Center Stage announces the cast and creative team of Pride and Prejudice, the first show of its 2015/16 Season. The play begins performances Sept. 11, with opening night set for Sept. 18.
Directed by Center Stage Associate Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif, Pride and Prejudice will feature a cast of 21 actors performing Jane Austen’s classic, with a fresh adaptation by Christopher Baker that’s set in 1797. The story revolves around the romance between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, as well as other Bennet sister pairings.
“I can’t be prouder of all we achieved in Season 52, and I’m overjoyed to be opening Season 53 with Pride and Prejudice and to know it’s in the hands of Hana Sharif,” says Artistic Director Kwame Kwei Armah.
“I think that we have an incredible cast,” Sharif says. “Pride and Prejudice is a beloved text. It’s about connection and choice, and I think everyone sees someone they know – or themselves – in these characters.”
The principle romantic couples are performed by Kate Abbruzzese (Elizabeth Bennet) and A.J. Shively (Mr. Darcy), Ali Rose Dachis (Lydia Bennet) and Asher Grodman (Mr. Wickham), Mary Jo Mecca (Mrs. Bennet) and Anthony Newfield (Mr. Bennet), Eric Neufer (Jane Bennet) and Josh Salt (Mr. Bingley), Kelly McCrann (Charlotte Lucas) and Christopher Bolan (Mr. Collins), with Victoria Frings as Caroline Bingley.
The cast also includes Julia Brandeberry (Mrs. Gardiner), Maya Brettell (Mary Bennet), Patricia Hodges (Lady Catherine de Bourgh), Travis Hudson, Greg Joubert, Carolyn Kashner, Sarah Rose Kearns, Ed Klein, Hillary Mazer (Mrs. Reynolds) and David Sedgwick (Mr. Gardiner).
Pride and Prejudice features scenic design by Scott Bradley, costume design by Ilona Somogyi, lighting design by Colin D. Young, projections by Alex Koch, original music and sound design by Broken Chord, choreography by Paloma McGregor and casting by Pat McCorkle. Production dramaturg is Faedra Carpenter. Stage manager is Amber Dickerson and assistant stage manager is Lindsay Eberly.
Following the success of last season’s interactive lobby creations – such as sand and a reggae DJ creating Jamaica in the lobby forMarley and a boxing ring setting up the 1964 Miami Convention Center for One Night in Miami – audiences will join the world of Pride and Prejudice as soon as they enter Center Stage’s Calvert Street building and be transported to a Regency ball.
Pride and Prejudice opens Friday, Sept. 18, with previews Sept. 11-17, and closes Oct. 11. For more information, visitwww.centerstage.org or call the box office at 410-332-0033.