Bard-for-kids tour stops at Geffen, CLU

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Feb. 28, 2012) This year's Kingsmen Shakespeare Educational Tour will include three public performances, including the first ones to be presented at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles and California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

Professional actor-teachers from the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company will present 50-minute, child-friendly performances of "Twelfth Night" free of charge at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 10, in CLU's Preus-Brandt Forum and at noon on Saturday, April 14, at the Grant R. Brimhall Library in Thousand Oaks. The ticketed Geffen show will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 21, in the Gil Cates Theater.

The abbreviated story features over-the-top theatrics, live footnotes and all-out comedy. The fantastical tale follows castaway Viola as she's separated from her twin brother by a disastrous shipwreck, leading to mistaken identities, harmless trickery and surprise weddings.

The 14th annual tour will also include stops at 14 elementary schools in Moorpark, Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village between March 1 and April 20. For the second year, the actors will work with the children of migrant farmworkers at the Migrant Education Program in Oxnard. At each stop, the troupe will conduct interactive workshops to introduce Shakespeare and his language, stories and characters to students and perform "Twelfth Night."

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, the professional theatre company of CLU, will present "Romeo and Juliet" and "Much Ado About Nothing" during its 16th season this summer. The nonprofit organization also coordinates apprentice programs for professional and aspiring Shakespearean actors and summer theater camps for youth.

Preus-Brandt Forum is located south of Olsen Road near Mountclef Boulevard on the CLU campus. The library is at 1401 E. Janss Road. The Geffen Playhouse is at 10886 Le Conte Ave. Tickets to the Geffen performance are $10 for children and $15 for adults and are available by calling 310-208-2028.