DANBURY, CONN. — In an ongoing effort to include more family-friendly fare, Ives Concert Park on the Westside campus of Western Connecticut State University, Lake Avenue Extension in Danbury, will host entertainment for families with children on two consecutive weekends, beginning Sunday, July 13. Tickets for each of the shows will be $20 for adults, $15 for WCSU alumni and students with valid I.D., and $10 for seniors and children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at www.wcsu.edu/tickets or by calling (203) 837-8499.

At 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 13, the interactive puppet show “Puppetpalooza: Puppets are People, Too!” will take the Ives Concert Park stage. The show will feature music, dancing and a message about a group of student puppets who decide to fight for equal rights. After the show, children in the audience will be invited to make their own sock puppet creations. The puppets were a hit with local youngsters when “Puppetpalooza” debuted at Ives Concert Park last summer.

The puppeteers will be current and former students from WestConn’s theatre arts department, part of the university’s School of Visual and Performing Arts. They include Jessica Almeida, of Stratford; Frank Beaudry, of Oakville; Jennifer Billingsley, of Somers, N.Y.; Allison Gauthier, of Southington; Kayla Koschel, of Sandy Hook; Alex Taylor, of Danbury; and Joshua Wagner, of Roxbury. Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Elizabeth Popiel is director and master puppeteer, and WestConn professional writing alumnus Don Stitt wrote the music and lyrics.

At 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, July 18 & 19, WestConn theatre arts students and alumni, as well as local actors, will stage William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” perhaps Shakespeare’s most popular and widely performed comedy. This 90-minute adaptation is filled with the humor of knotted love triangles, the pranks of mischievous fairies and the farcical ineptitudes of a band of tradesmen-turned-actors in an effort to win a prize at the wedding of the great Theseus, Duke of Athens. Families are encouraged to come at 6:30 p.m. for children to participate in creative dramatics crafts and games and then to become part of the production. The magic will spill from the stage into the surrounding woods.

The cast of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will include Sean Zackrison, of Chappaqua, N.Y., as Oberon; Jennifer Billingsley, of Somers, N.Y., as Titania; Kayla Koschel, of Sandy Hook, as Puck; Crystal Schewe, of Bethel, as Fairy; Jessica Almeida, of Stratford, as Hermia; Jessica Costello, of West Haven, as Helena; Adam Schofield-Bodt, of Shelton, as Lysander; and Frank Beaudry, of Oakville, as Demetrius. The show is produced by Professor of Theatre Arts Frank Herbert and directed by Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Pam McDaniel.

At 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 20, WestConn theatre arts students will stage “Shalamazoo,” a musical-theatre event based on the children’s book by the same name. WestConn alumnus Joe Shaboo, a Danbury resident and author of “Shalamazoo,” describes it as “the story of a king, a castle and the miraculous world of laughter.” The play premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland in 2001. A Scottish reviewer wrote, “… Bearing comparison with Dr. Seuss, ‘Shalamazoo’ is the tale of how the Ulbs of Ulbania lost their happiness, and then found it again (through the admirable virtues of laughter and tickling). The play provides plenty of opportunities for the children to climb on stage and march and dance with the Ulbs, or sit enraptured as the cast leave the stage to run, play and hide amongst the audience. It is a delight to watch.”

The cast of “Shalamazoo” will include Katie Andrew, of Naugatuck; Frank Beaudry, of Oakville; Jennifer Billingsley, of Somers, N.Y.; Scott Condon, of Shelton; Anthony DePoto, of Danbury; Drew Petrella, of Northford; Crystal Schewe, of Bethel; Alex Taylor, of Danbury; Patrick White, of Bethany; and Sean Zackrison, of Chappaqua, N.Y. The show is produced and directed by Professor of Theatre Arts Frank Herbert.

These events have been made possible through the cooperation of WestConn’s School of Visual and Performing Arts, the Danbury Cultural Commission and the Ives Concert Park Authority. Tickets for all Ives Concert Park events are on sale at www.wcsu.edu/tickets or by calling (203) 837-8499.

The rest of the 2008 lineup currently includes: July 10, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons; July 15, Ani DiFranco; and July 26, Gov’t Mule. Ticket prices for these shows vary and are available at www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, call the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.