The Rime of the Ancient Mariner 

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner offered an ecological message long before the environmental movement arose. In the epic original, an old sailor accosts a stranger heading to a wedding in order to tell him of his days on the open seas. The sailor shot an albatross that followed the ship, and the ship was becalmed for seven days, at which point the crew made him wear the dead bird around his neck as punishment. Another ship appears on the horizon and approaches, bearing two grim passengers who play dice for the crew. Only the mariner survives this experience, and he learns a new respect for the creatures of the sea. It is a strange, haunting tale of privation and redemption, now adapted for the stage by Patrick Siler and presented by Upstream Theater. St. Louis favorites Sleepy Kitty composed music for the show, which will be played live during each performance.

8 p.m. Thu.-Sat. (Apr. 10-18); 2 and 7 p.m. Sun., Apr. 12; 3 p.m. Sun., Apr. 19. Kranzberg Arts Center (501 North Grand Boulevard; 314-863-4999 or www.upstreamtheater.org). $20 to $30..
Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sun., April 12, 2 & 7 p.m.; Sun., April 19, 3 p.m. Starts: April 10. Continues through April 18, 2015