PRIDE and PREJUDICE by Kate Hamill Based on the Novel by Jane Austen
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PrideandPrejudiceCover.pdf 1 5/7/19 1:58 PM SEASON 16 2018-2019 C Love, reputation, class…whatever. M Y CM MY CY CMY K PRIDE AND PREJUDICE By Kate Hamill Based on the novel by Jane Austen SEASON SPONSORS BILL & JUDY GARRETT • LEONARD HIRSCH • DR. RONALD & SUSAN HELLER KAMAYA JANE & DIANE ZEPS, IN HONOR OF ELAINE LIPINSKY TERRY O’DONNELL • PAMELA J. WAGNER & HANS TEGEBO CAREY WALL • HARVEY & SHERYL WHITE FROM THE DIRECTOR PRIDE AND Everyone—almost everyone—loves Pride and DIRECTOR ROB LUTFY PREJUDICE Prejudice. It regularly tops the list of best-loved BY KATE HAMILL CHOREOGRAPHER/ or most important novels. Elizabeth Bennet ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ADAPTED FROM THE NOVEL BY JANE AUSTEN and Mr. Darcy have become cultural icons, their MICHAEL MIZERANY ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION SPONSORS relationship being the ultimate in literary romance. Readers of the SCENIC DESIGNER GENE & MIRIAM SUMM SEAN FANNING n novel take ownership of the characters. I know because they have LIGHTING DESIGNER emailed me to make sure I don’t do anything too “strange” with this CHRIS RYNNE n adaptation. Rest assured, my mother introduced me to Jane Austen COSTUME DESIGNER as a child and I inherited her deep love and respect for her work. SHIRLEY PIERSON n WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER CAST Her novels and the BBC adaptations were regular topics of joyful PETER HERMAN n IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER conversation in my household. PROPERTIES DESIGNER ADRIAN ALITA RACHEL HENGST n JOY YVONNE JONES Our adapter and friend, Kate Hamill, kept the heart of the story but KEVIN HAFSO-KOPPMAN u SOUND DESIGNER updates it for a modern audience that might be more familiar with MELANIE CHEN COLE STEVEN LONE JAKE MILLGARD u themes like intersectional feminism. Jane Austen was fierce and STAGE MANAGER MICHELLE MARIE TRESTER DEAN REMINGTON un much funnier than we give her credit, and Kate Hamill has made sure JACQUE WILKE u ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER SHANA WRIDE u that we remember that. Not only did Austen go against the norm by SAMANTHA BAUMAN-MARTIN writing and publishing novels, but her stories centered on women DRESSER with resolve. Austen’s name never appeared on any of her novels. SARAH MARION Instead she was forced to use the banner, “By the Author of Sense and ASST. COSTUME DESIGNER TAYLOR S. PAYNE SPECIAL THANKS Sensibility.” DIVERSIONARY THEATRE ASST. COSTUME DESIGNER LAMB’S PLAYERS THEATRE Every romantic comedy can draw a line architecturally to Jane Austen BRANDY GATES BRIAN MCVICKER @ SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY (and anyone that knows me, knows my love of the genre). We go DIALECT COACH KATHRYN SHEVELOW VANESSA DINNING back to Austen because she is so relatable, she gets our species. Our jealousies, our loves, our desire for comforts, our desire to climb the social ladder. Kate plays off of Austen’s unique understanding of the THERE WILL BE ONE 15 MINUTE INTERMISSION social boundaries of the time and what happens when you put women into a box. At a young age my mother instilled a love of Jane Austen in me, and the lesson here is a good reminder in our world today—honor World Premiere production co-produced by Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and Primary Stages; matters, integrity matters. June 24, 2017, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (Davis McCallum, Artistic Director; Kate Liberman, Managing Director) This is for you Mom—Dianne Hutchinson Lutfy—who grew up a Bennet November 19, 2017, Primary Stages (Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Shane D. Hudson, Executive Director) sister. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE received a presentation as part of The Other Season at Seattle Repertory Theatre 2016-2017 n CYGNET RESIDENT ARTIST u MEMBER OF ACTORS' EQUITY, FINANCIAL SUPPORT IS THE UNION OF PROFESSIONAL PROVIDED IN-PART BY ROB LUTFY ACTORS AND STAGE ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES MANY THANKS TO OUR SEASON XVI SPONSORS Bill & Judy Garrett Bill and Judy Garrett have attended Cygnet productions since Season 1. They’re passionate about innovative work and sponsor our new plays program, The Bill and Judy Garrett Finish Line Commission. THREE QUESTIONS WITH Dr. Ronald & Susan Heller Ron and Sue have attended Cygnet productions for over a decade and Ron serves on the Board. They’re KATE HAMILL both passionate about the arts and donate their time In your opinion, why does Austen feel so wildly current for today’s and treasure to numerous organizations. social and political environment? Leonard Hirsch Austen is writing a lot about people, especially women, who are really Lenny has attended Cygnet productions since 2008 and confined by the expectation of their class in a very rigid class system has sponsored the past seven seasons. An avid theatre- and their gender roles in a really rigid gender role system. I think we goer, Lenny supports theatre and many other causes are dealing with a time where people are really struggling with that. throughout San Diego County. There’s so much economic disparity and pressure to conform to gender roles. But now we realize those roles are confining for people and there Kamaya Jane & Diane Zeps, are a lot of sacrifices you make to fit into them. I’m explicitly a feminist in Honor of their Mother, Elaine Lipinsky playwright, and I’m interested in gender roles. I wrote a lot of the roles Elaine Lipinsky was a dear friend to Cygnet. Her daughters, Kamaya and Diane, continue to support to be gender neutral. Austen’s work is also a lot about hypocrisy and Cygnet’s Education programs in her honor. hypocrisy is evergreen—that thing will never go out of style. Terry O’Donnell What do you think makes Austen a feminist writer? Dr. O’Donnell has served as musical director, director, I think she’s telling stories that take a real cockeyed view at marriage, at conductor and/or pianist for many regional theatres. He romantic love, at what is expected of women, of the silent desperation is a Cygnet Board Member and a Professor Emeritus of that women in patriarchal structures face, of the struggle to regulate Music and Theatre at San Diego State University. your own behavior based on outside norms that have nothing to do with who you really are. She writes very smart women. She writes Pamela J. Wagner & Hans Tegebo women who are wicked. She writes women who are considering the Pamela & Hans have supported Cygnet Theatre since worlds around them, and trying to figure out how to deal with their own 2004. This is their second year as Season Sponsors. They are passionate about supporting the careers of young lives under those rules. artists. Tell us a little about creating this adaptation… Carey Wall I’m a big believer that when you’re creating an adaptation, or in fact, Carey loves to support local musical theatre and this any piece of art, that you should have a strong point of view on it, and is her second year as a Season Sponsor. Carey taught one of the big challenges for me writing Pride and Prejudice was, it’s so for 37 years at San Diego State University, where she is popular, and it’s been done so many times that there actually are pretty Professor Emerita of English. good, straightforward versions of it out there. I love to create pieces of theater that are highly theatrical and that are surprising. What I like to Harvey & Sheryl White do is for the audience to come in expecting something, and come out Harvey and Sheryl White are generous philanthropists being like, “Wow, that was completely different from what I expected.” dedicated to supporting numerous San Diego art We think of it as this dated text, but the truth is, all of these rules and organizations, including Cygnet. behaviors around love, we still very much follow today. 4 5 6 CYGNET THEATRE BOARD DON’T MISS OUT! PROFILES OF TRUSTEES Be the first to know about special events, on-sale dates and partner discounts. Get ADRIAN ALITA JOY YVONNE JONES SHARON LIEDER, PRESIDENT exclusive behind-the-scenes content Mr. Bennet, Charlotte, Jane, Anne, Servant MARK BENNETT, VICE PRESIDENT and share your Cygnet enthusiasm with Servant PAMELA RICHARDS, VICE PRESIDENT friends and family. Originally from Adrian is very grateful CHRISTY WHITE, TREASURER Use hashtag #CygnetTheatre Houston, Texas Joy BARBARA ZELL, SECRETARY for this return to Yvonne Jones attended PAUL BEDINGTON Cygnet! He has The High School for the JOE FISCH previously been seen at Performing and Visual Cygnet in CHERIE HALLADAY Shockheaded Arts and went on to Peter and When the study at the University PATRICIA HODGKIN Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Rain Stops Falling, and worked as the of Minnesota in the Guthrie Theatre BFA RALPH P. JOHNSON Understudy/Assistant Director for Every Actor Training Program. She received ROBIN J. LIPMAN Brilliant Thing. He is a local teaching artist the Craig Noel Award for Outstanding TERRY O’DONNELL CYGNET SWANS The Swans are a volunteer group that takes who has worked with La Jolla Playhouse Performance in a Featured Role for her GENE SUMM and currently serves as the Head of Acting work as Sara Baartman in Voyeurs de SEAN MURRAY, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR great pride in bringing each new show cast under their wing, providing a delicious home at SDSU. He holds a BA from SDSU and an Venus at Moxie Theatre. Joy’s recent credits BILL SCHMIDT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MFA from UC Irvine. Adrian Alita is sponsored include Hall in Men on Boats at New Village cooked meal and treats. Many thanks to our swans: Kate Bower, Diane Carpinelli, Connie by Artist Advocates Joyce Gattas, Ruth Arts Theatre and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth Coe, Linda Evans, Howard Finnecy, Denise Hayward, Veronica Murphy & Walter Ritter and at the Texas Shakespeare Festival.