Written by: Jane Austen
TV Adaptation: Andrew Davies

Performance Dates:
April 22-24th, 2027 at 7:00 pm
&
Sunday Matinee
April 25th, 2027 at 2:30 pm

Director: Joh Mann

Audition Dates: March 15 &16, 2027

SUMMARY: In Georgian England, when it was customary for only male heirs to inherit an estate, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet live in some comfort, but as they have five daughters and no son, it is imperative that the girls marry well.

Hopes rise when Mr. Bingley, a rich bachelor, rents the nearby Netherfield estate. He attends the local ball with his sister and his friend Mr. Darcy. He is immediately attracted to Jane, the eldest Bennet sister, and she to him. But Mr. Darcy seems haughty and aloof, and declines to dance with Elizabeth, (our heroine) the spirited second Bennet daughter. She dislikes him on sight and fails to notice that he gradually becomes more and more attracted by her wit and intelligence.

Mr. Collins, a distant cousin who stands to inherit the Bennet estate, comes to visit, with a view to marrying one of the Bennet sisters. He proposes to Elizabeth, who rejects him. Jane and Mr. Bingley become fond of each other and Elizabeth’s secret adoration for Mr. Darcy becomes apparent. The love between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy blossoms, despite his prejudice of her low social connections.

Cast List:

ELIZABETH BENNET – (Lizzy to her family) Our heroine, 20 years old, very bright, very lively, with a mischievous sense of humour. In the modern parlance, she takes no shit from anyone.
JANE BENNET – 23, her older sister. Beautiful, gentle, affectionate, tends to think well of everyone.
MARY BENNET – 18, serious, bookish without being particularly bright, earnest and humourless.
LYDIA – 15, high-spirited, sexually precocious, one of those girls who ‘just wanna have fun’. Thoughtless, but not a bad bone in her body.
KITTY – 17, very much under Lydia’s influence. Excitable and easily led.
MR. BENNET – late 40s, slightly older than Mrs Bennet, clever and dryly witty. Twenty-two years ago, in his youth, he got Mrs Bennet pregnant and did the decent thing and married her, and has stoically endured the consequences ever since.
MRS. BENNET – early 40s, was probably a Lydia in her youth. She still has a romantic heart, but now all her energies are devoted to securing advantageous marriages for her daughters. Mr Bennet is ‘landed gentry’, Mrs Bennet is from a class below.
MR. DARCY – late 20s, is so grand that no one dares to call him by his Christian name. Enormously rich, he owns a grand house (Pemberley) and a large chunk of Derbyshire. Clever, proud, and reserved. But somewhere inside there beats a loving heart.
GEORGIANA DARCY – 17, his much-loved sister. Very much looks up to her older brother.
MR. CHARLES BINGLEY – 25, is a rich young gentleman from the North. Warm, friendly, eager to see the good in everyone. He might have a slight Yorkshire or North-Eastern accent.
MISS CAROLINE BINGLEY – 20s, his sister. Snobbish and judgmental, but desperate for Mr Darcy’s approval.
MRS LOUISA HURST – late 20s, another sister. Miss Bingley’s wing-woman. (Mr Hurst is only interested in drinking, card games and country sports, so didn’t want to be in this stage version.)
SIR WILLIAM LUCAS – 50ish, did very well in trade in Meryton, very proud of his knighthood. Good-natured, a bit pompous.
CHARLOTTE LUCAS – early 20s, his daughter. A close friend of Elizabeth’s, she has a ruthlessly practical approach to life.
MR. COLLINS – 30ish, a rather dim-witted clergyman who has an unjustifiably high opinion of himself. Greatly in awe of Lady Catherine, to whom he owes his living.
LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH – 50s, a wealthy aristocratic widow, aunt to Mr Darcy. Autocratic, unpleasant and fairly stupid.
LADY ANNE DE BOURGH – her daughter, early 20s, pale and sickly, she suffers from various unspecified health problems. Never speaks in this version.
GEORGE WICKHAM – late 20s, a personable young officer. Childhood friend (and now enemy) of Mr Darcy. We need to think he’s going to be the hero when we meet him, he’s so charming.
DENNY – 20ish, another officer.
MR. GARDINER – late 40s, Mrs Bennet’s brother. Kind, sensible and practical.
MRS. GARDINER – 30s, affectionate, aunt to Elizabeth.
MRS. REYNOLDS – 60s, housekeeper at Pemberley.
HANNAH or HARRY – late teens, servant at the Lambton inn.
MAID – servant to all locations as required.
BUTLER or DANCERS – extras as desired.