HOUSTON - (Oct. 4, 2021) - One of the most cherished stories of all time will return to the stage on the Rice campus in a fresh, funky adaptation critics have called "delightfully different," "fizzy and festive," and "unlike any adaptation of Jane Austen one has seen before."
Rice University Theatre will present Kate Hamill's "Pride and Prejudice" for two weekends only at Hamman Hall: Oct. 21 and 22 at 8 p.m., with a matinee Oct. 23 at 3 p.m., and Oct. 27 and 29 at 8 p.m.
Set in Regency England during the last years of the Napoleonic wars, "Pride and Prejudice" follows the engaging war of words and wit between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy as they dance around one another both literally and metaphorically.
While the show has at times been seen as merely a tale of romance, this modern version - with just eight actors playing its many roles - is a satire of social class and manners, which Hamill brings to the fore in a show that is as relevant today as it was in Austen's time.
The production will be directed by Christina Keefe and Skye Bronfrenbrenner, with Bronfrenbrenner also serving as choreographer and intimacy director. Keefe, director of the Rice Theatre Program and professor in the practice in theatre, most recently directed "The Importance of Being Earnest," for which she was nominated for best director by BroadwayWorld Houston. Bronfrenbrenner is a fight director and actor who has worked with Houston institutions such as Rec Room Arts and Catastrophic Theatre, as well as the theater and opera programs at both the University of Houston and Rice.
Mark Krouskop, senior lecturer and production manager for the Rice Theatre Program, will be the set designer. His most recent design for Rice Theatre was the middle school gym for its production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."
The costumes are designed by Paige Willson, professor of costume design and technology at the University of Houston's School of Theatre and Dance. Her previous design credits include the Houston Shakespeare Festival, Stages and Main Street Theater.
