbank be guided by the suggestions of young theatergoers.

For Raf Mauro, a mirror doesn’t necessarily reflect the same old face day in and day out. It is a spring board into imagination, a place where almost anything goes--especially if it’s children who dictate what happens.

And that’s exactly what Mauro and The Magic Mirror Players have created in Burbank--a children’s improv show fueled almost exclusively by the imagination of its audience.

In this hourlong show, aimed at 5- to 11-year-olds, there are no props, sets or costumes. Two Aesop’s Fables--”Androcles and the Lion” and “Anthony and the Grasshopper”--have been roughly sketched out by the troupe, which consists of six actors who rotate their performances each week.

The rest of the show is up for grabs.

Even the actors don’t have a clue as to what’s in store until they start asking questions, such as “Who’s your favorite cartoon character?” or “What was the first thing you did this morning?” or “What makes you really really happy or sad?”

That’s when the fun begins.

“We are never totally prepared for what’s going to happen,” Mauro said. He directs a cast featuring Louise Claps, Andre Diamond, Roseanna Sano, Steve Meek, Katrin Bowen and Craig Tolliver. “Sometimes it gels instantly. Sometimes an audience takes a while to warm up. But by the end of the show, usually there’s a great deal of laughter, and everyone has been involved.”

That’s what Mauro is striving for--creative involvement.

“My first experience with children’s theater was 30 years ago in Greenwich Village. It was a standard kid’s piece,” Mauro said. “We did an OK job, but there wasn’t much audience participation. I felt like we lost them. Like we kind of let them down.

“Don’t get me wrong. First and foremost, the theater has to be entertainment, and this is definitely pure fun. But I think it’s necessary for kids to discover and feel part of the whole creative process. It gives them a sense of themselves and their own worth. That’s more important than ever these days.”

The show has been running at the Third Stage Theatre since Thanksgiving. Mauro hopes to bring it to classrooms throughout Los Angeles.

The magic of the unknown is a workout for almost everyone.

“Improv demands 100% dexterity,” said actress Louise Claps, who is also a stand-up comic. “But children’s improv is an extra challenge. They demand your full energy. They are so honest and so direct that it forces you to stay sharp as well. I’ve been heckled by a 9-year-old boy because I slightly broke character in one sketch. They really let you know.”

More common, however, are the treasures that are found in each performance.

“Like this one little girl who braved the stage during ‘Androcles and the Lion,’ ” Claps said. “Without prompting, she came up and tapped the frightened mother on the back and told her, ‘It’s OK. The lion is nice. He’s very nice.’ Then she returned to her seat. It was so unexpected and so sweet. It took our breath away.”

“I’ve got the shyest 7-year-old in the world,” said Judy Barnes of Glendale. “I didn’t expect much response from her. Was I ever wrong! By the end of the performance, she was waving her hands and shouting out suggestions, too. She even asked to go again because it was ‘just like her own play.’ She liked the idea of telling the actors what to do.”

WHERE AND WHEN

Show: “The Magic Mirror Players.”

Location: Third Stage Theatre, 2811 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank.

Hours: Noon Saturdays and Sundays indefinitely.

Price: $5.

Call: (818) 842-4755.

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