Free 'LES Kids' Day' Held May 26 as Part of LES Fest

Saturday, May 26th has been designated LES Kids' Day 2007 as part of The 12th Annual Lower East Side (LES) Festival of the Arts. LES Kids' Day 2007 will feature free performances and special events for kids and by kids, beginning at 2pm at Theater for the New City (155 1st Avenue, between E. 9th and 10th St) in Manhattan, hosted by clown and juggler John Grimaldi.
 
Highlights of the 12th Annual LES Festival of the Arts' LES KIDS' DAY 2007 include:
 
● Vital Children's Theatre performing songs from the new musical Pinkalicious
● Firefly Ballet performing a selection from The Further Adventures of Uncle Wiggily
● Smiley Cake Rock Band
● Kaleidoscope Dancers: teachers and students explore professional choreography and movement
● The Yip Harburg Group performing selections from the popular musical Finian's Rainbow
● Friends Seminary performing a classical theatre piece
● composer and pianist Josephine Yalowitzer
● 9-year-old singer Paula Merchan
● Theatre for the New City's Arts-in-Education Program hosts interactive improvisational theatre games
 
Running Friday, May 25 through Sunday, May 27, the 3-day, indoor and outdoor festival of the arts is organized by Theater for the New City and a coalition of civic, cultural and business leaders, and is free to all New Yorkers and visitors. The LES Festival of the Arts was founded in 1996 to demonstrate the creative explosion of Manhattan's Lower East Side and the area's importance to the culture and tourism of New York City.  Last year, more than 3,000 people attended.
 
The 12th Annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts runs in and around  Theater for the New City (155 1st Avenue, between E. 9th and 10th Streets)  throughout Memorial Day weekend: Friday, May 25, 6pm-1am; Saturday, May 26,  10am-1am (10am-6pm - Cultural Fair, outside on East 10th Street between 1st and  Second Avenues; 2pm-5pm - Performances for kids and by kids, inside Theater for  the New City); and Sunday, May 27, 6pm-1am.
 
This year's participants, representing the unique ethnic and cultural diversity of the Lower East Side, include an eclectic mix of talent, ranging from Academy Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham and legendary talk show host Joe Franklin, to performance artists Reno and Penny Arcade, to writers Eduardo Machado and Mario Fratti, to folk singer Judy Gorman and Slivercloud Singers and Drummers, to theatre and dance companies such as The Living Theater, Rod Rodgers Dance Company, Cave Gallery, Wendy Osserman Dance Company, Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, La MaMa ETC, New York Theatre Workshop, Joe's Pub, and many others.
 
Events, from Friday, May 25 through Sunday, May 27, are free, open to all, and take place within two theater spaces at Theatre for the New City (155 1st  Avenue, between E. 9th and 10th Streets) and along East 10th Street between 1st  and 2nd Avenues. On Saturday, May 26, the festival offers a day-long block party featuring performances and a community arts fair with food and crafts vendors. Attractions on Saturday afternoon will emphasize performances with and by children. Additional attractions throughout  the 3-day event includes film, and multimedia, dance, poetry, puppeteers, musicians, readings, theater pieces that reflect the LES life, and an art installation representing over 30 fine artists, plus the music of Yip Harburg performed by his grandson Ben Harburg and others.
 
Participants include artists presently residing on the Lower East Side, arts groups performing in the area, prominent writers and artists whose work has dealt directly with the Lower East Side experience, and emerging playwrights who have written original works specifically for the festival.  The 12th Annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts features performances for and by kids, and performers with disabilities. Additionally, the distinct ethnic communities of the Lower East Side are amply represented, including the Latin American, African American, Chinese, Indian, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Native American, Polish and Ukrainian communities.
 
Theater for the New City (TNC) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning community cultural center known for its high artistic standards and widespread community service. One of New York's most prolific theatrical organizations, TNC produces 30-40 premieres of new American plays per year, at least 10 of which are by  emerging and young playwrights. Many influential theater artists of the last quarter century have found TNC's Resident Theater Program instrumental to their careers, among them: Sam Shepard, Moises Kaufman, Richard Foreman, Charles Busch, Maria Irene Fornes, Miguel Piñero and Academy Award-winners Tim Robbins and Adrien Brody," state press notes.

All events are free and open to the public. For additional information and full performance schedule, please call 212-254-1109 or visit www.theaterforthenewcity.net.