Segerstrom Center's Family Series Continues with PERO, OR MYSTERIES OF THE NIGHT Tonight

The heartwarming PERÔ, OR MYSTERIES OF THE NIGHT, an adaptation of the popular children's book by French author Michel Tournier, will return to Segerstrom Center for the Arts this weekend, February 20 & 21, 2016 with three performances.

This award-winning collaboration between Speeltheater Holland and Childsplay tells the story of Pero?, a baker in a tiny Italian village with a broken heart. Bashful Pero? has a secret love for laundress Colombina, but she is captivated by colorful house painter Palentino. Will Pero? tell Columbina of his love? Will the village run out of bread because Pero? is too sad to bake? Using an imaginative mix of puppets, actors, singers and live musicians, this charming tale of love comes to life.

PERÔ, OR MYSTERIES OF THE NIGHT is recommended for children ages 7 and above. Tickets are $20 and are available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket savings for 10 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746. The 1 p.m. performance on February 21 will be sign-language interpreted.

Audiences are encouraged to arrive one hour before the performance for free creative activities. The Center's Education Department offers these enriching experiences to provide young people and their families with more opportunities to play together creatively. Studies show that this is critical in helping to develop the ability to think and problem solve.

Segerstrom Center's 2015 - 2016 Explorer Series also includes Kid Koala's Nufonia Must Fall LIVE and Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella. Explorer Series subscriptions can be purchased for the low cost of $69. The Discovery Series includes *Big Bad Wolf, *Egg and The Box Brothers. (*indicates Sensory- Friendly Performances which are designed specifically to help children on the autism spectrum or others with sensory sensitivity enjoy fully the magic and amazement of live performances.)

Childsplay, Inc. is a nonprofit theater company of professional adult artists who perform for and teach young audiences and their families. The mission of Childsplay is to create theater so strikingly original in form, content or both, that it instills in young people an enduring awe, love and respect for the medium. Their goal is to inspire and preserve imagination and wonder, the hallmarks of childhood which are keys to the future. For more information, visit www.childsplayaz.org.

Speeltheater Holland produces works of artistic quality and unique style that are mainly intended for children. Their productions include live music, puppets and a strong visual sense. Speeltheater Holland has performed around the globe, particularly in the United States but also in Austria, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Croatia, Bonaire, Germany and South Africa.

Segerstrom Center's Education and Community Programs Department offers a variety of programs to students from elementary school through the university level, teachers, arts administrators and individuals who simply want to broaden their own experiences but not in a structure that is strictly academic. These programs achieve two especially important objectives. First, they develop the audiences of the future. Second, they integrate the arts into the standard curriculum and enhance learning, creative thinking, cognitive and social skills. The Education and Community Programs Department works hand-in-hand with a number of boards of education, providing support and assistance to ensure the success and effectiveness of the Center's programs.

The popular Family Series engages, enchants and inspires youngsters with the magic of live performance. International artists combine music, dance and theater that can be enjoyed by the entire family, creating experiences that instill an appreciation for the arts and create lifelong memories.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School, where students ages 3 - 14 are taught by acclaimed teachers utilizing the renowned ABT National Training Curriculum in studios utilized by the world's greatest dancers and choreographers.

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family- friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events.

The Center's education programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year. In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

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