Playing Mind Games

Splash on some watercolors, bounce to a steel drum beat or savor an orchestral performance.

But whatever you do, stick around till the end of this year’s Imagination Celebration, because the dozens of events lead up to a grand finale: a two-day, Calypso-themed free-for-all called the Imaginarium and multiple performances of “Pepito’s Story,” a musical created by director-choreographer Debbie Allen and jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, narrated by Tony Award winner Hinton Battle and featuring 50 of the area’s top young performers.

Now in its 12th year, Orange County’s visual and performing arts blowout, which runs Saturday through May 11, is presented by the Orange County Performing Arts Center and the Orange County Department of Education. Festivities will span some 30 venues countywide, offering more than 50 public shows and events, school workshops and exhibits of more than 8,000 student artworks.

Most events under the Imagination Celebration umbrella are free. Some charge a few bucks (think Happy Meal range), and only a few of the splashier events reach the festival’s top ticket price of $6.

But with so many cheap options, where do you start?

It helps to sit down with an Imagination Celebration guide and plot your itinerary. Use the accompanying schedule of events or call (714) 556-2787, Ext. 888, for a color booklet and updated recorded information.

If you want a little more guidance, here’s how we’d approach the full slate of events:

Saturday

Charge through the a.m. chores and get an early start at the Children’s Museum at La Habra’s Children’s Art Pow Wow.

The event ties into the museum’s current exhibit, “The First Californians,” and is designed to “let children imagine themselves in another culture through its art and traditions,” says children’s museum assistant director Melissa Banning. About 15 Native American cultures from the Southwest and Mexico will be represented.

Performances on the outdoor stage begin about 10:30 a.m. with Aztec dances by Danza Azteca Xochipilli and continue about every 45 minutes with such artists as the Eagle Talon Dancers (northern grass dancing), Elk Whistle (traditional flute music) and the Traditional Cahuilla Birdsingers. There will also be sand painting and craft workshops.

Next up: the Very Special Arts Festival and Exhibit at MainPlace Santa Ana, with 1,000 pieces of art on display and performances by child and adult artists with disabilities.

Opening ceremonies are at 11 a.m., and hands-on art workshops for kids of all abilities continue throughout the day. The exhibit continues at the mall through May 11.

Sunday

Best to postpone a leisurely morning with the Sunday paper if you want to get a jump on today’s options.

In South County, children can experience the culture and music of 1830s sailors in an interactive program on board the Orange County Marine Institute’s brig, Pilgrim. Sessions are offered three times Sunday and again May 4, for $4 each. Reservations are required, and return passage is practically guaranteed. (Just kidding, Mom; the ship never leaves the dock.)

Historic Mission San Juan Capistrano gets into the act with a day of art workshops, theater and dance performances and a hands-in-the-dirt archeological dig. Meanwhile, Laguna-area artists and craftspeople will be sharing their skills with youngsters in a day of workshops and entertainment at the Art-A-Fair grounds in Laguna Beach.

Go north and you’ll find an outdoor arts fiesta in Santa Ana, with dancing, art workshops and demonstrations. And in Cypress, a Sunday ARTS Delight features a children’s art pavilion, music, dance and art exhibits in and around Oak Knoll Park.

Monday-May 11

On weekdays, the focus turns to special performances and exhibit tours for school groups. Choose from the following highlights:

Next week, the Pacific Symphony offers youth concerts at OCPAC, while Cypress College has docent-led tours of its campus gallery exhibit, “Las (In)visibles: Women Artists of Uruguay.” There are performances and exhibits to take in at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center’s May Day Celebration in Fullerton and a free dress rehearsal of Cypress College’s “Pirates of Penzance.”

The weekend of May 3 and 4 includes a day of animal-themed art programs at the Santa Ana Zoo; the Gogh van Orange Art and Music Festival in Old Towne Orange; a special performance of the children’s opera “Hansel and Gretel” at the Irvine Barclay Theatre; the ImagUtelling storytelling festival at the Westminster Mall; a parent-child photography workshop at the Huntington Beach Art Center; and nifty dance workshops for toddlers to teens at the DeFore Dance Center in Costa Mesa.

The week of May 5, about 4,000 students (elementary school to college-age) make up choirs, bands and dance groups that will pile into Segerstrom Hall at OCPAC for a series of invitationals open to the public and adjudicated by leading teachers and performers in each discipline. Dance is spotlighted May 5, student orchestras on May 8, choral groups May 9 and stage bands May 10.

“Pepito’s Story” will be performed for the public at OCPAC on May 6 and again May 11. The work, based on the 1960 book by Eugene Fern, about a boy on a mythical Caribbean island who expresses himself through dance, debuted in April ’96 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

Meanwhile, over at McGaugh Elementary School in Seal Beach, you can check out the Pageant of the Arts May 8-11. Imagine a pint-sized, animated version of Laguna’s venerable Pageant of the Masters, and you get an idea. Except here, the fourth- and fifth-grade performers are encouraged to wiggle, dance and talk as they bring to life 10 pieces of art.

Events in the closing weekend stick close to the Performing Arts Center.

Outdoors, there’s the massive two-day arts playground, the Imaginarium, where visitors will find themselves in a tropical fantasy land patterned after the mythical island setting of “Pepito’s Story.” Event designer Dwight Richard Odle will create a Caribbean fantasy beach from 40 tons of reddish-yellow sand trucked in from a Utah archeological dig.

There will be tropical-flavored art workshops, steel drum bands and three stages offering continuous performances by Ballet Pacifica, William Hall Master Chorale, juggler-storyteller Izzy Tooinsky and others.

This year, audiences are encouraged to get off their duffs and join the artists onstage.

“After each performance the groups will do a kind of interactive workshop with the audience, then bring them onstage for a second performance,” explained Imagination Celebration producer Troy Botello. “Instead of just watching the performers, you can come up and be an artist yourself.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

1997 Imagination Celebration Tickets for some activities may be limited or sold out. For the latest updated listing of events, call the Imagination Celebration hotline at (714) 556-2727, Ext. 888, or the venue number listed.

SATURDAY

* Children’s Art Pow Wow: Native American-themed performances, storytelling, demonstrations and hands-on art workshops, plus free admission to the museum’s exhibit, “The First Californians.” 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Children’s Museum at La Habra, 301 S. Euclid St. Free. (562) 905-9793.

* The Stars of Tomorrow: Music, dance performances by a cast of local children and teens; hands-on workshops. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Fashion Island, Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. Free. (714) 721-2022.

* Young at Art: Hands-on art activities and workshops led by professional artists, performances, student art exhibit. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Laguna Hills Mall, El Toro Road and Avenida de la Carlotta. Free. (714) 586-8282.

* 21st Annual Very Special Arts Festival and Exhibit: Visual and performing arts displays and demonstrations by youths and adults with disabilities, hands-on art workshops. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. MainPlace, 2800 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Free. (714) 547-7800.

* Young Masters Art Show: 1-5 p.m. opening reception. Irvine City Hall, Alton Parkway at Harvard Street. Free. Call for daily exhibit hours; ends May 11. (714) 724-6000.

* Student Photography and Multimedia: 1-2 p.m. opening reception. Huntington Beach Art Center, 538 Main St. Free. Call for daily exhibit hours; ends May 11. (714) 374-1650.

* “1,000 Pieces of Art”: 1-2 p.m. opening reception, also Sun. Crystal Court at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa. Free. Call for daily exhibit hours; ends May 11. (714) 435-2160.

* All-District Art Exhibit: 1-2 p.m. opening reception. Laguna Hills Mall, El Toro Road and Avenida de la Carlotta. Free. Call for daily exhibit hours; ends May 11. (714) 586-8282.

SUNDAY

* Aboard the Pilgrim: One-hour interactive living history programs based on life of 1830s sailors. 10 and 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. Orange County Marine Institute, 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point. $4; reservations required. Also May 4. (714) 496-2274.

* Imagine the Past: Games, period handcraft demonstrations and hands-on workshops, Kellogg House tours re-create Southern California life in the late 1800s. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Discovery Museum of Orange County, 3101 W. Harvard St., Santa Ana. $2.50-$3.50. (714) 540-0404.

* At Mission San Juan Capistrano: Arts workshops, theater and dance performances, tours and archeological dig. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Ortega Highway at Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. $1.50-$3. (714) 248-2049.

* Kreative Kids Day: Demonstrations and workshops by local artists and craftspeople, family entertainment. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Art-A-Fair grounds, 777 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. $2. (714) 494-4514.

* Street Fair: Outdoor fiesta with art workshops and demos by Santora artists, dancing, food. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Santa Ana Artists Village, 2nd Street between Broadway and Main Street. Free. (714) 833-8500.

* At the Newport Beach Public Library: Stories, puppetry, design and illustrate your own book. Noon-4 p.m. 1000 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. Free. (714) 717-3801.

* A Sunday ARTS Delight: Children’s art pavilion, music and dance performances, art exhibits. Noon-5 p.m. Cypress Community Center and Oak Knoll Park, 5700 Orange Ave., Cypress. Free. (714) 229-6780.

* Artists of Tomorrow Festivities Day: 2-4 p.m. opening reception. Costa Mesa Art League Showcase Gallery, 1631 Sunflower Ave. Free. Call for daily exhibit hours; ends May 11. (714) 540-6430.

* “Imagine This”: Exhibition of 3-D sculptural works by Orange County students, grades K-12. 1-5 p.m.; awards ceremony at 2 p.m. Irvine Fine Arts Center, 14321 Yale Ave. Free. Call for daily exhibit hours; ends May 11. (714) 724-6886.

MONDAY

* Imagine You’re Invisible: Docent-led tour of “Las (In)visibles: Women Artists of Uruguay” exhibit. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Cypress College Fine Arts Gallery, 9200 Valley View St. Free. Also Tue. (714) 826-2220, Ext. 133.

TUESDAY

* Fireworks, Figaro and Fun!: Pacific Symphony youth concert, including tunes from “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” performed by young musicians. 11 a.m. Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Free. Also Wed. and May 1. (714) 755-5788, Ext. 227.

MAY 1

* Cartoon Character Workshop: For ages 8-12 only, led by illustrator Joyce Patti. 3-5 p.m. Cypress College Fine Arts Gallery, 9200 Valley View St. Sold out. (714) 826-2220, Ext. 139.

* May Day Celebration: Maypole dancing, live performances, children’s art workshops and gallery exhibit. Picnicking is encouraged. 4-7 p.m. Muckenthaler Cultural Center, 1201 W. Malvern Ave., Fullerton. Free. (714) 738-6595.

* “The Pirates of Penzance”: Final dress rehearsal of Cypress College’s staging of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operetta. Open only to school-age youths and adult escorts. 8 p.m. Cypress College Campus Theatre, 9200 Valley View St. Free; reservations required. (714) 826-2220, Ext. 201.

MAY 3

* Gogh van Orange Art and Music Festival: Children’s Street features performances and hands-on workshops. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Old Towne Plaza, Chapman and Glassell avenues, Orange. Free. Also May 4. (714) 538-3581.

* Puppets, Strings and Playful Things: Puppetry performances and workshops. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Brea Mall, Imperial Highway and State College Boulevard. Free. (714) 990-2732.

* At the Zoo: Wildlife sketching and other nature-themed art activities, entertainment, elephant rides ($2 fee). 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Santa Ana Zoo, 1801 E. Chestnut Ave. $1.50-$3.50. (714) 835-7484.

* ImagUtelling Festival: Professional and amateur storytellers perform and host interactive workshops. Musical performances. KNBC-TV weatherman Christopher Nance hosts. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Westminster Mall, Bolsa Avenue and Golden West Street. Free. (714) 898-2550.

* Cultures of the World: Chinese dragon dancers, African drummers and other international entertainment. Storytelling, art workshops and exhibits. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Triangle Square retail center, 1870 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa. Free. (714) 722-1600.

* Storytelling of the Americas: Legends and music of Native American, Mexican and South American cultures performed in Spanish and English by Olga Loya. Also folk craft workshop. Noon. Children’s Museum at La Habra, 301 S. Euclid St. $4 (includes museum admission). (562) 905-9793.

* “Hansel and Gretel”: Engelbert Humperdinck’s 19th century fairy tale opera, performed by UCI performing arts students. 2 p.m. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive. $6 if you mention Imagination Celebration. (714) 854-4646.

MAY 4

* Lights! Camera! Action!: Parent-child workshops to teach photography and the roles of perception and illusion in the creation of art. Also admission to student art show, “Major Art/Minor Artists.” 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach. Free. (714) 759-1122.

* Double Image: Children’s printmaking workshop on monoprint and block printing techniques; recommended for ages 7-12. 1-3 p.m. Huntington Beach Art Center, 538 Main St. $3; reservations required. (714) 374-1651.

* Just Imagine!: Age-appropriate music and dance workshops for toddlers to teens. 1:30 p.m. DeFore Dance Center, 151 Kalmus Drive, G-3, Costa Mesa. Free; reservations encouraged. (714) 241-9908.

MAY 5

* International Dance Festival: Invitational featuring Southern California’s top-ranked student dancers and dance ensembles in classical and contemporary dances. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Segerstrom Hall, OCPAC, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Free. (714) 556-2787, Ext. 888.

* Theatre Festival Awards Show: Closing event of O.C. Department of Education’s 17th Annual Theatre Festival, with performances and awards ceremony. 7 p.m. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive. Free. (714) 966-4123.

MAY 6

* Creativity Stars at the Freedman Forum: Winners of the 1997 Disneyland Creativity Challenge Awards perform dance, drama and musical performances. 9:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. Freedman Forum Concert Theatre, 201 E. Broadway Ave., Anaheim. Free. (714) 833-8500.

* “Pepito’s Story”: Original musical about a boy who loves to dance. Narrated by Hinton Battle and featuring 50 O.C. youngsters. 7:30 p.m. Segerstrom Hall at OCPAC, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. $6; advance purchase is recommended. Also May 11, 1:30 and 4 p.m. (714) 556-2787, Ext. 888.

MAY 7

* Illusions and Imaginings: Open house and exhibit, “Lasers, Light and Illusions.” 3-9 p.m. Launch Pad Science Center, Crystal Court (third level), 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa. Free. (714) 546-2061.

MAY 8

* Pageant of the Arts: Living tableaux, a la Laguna’s Pageant of the Masters, created by students. 9 a.m. McGaugh School Auditorium, 1698 Bolsa Ave., Seal Beach. $1-$5. Also May 9-11. (310) 799-4560.

* Invitational Orchestra Festival: Top high school and college orchestra’s perform classical selections. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Segerstrom Hall at OCPAC, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Free. (714) 556-2787, Ext. 888.

MAY 9

* Invitational Choral Festival: Hosted by Pacific Chorale, featuring high school and children’s choirs. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (high school choirs) and 3-6 p.m. (children’s choirs). Segerstrom Hall at OCPAC, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Free. (714) 662-2345.

MAY 10

* Invitational Band Festival: High school and university concert bands from across the west. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Segerstrom Hall at OCPAC, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Free.(714) 556-2787, Ext. 888.

* The Imaginarium: Outdoor arts playground with Caribbean-themed crafts, music, workshops, displays and performances. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. OCPAC, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Free. Also May 11, noon-4 p.m. (714) 556-2787, Ext. 888.