In adapting Hans Christian Anderson's The Emperor's Night-ingale for the stage, Storyland Theatre director Barbara Feld-man inadvertently created a metaphor for her long-running children's theater series.
The play centers on an emperor's pair of nightingales, one real and the other a bejeweled automaton. Initially enamored with the flash and glitter of the golden bird, the king comes to realize that the living bird's ability to sing sweet songs that are never the same far outweighs the replica's sparkle and shine. Mrs. Feldman said Storyland Theatre, which trots out each of its plays every five or six years, never gives an audience the same production twice.
"The interesting thing is that every time we do them, they are different," she said. "We are very conscious of that. We have different people, or we'll change the costuming."
Mrs. Feldman said that while she participates in all Storyland productions, she usually leaves the writing to others. The production of Beauty and the Beast, staged last season, and The Emperor's Nightingale are the exceptions.
"So this one is particularly nostalgic to me," she said. "I wrote it 17 years ago, but I still love it, still love what it's about."
Unlike many theater companies, the team at Storyland doesn't stop tweaking once a run has started. Mrs. Feldman said changes are often made on a performance-by-performance basis.
"So yes, it is a lot like this story," she said. "It's always new and different, and we never know what to expect. The only thing that remains the same is our goal to make the next production the very best we've ever done."
Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.
On stage
WHAT: The Emperor's Nightingale, presented by Storyland Theatre
WHEN: 9:30, 10:45 and 12:15 Wednesday-Friday, Jan. 27; 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28
WHERE: The Imperial Theatre, 745 Broad St.
COST: $4.50 for pupils Jan. 25-27; $5 on Jan. 28. Active-duty military and dependents admitted free at Saturday matinee.Call: 736-3455
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