Yes, there’s a ton of great performances happening all over town this weekend. But I want to draw your attention to one particular performance. Why? Because my kid’s one of the actors, that’s why!

To be fair, I’d probably be boasting about New Moon Productions anyway - every summer, they gather up 60 or so aspiring young actors between 8 and 17 years old, coach them through four weeks of musical theater camp, and then let them star in free performances on two weekends in July in the Washington Park Amphitheater. My daughter attended last year’s camp & got hooked - so we’re back again to work with Artistic Director Michael Wehrli and his talented group this year.

This year’s show? Willy Wonka. And while you could go to the 10 am show on Saturday or the 12 noon show on Sunday, well - I’ll be at the 12 pm Saturday performance myself, watching my kid play (totally against type, don’t you know) the “I want it NOW!” kid, Veruca Salt.

If you’ve got kids, bring ‘em by - along with your blankets, low-slung beach chairs, and maybe a dollar or two for the collection basket. (Yes, the show’s free - but it’s also a sure bet no one’s making money off the camp itself, which is really reasonably priced, offers some scholarships & is housed at a school that provides free lunches for kids all summer long, for starters.)

See, I have it on good authority that Veruca’s expecting a big crowd for her debut - and what kind of Web 2.0 parent would I be if I didn’t use every possible avenue available to me in order to make it so?