The Birth of "The Nightingale"

by Lola Danielson, dramaturg Hans Christen Andersen, as I stated in my last post, based many of his stories on events and people from his own life. The Nightingale is no different. The Nightingale (Nattergalen in Danish) was first published in 1844 and tells the story of a Chinese emperor who trades his real nightingale for a mechanical one. The emperor begins to die and longs to hear the nightingale, but the mechanical bird has broken. As Death attempts to take the emperor, the real nightingale returns and sings to save the emperor from Death. The Chinese motif for the story came from Andersen's time in the Tivioli Gardens that were opened in Copenhagen in August 1843. Andersen had never traveled further than Istanbul and stayed mostly in Europe during his travels abroad; so, his knowledge of China came from the decorative styles that were popular in Europe at that time. Andersen visited Tivioli Gardens again in October and wrote in his datebook that night that he had begun writing his Chinese fairytale. He finished the story in two days. [caption id="attachment_1847" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

The Pagoda at Tivioli Gardens in Copenhagen, August 2012.[/caption] Many believe that Andersen's model for the nightingale was Jenny Lind, a famous Swedish opera soprano. Andersen first met Lind in 1840 and developed an unrequited love for her. Due to Andersen's belief that he was not interesting or attractive to the opposite sex, he had great difficulty when it came to expressing his affection. He was very shy and found it difficult to propose to Lind. Andersen finally managed his proposal through a letter he handed to Lind while she was boarding a train to an opera concert. Lind did not return his affections but often wrote to Andersen that she wished him well, as a sister to a brother. [caption id="attachment_1848" align="alignright" width="274"]

Jenny Lind was approximately 20 years old when Andersen, 35, first met her. This is a rendering of Lind in 1840, the year Andersen met her.

Jenny Lind was approximately 20 years old when Andersen, 35, first met her. This is a rendering of Lind in 1840, the year she and Andersen met.[/caption] After Andersen published The Nightingale, Lind was given the title of "Swedish Nightingale." Her voice, like the nightingale, is said to sing so sweetly about good and evil that even death was affected by her voice. So, given the rumored healing power of Lind's vocal ability, it has become a common belief that Andersen based the nightingale in his story on Lind and the love of the emperor for the bird speaks of his feelings for Lind. While Andersen was often in love, he never married. His disposition was of such a nature that he felt everything so deeply. Perhaps that is why there is so much feeling in his stories and why we read them - to see beyond the ordinary and to feel something extraordinary.

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by Janine Sobeck, dramaturg Tech week is one of the most exciting moments in any show. It's the time when we get to leave our rehearsal room, move onto stage, and add all of the production elements. To help the actors adapt to all the changes we usually make a gradual transition. Pre-tech: While still in the rehearsal room, actors are given certain rehearsal props and costumes to help them in the creation of their characters. In the case of Princess Academy, all the girls were given rehearsal skirts and all the characters were given rehearsal books and and other items (such as the miri flower). We also added all of the instruments used in the show. Tech day 1: The first day of tech included adding the set and sound. One of the biggest changes for our actors is the ramps on our stage. They finally had the opportunity to climb the mountain! Tech day 2: It's time to add the props! In order to support Director Megan Sanborn Jones' vision of the show, prop designer Scott Jackson made all of the props out of paper, letters, and books. Tech days 3-4: This is what we call an "All Tech." The final elements of the show (lights, costumes, and make-up) are added into the mix. Day 3 is spent working through all the cues in act 1 and day 4 is spent working through act 2. Tech days 5-7: The time has come to run the show! These are our dress rehearsals, where the goal is to do the show exactly as if it was a real performance. This means starting at our normal curtain time and trying to never stop. The director, playwright, dramaturgs, and designers sit in the audience making notes about what is working and what still needs to change. At the end of the nights, the actors and designers are given feedback and we rehearse any moments that need some extra attention. Tech day 8: Which is today! Tonight is the time when we finally get to add the final element of the show: the audience! Our final day of tech is known as the "preview performance." Friends, families, and students are invited to see the show before we officially open. While we always reserve the right to stop the show if necessary (it is, after all, still a rehearsal), we hope that everything will go smoothly!

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by Amelia Johnson, Dramaturg Creating a show is a process. Though the run of the show is over, there was a lot more that went into the show than what was seen in those few weeks. Months before the run, the production team began meetings. They discussed the director’s vision for the show and began planning designs. Everything was approved of and discussed before lights were set, sets, were built, and the costume and makeup designs were implemented. This year, the costume and makeup designers drew inspiration from the local artist, James Christensen. Having passed away earlier this year, director Dallyn Bayles thought it would be nice to pay tribute to him in this way. Costume designer Dennis Wright was thrilled to base his designs of Christensen's style. He said, “What I really love about Christensen’s work is the whimsy that he incorporates into his characters. His distinctive use of patterns, layers and silhouette is really fun and distinctive. I wanted to be sure to capture that in the costume designs for this production. “I love this show, and the concept and design choices our team has made. I am excited to share it with our audience. As a big James Christensen fan, my one regret is that I didn’t actually get to meet the artist in person. I just returned to Utah last year and sadly, missed my chance. I am very grateful to be able to pay tribute to him in this small way”. Makeup and hair designer Sarah Bult also shared some of her thoughts. “After reading the script I looked through as many James Christensen paintings as I could find. I picked out textures, colors, broke it all down and paired certain characters with those elements. His artwork influenced everything from the shape and colors of hair down to the detail on the bead work of the hairpins. I loved that I could draw my inspiration from his work and create something that really embodied his artwork." Bult continued, “One thing I didn’t expect to be a challenge was that not many Christensen pieces have hair showing. This created a very unique and fun challenge for me. I had to look many different paintings, combine textures and colors, and use my own design style to come up with fun fairy tale hair and makeup styles that were reminiscent of Christensen’s artwork. I am very excited to see how all of the elements come together”. Join us on the 4th Wall next time to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes!

The Birth of "The Nightingale"

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