WOW Without Wall Festival

I have to admit that I’m not always a fan of La Jolla Playhouse productions. They tend to be more experimental, and I gravitate toward a more traditional, polished theater experience. In other words, I’m probably too stodgy. But I love when performances venues try to reach out to the community and make their productions more accessible. And the WOW (Without Walls) Festival did a fabulous job of bringing in UCSD students and kids. Hurrah for bringing a younger generation to the theater! Or perhaps bringing the theater to them…
The festival is basically a series of performances that are repeated throughout the day, many outside and site-​specific. This year the productions ranged from Healing Wars, which is part of the regular performance schedule, to audio tours, to a play in a series of cars (experimental, remember?), to performances that moved from location to location. Many of these shows were specifically for children, and the program carefully labeled the family-​friendly events. I saw lots of kids who were delighted by stilt walkers, the circus performers, and even outdoor events that they saw from afar. Very neat!
The price of the performances tops out at $ 29, but there are quite a few for $ 10 or less, and lots of free events. There were also ticket packages available.
My only complaint was that it was hard to know what to go see. I wish there had been a more formal way to figure out the best shows without stopping random people to ask their opinions. But on the other hand, everyone wanted to talk about their favorites, so maybe being forced to socialize with strangers isn’t the end of the world.