Fairytale Town's popular annual Puppet Festival will kick off its 16th season on May 3. During the eight-week series, four original puppet shows will be presented by Art Grueneberger's award-winning Puppet Art Theater Company. This year's lineup features artful and hilarious adaptations of four classic fairytales: "Little Red Riding Hood" from May 3 - 13; "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" from May 17 - 27; "Hansel & Gretel" from May 31 - June 10; and the premiere of "Cinderella" from June 14 - 30. "The Puppet Festival is an experience the whole family will enjoy, and it is a great opportunity to introduce live theater to children," said Kathy Fleming, executive director of Fairytale Town. P

Sacramento Ballet’s in-studio previews for “Cinderella” sold out, and these performances created a delightful show for children and adults. The in-studio performances were held at the Sacramento Ballet Studios on Thursday and Friday. The preview shows gave guests an opportunity to see an up-close and personal view of the wonderful talent the Sacramento Ballet has to offer. This unique perspective allows viewers to appreciate the effort that goes into each movement. On Thursday afternoon, artistic director Ron Cunningham welcomed ballet enthusiasts to the event held at their studio at 1631 K St. Cunningham introduced several of the dancers performing in “Cinderella.” Richard Smith an

“Cinderella” is a classic story for little girls, but the production put on by Runaway Stage Productions’ Storybook Theatre at the 24th Street Theater is a family show. It will keep the kids happy and the adults laughing. The production follows the general story of “Cinderella” but strays so that the actors can interact with the children. There was pretty even mix in the audience, so adults won’t feel out of place if they bring kids or if they decided to sneak off and enjoy it on their own. Keep your ears open for witty lines from the Prime Minister and the Duke. The Duke, played by Christopher Saechao, and the Prime Minister, played by Kevin Sowles, provide most of the comedy for adults.

All Photos: Barry Wisdom Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is possibly the most popular Christmas story ever written, with the exception of the Nativity story itself. Long before radio, television and the multimedia assault we have today, live theatres – from professional to the smallest community – were producing adaptations of Dickens’ novel. For decades the theatre-going public has continued to embrace “A Christmas Carol,” giving the theatres producing it a nearly surefire hit. Many theatre companies depend on their holiday classics the way retail stores depend on the holiday shopping season.  Sacramento Theatre Company now alternates “A Christmas Carol” with its other popular ho

It wasn't long ago that we were all hankering about in excitement (chaos, really) about bringing back, once again, our notorious production of "Cinderella"... and now here we are, days before Christmas, selling out shows and reaching out more than ever to gain a new audience of eager faces, young and old, to play along with us in the magic that is our beloved spin on the classic fairytale. Added performances are: Sunday, December 27th - 7 PM Tuesday, December 29th - 7 PM Sunday, January 3rd - 7 PM Call the box office now for the best seats available. 443-6722. And don't miss this holiday romp at the Sacramento Theatre Company Featured Above: Brian Rodda, William Elsman, Michael RJ 

The Sacramento Theatre Company's most popular show ever, Cinderella, is back and better than ever! Artistic director Peggy Shannon describes the show: "This version of the story draws on the traditions of British Pantomime, vaudeville and musical comedy. In England every year at Christmas, you can usually find a British production of a fairy tale that is produced for kids and adults. Usually men play many of the women’s roles and often women play the male leads. The production operates on many levels, just as our production of Cinderella does. There is the fairy tale for the children – often played with lots of physical humor and sometimes accompanied by an orchestra – and there is the