Spring tempts city with A&E treats

There is something heavenly about May and June in St. Louis. It is not just the mild weather; it is the plethora of annual arts and entertainment treats the months bring to the St. Louis area.

For most cities, the flurry of great performing arts choices comes in fall. In St. Louis, we get an extra flurry in late spring and early summer

Circus Flora, Opera Theater of St. Louis and the Shakespeare Festival all bloom in May and June. But there is more: we also get the 48 Hour Film Project, and later in the summer, the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, both chances to sample local filmmaking or even try out filmmaking yourself.

There are more A&E treats to this season of mild weather too. Here is a little sample of things to come.

48 Hour Film Project - June 8-12, The Pageant

www.48hourfilm.com/stlouis

Teams of filmmakers scramble to the near impossible: write, cast, score, shoot and edit a short film from scratch in just 48 hours. St. Louis is one of several cities that have 48 Hour Film Project competitions, the winners of which go to regional and then national competitions.

It is crazy but it is fun. Several teams compete year after year and the films are sometimes remarkably good.

The public can see the results of the weekend of filmmaking when they are shown on a big screen two days after the deadline and. If you are feeling crazy, you can try your hand at the mad dash by registering a team by mid May. See their Web site for rules and examples of past films.

Opera Theater of St. Louis - May 19 - June 24, Webster's Loretto-Hilton Theater

www.opera-stl.org

Opera Theater of St. Louis is the best choice for an introduction to the grandeur and fun of opera. This opera in English program has grown into one of the best in the country, launching several big stars.

The productions are lavish and gorgeous, and the singing even better. Opera Theater employs young, rising star singers, with big bold voices, who are young enough to look the parts they are playing. There is also a great emphasis on the acting as well as the singing.

The program always does a mix of favorites, new operas and intriguing little-seen operas. This years program looks particularly good, with Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operetta "The Mikado," perennial favorite "La Traviata," the new "Anna Karenina," and a rarely seen take on the King Arthur legend "I Puritani."

Visit their Web site and take a look at the gorgeous posters to go with these operas.

To extend your experience, there are fun and informative talks before the shows offering tidbits and back-story on the operas, picnic dining on the lawn (bring your own picnic or order a box dinner) and an opening night reception where you can meet the cast, and discover that the little soprano with the big, lush voice is only nineteen years old.

Shakespeare Festival - May 25 - June 17, Forest Park

www.sfstl.com

This free outdoor Shakespeare festival is already a local favorite. The Shakespeare Festival offers one of the Bard's plays a season, alternating between the comedies and tragedies. Last year was the drama "Julius Caesar," this year is the comic "Much Ado About Nothing." Performed on a hillside next to the St. Louis Art Museum, the Shakespeare Festival is a whole night of fun, especially for a group. You can bring chairs or spread out a blanket, and many people bring a picnic to enjoy while staking out their spot for the evening's performance. It is very popular so you want to get there early but there is plenty to see before the main show. For one thing, there is the Green Show, a comic, short version of the night's play and scholarly talks on the play and Shakespeare's day. There are also roving bands of performers, including jugglers, traditional English Morris dancers and belly dancers, so you can't get bored. You can bring your own refreshments or buy them at the concessions table, where they have nice selections. Then settle down with your glass or wine, or whatever, and enjoy the show under the stars.

Circus Flora - June 7-24, Grand Center

www.circusflora.org

St. Louis is home to one of the best classic circuses in the nation. Circus Flora is nothing like the three-ring Ringling Brothers extravaganza that the word usually brings to mind. This one-ring circus, devoted to preserving circus arts, is part theater, part fantasy in a small European-style circus where the audience is close to the action and old traditions live. It is intimate, magical and breathtaking. Lush theatrical costumes, often gypsy or Mid-East inspired give Circus Flora an eye-popping beauty and the live band and close-up seating heighten the thrill factor. Every year, Circus Flora creates a themed performance around an original story, tying the acts together with a little play.

This year's show is called "Marrakesh," a Charlie Chan-inspired mystery caper.

The acclaimed Circus Flora's excellence has attracted world-class performers from across the globe, including the famous Flying Wallendas high-wire act and one of the world's most lauded clowns, the crowd-pleasing Nino. New world-class guest acts visit every year and the show is also the home of the St. Louis Arches, the famous children's acrobatic team. Circus Flora develops new acts every year, along with original music.

This circus is not just for kids and is unlike anything you have seen. It is also a St. Louis standard, like Ted Drewes frozen Custard, something every St. Louisan should sample.

For the first time since the retirement of Flora the Elephant, for whom the circus was named, Circus Flora will have a performing elephant. Dondi the elephant is joining the show, along with the several new acts . I got to sample some of the new show at a preview at the Circus Flora picnic held at circus founder and ring master Ivor David Balding's St. Charles farm. Acts included a beautiful ballet like routine, which combined bareback riding and trapeze work, with the performers flying through the air on gossamer wing like curtains. Another act combined child acrobats and bareback riding, in a thrilling, fast-paced performance. A renowned clown brings a hilarious clown and dog act to this years' show as well.

Circus Flora performs from June 7 - 24 under the air-conditioned Big Top tent in the parking lot next to Powel Symphony Hall, Grand Blvd and Samuel Shepard Dr., in Grand Center. For tickets, times and other information, visit their website at www.circusflora.org

St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase - July 21-26 Tivoli Theater

Once you have recovered from May and June, sample some of the works of local filmmakers at Cinema St. Louis' St. Louis Filmmaker Showcase. The festival offers comedies, dramas, thrillers, and sci-fi horror films, both short and long, all made by local filmmakers. These guys get more that 48 hours to make their films, unlike the earlier competition, but some of the same filmmakers contribute. The program also includes seminars for budding filmmakers and an award ceremony after the festivals end.