There's always a lesson to be learned when it comes to the productions put on by Rebecca Morgan and the Southwest Children's Theater. That's especially true with the troupe's upcoming production — Sheherazade: 1001 Arabian Nights — which is a wonderful hybrid of stories about magical genies, rebellious princesses and evil villains.

"Well, you know, Sheherazade is one of the most historically brave women," Morgan said. "We're talking centuries ago. You know the legend of Mulan? Well ... Sheherazade's got her beat."

In this tale, Sheherazade takes on the scorned sultan, who is taking out his anger toward a woman who betrayed him by marrying women for a day and then killing them.

"She decides she's going to face the sultan," Morgan said, noting that Sheherazade was this "Incredibly intelligent, well-read, versatile woman in a time when women ... didn't get this kind of education."

So she marries the sultan and convinces him to let her invite her sisters over for her last meal.

"Her sisters tell her, 'Tell me one of your stories. We're going to miss them so much when you're gone,' " Morgan explains. So she launches into a grand tale about a sailor named Sinbad, but before the story is over she stops. Her sisters urge her to go on, but she said, "I can't. It's morning and the day is over." Her time to be beheaded has arrived but the sultan is hooked on the story and tells her she can "stay her destiny" or live another day, if she finishes the story the next day.

The story continues, and soon Sinbad is joined by Aladdin and his buddy, Ali Baba, who are fighting against the likes of Shezar (think Disney's Aladdin character, Jafar, with a Morgan twist), who just wants to take over the world and have all the power for himself. Then there are Shezar's three annoying little minions.

"I have my three little minions who do all my evil little things for me," said Saibi Khalsa, 18, who is a student teacher for SWCT playing Shezar. Morgan's plays are often triple cast so every actor gets a shot at being onstage. "I want to rule the world but it doesn't really go so well for me. I want ultimate power and ultimately I get turned into a genie and stuffed in a lamp and thrown into a cave for eternity."

There are two genie sisters — Gin and Genie of the Ring — who grant unlimited wishes and their lamps are constantly changing hands making them reflect the personality of whoever is their master.

Arriana Griego, 12, is one of the cast members that plays the Genie of the Ring.

"She's Gin's older sister, and she's the one who takes charge of things," Arriana explained. "She's not the most powerful genie, but she's still really powerful and stuff."

Hannah Warren, 11, is also playing the Genie of the Ring.

"She's kind of sassy and rude," Hannah said of her character. "She talks back to people ... but she likes who she is even if she wants to be something different."

This character hasn't been a challenge at all for Hannah because "I'm sassy in real life," she said.

Gin is the Genie of the Ring's upbeat little sister, said Adriana Sanchez, 9, who plays Gin.

"I'm sort of cute," Adriana said with a smile. "But when I do become a genie, I get serious ... In the end of the play, I sort of turn evil because Shezar owns me and whoever owns the lamp gets the wishes."

The story isn't without its princesses, though. Esmeralda Gonzales-Muñoz, 13, plays Princess Cashmere, who is the story's version of Aladdin's Jasmine.

"She's not wanting to be a princess," Esmeralda said. "She wants to be able to go hang out with her friends and go to the marketplace instead of being in the castle."

This play has challenged Morgan's actors in many ways, she said. "I think the main thing for them is that these are very full-blown characters that everybody is very familiar with," Morgan said. "They have a responsibility to really bring the characters to life."

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.