Few moments in literary history are as defining as the release of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” in 1813. Facing down such a monumentally influential piece of work, the Ohio University students who make up the cast of Tantrum Theater’s production of Austen’s novel are up to the challenge.
The production, written by Kate Hamill and directed by Sullivan White, opened Thursday and runs until Nov. 9., with tickets going from $10-$25 and potentially free student tickets for those with a valid OU ID if the show is not sold out. The performances are all in the Forum Theater in the Radio and Television Building, located at 35 S. College St. Hamill’s adaptation of Austen’s foundational novel takes a zany, physical-comedy-oriented approach without significantly changing the plot.
Amy Pilgrim, a junior studying musical theater and the actress playing Lizzy Bennet, said consuming both Austen and Hamill’s depictions of her character helped her prepare to take the Tantrum stage. She, along with the other actors, learned about her role at the beginning of summer and practiced throughout the season before returning to campus.
“I read the novel over and over,” Pilgrim said. “I was highlighting and annotating, (asking), ‘What are the important things? What do I need to show when I'm presenting this character?’ And then obviously there's the Kate Hamill flare on top of that.”
According to Christopher Reinhardt, a junior studying musical theater, all the actors involved were encouraged to read Austen’s original writing as well as do as much research about the work as possible. For Reinhardt, who plays Mary Bennet, Mr. Bingley and one of the eight “players” in the show — characters unique to Hamill’s play who can interact with the audience — research included film and television adaptations of Austen’s sophomore literary outing.
“You kind of have to find what similarities lie between and find the moments you can bring out the original character,” Reinhardt said. “But other than that, it's just kind of doing how the book and how the script writes out the characters.”
For Reinhardt, being a part of “Pride and Prejudice” is equally exciting and important. Leaving the stage, he said wants to feel impacted by the ageless themes Austen presents.
“I use Mary as an excuse to mess with my co-stars because it's fun,” he said. “I hope … to get a sense of hope that love is possible for everybody, no matter your sexuality, no matter who you are, no matter anything. The highs and lows that that can bring, it can be just a fun ride, or it can be the most terrifying thing in the world, but it's just something to enjoy.”
All the people involved on set have different ways of preparing for the curtains to be drawn back, revealing show-goers packed shoulder-to-shoulder intently watching the performance. Anna Richcreek, a senior studying acting, finds physically relaxing is best for her, especially because of the physicality required for the show.
“I always have to do a yoga practice, some deep breathing to calm myself and ground myself as much as possible,” Richcreek said. “Lydia is a very lively and energetic character, so I feel that it's really important for me to find the grounding in it because nerves can sometimes make me be a little bit out of control.”
Even for seasoned performers like Pilgrim, Reinhardt and Richcreek, stage fright is a real thing. Each of them has different strategies to combat stage fright, but they ultimately come back to focusing on how much they care about the show.
"I really try to remind myself of how grateful I am to be able to do what I do and just be in the show, be in the character who honestly, I can really relate to on many levels, and just open up and just share my passion with the audience and with my other artists,” Richcreek said.
Working with a group of students on the production formed strong bonds among the performers, each of them coming together to give Austen and Hamill’s work a new presence in Athens.
“This cast is incredible,” Pilgrim said. “The student performers that are in it are all some of my best friends. We all showed up first day of rehearsal and did these three to five-minute movement pieces. They were wacky, they were quirky, they were fun, chaotic. And we are always there to support each other every show.”
Despite the origin of Hamill’s play being over 200 years old, modern audiences still resonate with the story. In Pilgrim’s case, she immediately set her sights on being Lizzy.
“When I first read this script, before getting cast and before auditions and callbacks, I told my mom, ‘I have to play this character,’” Pilgrim said. “I don't know why. I just said I need to be her. I was like, I need to be her because she is so funny, she is quick, she's headstrong. She's everything that you want in a character. She's so beautifully crafted.”
Pilgrim said this resonance extends beyond just her, however. According to her, all people watching can take something away from it.
“As funny as this show is, there's so much commentary on how society was, and really how it hasn't changed that much,” she said. “Even today, it's so ridiculous, and (the show) has to be so ridiculous, because if it wasn't, how are we getting any messages across? It's a beautiful love story, though, and I think anyone, any age, any audience member would enjoy the show.”
