Magic, puppetry to be performed at Pepperdine

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia will present "Very Eric Carle," based on three popular children’s books by author Eric Carle, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sat., Oct. 4 at Pepperdine University’s Smothers Theatre, 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu.

Mermaid Theatre draws upon the magic of black light and puppetry to capture the charm of three Carle stories.

Their emphasis is on imaginative design elements, original music and challenging texts which provide an opportunity to acquaint young spectators with the visual and performing arts as well as with the pleasures of reading.

High up in a beautiful blue sky, "Little Cloud" changes into various shapes of things it has seen. An adventurous trip to the zoo and changing into different animals teaches "The Mixed-Up Chameleon" the importance of being true to one’s self. In "The Very Busy Spider," a spider builds a web on a farmyard fence and ignores the playful banter of the farm animals.

Tickets at $17.50 are available by calling (310) 506-4522 or TicketMaster at (213) 365-3500.

Mermaid Theatre will also perform "Very Eric Carle" at 10 a.m. and noon Mon., Oct. 13 in the Fred Kavli Theater at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., as part of Performances to Grow On’s "Adventures in the Performing Arts Series." Tickets are $7.50 for groups of 10 or more and $10 for individuals and are available by phoning (805) 646-8907.