"Animan' -- Masque Theatre Group -- Kidfest 1994/95 -- Palm Reef Hotel -- October 22 and 23.

Following the huge success of Kidfest -- Bermuda's first arts festival planned specifically with children in mind -- producer Paula Maguire has now staged an extended, five-month series of shows between now and the end of March.

Each presentation has been carefully vetted by Mrs. Maguire who, as a former professional dancer, appeared for years on Nickelodeon's `Elephant Show' on TV. She certainly knows quality when she sees it and has stated that her entire aim in introducing the specialised field of children's theatre to Bermuda, is to bring in only those artists who represent the very best in their profession.

Masque, the group who opened Kidfest over the weekend in the much improved venue of the Gombey Room of the Palm Reef Hotel, definitely fall into this category. The fact that their chosen branch of theatre is one that has been woefully neglected in the US, makes them all the more unusual.

Evidence of the use of masks having been revealed in prehistoric cave paintings in France makes those used by the ancient Greeks, Asians and African cultures appear almost modern in comparison. Although the use of masks has formed an intrinsic part of the European cultural heritage, little of it seems to have found its way over to the New World.

Larry Hunt from Connecticut, however, has been making and performing with his own masks for 18 years. With wife, Jennifer and often (but not in Bermuda) with his children, Masque travels all over the US (including Washington's National Theatre) and has performed in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and on TV's The Disney Show.

For their Bermuda appearance, Masque chose to perform `Animan', a 20-character, loosely knit series of sketches with an ecological theme which reflects on the inter-relationship of man and his fellow animals.

The beautiful craftsmanship of every mask -- which appeared in seemingly dazzling succession -- is the first thing that impresses. The next is how skillfully Larry Hunt has married the masks to the closely related art of mime.

He sets the theme of the show by strolling on, sporting a grizzled old grand-pappy face and as he talks to the young audience, reflects that his friend Louis "looks just like his dawg!'' So, the connection between man and beast is immediately made and while Hunt never makes the mistake of terrorising the tots, some of the masks are just startling and sometimes, realistic enough, to bring a few squeaks of surprise and/or admiration from apprehensive throats.

"People should talk to animals. If we don't learn to talk and get to know them, we fear them, and we tend to destroy the things we fear'', he tells his audience. He demonstrates how this extends to our fellow human beings, by donning a slightly scary, devilish green mask which, naturally enough, is then transformed into a sweet little fellow after all.

Artistically, Larry Hunt can have few equals, the brilliant depictions of creatures that range from lion, to graceful lemur, covetous pack rat, or adorable floppy-eared puppy, takes this show to the top of the genre. It was fascinating to watch, too, how this vast parade of faces changed in such quick succession, sometimes one mask being peeled off to reveal another beneath, sometimes totally transforming a face merely by adding a pair of outsize lips, a nose or even a pair of sun-shades.

On the debit side, nothing really happens in the mimed `fishing' episode. A pair of old sweeties, fishing in a river, and presumably depicting a time not so long ago, when pleasures were of the simpler variety, does not quite fit into the format and consequently found the younger children becoming understandably restive.

Apart from that, this unusual and intimate show which allowed for an eagerly taken up question and answer period afterward, was a hit with the children, and with the adults.

Bermuda is indebted to Paula Maguire who performs an even more unusual task in her determination to bring to the Island's youngsters, superbly crafted theatre by some dedicated and gifted artists.

PATRICIA CALNAN KIDFEST RETURNS -- The children's theatre festival, Kidfest opened at the weekend with the Masque group, led by Larry and Jennifer Hunt performing `Animan'. Pictured is their daughter, Phoebe, surrounded by some of the masked characters in the hour-long entertainment.