Despite the pleas of literary romantics everywhere, few Jane Austen novels ever make it to the stage.

On film – whether it be a BBC miniseries or a Hollywood blockbuster – Austen’s country settings and quiet conversations are enhanced by lush scenery and intimate close-ups. Onstage, however, a turn around a drawing room, a whispered conversation or a casual look loses its significance when the viewer is in the 32nd row.

This was just one of the challenges Lauren Nichols, artistic director for All For One Productions, faced when staging Austen’s “Emma,” which premieres today at the Allen County Public Library.

“It’s very subtle,” Nichols says. “Every dance, every look. It all has meaning, and it all must be conveyed to the audience. And this is Austen. People love Austen, so we absolutely cannot get it wrong.”

“Emma” is one of three Austen novels adapted for the stage by playwright Jon Jory. The two others, “Pride and Prejudice” and “Sense and Sensibility,” are so closely linked with on-screen adaptations that Nichols decided to not pursue them. “Emma,” she says, was “the perfect storm.”

“We’re always looking for plays that are values-rich, thoughtful and educational,” Nichols says. “And we wanted to do something with strong name recognition that has never been done before in Fort Wayne. ‘Emma’ hit the bulls-eye.”

The book is one of Austen’s most comical, which helped Nichols stage the play.

Filled with both physical and verbal humor, the play follows the follies of Emma, a young, rich wannabe matchmaker and the havoc she wreaks on the lives of her friends. There are awkward marriage proposals, comical spinsters and plenty of opportunities to steal the show, Nichols says.

“But it’s really a story about character and integrity,” she says. “Emma has the potential to become a wonderful adult, but she’s been surrounded by sycophants her entire life. Her motivations have been selfish. She has to wake up and change.”

As Nichols began working on the play, she realized a stage adaptation of “Emma” came with several challenges. Costumes, for instance, needed to represent England’s Georgian era. Not easy to come by, she says.

“We borrowed and borrowed,” she says. “(IPFW’s) theater department, Blackhawk Christian School, Wabash Community Theater. They all helped us put it together.”

Next, the dancing – which is both difficult and specific – is integral to the plot.

To keep the dancing true to the period, Nichols asked members of the Fort Wayne Traditional Music and Dance Society to choreograph contra dances for the play.

But perhaps the biggest challenge – and the thing everyone expects from an Austen adaptation – was that every character speak with an English accent. A crash course in upper-class King’s English was given to every actor, Nichols says.

“That was mandatory,” she says. “There was no way we’d do this without the accent. This is Austen. We have to get it right.”

edowns@jg.net