The Family Series kicks off with the American Sign Language (ASL) adaptation of the musical Big River, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Nov. 16-21. The acclaimed staging which won awards for its original runs at California's Deaf West Theatre and Mark Taper Forum made it to Broadway earlier this season. The show retells the classic Mark Twain story of the mischievous Huck and his slave Jim on their trip down the Mississippi River through music, dance and signing in a production for both hearing and deaf cultures.

Another literary duo come off the page as the Arnold Lobel characters hit the stage in A Year With Frog And Toad, Jan. 12-16, 2005. Based on the books, the musical explores the adventures of the two amphibian friends through the four seasons. The musical features a book and lyrics by Willie Reale with music by Robert Reale.

Teaming up with the Boston Lyric Opera, The Wang Center will present the east coast premiere of The Little Prince, Feb. 16-27, 2005. The opera is based on the book of the same name by Antoine Saint-Exupéry. The Little Prince tells the story of a pilot stranded in the Sahara desert after a crash landing who discovers a young man. The Little Prince opened in May 2003 at Houston Grand Opera.

Also scheduled as part of The Wang's Family Series will be Cirque Dreams, playing March 15-20, 2005. The circus fantasy created and directed by Neil Goldberg is a 90-minute, two-act performance which includes acrobatics, contortionists, costuming, choreography and music in one visual spectacle.

Tickets for the Family Series productions will go on sale to Wang Family Members first in early May. Contact The Wang Center, located at 270 Tremont Street in Boston, MA by calling (617) 482-9393. For more information, visit www.wangcenter.org.