Family Arts Fest Kicks Off Saturday at Pepperdine

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Pepperdine University

Pepperdine University Center for the Arts is set to sponsor its first-ever Family Arts Fest, a community event featuring arts activities and performances, as well as museum tours and some of Los Angeles’ most popular food trucks. The family-oriented event will take place from on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Center for the Arts on the University’s Malibu campus.

“We’re really excited about it,” Rebecca Carson, the managing director of the Center for the Arts, said. “We’ve been talking about it for the last couple of years and are really happy to finally put it together. We’re hoping for good weather and a good turnout. We want to continue this in future years.”

All Family Arts Fest performances and activities are free and open to the public. Music and theatre performances will be presented on an outdoor main stage adjacent to the Gregg G. Juarez Palm Courtyard. Performances and participatory arts activities will also take place in the Lindhurst Theatre and Raitt Recital Hall. Children can create art projects or enjoy face painting in the courtyard.

“We [the Center for the Arts] always present a lot of performances for families, but parents are sometimes worried about the formal atmosphere and are hesitant to bring their small children along,” Carson said. “That’s why we’re having this type of event, where it’s very open and the whole family can come with their children for an outdoor fun day.”

The festival is a way to showcase young and emerging artists and celebrate local arts and artists, Carson said. The event features many Malibu and Pepperdine participants. Some of the artists that are scheduled to appear are: Contempo (Pepperdine student musical theatre revue), Kas, Mango Dreamers, Masanga Marimba Ensemble, The Modern Age and Keagan.

Pepperdine Music Theater major Tyler Burk, 20, directs and performs in Contempo, a musical theatre revue. The all-student organization has been around for four years and will be performing at the Family Arts Fest. They will be performing a few numbers from this year’s show “Character Breakdown,” that caters to the whole family.

“We feel very lucky to be asked to perform because we are an all student-run organization,” Burk said. “We feel fortunate to offer free performances and free support for art education and for the Malibu community.”

“Dream Pop” band Mango Dreamers will be performing on the outdoor stage at 1 p.m. Only together for one year, the band recently released its first album and is set to release their second one soon. They will be going to Australia for a tour this June.

“We are really excited about the Family Arts Fest,” lead singer Layla Kilolu said. “Pepperdine is a very special place for me because it was where I first performed in front of a lot of people when I was 16 years old. It’s an honor now many years later to be invited to perform there. It’s like a full circle.”

Guided tours will be available for the exhibit of “Wayne Thiebaud: Works on Paper” in the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art. Tours will also be available of the Center for the Arts backstage areas, including the scene shop, where construction is underway for the Fine Arts Division production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Food will be available for purchase from food trucks in the main parking lot. Food trucks include The Grilled Cheese Truck, Calbi, Crepes Bonaparte, Dogtown dogs, The Fry Girl Inc., Joes Pizza Truck and many more. 

“We’re looking for a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere that people can enjoy with their families,” Carson said.

A full schedule of activities and artists is available on the Center for the Arts website.