This August, Studio East will bring back the annual StoryBook Theater in the Park, where free performances of the original Hansel & Gretel musical will take place. Studio East, which was founded in 1992 to provide theater arts education to youth on the Eastside developed StoryBook Theater, which is an adult professional touring group that introduces youth to live theater throughout the Puget Sound region.

Last summer, Studio East presented The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and this year’s musical will continue the story line. Hansel & Gretel is a tale of two siblings that become lost in a forest and meet a shifty chef along the way, and the brother-sister duo must collaborate to escape.

The 55-minute performance will be presented at outdoor parks in Kirkland, Bellevue, Renton, Duvall and Seattle:

• Bellevue Youth Theatre Amphitheater- August 6 at 11 a.m.; August 7 at 11 a.m.
• Magnuson Park- August 13 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Juanita Beach Park- August 20 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; August 21 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Cedar River Park (behind Carco Theatre in Renton)- August 27 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• McCormick Park- August 28 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The performances are geared towards children ages 3-10 and families, and are free through the support of Google, EvergreenHealth and the Tulalip Tribes Charitable Contributions.