Celebration of Poetry With a Beatnik Theme

“It never fails, those pesky snails

are always in the pudding . . . “

“Georgie Spider catches flies

but never eats the little guys . . .”

*

An infestation of snails, a spider chef’s “fresh fly pie,” rather rude flocks of “polka bats” and a shampoo-selling “bathtub driver” with a one-legged duck--these creations from Calef Brown’s wacky poems will be among the attractions at Storyopolis’ “Kid’s Poetry Cafe” on Saturday.

The occasion is a celebration of National Poetry Month and Young People’s Poetry Week. Now in its fifth year, the increasingly popular Storyopolis event, with its playful “beatnik” atmosphere, is not only something to see but something to participate in: Budding young poets and poetry lovers with a verse to share may attend and step up to the microphone with the pros.

Berets, shades and black turtlenecks are encouraged; so are goatees (presumably glued on).

Joining the rhyming romp to read from their own work will be illustrator-author Brown (“Polka-Bats and Octopus Slacks”) and Ross Venokur (“Haiku! Gesundheit!”). Hosts and guest readers are Kathy Kinney (back for a third time) and Diedrich Bader, who play Mimi and Oswald, respectively, on ABC’s “The Drew Carey Show.”

This year’s event has a new component, too: The Storyopolis Kids’ Theatre Troupe, a gaggle of 20-plus pint-sized thespians, ages 4 to 7, will perform in a musical production based on Brown’s poems from both “Polka-Bats and Octopus Slacks” and Brown’s second poetry collection, “Dutch Sneakers and Fleakeepers.”

The troupe has been rehearsing its theatrical version of the poems for 12 weeks.

“They have all become ‘funky snowmen’ and ‘bathtub drivers,’ ” said theater arts educator Katie Orr, referring to Brown’s poems. “There are pirates all over the place, and I’m up to my eyeballs in cowboy hats and vests right now.”

Orr heads Storyopolis’ Theatre Productions wing, which includes a children’s theater program, an adult performance troupe and educational summer programs dedicated to bringing literature to life.

“We’ve set some of the poems to music and there’s a country number, a rock ‘n’ roll number, a blues number and a funky rap number, and they are really funny,” Orr said. “We’ve been working with Calef and with local musicians to get the music done, and we’ve had some wonderful artists do our backdrops”--enlarged, painted versions of Brown’s wildly eccentric artwork.

The performance is the culmination of a once-a-week theater program for kindergartners through second graders; participants hail from various Los Angeles County communities.

The mini-show at the combination bookstore and art gallery will take place about an hour into the event, which begins at 11:30 a.m. with the celebrity and author readings and open-mike performances.

Afterward, young people from the audience will be invited back up to recite “for as long as they want,” Orr said. “The poetry event is a kick. It’s so fun to see these kids get up there and read. They can read poetry they like or poetry they’ve written themselves, which we really try to foster.”

* “Kid’s Poetry Cafe,” Storyopolis, 116 N. Robertson Blvd., Plaza A, Los Angeles, Saturday at 11:30 a.m., for ages 5 and up. Free. (310) 358-2500.

Prime Puppetry: Puppet artist Hobey Ford draws audiences into magical worlds of folklore and tall tales with uncannily lifelike people and animals hand-carved from blocks of foam, intricate cut-outs that move in silhouette and stringed creations that come to life. Winner of the Union Internationale de la Marionette Citation of Excellence for his Native American-themed “Turtle Island Tales,” and a three-time recipient of Jim Henson Foundation grants, the bespectacled, North Carolina-based puppet master will bring his new show, “World Tales,” to the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center on Friday.

Presented by Performances to Grow On, the multi-character, multicultural “World Tales,” performed in various historic and contemporary styles, is a family affair, as inviting for adults as for children.

* “World Tales,” Scherr Forum Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, Friday at 7 p.m. $10-$12. (805) 650-9688, (805) 646-8907, (805) 583-8700.