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The Actor’s Perspective | Acacia Duncan – Lizzie

January 30, 2013 By Acacia Duncan Leave a Comment

aduncan-pnp

On preparing for the role of Elizabeth…
I really wanted to have the chance to play Lizzy. So when I was cast in the role, I got really pumped, and then really nauseous. As much as I was thrilled to have the chance to bring this iconic character to life, I knew that a lot of expectations would accompany any portrayal of Elizabeth. I watched every version of the book I could get my hands on, I read reviews of different performances, I read critical responses to the character and book… All of these made me even more petrified. So I put them all down and read and re-read the novel. You should see my copy. I highlighted every description of Lizzy right down to each time she turns away to hide a smile. Then I put all of my research aside and played the scenes that Daniel had set down, bringing as much of my own heart as I could. I’m still petrified before every performance. But now I take that as a good sign.

On the character…
Elizabeth is smart, funny, thoughtful, caring to those she loves, vengeful to those who slight others, joyful, sensitive, hot-tempered, and quick to judge. I love her for her qualities and her many faults, but most of all for her ability to change and grow: she learns forgiveness and to listen more carefully to her own heart.

Hopeful takeaways…
What I take away most is that you have to work on yourself before you are ready for great love. Jane must learn to be vulnerable and show her love, and Bingley must learn the strength to make his own choices before they are ready for their great love. Darcy must learn how his words and actions affect others around him before he is ready for his great love. And Elizabeth must learn not to be so quick to judge, to forgive others, and to understand her own heart and mind before she can be happily married. True love makes you want to be a better person and that must be accompanied by the hard work it actually takes to become that person.

On the book….
The book is such a delight! I laugh and squeal like a girl when I read the book– which I do about once a year.

Favorite screen adaptation…
I am torn between the BBC miniseries and the 2005 Kiera Knightly version. The miniseries is a better representation of the novel and I love getting the chance to see more of the characters and relationships blossom. Yet the 2005 film captures the feeling and the romance of Lizzy and Darcy so well– it sweeps you right along with them.

On playwright Daniel Kramer…
Daniel is a great collaborator. My best memories of work-shopping this play are of his delight in the room when we would stumble on a new idea to make the show better. Then he would go home and come back with the most hilarious and beautiful scenes that got straight to the heart of the book and all of our experiences reading it. I have no idea how he did that, but we are all so fortunate that he is so good at what he does!

On director Eleni Papaleonardos…
Eleni creates a fun and safe place to play and make bold choices. And she laughs and squeals i. all the right spots. What I love most about being directed by Eleni is that she doesn’t allow me to become complacent–she continues to question my choices and pushes me to go farther, and I know that helps me to give a better performance. I’m sometimes a brat to her when she pushes me, but she’s a good sport and forgives me.

Favorite scene…
How to choose?! As soon as I choose one scene, I think of another that I love. Ask me about yourfavorite scene and I can tell you what I love about playing it. That would probably take up less room.

Things I love about Available Light Theatre…
The people I have the honor to work with.
The new and exciting plays I get to work on.
The atmosphere of fearless and playful collaboration.
The work ethic– easy is for other people.
The supporters– we have the best audiences in town.
That it is my home. I’m blessed.

Filed Under: Pride & Prejudice Tagged With: backstage

Get Your PRIDE & PREJUDICE t-shirt autographed at the show!

January 29, 2013 By AVLT Leave a Comment

bothpnpts

Are you a Future Mrs. Darcy? Are you a Dude for Darcy?

Impress your friends! Get an official AVLT P&P t-shirt from Skreened dot com, wear it to the show, and get it autographed by Mr. Darcy himself.

Future Mrs. Darcy right here: http://skreened.com/avlt/future-mrs-darcy

Dudes for Darcy right here: http://skreened.com/avlt/dudes-for-darcy

Filed Under: Pride & Prejudice Tagged With: recentnews

It’s the 200th Anniversary of Pride & Prejudice!

January 29, 2013 By AVLT Leave a Comment

Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice has endured as a popular favorite for 200 years, as of January 2013. What is it about P&P that has enabled its blockbuster status to last – and even blossom – in the 21st century? Paula Marantz Cohen of The Smart Set (and Distinguished Professor of English at Drexel University) has some ideas… Ten of them, in fact.

1) Visual potential. Postmodern culture is visual, and though Jane Austen is a consummate literary stylist, her novels are superbly cinematic — P&P, especially so. It’s as if Austen had her eye on the option when she wrote: The plot is simple and easy to translate to the screen; there are sprightly protagonists and juicy character roles; the period locales are relatively simple to re-create and sumptuous to look at (i.e. well-furnished country houses, manicured lawns and bucolic walks, Empire dresses, frock coats and breeches); and there is plentiful and pithy dialogue. Given the adaptations that currently exist, we can now spend hours arguing over the relative merits of the BBC P&P (the general favorite), the problematic but, to some, irresistible, Keira Knightley version, and the 1940 Greer Garson-Laurence Olivier Hollywood treatment in which Lady de Bourgh (Edna May Oliver) is represented as a lovable old codger who is on Darcy’s side all along. (I confess — I love it!). In discussing P&P adaptations, there will always be the inevitable detour into extolling the adorableness of Colin Firth (Fitzwilliam Darcy in the BBC version and also Mark Darcy in the P&P update, Bridget Jones’s Diary). If Jane Austen is a brand and P&P, the best-selling product, Colin Firth is the star salesman in the franchise. Yes, he’s getting long in the tooth, but that only means he can be cast as Mr. Bennet in the next adaptation.

2) Internet fodder. The accumulation of speculation and secondary material about Jane Austen has resulted in a healthy life online. There are YouTube clips, fan blogs, twitter feeds, Facebook postings, and other manners of outreach. This seems only right. Jane Austen was into the sort of minutiae that the Internet thrives on — her canvas, “that little bit (two inches wide) of Ivory on which on which I work with so fine a brush,” is ideal for microscopic parsing.

Read the entire list right here: http://www.thesmartset.com/article/article12211202.aspx

Filed Under: Pride & Prejudice Tagged With: learnmore

The Actor’s Perspective | Ian Short – Mr. Darcy, Mr. Collins

January 29, 2013 By Ian Short Leave a Comment

On the Book…
I first read the novel Pride and Prejudice to prepare for the role of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins. It kind of felt like a homework assignment at the time and I made a plan to read one chapter a day, whether I wanted to or not. I read three chapters the first day (they’re short) and immediately became so invested, that I finished the book two days later. It’s one of my favorite books now, and I’m looking forward to reading it again soon.

Working with Daniel Kramer…
After reading the novel, I had a newfound appreciation for the play that Daniel had created. If you are well versed in the story and come to see this play, you will find almost nothing has been lost in this translation. He captures all of the humor, the deep personal relationships and the strict rules governing society at the time. He also manages to interject various external sources, such as Jane Austen’s personal letters, blog posts about the book, and even the merchandising (t-shirts, comic books, coffee mugs, etc.). All of these peripheral sources enhance the story being told, rather than distracting from it.

Favorite Scene…
It’s a tie between Darcy’s first proposal and when Darcy and Elizabeth meet at Pemberly. The proposal scene is a joy for an actor to play. It’s a confession of love, a vicious rejection and a heated argument where the two characters reveal all the things they have been thinking and feeling about the other. It is beautifully written dialogue, and the emotions underneath are sincere and powerful.

The second scene, where Darcy surprises Elizabeth and her relatives while they are visiting Pemberly is enjoyable because I get to shift gears with the character and reveal a different side to Darcy. I get to show how he’s grown over the months since seeing Elizabeth. I personally enjoy softening the sharp edges of the character I had been portraying earlier in the show.

On working with Available Light Theatre…
As a founding company member, I have worked with the entire cast, and our director, on multiple productions and each show is a new and exciting experience. We all know each other very well, but we don’t let that familiarity become complacency. We are constantly helping each other learn and grow as artists. One of the unique aspects of doing this show is that Eleni has incorporated our offstage friendships into the production. In the play, the actors sometimes break character and comment on the scene. We’ve made these diversions very playful and in terms of attitude, we’ve let a lot of our own history with each other seep in.

Filed Under: Pride & Prejudice Tagged With: backstage

The Actor’s Perspective | Michelle Schroeder – Caroline, Jane, et al

January 28, 2013 By Michelle G. Schroeder Leave a Comment

mschroeder-pnp

On preparing for the role…
Working on this show was a new adventure everyday. It is not often that an actress gets to play both the youngest and oldest character in the show! Our director, Eleni Papaleonardos, was a vast well of encouragement. I was terrified! But she was right there every step of the way cheering us on. And by us I mean all of 7 of us…. Caroline, Jane, Jane, Lady C, actress B, Lydia and Georgiana…. 🙂

Favorite character…
I don’t have a favorite character per se, but I do so love that Jane Austen’s voice is a part of our production. Jane’s letters to her family offer so much insight. We get to hear how she advises her family in matters of love and how fiercely protective she is of them. And her own sense of fun comes through clearly… I can hear the joy in her descriptions of dancing and imagine her laughing at her own descriptions of “everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together.”

On working with Available Light Theatre…
I cannot imagine anywhere else in the world I would rather work than with Available Light Theatre. These are my friends and my family. We created this amazing thing and are watching it grow up just like you watch your child grow and learn to take a few steps. And then it runs…. And perhaps learns to fly. I think AVLT is starting to soar… And I couldn’t be more proud.

Favorite scenes…
My favorite scenes are really more moments. Some are simply looks. Anytime Jane and Lizzy clasp hands, when Lady Catherine and Miss DeBourgh play backgammon, Bingley telling Lizzy exactly how many days its been since he saw Jane and, of course, the moments between Mr. And Mrs. Bennet- and Lizzy and Darcy in the final scene… Finally together. It’s all there for me every time. We are blessed with an incredibly talented group and they bring it every time.

Filed Under: Pride & Prejudice Tagged With: backstage

The Actor’s Perspective | Drew Eberly – Mr. Bingley, et al

January 28, 2013 By Drew Eberly Leave a Comment

On preparing:
I had read the book in a masters-level Victorian Literature course the year prior to being cast in our show. It turned out to be great timing! My professor for the course was Dr. Laura Vorachek, who has published widely on Jane Austen and had a great enthusiasm for the text. The class discussed Pride and Prejudice and each student selected an aspect of the book for further research. I looked into Austen’s use of gossip in the novel. I tend to agree with Ms. Austen that gossip can be quite fun.

On the character:
Bingley is my favorite character. If Austen’s characters are sometimes guilty of questioning the meaning and motivation behind every tip of the hat, then Bingley is the remedy. His character makes a great argument for living unguarded and living happily.

Takeaways:
People are silly, self-conscious, and often ridiculous. They are also beautiful and love is an eternally interesting subject.

On the book:
It’s one of those book where it’s helpful to keep a character sheet or a family tree handy…a lot happens quickly and all those English names: Lucas, Wickham, Fitzwilliam, Gardiner…I was constantly slamming the book down, crying, “Please, not another nephew.”

Favorite film version:

I found things to enjoy in every film version, though I haven’t found one with a Caroline Bingley that can stand up to Michelle Schroeder’s.

Daniel Kramer:
Daniel’s script is very clever. I love its very human portrayal of contemporaries interacting with a book…It admirably proves that it’s okay to not understand every nuance, it’s okay to miss things or have questions…you can still be a person who loves to experience great Literature.

Eleni Papaleonardos:
calm, giving, funny, my friend…her confidence in me that I could do this project meant everything to me

Favorite Scene:
Due to the staging in our version, we get to watch a number of scenes unfold. For a favorite, I cannot choose between the following two:
*Darcy and Elizabeth at the end of the play…Yes, I’m a sucker for the romantic comedy moment of “yes, we must really love each other.” Acacia and Ian are able to keep the scene sincere and genuinely romantic, yet there’s this great layer of surprise in both of them, as if they’re both utterly shocked that not only is it going to work out, but that it’s going to work out for them.

*Mrs. Bennett taking center stage while her daughter is receiving a marriage proposal is priceless. She needs to talk about the state of her dresses and naturally this seems like the perfect moment.

Filed Under: Pride & Prejudice Tagged With: backstage

A Rave Review from Mr. Dispatch

November 9, 2012 By AVLT Leave a Comment

“I can’t think of another new work staged in Columbus in my 24-plus years as a Dispatch critic that has displayed so much promise or polish.”

As we try not to let you forget, our original production of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, in 2010, was a big hit. It elicited one of the most raving reviews we’ve ever received.

Read it all right here.

Filed Under: Pride & Prejudice Tagged With: recentnews

Who’s the biggest Pride & Prejudice fan?

November 9, 2012 By AVLT 1 Comment

Okay, P&P fans. Take the big quiz (right here) and report your score in the comments below.

Filed Under: Pride & Prejudice Tagged With: learnmore

Pride & Prejudice returns this December!

November 9, 2012 By AVLT Leave a Comment

Did you know that Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, AVLT’s most popular show ever, returns to downtown Columbus this December? It’s true!

Get your tickets here!

Filed Under: Pride & Prejudice Tagged With: recentnews

Yours very affectionately, JANE AUSTEN

October 9, 2012 By AVLT Leave a Comment

Playwright Daniel Kramer shared a lot of his resources with us. One website that came i very handy is an archive of Jane Austen’s letters. There are literally hundreds to dig through, and they date from 1796 through 1817.

Here’s a sample, from October 7, 1808:

On Tuesday evening Southampton was in a good deal of alarm for about an hour: a fire broke out soon after nine at Webb’s, the pastry-cook, and burnt for some time with great fury. I cannot learn exactly how it originated; at the time it was said to be their bakehouse, but now I hear it was in the back of their dwelling-house, and that one room was consumed.

The flames were considerable: they seemed about as near to us as those at Lyme, and to reach higher. One could not but feel uncomfortable, and I began to think of what I should do if it came to the worst; happily, however, the night was perfectly still, the engines were immediately in use, and before ten the fire was nearly extinguished, though it was twelve before everything was considered safe, and a guard was kept the whole night. Our friends the Duers were alarmed, but not out of their good sense or benevolence.

I am afraid the Webbes have lost a great deal, more perhaps from ignorance or plunder than the fire; they had a large stock of valuable china, and, in order to save it, it was taken from the house and thrown down anywhere.

The adjoining house, a toyshop, was almost equally injured, and Hibbs, whose house comes next, was so scared from his senses that he was giving away all his goods, valuable laces, &c., to anybody who would take them.

The crowd in the High Street, I understand, was immense; Mrs. Harrison, who was drinking tea with a lady at Millar’s, could not leave at twelve o’clock. Such are the prominent features of our fire. Thank God they were not worse!

Let’s not give away too much, but suffice to say, if you comb through enough of these letters, you might come across some parts of Mr. Kramer’s new adaptation.

Filed Under: Pride & Prejudice Tagged With: learnmore

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