It’s been almost three years since Storyland Theatre performed in person, but that doesn’t mean the children’s theater group has been dormant.
The fruit of the group’s pandemic labor is a pair of animated musicals. One of them is “The Emperor’s New Clothes” which will be televised at 6 a.m. Saturday Dec. 31 on WRDW TV and on at noon, New Year’s Day 2023 on WAGT
“We are thrilled that both stations are going to air it so everyone can see it on television,” said Barbara Feldman, Storyland Theatre’s founder.
The animated videos are a new genre for the group, celebrating its 35th year.
“Humphrey Clinker Gets His Wish,” a mix of illustrations, music and voice acting, was the first foray into the new genre with “The Emperor’s New Clothes” following suit. Feldman said it took about eight months to produce each of them.
Written by Rick Davis with music and lyrics by Susan Burgess, “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is “one of our favorite shows,” she said.
Storyland’s core audience is comprised of schoolchildren who attend performances as part of field trips. The last time the group took the stage for a live show was in January 2020. The group was in the middle of rehearsals for “Beauty and the Beast” in March 2020 when COVID-19 forced it to shut down.
Area schoolchildren have viewed the productions in their classrooms.
“This is a lovely opportunity to make it available to anyone who watches WRDW and WAGT in the CSRA,” she said.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the publisher of Augusta Good News. Sign up for the free newsletter here.
