The Edison Stagelight Players will perform Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, adapted by Jon Jory, beginning October 25 and running through November 3. All performances will be held in the Robinson Theater at the Piqua Campus.
Pride & Prejudice, perhaps Jane Austen’s most revered and celebrated novel, focuses on Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters, and their mother who is desperate to see them married into financial security – there being few if any viable options for young women during the early Nineteenth Century. The novel follows Lizzy as she navigates the complex world of social barriers, pressures and obligations that comprised the culture of upper class Regency England, and is confronted with a puzzle in the personage of one Mr. Darcy. Their relationship becomes the axis on which the novel’s themes and social mores, marriage and the importance of seeing past one’s own biases and coming to a fuller knowledge of oneself revolve.
Director Emily Beisner is very excited about producing an adaptation of Jane Austen’s most prized works. “Incidentally, this year marks the bicentennial of when the novel was first published back in 1813,” said Beisner. “After 200 years, Jane Austen’s novel is still holding strong as one of her most popular works of literature.”
Jane Austen incorporates many themes in Pride & Prejudice, the most popular being social class. “In a way, she pokes fun of the higher class and how ridiculous they acted in regards to marriage and social standing,” added Beisner. “She uses her conversations to illustrate that of the higher class.”
The performance features classical music along with a wide array of costumes designed by Edison faculty member, William Loudermilk. This show is sure to immerse audiences into the world of Elizabeth Bennet during 19th Century England.
Tickets for the show are seven dollars for adults, five dollars for students and three dollars for seniors and can be purchased at the door. Children under 12 are free. Shows will run Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2 at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, November 3 at 3 p.m.
For further information contact Karen Baker at 937-381-1502 or kbaker@edisonohio.edu
