Family Performances & Art Days
The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts brings some of the most exciting performances from around the world to children and families in Los Angeles.
From rollicking musicals to circus acts and dancers to favorite stories come to life, each year at the Center for the Arts offers something new and awe-inspiring—a great way to cultivate a love of the arts in young audiences.
Upcoming Family Performances & Art Days
The Peking Acrobats
For the last 32 years, the Peking Acrobats have redefined audience perceptions of Chinese acrobatics. They perform daring maneuvers atop a precarious pagoda of chairs and display their technical prowess at such arts as trick-cycling, precision tumbling, juggling, somersaulting, and gymnastics. They push the limits of human ability, defying gravity with amazing displays of contortion, flexibility, and control.
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Performance: 2:00 PM
The Pa'akai We Bring
Produced by Honolulu Theatre for Youth
This original production introduces audiences to the Native Hawaiian relationship to pa‘akai (salt). Traditionally, pa‘akai is food, medicine, a sacrament, and a treasured gift. The play follows a family with multiple generations of salt farmers on Kauai, mixing in ancient stories, hula, live music, original songs, and plenty of audience participation into a tasty potluck of performance, joyously served up with aloha.
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Family Art Day: 11:00AM - 1:00 PM
Performance: 1:00 PM
Cirque Kalabanté
Inspired by daily life in Guinea, Yamoussa Bangoura’s Afrique en Cirque shares the beauty, youth, and artistry of African culture. A colorful show beyond its scenery, costumes, and staging, it makes any theatre vibrate with energy and represents the strength, agility, and life’s joys of young Africans. The audience will see acrobats execute gravity-defying moves and human pyramids, accompanied by the contemporary sounds of live Afro-Jazz, percussion, and kora. Welcome to the universe of Kalabanté Productions, and prepare for an unforgettable journey.
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Performance: 7:30 PM
What You Get When You Visit
In addition to the high-quality, professional performances, a visit to the Center for the Arts offers many ways for children to engage in the arts:
Family Art Days
Enjoy hands-on art activities with multiple projects designed for children of all ages before and after the show.
Meet and Greet
Meet with the performers in the lobby after most shows.
Free Museum Tours
Experience personal tours of the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art (free admission).
Free Backstage Tours
Explore behind-the-scenes with backstage tours by Center for the Arts staff.
Explore Pepperdine
Enjoy beautiful courtyards, amazing views, and rolling lawns while discovering our incredible campus community.
Explore Malibu
After your visit, spend a day in Malibu by visiting the beach, Malibu Pier, and the Getty Villa.
Not all of these activities will be available at every performance. Some activities will have limited availability, and programming is subject to change at any time. Call the box office at 310.506.4522 for more information.