some of the delights awaiting Bermuda's youngsters when Kidfest 1994 comes to Bermuda this January.

A quartet of Canada's top specialist performers will take part in the unprecedented three-month children's festival, to be staged in the Peacock Room of the Elbow Beach Hotel each weekend from January through March.

The project, which promises to add a new and fascinating dimension to the Bermuda theatre scene, is the brainchild of former professional dancer and entertainer, Mrs. Paula Maguire, who has lived in Bermuda for the past four years.

Producing the series under the name of Galla Productions, Mrs. Maguire says she hopes to make Kidfest an annual event, possibly showcasing the talents of different countries in turn.

Shows, chosen specifically for family viewing at Kidfest are: The Iguanodon Theatre in the puppet play: Fish Whiskers, The Maritime Marionettes in Rumpelstiltskin, comedian/clown/acrobat one-man-show, Tom Kubinek, and the musical show, Kirk and Magoo.

With Christmas in mind, Mrs. Maguire is arranging for tickets to also be sold as gift certificates -- "presents that the children can enjoy long after Christmas is over''.

While the organisation surrounding Kidfest makes this a highly ambitious undertaking, there are probably few people around who are as qualified to make a success of it as Paula Maguire. Until she joined her husband in Bermuda, she was a professional dancer who achieved wide -- if not immediately recognisable -- acclaim in a ten-year stint as the Elephant on The Elephant Show. This popular musical show for children performed throughout the US and Canada at such prestigious venues as New York's Lincoln Center and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The televised version can still seen in Bermuda on the Nickelodeon channel.

While she says she is happy in her present role as wife and mother, Paula Maguire admits that she needs a creative outlet in her life.

"I have two children of my own and I believe all kids here deserve the opportunities they enjoy elsewhere. I want them to have the best. Theatre is -- or should be -- a part of a child's education and growth. Bermuda has a strong sports element and I think that's wonderful, but I think there's also room for the artistic element. We need both. Children who have never been exposed to good, professional theatre just don't know what they are missing.'' Cheerfully agreeing that there are almost certainly easier ways to earn a living ("I could teach, but I really wanted the freedom to do something artistic in my own way and in my own time''), Mrs. Maguire has obviously taken on a mission which, in her words, will help stem the tide of "canned'' entertainment that finds its way into Bermuda from North America on a daily basis.

"With shows like the ones I am presenting, the children will become very personally involved. It will open up a new world for them.'' She pays tribute to the encouragement she has received in her venture from Cultural Affairs Officer, Miss Ruth Thomas.

"She has been very helpful and so full of enthusiasm for what I'm trying to do for the children of Bermuda. Without her support, I doubt if any of this would be happening!'' The admiration seems to be mutual, with Miss Thomas saying, "I think that Kidfest is a wonderful idea. There is so much joy and wonderment in the theatre for children. It helps them to think and enriches their imagination.

That's a very vital part of childhood. I wish her all the luck in the world.'' Mrs. Maguire previously danced with Nouvelle Aire, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal (which has performed in Bermuda) and Toronto Dance Theatre. Besides being a member of The Elephant Show, she has danced in musicals and worked extensively on Canadian television. After obtaining a second degree in dance, she taught for some time at Humber College in Toronto and was appointed director and choreographer for Ontario's Bicentennial musical revue show with well-known conductor, Howard Cable.

Determined to obtain the finest talent available for Kidfest, Mrs. Maguire advertised in theatre union magazines and then set up two days of auditions in Toronto. She believes, incidentally, that Canada is "way ahead'' of its neighbour to the south, in the field of children's entertainment. As luck would have it, she arrived at the same time that the International Trade Show for Children's Performers opened -- "Amazing luck! Everyone I hired was appearing at the Show.'' In her excitement, Mrs. Maguire immediately broke the rules she had set for herself, i.e. no more than "two-hander'' shows with as few props as possible, and they had to be based in Toronto.

"So the first thing I do is hire The Iguanodon Theatre, which has four people, loads of props and they're based in Calgary, but they are so fantastic I had to have them!'' It is this group, performing Fish Whiskers, which will open the festival.

Iridescent puppets will transform the pitch-black stage into a "fin-tastic'' aquarium of activity. Mrs. Maguire explains that by using music as a metaphor for social harmony, Fish Whiskers is a marine melodrama which brings Angel the fish's friendship with Sockeye up against the old order. In a highly entertaining way, she says, the play teaches children from the ages of three up, about expanding the community.

The Maritime Marionettes bring ballet-like grace to the re-telling of the ageless folktale, Rumpelstiltskin. "They perform to classical music and it gives children a chance to see one of the oldest art forms brought to new life,'' she says.

Tom Kubinek, who emigrated with his family to Canada after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, is described by Mrs. Maguire as the Salvador Dali of clowns -- certified lunatic and master of the impossible. His clowning, acrobatics and juggling have been acclaimed at Expo 86 in Vancouver, Expo 92 in Spain and at Disneyworld. He is guaranteed, she says, to win the hearts of adults as well as children.

Music played by Kirk and Magoo ranges from country and rock to operetta, and the duo have produced critically acclaimed recordings of We are the Dinosaurs and I Don't Want to Keep my Room Clean. Their live shows, says Mrs. Maguire, have been entertaining audiences since 1981. She met the couple while she was in The Elephant Show (they play in the accompanying Mammoth Band), and confirms they play almost any instrument: "I also know that they are going to give their show here a Bermuda twist, so that should appeal to local kids.'' Mrs. Maguire believes that the festival will also give parents and children a chance to do something together.

Due to the size of the Peacock Room, only 195 people will be admitted to each show. "But in a way, that's good, because it's intimate theatre and it becomes very personal and the kids are completely involved with what's going on.'' The one hour shows will be held on the weekends, Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m and 1 p.m.

Fish Whiskers will be presented on January 15 and 16, The Maritime Marionettes on February 5 and 6, Tom Kubinek on March 5 and 6, and Kirk and Magoo will appear on March 26 and 27.

Tickets are $12 ($15 for adults) and gift certificates are available. Call 236-1085 for reservations or send orders to Kidfest, Box DV 433, Devonshire DV BX. Due to limited seating, early booking is advised.

UP, UP AND AWAY -- Imagination reaches great heights with clown Tom Kubinek's act.

MARIONETTE -- Brings alive the folktale Rumpelstiltskin.

KIDFEST CREATOR -- Paula Maguire.