CORINNE FLOCKEN’S FAVORITE PERFORMANCES

Family-oriented stagings in chronological order:

* “Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There,” Laguna Youth Theater at the Moulton Theater, Laguna Beach (February). Whimsical yet slightly dark around the edges, this version of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” stories overcame a dialogue-heavy first act to infuse audiences with a sense of giddiness and a ready willingness to, like the White Queen, “believe a dozen impossible things before breakfast.” Staged by Joe Lauderdale, Youth Theater director, with wonderfully inventive costumes by Dwight Richard Odle.

* “Snoopy,” Broadway on Tour at the Grove Theater Center, Garden Grove (March/April) and the Roxy Theater in Hollywood (June/August). Played by a sterling cast of local teens and grade-schoolers, Charles Schultz’s pint-sized philosophers offered a lasting lesson on the values of friendship and imagination. The show, directed by BOT founder Dan Halkyard, was handpicked by a Roxy representative from a field of several O.C. youth companies to open that venue’s family theater program.

* “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” Laguna Beach Youth Theater at the Moulton Theater, Laguna Beach (June). From the pre-show “beach party” to the emperor’s gorgeously tacky wardrobe to the zillion and one kitschy jokes, this giddy piece was ideal for kids ready to shrug off the school year and slip into some escapist summer fun. Adapted by Bree Burgess and Tim Dey, directed by Joe Lauderdale (who also donned truly awful beachwear for the cause).

* “Treasure Island,” Paper Bag Players at Bathgate Elementary School, Mission Viejo (June). I’d wager that if the real Long John Silver had this much fun, he’d never have copped that nasty attitude. Visuals were meager and the theater less than perfect, but eager kids and an adult cast ready to roll with any punches made this interactive caper a real keeper. PBP founder Bunny Lawson directed.

* “Wizard of Oz,” Orange County Children’s Theater at Los Alamitos High School (August). This production was by far the best I’ve ever seen from this company. Using a John Kane script that matched the 1939 film version almost scene for scene, director Jack Millis conjured a “Wizard” that was familiar but never, ever dull. Melinda Koen as Dorothy led a highly capable cast. There were outstanding visuals too.