Sara Mackie as Mrs. Bennet and her daughters in Cincinnati Shakespeare’s 2020 production. Photo by Mikki Schaffner Photography
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is thrilled to announce the return of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Kate Hamill, adapted from the novel by Jane Austen- the most popular show in CSC history!
After a heartbreaking early closure in 2020, CSC is thrilled to conclude this Grand Re-Opening Season with this production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Cincinnati, May 5, 2022 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to bring back its most popular show in CSC history: Pride and Prejudice by Kate Hamill, adapted from the novel by Jane Austen. After closing the show early in the run in March 2020 to the COVID-19 pandemic, CSC and theatre-goers across the tri-state area have waited with bated breath for the play’s return. The time has finally arrived! Pride and Prejudice is directed by Sara Clark and features many CSC Resident Ensemble favorites like Courtney Lucien in the role of the iconic Lizzy Bennet and Jared Joplin as the dashing –and dubious- Mr. Darcy. With 5 of the 8 person cast playing multiple roles, CSC will showcase gender-fluid doubling that will give old words new life in this classic romance.
One of the single most cherished stories of all time returns to the CSC stage in a fresh and funky new adaptation which critics are calling “delightfully different,” “fizzy and festive,” and “unlike any adaptation of Jane Austen one has seen before.” Sweepingly romantic, with a good dose of the tongue-in-cheek, Pride and Prejudice follows the love stories of the Bennet sisters, as they find that the path to true love can lead to the most unexpected of places.
In 2020, this production was beloved by critics and audiences alike with the League of Cincinnati Theatres saying “There was no fear…in this lively adaptation [of Pride and Prejudice]”…Director Sara Clark “amps up the humor to 11″…”you won’t be bored”…this production “takes risks”… and “Jane [Austen] would approve”. An ArtsWave reviewer said “the audience’s enthusiasm was palpable”…Pride and Prejudice is “electrifying”…”an absolute blast”…the “cast of this production deserves endless praise”…and [everyone] “will find something to love in this new take.” And Rick Pender’s Theater Stage & Scenes said “Pride and Prejudice is “great fun”…”comic perfection”…the actors “evoked gales of laughter”…and “If you’re seeking a ‘fizzy and festive’ night of theater, this is the show for you.”
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s is proud to feature the work of women in this production of Pride and Prejudice. This production of a female playwright’s adaptation of one of the most influential female author’s novels of all time includes: a female director, 50% of the cast is female identifying, and the cherry on top of this girl power powerhouse, 80% of the production designers are women as well. In a note by Director Sara Clark, she says “virtually all the stage adaptations [of Pride and Prejudice are] written by men.” She continues saying “Kate Hamill’s adaptation retells the story by this proto-feminist author… [and] highlights what is often missed by Hollywood treatments of Austen novels: how FUNNY Jane Austen was and how keen her satire of the society in which she lived…[and that] Hamill has taken the original novel and made the comedy, the social commentary, and the romance more in line with our modern sensibility.”
Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice first appeared on stage in the summer of 2017 at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in New York. During the 2018-2019 theater season, her adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was one of the 10 most-produced plays nationally and was nominated for the Off-Broadway Alliance Award- Best Unique Theatrical Experience. Her play has been praised by critics nationally. The Wall Street Journal wrote that Pride and Prejudice is “the stuff hits are made of”…“completely and delightfully different”…and “adapted with fizzy, festive freedom.”
The creative team of the original production is thrilled to return to CSC, transforming the Otto M. Budig Theater stage into a stunning Regency-era masterpiece yet again. Designers include Shannon Moore (Scenic Design), Clara Jean Kelly (Costume Design), visiting Sound Designer Kevin Semancik, as well as visiting and debut Lighting Designer Nina Agelvis. Kara Eble Trusty (Properties Design) and Rachel Perin (Choreography) are delighted to return to their respective roles.
In 2020, Pride and Prejudice was first production in the Otto M. Budig Theater to be presented in the round and this 2022 production will return to the round! This is a form of theatrical staging in which the acting area, which may be raised or at floor level, is completely surrounded by the audience. There will be a circular stage center with audience members on all sides. And the stage will be on a turntable allowing the actors to act to all audience members while the stage rotates. This also adds to the comedic lightheartedness and enhances the playfulness of the production for the audience who will experience the production all around them- include in special STAGE GALLERY seating, up on the stage!
Pride and Prejudice runs May 20—June 19. The show’s opening, Friday, May 20, boasts the Benefit Performance Gala, Revel and Regency, to celebrate CSC’s Grand Re-Opening Season. Tickets run at $250. Learn more about Revel and Regency by visiting https://cincyshakes.com/event/revel-2022/.
Performances on Pride and Prejudice are on Wednesday, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM, Sundays at 2:00 PM, and Saturday, June 18 at 2:00 PM (Also ASL Interpreted on June 18). Tickets are on sale now. Preview performances are on Wednesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 19, with tickets at $45 or $25 for YPs. There are discounts available for students, seniors, local residents, and community partners as access to all is important to CSC. Each performance night has a limited number of $14 “Access” tickets in the Upper Gallery and Stage Gallery. These can be purchased in advance by going online or calling the Box Office. And starting 1 hour before each performance, any unreserved tickets may be available as a discounted Rush Ticket to anyone, not just students. These tickets are only $12 and could be located anywhere in the house depending on that evening’s availability. These cannot be reserved more than 1 hour before a show and must be purchased in person in the Box Office. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees apply. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at www.cincyshakes.com.
Audience members are no longer required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend performances at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. The wearing of masks will be encouraged but optional. Please reach out to the Box Office by email or phone at (513) 381-2273 for assistance.
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is located at The Otto M. Budig Theater at 1195 Elm Street in OTR, adjacent to Washington Park. Many parking spaces are available on the street and in nearby lots and garages- for more information, visit http://www.otrchamber.com/pages/WheretoPark.
CSC also offers Valet Parking for every performance! Make reservations for $20 in advance when purchasing tickets or visit www.cincyshakes.com/parking. Purchasing in advance guarantees a spot. Valet is available right at the corner of 12th and Elm Street in front of the theater and begins approx. 1.5 hours before a performance. Cars can be picked up for up to one hour following a performance. (After one hour, you will need to arrange pick up with the valet service directly.) After purchasing, the valet will have your name on the list— it’s that easy!
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s 2021-2022 Grand Re-Opening Season is generously presented by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation and the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation; along with our Education Season Sponsor, Debby and Jim Mason Honoring James R. Bridgeland, Jr; and our Operating Support Partners, The Ohio Arts Council, The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts with Arts Midwest, The Shubert Foundation, Lightborne, and the tens of thousands of people who give generously to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. CSC is also grateful for Show Ensemble Sponsor Frost Brown Todd, Show Design Sponsors Taft Law and Bartlett Wealth Management, and Opening Night Sponsors Glenn and Cass Plott and Graeter’s.
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About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for all. In the summer of 2017, the theater relocated to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC’s repertoire is composed of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with the Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theatre Association. Each year, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reach more than 50,000 young people and community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions. In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, and all donations are tax-deductible. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the classics!
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