By Rachel Morse, Staff Writer
Students dance during a rehearsal of "Pride and Prejudice" on Jan. 31.
You may have seen the movie and even read the book, but the school of theater is bringing the famous story of love and false impressions to life.
Pride and Prejudice opens at 8 p.m. tomorrow, and runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings until Feb. 11, with 11 a.m. matinees Thursday and Friday and a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday.
The production, which is in partnership with the Oklahoma Children’s Theater, is a stage adaption of the famous novel, said Lance Marsh, artistic director of TheatreOCU. The play will help expose students and the community to a classic piece of literature.
“It’s one of the best-read, best-loved romance novels of all time,” he said.
The play follows the love story of two characters, who, through misunderstandings, start out hating each other, Marsh said. The theme of the novel is seen clearly through their romance.
“We make assumptions about things,” he said. “We have certain prejudices that if we looked past, our lives would be a lot easier.”
Surrounding the romance is an array of odd, hilarious characters, Marsh said. The total cast is about 28 actors with a full understudy cast.
“It’s a romantic comedy in the classic sense of the word,” he said. “It’s stylish, it’s very funny and makes for a great date.”
Audrey Wagner, acting junior, and Kody Walker, acting senior, will play the main characters of “Elizabeth Bennett” and “Mr. Darcy.”
A crew of student designers are responsible for expanding the style to the stage, Marsh said. Students are in charge of costuming, sounds, set, and lighting.
The production also will feature live dance music by three well-known, period dance musicians, who will play music specific to the timeframe of the novel, Marsh said.
“I am excited to see all the pieces come together,” he said.
Wagner said the experience she has enjoyed the most is becoming her character and seeing the show develop over the course of rehearsals.
“From getting the script to working with the cast and Lance, there is an entire process that happens before taking it to the stage,” she said.
The show is $8 for children and students and $12 for adults. For more information contact the ticket office at (405) 951-0011.
The production will be a lot of fun, Marsh said. The story is warmhearted, the characters are funny and it’s a great show to bring a date to.
“It’s going to be good,” he said.
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