The Emperor’s Nightingale at Pan Asian Repertory Theatre

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, continuing their educational initiative to serve elementary grade students and families with children, will present the family-friendly virtual return engagement of the 2018 production of The Emperor's Nightingale by Damon Chua. The Emperor's Nightingale is produced by special arrangement with Plays for New Audiences.

On-demand performances for in classroom and public viewing via Zoom begins APRIL 19, 2021 continuing through MAY 2, 2021. Reservations for in-classroom viewing MAY be made via email at srogers@panasianrep.org Tickets for public viewing access will be announced shortly.

Directed by Chongren Fan, the six-member cast features Leanne Cabrera, DeAnna Choi, Dinh James Doan, Jonathan Frye, David Huynh, and Brian Kim.

The Emperor's Nightingale by Damon Chua, directed by Chongren Fan, is a family-friendly Zoom adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Nightingale," set in 18th century China, and brings to light the youthful exploits of the future Emperor Qianlong. This 45-minute virtual version employs traditional puppetry, folk songs and new illustrations teaching the art of Chinese calligraphy. Nominated by the Off-Broadway Alliance for "Best Family Show", this TYA production emphasizes the importance of leadership guided by a moral compass, through the story about two rival teen brothers competing for the throne.

"Chongren Fan's staging, for Pan Asian Reparatory Theatre, uses shadow puppets, playful costumes, and goofy humor to bring the story to life," said Elizabeth Vincentelli of The New Yorker. "It is refreshing to be able to bring kids to such a show, rather than to one of the corporate monoliths crowding the holidays."

The creative design team for the original stage version included set by You-Shin Chen (Acquittal), costumes by Karen Boyer (Romulus the Great), lights by Leslie Smith (Acquittal, No-No Boy), and sound by Joseph Wolfslau (Romulus the Great). For the virtual adaptation, additional illustrations by You-Shin Chen and video editing by Brian Kim. The Stage Management team is Kristine Schlachter and Sabrina Morabito.