Playing Pride and Prejudice

The student actors in Kansas Wesleyan's production of Pride and Prejudice are gaining the technical and acting skills they need to portray characters from a different century.

"Pride and Prejudice," adapted by playwright Jon Jory, was selected to give theater students experience in performing classical theater, said Kansas Wesleyan theater professor Richard Esvang, director of the production.

To effectively perform a play set in a different time period, student actors must learn a different style of walking, sitting, talking and even dancing, Esvang said, as well as master British accents. 

"There's a lot of elevated language, style of movement and diction," he said. "We're using the play to work on elocution."

Allison Yaple, who portrays Elizabeth Bennet, says that the technical aspects are more difficult to master than the emotions:

"You always have to remember your posture," she said. "The lines also are more difficult because of the phrasing. It takes a lot more work and study time."

For more details about the challenges students face in playing Pride and Prejudice's familiar characters, click on KWU Students Take on Austen from Salina.com.

Chat with Pride and Prejudice Actors of the new Actors Theatre Production Online

The Actors Theatre of Louisville, Kentucky is in rehearsals for the stage play of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice adapted by Jon Jory, who will also direct. They have a wonderful blog which features behind the scenes information on their upcoming productions. This stunning image is of a set model for the play. Quite impressive!

The first rehearsal was September 4th, and adaptor/director Jon Jory shared his feeling with the cast and designers on the amazing characters and their intricate inter-relations in the novel noting everyone seems to have a friend or family member who remind them of Mr. Bennet, Lady Catherine de Bourgh or Mr. Collins (shudder).

Share your thoughts on their blog on who your favorite characters are, and who in your life reminds you of one of Austen's famous literary characters.

Pride and Prejudice premieres September 30th at the Actors Theatre, Louisville, Kentucky and runs for 26 performances in the Pamela Brown Auditorium through November 2nd. I envy all Janeites who have the opportunity to see Jane Austen’s most famous novel put to stage!

Posted by Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Dressing the Bennet Sisters

The stage version of Pride and Prejudice will debut in the Actors Theatre of Louisville, October 2 - November 8. Costumer Marcia Dixcy Jory discusses how she created the costumes for the play, which her husband, Jon Jory, will direct. Describing the challenges of creating realistic costumes that are not too bulky or too thin, she says: " There are corsets, petticoats, ruffles and lots of shoes, and the dresses have complicated sleeves and bodices…. There are hair combs, jewelry, fans and other accessories -- and the costumes have to be rigged for fast changes."

Click here to read the full interview in The Courier Journal.