A WORLD PREMIERE: Dallas Children’s Theater is staging the world premiere adaptation of a very well-known story. The Pied Piper’s Magic takes some of the familiar elements of the classic story but adds a better ending for the kids of the town. It’s actually an adaptation of Steven Kellogg’s children’s book. And the kids in the audience seem to like the changes. “It’s a message that enthralled kids at Friday’s world premiere,” Nancy Churnin writes in her dallasnews.com review. “Kellogg’s story goes beyond the traditional folk tale of the Pied Piper with messages that resonate for today’s children about forgiveness, giving back and the transformative power of love,” Cathy O’Neal writes on theaterjones.com. Take the little ones through July 17.

HOT NEW MUSIC: If you’re looking for new tunes for the summer, you should check out the local scene. Preston Jones writes that 2011 is, “one of the strongest years in recent memory for local music.” And he provides reasons why with his list of five local breakout bands for summer on dfw.com.

ON THE REBOUND: Good news – giving to the arts in 2010 was up 5.7 percent over the previous year. That’s according to a report by the Giving USA Foundation, which found that about $13.3 billion was donated to arts and culture initiatives. More facts and figures are at latimes.com.