Welcome to this week's "Gish Picks", where I highlight family-oriented cultural events, products or services. Please note that I "highlight" these events, but I don't know if they are appropriate for your particular children, so choose wisely based on age, maturity and interests.

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Now, GO FIND FUN!

UPSTAGE THEATRE OFFERS "ALADDIN, JR." THROUGH JUNE 28.

UpStage Theatre presents Disney’s “Aladdin Jr.” through June 28. The story focuses on Agrabah, City of Enchantment, where every beggar has a story and every camel has a tail! All of Aladdin’s characters are here in this stage adaptation of the Disney hit, including Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Genie. This magical production has flying carpet rides and tuneful, Academy Award-winning songs including “A Whole New World” and “Friend Like Me.” UpStage Theatre is a nonprofit organization and group of talented volunteers dedicated to providing the highest quality, yet affordable and family friendly theatrical experience for both the young and the young at heart. Each year, they present a children’s series and evening theater series to make the theater-going experience accessible for those who might not be regular theater-goers.

UpStage performs in Lambert Hall at 1703 Heights Boulevard. Tickets are $15/each or $12/each for groups of 12 or more. For more information visit the website or call 713.526.2721.

BRIGHTEN UP YOUR SUMMER WITH "SWAN LAKE".

Let classic ballet brighten up your summer with Houston Ballet’s “Swan Lake,” on stage through Sunday, June 21. The Ballet’s artistic director Stanton Welch created the theatrical staging of this unique version of “Swan Lake” in 2006. Set to the hauntingly beautiful Tchaikovsky score, the ballet tells the classic tale of Odette – a beautiful maiden transformed into a swan by an evil knight – and the prince who swears his enduring love for her. It’s good and evil in black and white, danced on rich and spectacular sets by the late New Zealand designer Kristian Fredrikson. One of the most famous and frequently performed works in the international repertoire, “Swan Lake” was first performed at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow in 1877, with a specially commissioned score by Tchaikovsky. The production was not an overwhelming success at its premiere. On March 1, 1894, Act II of Swan Lake, featuring choreography by Lev Ivanov, was performed for a Tchaikovsky memorial. The Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov production, which became the definitive version, was performed at the Maryinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on January 27, 1895. Since that time, countless choreographers have staged versions of this classic. Mr. Welch’s version features lavish designs inspired by Pre-Raphaelite paintings by Kristian Fredrikson, who passed away in November 2005. This production, the last work that Fredrikson created in an illustrious 40-year career spanning three continents, was dedicated to his memory. For more information, visit the website or call 713.227.2787.

HERE'S THE QUICKEST WAY TO LEARN SHAKESPEARE.

My kids and I loved the production "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged" and now you can catch it at ACE Theatre, which is presenting it through June 27 at 17011 Bamwood in northwest Houston. The show is a parody of the plays written by William Shakespeare with all of them being performed (in shortened form) by a company of actors. The play takes all of Shakespeare's works and crams them into one show, having great fun along the way and serving as a great introduction to Shakespeare for kids. The first act focuses on the comedies, tragedies, and histories and the second act is all "Hamlet". The play was written by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, and first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1987 and later played at the Criterion Theatre in London, where it ran for nine record-breaking years. It has become one of the world's most popular shows, playing frequently in a variety of languages. ACE Theatre is a nonprofit community theatre whose mission is to bring productions to Northwest Houston through education and their shows.

THIS WEEK'S ATTRACTION...ARMAND BAYOU NATURE CENTER. For more attractions, go to www.gishcreative.com/attractions.htm.

"Reconnecting People with Nature" is the mission of the Armand Bayou Nature Center. If you're like me, you want kids away from concrete as much as possible, so being able to get away to ABNC for some reconnection time is a treat. ABNC, the largest urban wildlife refuge in the United States, was founded in 1974 as a result of efforts begun by an environmental visionary, Armand Yramategui, an astronomer and former curator of Museum of Natural Science's Burke Baker Planetarium. Armand foresaw the urban growth around Armand Bayou and strove to have this land remain a wilderness. His tragic death in 1970 inspired a local, regional and national coalition of people and organizations to acquire the 2,500 acres of land now preserved as ABNC. ABNC is a non-profit organization that was established with the mission preservation and environmental education. The Center's core consists of a boardwalk through the forest and marshes, live animal displays, educational signage, bison and prairie platforms, butterfly gardens and an 1800's farm site. These venues are part of the Center's vision of a "Discovery Loop" educational tour of ABNC, its habitats and Texas cultural history. ABNC also has the Martyn, Karankawa, Marsh, Lady Bird and Prairie trails that allow you to see and learn about the forest, prairie, marsh and natural bayou habitats once common in the Houston/Galveston area. They have a color brochure of all trails online so you can prepare before you go. Be sure to bring bug spray, sunscreen, and hats and to wear appropriate clothing for hiking around a bayou wilderness. Armand Bayou Nature Center is open from 9am-5pm Tuesdays through Saturdays and from noon-5pm on Sundays (last admission is at 4pm).

PLAN A GREAT SUMMER WITH "THE SUMMER BOOK® 2009"!

It's not too late to plan a great summer with THE SUMMER BOOK® 2009: A GUIDE TO HOUSTON DAY CAMPS AND CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS. In the book you'll find over 200 camps categorized in a variety of ways to make your summer day camp shopping a BREEZE! The book divides camps into five categories: ARTS, EDUCATIONAL, RELIGIOUS, SPORTS, and SPECIAL NEEDS so you can find the one that matches your child's unique interests and needs. We'll also show you which camps are full day, which are indoors, which are available each week and for what age groups, as well as which camps offer scholarships. We also give you detailed information such as camp dates, registration deadlines, supplies needed and field trip opportunities, as well as full contact information (including website) on each camp.

Below is a list of retailers where the book is in stock. And unlike GISH PICKS, please don't share this product with friends -- each copy you purchase supports our efforts (and that of the bookstores and our advertisers) and ensures that we can publish the book for years to come. We appreciate your understanding of this.

Thanks for buying my book and HAPPY CAMP SHOPPING!

B. Dalton Booksellers
Call or visit a location near you!

Barnes and Noble
Call or visit a location near you!

Blue Willow Bookshop
14532 Memorial Drive; Houston, Texas - map link
281-497-8675

Body, Mind & Soul
4344 Westheimer Drive; Houston, Texas - map link
713-993-0550

Bookstop
Call or visit a location near you!

Borders Books
Available at the Galleria, Kirby, Stafford and Webster locations.

Brazos Bookstore
2421 Bissonnet; Houston, Texas - map link
713-523-0701

British Isles
2366 Rice; Houston, Texas - map link
713-522-6868

Children's Museum of Houston
1500 Binz; Houston, Texas - map link
713-522-1138

Christ Church Cathedral Bookstore
1117 Texas Ave.; Houston, Texas - map link
713-222-0286

Contemporary Arts Museum
5216 Montrose Blvd.; Houston, Texas - map link
713-284-8250

Cotton Tots
6510 Woodway; Houston, Texas - map link
713-785-8686

Lucia's Garden
2213 Portsmouth; Houston, Texas - map link
713-523-6494

The Motherhood Center
3701 W. Alabama, Ste. #230; Houston, Texas - map link
713-963-8880

River Oaks Bookstore
3270 Westheimer; Houston, Texas - map link
713-520-0061

Second Baptist Church (coming April 6th)
6400 Woodway Drive; Houston, Texas - map link
713-465-3408

Sarah Gish
Gish Creative
1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116
Houston, Texas 77057
phone/fax: 713.532.1173

email: sarah@gishcreative.com
web: www.gishcreative.com
and: www.thesummerbook.com
and: www.saveourlandmarks.org

© 2009 Sarah Gish

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