SummerStock offers family-friendly shows

This year's SummerStock performances feature two productions the whole family can enjoy.

Commedia in the Park will have the Del Arte ensemble present its take on Italian improvisational theater in parks throughout Whatcom County in August.

Loosely based on Moliere's "Bourgeois Gentlemen" and directed by Rich Brown, the hour-long shows will feature highly physical acting and theatrical costumes, including full masks. And each performance will begin with pre-show acts of juggling, acrobatics and singing.

Meanwhile, back on campus, SummerStock players will present "Snoopy" at the Old Main Theatre in July and August. "Snoopy," directed by Gregory Pulver, is a musical featuring characters from the "Peanuts" comic strip and is suitable for all ages.

And the SummerStock Youth Theatre Institute will have sessions this summer for students in elementary through high school. The institute gives kids a top-to-bottom experience of putting together a theatrical production.

For more information about SummerStock programs, go to www.wwu.edu/depts/theatre.

Looking for more summertime youth adtivities? Visit www.wwu.edu/youth to learn about:

• "Summer Programs for Youth", offering art and science activities for grades 4 through 12.
• "College Quest", for 10th- through 12th-graders to take a college course and live on campus.
• "Western Kids Camp", a daycamp for kindergartners through sixth-graders.
• Lakewood Jr. Sailing Camp, with sailing and windsurfing for kids 11 to 18.