Take The Kids Out! No, Really! 

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Remember when you had these damn kids and you stopped being able to go to shows? That sucked, right? I mean, you could risk taking the wee ones out for some culture, I guess. But really, what guarantees do you have that they’re not going to be scarred for life by curse words, tattoos and cleavage!?

Here’s the safe zone. Over the next few months, the Arcata Playhouse will serve up its annual Family Fun Series, a collection of performances that won’t require occasional munchkin ear and eye coverings. Here’s some nights out you parents can look forward to:

The Gruffalo: First up this weekend, British physical story theatre group Tall Stories drops in on this side of the pond for performances of The Gruffalo, a musical adaptation of an award-winning children’s book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Heavy on songs and laughs, it’s the story of one mouse’s journey of overcoming his fear of the terrifying Gruffalo. Shows take place Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (2 and 7 p.m.), March 16 and 17. Check out tallstories.org.uk for more info.

Stories to Grow Your Heart On: Can your kids sit still for some stories? Native American storyteller Robert Greygrass will share tales of the Lakota and other tribes in Stories to Grow Your Heart On. Shows take place Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (2 and 7 p.m.), April 19 and 20. Check out dawhitedog.com for more info.

Yes Sweet Can. If you’ve been looking for a way to inspire your child to become a circus performer, leave it to San Francisco’s Yes Sweet Can Theater company for some young eyeball-popping aerial tricks, hula hooping and music. Shows take place Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (2 and 7 p.m.), May 24 and 25. Check out sweetcanproductions.com for more info.

See? You can sometimes take your kids out in public! For more on the Family Fun Series, check out arcataplayhouse.com.